A new first-party Switch title is here and it’s not a Wii U port!
Fans of one of Nintendo’s latest properties will be happy to see Splatoon make it to the Switch, and those who missed out on it the first time can experience the fun online shooter without having played the first game. Splatoon 2 is a third-person shooter where you play as an “inkling” or “squid-kid” with the unique selling-point of using ink as ammunition. Available both online and off, Splatoon 2 is marketed towards all ages due to its easy controls, cute art style, and hectic online matches.
What’s New
Some changes from the first game are that ink rails can be grinded upon; similar to how Sonic the Hedgehog does, as well as being able to be used in squid form like before. This grind allows players to shoot their weapons at balloons or enemies while moving quickly through the level. One feature I enjoy is the ability to turn the motion controls on and off at will. This was proven particularly useful during the game’s launch weekend when I found myself stuck in a car for several hours during a road trip.
New main weapons include: Splat Dualies, dual-wielded sub-machine gun-style guns with two reticles that allow the player to perform dodge rolls with concentrated fire; Flingza Roller, an elongated paint roller capable of fast short range horizontal attacks as well as slow long range vertical attacks; Goo Tuber, which is similar to the Charger weapon but is able to hold a full charge for much longer, allowing players to get a better vantage point or sneak attack opportunity without having to charge the weapon again; Dapple Dualies, essentially an improved version of the Splat Dualies, allowing players to perform quicker dodge rolls at the cost of reduced range; Clash Blaster, which fires crayon-like objects in a short range, high speed manner similar to the Luna Blaster in the first game, but you must hit the opponent with multiple direct hits to splat them; and finally the Splat Brella, a shotgun-like weapon that also functions like a shield that can fly off the handle to provide mobile cover. The Splat Brella will come to multiplayer in a later update.
New sub-weapons include: Autobomb, which is like an improved seeker from Splatoon that will only follow an enemy if they are within its radius; Curling Bomb, which travels in a straight line, bouncing off walls or obstacles in the way, and finally exploding after traveling its maximum distance; and Toxic Mist, a throwable that creates an area-of-effect that slows down enemies within.
This sequel also has all new special weapons, used by clicking down the right thumbstick. These weapons are: Tenta Missiles, a bundle homing missiles with decent splash damage; Sting Ray, a hard to control ink laser of sorts that is able to shoot through walls and obstacles; Inkjet, which is a jetpack that gives you an aerial advantage against your foes while keeping them at a distance; Splashdown, a powerful ground pound that can clear an area of opponents whether they are hiding or not; Ink Armor, which is simply armor that allows the user to withstand more ink; Bomb Launcher, a spammable ink bomb launcher that lets you cover an area (and enemies) in ink for a few seconds; Ink Storm, a storm cloud that can cover a large area for a few seconds while raining ink from above, hurting enemies and getting more turf for your team; Baller, a hamster ball-esque shield surrounds the player, allowing them to move more quickly and take less damage while inking the ground and also allows you to walk up walls; and finally Bubble Blower, a weapon that blows three large bubbles that grow when hit with friendly ink or shrink when hit with enemy ink, exploding after a certain time.
Octo Valley
The single-player mode turns you into Agent 4, a callback to the first game where you played as Agent 3. Marie, the white squid-kid pop idol, returns “in disguise” to guide the player. I say her name in quotes because its not really much of a disguise. The Great Zapfish has been kidnapped somehow along with Callie, Marie’s cousin. This mode, called Octo Valley, is a great tutorial that shows players the game mechanics and lets them become familiar with all the different weapon types, while also rescuing Callie and the Great Zapfish.
Octo Valley is nothing special. It will eat up an afternoon of time, as it is only five sections containing 6-7 levels plus a boss. The most annoying thing about this mode is finding the hidden level hatches since they’re hidden extremely well from the beginning. Sheldon, the weapons expert, will occasionally pop in and ask you to gather more data on a certain weapon, providing you with a new weapon to use in the level. This is the only way to unlock new weapons in Octo Valley, which you can switch between in the hub world by pressing the + button. You can also upgrade your weapons at the Ammo Knights Enhancifier with power eggs and items called sardinium. Upgrades consist of larger blast radii for throwables, faster fire rates for weapons, and increased ink tank capacity. During my playthrough of Octo Valley, I was able to upgrade my ink tank and two weapons without having to replay levels for extra sardinium or power eggs. Those Splat Dualies though!
