FRESH K ICKS
Fashion is a big deal in Inkopolis, and not just because of how it makes you look. Every piece of gear comes with at least one perk, and you’ll apparently unlock new boosts through use, though in our development build everything is already maxed out. Your trainers might help you conserve ink or run a bit faster, for instance, while a puffer jacket could increase your resilience and ramp up the damage from your weapon. Stack enough of these perks together and you can hone your Inkling to suit your playstyle, or round out weaknesses in your weapon loadout.
But you’ll have to earn the right to use the best gear: the three colourful shopkeepers – one each for footwear, apparel and headgear – will only sell you items if you’ve proven yourself cool enough. That means ranking and levelling up through combat, which will also accrue you the money to update your wardrobe. You needn’t buy blind, either: the plaza is populated with players you’ve faced recently, and you can inspect their loadout to emulate a particularly eye-catching or useful style.
The garb reminds us of Jet Set Radio, but Nogami pinpoints the team’s age as informing the skater look. “We’re often told that we are a group of young developers, and this ‘young’ thing is thrown about everywhere. But the design team – especially the main design members – are in their 30s. So when they were in secondary school, this was back in the ‘90s, when street fashion and trainers were in. This is probably where the inspiration comes from.”