You’re a kid now, you’re a squid now, you’re addicted now.
Splatoon Review:
When you were a kid, did you and your friends ever have super soaker wars outside in the neighborhood? Running around in teams, spraying and pelting each other with water balloon bombs. That’s what Splatoon feels like, minus being able to turn into a squid.
I’ll be honest, before the global test fire I wasn’t interested in 
this game at all. I figured I’d give it a shot just to see what it was like, then go back into my time capsule and wait for the new Legend of Zelda in 2016. That’s not what happened though. After the first game I was hooked. I played the full hour and couldn’t wait for the next. I then jumped online and read everything I could about it for weeks. I even went to the GameStop Splatoon demo. It was the longest 3 weeks until I finally had a retail copy in my hands.
Single Player:
Splatoon’s single player is nothing
to scoff at. For a game that markets itself as a multiplayer game, the single player content is quite good. It takes about 5 hours to beat, longer if you try to collect all the hidden scrolls. It’s not very difficult, the stages are linear, but I’d say it’s a good way to learn and get a feel for the game before you go into the multiplayer. The final boss is worth going through the single player alone. It is most likely the most fun and satisfying boss battle I’ve ever played.
Multiplayer:
Multiplayer is Splatoon’s bread and butter. This is the reason you buy this game. At the moment, there are three different game types: Turf War, Splat Zones, and Tower Control. Turf War is the only unranked mode at the moment, while the latter are both ranked game types. All are fantastic, and each one drastically changes the way you play the game.
Turf War:
This is what you’ll be playing when you start the game (since ranked doesn’t unlock until you hit the level cap of twenty). The point of this mode is to ink more turf than the opposing team by the end of the three minute match. What’s nice about this is it’s a lot more relaxed than the other two ranked modes. While it is still important to splat other players, you don’t get any points for it (expect for the ink they leave when splatted). So you could play the whole match and not splat a single foe and still come out on top.
Splat Zones:
Splat Zones is a mode where your objective is to control an area (or areas) for a set amount of time. Your team must have the area covered in your ink until the timer runs out, or whomever has had control the longest at the end of 5 minutes wins. While in Turf War you just lay down paint, in Splat Zones you splat your enemies. Laying down ink is still important so your enemies have a more difficult time moving around, but area control is paramount.
Tower Control:
This is my favorite mode by far at the moment. In this mode there is a tower that someone must stand on top up. The objective is to get this tower into your opponents base. The tower is on a rail, so all your team must do is have one person on the tower and the rest protecting. The objective in this mode is similar to Splat Zones, with the addition of a moving platform. Just make sure your whole team isn’t on the tower, one well placed bomb or a roller can take everyone out in one hit.
Multiplayer is a blast, and the continual addition of free dlc and events keep it fresh! My only real complaint is I wish there was a region selection mode, like in Mario Kart 8.
Amiibos, DLC, and Events:
A lot of people have been complaining about the DLC. Splatoon initially released with 5 multiplayer maps and the internet went into a tizzy. Nintendo said they would be releasing DLC content, FOR FREE, over the weeks and a big update in August. I think this was a great move because it keeps the content fresh longer. Each week since the game has come out there has been either a new weapon or map, or sometimes both, update. How awesome is that? It’s a fantastic way to keep the game exciting for a long time.
I was lucky and able to grab the Splatoon 3-pack amiibos when I bought my game. The figures themselves are great quality, probably some of the best so far. Each amiibo has challenge maps that unlock gear, weapons, and a new arcade game. The maps are just playing certain single player levels but with different weapons. The gear looks really cool but the main stats aren’t anything special and the weapons are just reskins. Is it worth it? Maybe. If you collect amiibos it’s certainly worth it. If you’re buying them just for the DLC with hopes of new levels then you’ll be a bit disappointed. It is nice having options aside from Squid Jump while waiting in the lobby, though.
Another fun thing that Nintendo is doing with Splatoon are the Splatfests. These are day long events that seem to happen about once a month. Themes are chosen for each event. For example, cats vs dogs was the first event. You choose your side and whoever wins gets super sea snails, which are used to re-roll or add slots to your items. The neatest parts of the events are the city area gets changed into a dance party at night. The games also take place at night and the ink takes on a sort of bioluminescence.
Final verdict: 9 out of 10 funbux
Jonathan Freeman
Favorite Games: The Mario and Zelda series have always been my favorites
Favorite Superhero: Spider-Man
Other interests: Web Development, Texas Rangers
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