Less than two years after the first Splatoon came out and Nintendo have decided to release a sequel to it. Like the first game they are currently holding a “Global Test Fire” on the game. Where at certain times you can play an hour and try out the multiplayer component of the game. These are My Scrambled Thoughts on Splatoon 2.
The first Splatoon was a surprise hit for Nintendo who many thought (mistakenly) that Nintendo weren’t able to create new original games or make a competitive shooter. This was of course wrong assumptions to make. The first game had a lot of buzz and people talked about it like in days of the original Pokémon games. All in all it was well received.
Splatoon 2 then was an inevitability and from what I have played of it so far while very similar to the first game does have new additions that justifies its existence. The most noticeable new features are the new maps and new weapons and the ability to play on Mount Everest.
In the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire there are two 4-on-4 Turf War maps: “Musselforge Fitness and The Reef” and a new weapon the “Splat Dualies” with new versions of the Splat Roller, Splat Charger, and Splattershot. Turf War mode is a lot of fun as it’s more about covering the map than straight up team deathmatch which will appeal to the more casual audience.
The Reef map unsurprising seems like the most fun to play at the moment, it just looks the best and fits the games style the most. While Museelforge Fitness is thematically interesting at least.
In terms of weapons the Splat Dualies are nice addition to the game, they are good at splatting enemies but weak at covering an area. The Splat Charger can be a good weapon to use if you can get good with it but otherwise is a liability to the team. The Splat Roller is essential to a team as it can cover wide areas quickly while the Splattershot is a good overall gun for new and old players and is basically a very fast shotgun. Each weapon has its own special grenade and ultimate abilities.
The game looks great on the Nintendo Switch whether you are playing in handheld mode or on a TV and sounds good too. There is a nice trick you can do while you are waiting for matches to start; if you press various buttons on your controller you can start mixing you own music and sounds. Like some sort of squid DJ. Talking of controls while they are fine, I turned the motion control aiming off straight way as it’s gets tiring to use within seconds. Using the right stick to aim works fine like other shooters. Whether one is more advantageous than the other depends on your skill as both cancel each other out really.
Like the first Splatoon Global Test Fire the Splatoon 2 one is a good way to get people to buy their game. At the moment there is no button allowing you to pre-order the game straight from a menu but the demo has made me and others want to buy the game when it comes out, which is the point of a demo. Ubisoft normally releases open “betas” of their games but in most cases make you not want to buy the game with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands being a perfect example. It was terrible and boring to play even for free.
The overall progression in multiplayer and the games post release support will be essential to the games long-term appeal. The policy of Nintendo now charging for multiplayer could harm the game overall. However Nintendo should be applauded once again for allowing people from all around the world to play a game together with no noticeable latency problems.
Splatoon 2 is shaping up to be another must have for the Nintendo Switch after The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild. It’s mostly the same as the first game but Splatoon hasn’t out grown is welcome yet and still feels fresh.
The Nintendo Switch is getting into a good place but very slowly.
Note: Click an image to see a larger version. Read more reviews on my Reviews page.
King Toko 