Can Nintendo strike gold ink again?
The original Splatoon was a surprise hit for the Wii U. Nintendo created a competitive third-person shooter that is still highly popular, but now the sequel has landed on the Switch. The big question is whether there is enough new to warrant a sequel and if it still has what it takes to compete.
Splatoon 2 contains a more in-depth single player mode, which contains levels and boss fights to overcome. Besides that, there’s the standard Turf War mode which pits 4 v 4 to cover the map with as much ink as possible during the time limit, as well as taking out enemy inklings who are trying to paint over your ink with theirs. You can still also turn into a squid and swim in the ink to get around faster and up surfaces.
The sequel adds new maps, weapons and unlockables for your character. You can purchase these with money earned from online matches, but you also need your character to reach a certain rank before you can access certain shops as well as ranked matches and so on. Salmon Run is a new co-op mode where players collect eggs by defeating Salmonoids in order to complete missions, while League Battle is a new online mode where teams of 2-4 battle other teams to gain points over a 2 hour period.
What made Splatoon stand out was having to move the Wii U Gamepad to actually aim as you shoot and strafe. Splatoon 2 still lets you do this, but the tilt control also works with the Switch Pro Controller and personally, is an easier method for the pro shooter. There’s been a lot of talk about Nintendo’s online app for the game, but it’s still too early to tell whether it’s more hassle than it’s worth at this point. But basically, it’s incredibly fussy and confusing, to say the least.
Visually, Splatoon 2 is a huge improvement over the original. Running at 1080p and 60FPS and having improved character animation, vibrant colours that really push the hardware and show that the Switch is more than capable of pulling off a great looking game without sacrificing framerate. The sound effects are very similar to the original, which is no bad thing.
The Verdict
Splatoon 2 may be more of the same, but that’s no bad thing. It does add the new Salmon Run mode and League Battle, which are great additions and improves the overall performance and visual presentation. The online app leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s not completely necessary to still enjoy yourself with this great sequel. Switch owners need this game.