 Splatoon was a major turning point for Nintendo. It is one of their most recent new IPs that really took off. Since its release in 2015, Splatoon has gained significant popularity and critical acclaim. People like the characters, merchandise quickly hit the market, and a stream of post-launch content kept people interested long after the game's release. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel which addressed many of the problems people had with the original, and expanded the game into something bigger and better. Splatoon has proved itself to be one of Nintendo's core franchises, even earning a spot among the likes of Mario and Link in Super Smash Bros. I think one of the main factors that really hooked people about this game is that it felt new, or should I say, fresh. Splatoon was created by a team of younger developers, which may be part of the reason that it has such a fresh new feel, a new look, and a new sound. Its 90s aesthetic and punk rock vibe make it exceptionally unique as far as shooters go. Graffiti art, skater culture, street fashion, urban slang. This unique aesthetic sets Splatoon apart from any other Nintendo franchise, and the music perfectly fits this aesthetic. Its soundtrack has received a lot of praise for good reason, but I haven't really seen anybody talk about it analytically, or look at it from a critical perspective. So in this video, I want to explore the music of the Splatoon series, and show how it is much more than just your average soundtrack. In my opinion, there's an underlying message within these games that I haven't really seen anyone else draw attention to. If you dig a little deeper into the world and the lore of the franchise, there are some interesting themes and ideas relating to music. I think that both games have a lot to say about the power of music, the influence it has on us, and how it can bring people together. This theme runs through both games, but it's emphasized in Splatoon 2 especially. The power of music is the hidden emotional core of the series, and this manifests itself in the story and lore of the games, as well as the soundtrack itself. Before I delve too deep, let's have a look at the role music plays within the world of Splatoon. In most games, the soundtrack is there primarily to add interest for the player, establishing the right feeling for a game's setting, scoring the emotion of the story, or just being catchy and memorable. Regardless of what the music is doing, in most cases it is purely a background element intended for the audience, but it's not a part of the world of the game itself. This is called non-diagetic music, a term usually used in the context of films, which means sound or music which does not have a visible source on screen and is not implied to be heard by the characters. For example, when you play the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, you aren't supposed to assume that Link is walking through the wilderness hearing notes played on an actual piano. While Splatoon is a little different, in these games, music is often diagetic, meaning it's heard not only by the audience, but also by the characters within the media itself. A good illustration of the difference between diagetic and non-diagetic music in games is another fan favorite Nintendo series, Animal Crossing. This is non-diagetic music. We aren't meant to assume that the in-game characters can hear this music when out and about in their town. This on the other hand is diagetic music. The source of the sound is an in-game character, KK Slider, and all of the other characters can hear his music. Well, much like a KK Slider concert, the source of Splatoon's music exists within its world. Nearly every song in the game is actually a performance by a number of fictional bands that exist in the Splatoon universe. So when you hear the battle themes of the first game, you aren't just hearing background music, but rather a performance by the squid squad, actual characters who are a part of the game's lore. The music you hear is contextualized within the world Nintendo has built. Within both of the Splatoon games, there are tons of these fictitious musical artists. That groovy tune you hear when an online match is loading, that's not just random mood music, it's a song by an in-universe reggae artist, Bob Dubb. Side note, when researching for this video, I found out that the Japanese name for Bob Dubb is Kala Marley, which is a much more creative name. Anyway, these fictional bands are what really makes Splatoon's soundtrack shine. They're probably the main reason as to why it feels like such a major departure from Nintendo's previous sound. The great thing about creating these fictional bands is that it enabled the composers to explore a wide array of genres previously untouched by Nintendo games. My personal favorite of the bands is Ink Theory, whose high-octane avant-garde jazz songs are an absolute blast during Turf Wars. There's also the bright and fun chiptune-fueled rock of the chirpy chips, one of the few bands present in both games. My Tide Era are a piano-rock band. I mean, who's ever heard of piano-rock being represented in a video game? There's the delightfully weird, experimental electronic music of Turquoise October, whose unique sound sets the mood of the single-player story mode. Just try and keep track of all the instruments in that one. The band Omega 3 provides the soundtrack for the Salmon Run mode, offering a unique combination of glitchy synths and orchestral instruments such as the timpani and cello. There's Sashi Mori, the sort of new metal blend of punk rock, metal and hip-hop. Splatoon even has a Celtic rock group, the bottom fiers, mixing turbocharged shredding on the electric guitar with some crazy frantic fiddling. The Octo Expansion brought a multitude of new genres into the mix, with a focus on contemporary pop and electronic styles. Providing this eclectic score is the octoling DJ Deadfish, a not-so-subtle reference to Deadmau5. Deadfish's catalogue includes hip-hop, electro-swing, electro-funk, lo-fi chill-beats, 80s synthwave, and whatever you'd call this. There's even a trap-rap song, yes, trap music in a Nintendo game. Now, there are two