Play Wii U's Splatoon Free This Weekend

Nintendo has announced that the next Splatoon "Testfire" event, which allows anyone with a Wii U to try out the squid-themed shooter, will be held this weekend.

Starting today, August 21, at 3 PM PDT / 6 PM EDT, you'll be able to play a free demo version of Splatoon. Specifically, you can check out Splatoon's Turf War multiplayer mode across "several" maps.

Like the previous Testfire events, the play period is extremely limited. It will be available only from 3-5 PM PDT / 6-8 PM EDT on August 21-23. You can download the Splatoon Testfire demo right now from the eShop, but it will not unlock until the start time listed above.

Released at the end of May, Splatoon has now sold more than 1.6 million copies. Nintendo has regularly released new content for the game, the latest example of which is the Transformers-themed in-game event that begins on August 28.

GameSpot's 8/10 Splatoon review said the game is "the antithesis to the modern shooter, but it primarily deserves recognition for what it is, not what it isn't."

"It's a wonderful game with charm and inventive ideas that work and pave the way for new experiences in an otherwise stale category of games."