Splatoon 2 Review: Shooting For the Inkling Stars

For those who’ve experienced this inkling adventure on the Nintendo Wii U already knew Splatoon was one of the greatest shooting games to date. In fact Splatoon released all DLC as free content! Well here we are again as Splatoon 2 has launched for the Nintendo Switch, hoping to keep up the good name of its predecessor.

To kick off things in Splatterville, you are greeted with a prompt to create your character‘s gender, looks and clothes. From there it’s on to the simple tutorial explaining the basic functionalities of your inkling. I’m appreciative of the fact Nintendo is ensuring players know exactly what’s going on rather than making the assumption players know how to shoot right away.

Inkopolis Square is the main hub and home to you, other inklings and “Off the Hook” hosts Pearl and Marina. There’s plenty to interact with: the Deca Tower for online matches, the Galleria for extra and weapons and The Shoal to meetup with friends for co-op and competitive sessions.

When gaming competitively you will choose from regular battles, ranked battles, league battles and salmon run.  Most options will seem somewhat familiar to the Wiii U Splatoon, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, resembling a remaster than a new installment.

Raise your level and earn cash as you play online enabling the opportunity to spend away in the Galleria. It all starts through Turf Wars in regular battles. In order to unlock Ranked and League battles you must first reach over level 10 and have C or greater ranking.  Finding your perfect weapon is vital in regards to seeking victory but be ready for a grind as the most items won’t unlock until after reaching level four in which you will still need enough cash to buy the perks you need.

As for the news presented during Off the Hook, there’s plenty of objectives to complete, beginning with the disappearance of Zapfishes and Callie of the Squid Sisters. There are so many more details left of the table for you to explore, including one of the first being an acquaintance with Marie, one of the Squid Sisters. She updates you on the evil going about from the group known as the Octarians who are behind the kidnapping and stealing as of late. Becoming a new recruit of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, it’s up to you achieve each forthcoming objective.

Then there’s Salmon Run. Salmon Run is a fun, though limited, mode where you attempt to collect both Golden and Power eggs from Salmonids in a horde-mode. Horde has become insanely addictive over the years through titles like Gears of War, Call of Duty, Killing Floor and my favorite Left 4 Dead. It’s just as fun here, especially when playing with friends and able to communicate.

While on communication, this is possibly the biggest drawback from the overall experience. You’re required to utilize the Nintendo Switch app on your mobile device. After selecting Splat Net 2, you can invite friends to play with you and chat through your phone with other players. The biggest let down is once in the Switch App you can’t answer your phone without sacrificing the online feature. With this I’d prefer to play without a form of communication, but also needed to simply connect with friends.

Splatoon is the most vibrant game I’ve played in a while. With all the inklings, hi-depth colors, and great detail considering it’s on a handheld platform, it truly delivers. Players will love the side quests and humor set in Inkopolis.