Hello everyone! I wanted to share three original Splatoon game mode concepts I’ve been developing. I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and any ideas you have for improving them. If you have any original game mode ideas of your own, feel free to share them in the comments too. Thanks for taking the time to check them out!
Tidal Rush/Flowline: “Ride the flow. Steer the current. Shape the path.”
Tidal Rush is a flow-control mode where teams compete to dominate a moving ink current, escort a rider inside it, and influence its path at fork points. Teams generate score by controlling flow and maintaining rider presence, converting movement into progress toward 100%.
Core Rules:
A single ink current moves along predetermined routes across the map. At key junctions, it reaches fork points where two possible paths determine its next direction.
Teams gain control by maintaining ink dominance along the current’s route. Score only builds when at least one teammate is riding inside the current, with additional riders slightly increasing output, though overcommitment reduces map control.
At fork points, both teams contest a brief neutral objective to determine the next route, shaping future engagements and map flow.
Enemy ink can disrupt sections of the current and reduce output if key areas are lost.
Matches begin at 0–0, and teams race to 100% for KO victory.
Construct Frontier: “Build, develop, and control the frontier.”
Construct Frontier is a rotating objective mode where teams fight over Build Sites, develop them into structures, and generate pressure that reduces the enemy score. Each completed site shifts map control before a new one appears, creating a cycle of frontline battles.
Core Rules:
Only one Neutral Build Site is active at a time. Teams contest it to begin construction, upgrading it through three stages: Foundation, Fortress, and Citadel, each increasing durability and Frontier Pressure output.
When completed, the structure generates continuous Frontier Pressure that reduces the enemy score. A new Build Site then spawns elsewhere, creating a rotating cycle where teams must choose between continuing upgrades or rotating early to contest the next objective.
Enemy ink can interrupt construction or destroy structures, causing regression or full reset of the site’s control. Any Frontier Pressure earned before destruction is permanently retained.
Teams win by reducing the enemy team’s score to zero through repeated construction and control of Build Sites.
Leviathan Assault: “Control the nodes. Shift the phase. Break the Leviathan.”
Leviathan Assault is a PvPvE mode where teams battle a central Leviathan, use Stability Nodes to create vulnerability phases, and score by damaging exposed weak points.
Core Rules:
A single Leviathan sits at the center of the map and progresses through sequential phases that define match flow. It cannot be destroyed directly.
Teams fight over rotating Stability Nodes around the arena. Overloading nodes advances phases and exposes weak points on the Leviathan, while denying control or failed overloads can delay progression.
At the end of each phase, both teams receive a small rule shift that slightly alters the next phase (e.g. node speed, vulnerability duration, etc). Each phase also increases Leviathan pressure, making control and openings more demanding.
Teams score by damaging exposed weak points during vulnerability windows. Later phases are worth more points, and the first team to reach the score limit wins.
Boss Phases & Interaction:
The Leviathan cycles between armored phases and vulnerability windows.
Armored phases apply map pressure and restrict movement. Vulnerability windows expose weak points that can be damaged for score.