musical groups which have a particularly central role in the Splatoon games. If you've ever played or seen anything about these games, you know who I'm talking about. The original Splatoon had the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, who were a pair of J-pop-esque pop idols. Splatoon 2 introduced us to Off the Hook, a more American-style pop group consisting of singer Marina and rapper Pearl. These are core characters of the series. They present the news every single time you start up the game, they play major roles in the plots of the single-player story modes, and they're front and center during the Splat Fests, festivals that are a crucial part of the culture of the Splatoon world. They're practically political figures within Squid Society. Their hit songs can be heard during Splat Fests events and at key moments during the story mode, but more on that later. Point is, music is clearly important within the lore of Splatoon. Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC greatly expands on this theme and really cements the idea that music is the emotional core of the Splatoon universe. The premise is that you are an Octoling who were previously featured as enemies in the story mode of the first Splatoon. Octolings are said to be genetically engineered with one purpose, to fight the Inklings. They're essentially scientifically engineered killing machines. So, the Octo Expansion begins with an Octoling waking up in an underground subway with no memory of their fight against the Inklings. Seemingly reformed from their previous mental programming, this Octoling, known as Agent 8, now desires to reach the surface and peacefully join Inkling Society. Why do I bring this up? Well it's soon revealed that the reason your Octoling is deprogrammed is because they heard a certain song, Calamari Incantation, the pop hit by the Squid Sisters from the first game. The incantation turns out to be an incredibly important part of Splatoon's lore. The way characters talk about it is almost religious, like it has divine and enlightening properties. It brings people to the light, they literally call it the heavenly melody. Furthermore an easter egg from back in the first game reveals that in terms of lore, this song may be very old and culturally significant to the Inklings. The sheet music for the main melody is found on an ancient scroll hidden in one of the single player levels. And there's a secret alternate version of this song that sounds like a traditional Japanese ondo, a type of folk music and dance traditionally performed at festivals. So it's clear that music is a major part of the game's story in world building. The highest status individuals of Inkling Society are pop stars, there's a song that's almost worshiped religiously, not to mention that singing is literally used to save the world from destruction at the end of the Octo expansion. Music had the power to bring Inklings and Octolings together in peace and harmony. The latest Splatoon 2 update added a new band, Dispair, which had the bassist from Splatoon 1's Squid Squad join up with his Octoling DJ girlfriend. Thanks to the power of music, Inklings and Octolings can fall in love and make even more new music together. It's quite a beautiful message. But the theme of the power of music goes beyond just the story. This theme is conveyed through, well, the music itself. Splatoon really drives this theme home through the use of character themes and familiar melodies. Splatoon creates infectiously catchy melodies that are becoming grained into your head and because the bands and artists who sing these songs are in-game characters, players come to associate these songs with specific characters. Using these mental connections, Splatoon will present a melody you remember, just at the right moment to convey developments in character or plot in auditory form. Now, this is by no means unique to the Splatoon series. Countless other games use motifs and character themes to emotionally resonate with players. But Splatoon is pretty unique in the regard that the motifs are contextualized within the lore and the world of the game itself. For example, Undertale associates characters with certain melodies. Splatoon goes one step further by having the characters be the writers, singers and performers of their own motifs. So when Kali's solo song Bomb Rush Blush returns at the end of Splatoon 2's Octo Canyon single-player campaign, it's not just some arbitrary song you're supposed to remember from before, it is quite literally her song. The player's familiarity with these melodies and their associations with these characters give the composers a great chance to play with expectations by changing up the songs in certain ways as to convey elements of the plot. Let's return to Bomb Rush Blush for an example. During the final battle, Kali is brainwashed by the main villain, DJ Octavio, and accompanying this battle is a version of Bomb Rush Blush remixed by DJ Octavio. The Octarians have taken over Kali and also her signature song. Her once-upbeat and poppy song is now a frantic, intense blend of orchestral instruments and breakbeat rhythms. This version is harmonically clashing and atonal, and even splices in some motifs associated with the Octarian forces. Taking a familiar song and making it sound discordant is a great way to evoke the idea that something is wrong, especially when that song is so tightly associated with a beloved character. And the concept itself is just so cool how you can't think of another game where a character literally remixes the theme of another character. The song title Rush is even more brilliant. Marie arrives just in the nick of time to save the day, and you hear those first few notes of her signature song, Tide Goes Out. In contrast to the previous song, Marie's theme is clear and tonal, and the chord progression has a heroic feel, showing that Marie is on your side and fighting for good. This drives home the sense that not all hope is lost. In a moment of tension, this important character has come to your rescue. It almost sounds like Marie is calling out to her sister, desperate to bring her back to her senses. Even better is the fact that throughout