You can also pick up tickets somewhere in each level. These tickets are then brought to Crusty Sean, a returning character from the first game. When you go to his food truck in the hub world, you can buy boosts for the multiplayer mode, such as extra XP, coins for buying weapons or clothes, or even boosts to your weapons.
Warning! Ending Spoilers Ahead!
The ultimate goal for the single-player mode was rescuing Callie from DJ Octavio’s mind control. If you played the first game, you’ll remember Octavio as the former final boss. Once defeated, you can see the Great Zapfish on the central tower in the city hub world, and Callie is finally reunited with Marie. You hear their new single during the credits sequence, during which you can splat the wall with regular fire or throwables to reveal some little pieces of art and unique text for each person who worked on the game. After the credits end, you receive the Hero gear from Octo Valley to use in multiplayer.
Multiplayer
But the main draw to Splatoon 2 is the multiplayer modes, namely Turf War. This is the main mode from its predecessor and nothing has really changed here. There are new maps as well as fan favorites returning from Splatoon. Maps still rotate every two hours, with Pearl and Marina interrupting your gameplay to tell you where you’ll be playing next. While this is cute the first time, it quickly became annoying. It interrupts anything and everything. In the middle of a win steak? Map announcement. Want to buy new clothes? Map announcement. Want to switch weapons for the next match? You guessed it, map announcement. I’m very close to wearing out my A button due to my countless attempts to skip through these moments, much like skipping through the Nurse Joy dialogue in any Pokémon game. It feels like Nintendo increased the amount of XP needed to level up or changed the amount you can receive in Turf War because it seemed like it took forever to get to level 10 for Ranked Mode. The most amount I’ve received is 1400 XP if I win, 800 XP if I lose.
Salmon Run is the new wave-based co-op mode. Four players can team up to take on 3 waves of enemies called Salmonids. The whole goal of this mode is to collect golden eggs from the different Salmonid bosses, such as a large snake contraption piloted by a Salmonid at the tail or a large heavily armored that squeezes big ink bombs out out his head. At the start of a new wave, each player will receive a different weapon to add to their arsenal. Collecting these golden eggs will provide you with rewards to collect, such as clothing, coins, or even power-up tickets for Crusty Sean. However, have fun trying to play online whenever you want.
While writing this review, I found that Salmon Run was locked up and I couldn’t enter the mode at all; turns out Nintendo put specific times that you can play this mode online. Players have to plan around this schedule that, by the way, changes each week. That’s right: the hours that Salmon Run will be available are different every week. You can play Salmon Run whenever you want solo of with friends using LAN connections, but online play is strictly based on a timetable. This is almost as inconvenient as they setup needed to chat online in-game.
Speaking of which, if players want to talk to one another in-game, they’ll each need a special mobile app, an adapter, and a special headset. The “Empera Hook HDP” requires a cable from the headphone port on the main body of the console to the arrow-shaped adapter, a cable from your phone to the adapter, and then finally from the adapter to the headset. But what if you want to chat online while using the TV mode setup? You better get an extension cord for auxiliary! The cords that come in the box are just under 4 feet long each. And if you have an iPhone 7? Well, that’s another adapter you’ll need because the phone does not have a headset jack.
Or, you know, just use Discord. What were you thinking Nintendo?
The Verdict
A few poor decisions may ruin players’ experiences, but the core game is still a good time. At least until Super Mario Odyssey is released. It’s just as crazy and fast-paced as its predecessor and plays just about the same. The new weapons are fun to mess around with, with my favorite being the Splat Brella. I blame Doom for making me a sucker for shotguns. For the multiplayer though, I main the rapid-fire Splat Dualies. Splatoon 2 is a great time killer, with its three minute matches which are always over way too quickly. With new clothing options, new weapons, and all-new specials, players may have to determine between old favorites and new favorites. The clothing options are going to be tough to decide between “Does all of these match well?”and “Do I want this bonuses?”
Is Splatoon 2 perfect? No. Is it fun? Yeah. If Nintendo can support it well like they did with the first game, I can see this sequel lasting just as long, if not longer.
Final score: 7.5/10
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