Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Splatoon 2 gets new hairstyles, plus new music, modes and maps

And, most importantly, an overdue fix to one of the series' biggest problems.

Nintendo has just released details of a series of major updates coming to Splatoon 2, with new modes, maps and music all inbound.

Most importantly, perhaps, is the ability to be able to change gear between rounds without having to quit out of the lobby - a lingering problem from the first game on Wii U that was preserved with the Switch sequel and is now, finally, being addressed.

Other headlines include new hairstyles, and some 140 new items of apparel being added. Older Splatoon players such as myself might be interested to learn that there's a cardigan coming - hopefully it can be paired with some slippers and a pipe at some point.

There's also new music from two new bands - Bottom Feeders, who are a punky ensemble, and Ink Theory who might well be a bit more Gang of Four, if that's your kind of thing.

Also the level cap has been raised from 50 to 99, with the option to reset to 1 when you max out and get a little star displayed by your level - Splatoon's own prestige, it would seem.

And I still haven't finished. There's also a new Salmon Run map, called Salmonid Smokeyard, as well as four new battle maps - two of which, Walleye Warehouse and Arowana Mall, return from the original Splatoon, while Shellendorf Institute and MakoMart are all new.

And still it goes on. There's a new mode called Clam Blitz inbound, in which players collect and bank clams dotted around the stage, with the twist being that ten clams are required to break the barrier behind which your basket sits.

Finally! There are some new Amiibo options inbound, with more photo styles available in a wider range of locales.

And that's the sum of it. The new content will be spread across two updates, with the first landing this Friday - and with MakoMart going live on Saturday - while the second batch goes live mid-Decemer. Not a bad haul, all in all.