the rest of the song, you hear both Callie and Marie singing their signature melodies. If you listen with headphones, each squid sister is louder in one ear more than the other. This conveys the ongoing fight between the sisters, almost as if they are trying to out sing one another. And yeah, it's just garbled nonsense squid language, but it really does sound like it's full of passion. Their two voices, the orchestral score, and the drum and bass style percussion come together to create a truly momentous song. When Callie finally comes to her senses and rejoins Marie, the two sing their signature duet, upgraded into spicy calamari incantation, as the backing track for your final bout with DJ Octavio. This is such a great conclusion to a memorable sequence in the game. The music alone basically tells the story. We first hear a corrupted and evil version of Callie's solo song, then both Callie and Marie's solo songs clashing against one another, and then a triumphant reprise of Callie and Marie's duet. Bringing back these recognizable melodies, strengthened through their associations with popular and plot-centric characters, gives the music more of an emotional punch. It instills that special emotional reaction, maybe giving you the chills or simply pumping you up for the final battle that's about to ensue. These motifs are utilized in smaller, more subtle ways, too. Throughout Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion, you hear this little song in between the levels. Eventually, it just becomes background noise. The fact that players get so used to hearing it makes it all the more impactful when they change it up. Once you've gathered the fourth and final object required to escape the deep-sea metro, calamari incantation is incorporated into the song. Integrating this familiar melody for the final home stretch of the game symbolizes that your octo-ling is just that much closer to making it to the surface, especially considering that this melody is the very song that caused your octo-ling to deprogram in the first place. Hearing this song, which is so important to Inkling Society and so memorable from the first game, is a great motivator to overcome the challenges and make it to the surface. Here's another example from the Octo Expansion. Near the end of the story, you're literally rescued by your Inkling from the first game. This awesome moment is accompanied by the main theme of Splatoon, Splatac. The game is taking advantage of the fact that the player has probably played the first game and remembers this iconic song and uses this memory to reinforce the player's connection to the events that are unfolding in the game. Later, when you come face to face with a version of your Inkling who has been corrupted by an evil, sentient telephone bent on destroying the world, it's a long story. A glitchy remix of Splatac plays. The song is spliced up in a really unusual way. The drums go absolutely crazy. A jarring siren sound effect is layered on top. And the time signature is completely wonky and unpredictable. It sounds super tense and much like the version of Bomb Rush Blush during the battle against brainwashed Cali, playing with player's expectations and subverting the sound of a familiar song is a great way to convey that a character has been corrupted. Fly Octo Fly is another really awesome example of how Splatoon 2 brings its musical themes full circle. Throughout the Octo expansion, you hear this little victory jingle countless times. So it's a really cool effect when, for the final showdown, you hear an up-tempo, adrenaline-boosting remix of this motif, performed by none other than Marina and Pearl. Throughout the battle, Marina and Pearl take turns singing and rapping words of encouragement. And then, in a moment perfectly synchronized with the pacing of the battle, the song changes. For the final minute, Marina and Pearl transition into an electrifying rendition of their signature song, Ebb and Flow. This has a similar effect to the Squid Sisters' performance of spicy calamari incantation during the final battle against Octavio. It brings back the most iconic and beloved song of these characters at the perfect moment to motivate you towards victory. All in all, music is a huge part of both Splatoon games. Nintendo has not only innovated in terms of style, using genres of music we haven't really heard from them before, but also in how music is contextualized as a part of the game's universe. Splatoon's soundtrack is not just an element of the background, it's a central, holistic part of the entire Splatoon experience. I can't really think of any other game like that. And there's quite an important message hidden within this goofy game about squid people throwing paint at each other. Music is powerful. It can bring people together, build community, and both figuratively and literally save people's lives. This is true not only in the sense that inklings and octolings are brought together by music within the game, but it also applies to real life. People love the music of Splatoon and video game music in general. Just look how many people are in the comments section of the Splatoon 2 soundtrack, talking about their favorite songs, choosing their favorite in-game band, and generally discussing what the game means to them. Both the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook have had actual concerts attended by countless fans. And yeah, they're just holograms projected onto a stage, but I think it's pretty cool to see how excited people get to see them in concert. The fact that these fictional characters can elicit a similar reaction to a real life rock star. Well, I think that demonstrates the magic of video games and video game music. If it wasn't for video game music, I wouldn't have the audience that I do. The love of video game music is probably why you're watching this video. I really think video game music is a special and powerful thing. And I hope this video essay has illustrated just one of the many ways in which music is an effective emotional tool. With that said, let me know in the comments. What's your favorite song from the Splatoon series? Stay fresh, everyone, and I'll catch you in the next video.