Splatoon ReviewYou’re a kid now, you’re a squid now!Hassan Motiwala

Shooters, whether first-person or third-person, have implemented various mechanics in an attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition and stand out. When Nintendo announced their take on a third-person shooter would involve playing as squid/kid hybrids called Inklings, it caused quite a stir. With many unsure of how the unique mechanics of Splatoon would feel, it’s reassuring to see that Nintendo has managed to produce a fun and challenging third-person shooter, with an abundance of charm and character.

Inkopolis, the setting for Splatoon, is a metropolis that will surround you with an electric cartoon world where colour is explosive and characters are quirky. The plaza is based on the busy streets of Shibuya, Japan and the inclusion of random Inklings of other players makes the setting feel even more alive.

The cartoon-like art style of Splatoon really reinforces the feeling of mischief that permeates the game and makes characters that much more memorable. The very premise of the title is to make a mess and the vibrant, neon ink that is your ammunition, only further enhances the satisfaction from splattering ink on every surface. Equippable items provide individuality among Inklings and the addition of details like the cloth texturing on caps, are small but noticeable.

Inkopolis Plaza is the hub of Splatoon and is buzzing with Inklings you’ve met online

Splatoon maintains a consistent oceanic theme throughout. Other than the obvious squid-based Inklings and octopus-based Octarians, the game also features oceanic creatures and items such as Crusty Sean, the prawn and salmon roe, used to upgrade stats in the singleplayer campaign. The theme also extends into the naming of people, places and items, through clever puns you may initially miss. Ammo Knights, Sheldon, Callie and Marie, the list goes on. While these may not be to everyone’s tastes, I found  myself smirking at these small additions.

Splatoon features a great soundtrack of urban, upbeat music that enhances the overall experience of the game. Battles feel frantic as the energetic battle theme blares in the background, while stores in the plaza are accompanied by a more laid-back tune. Small details like the changing music as you approach a store in the plaza or the riffs of steel pans are testament to the expected level of care that Nintendo pays to music and sound in their titles.

The music takes a more robotic turn in Splatoon’s singleplayer campaign, befitting the Octarian nemesis and their various mechanical contraptions. Ink splats and squelches as it flings across the map to hit surfaces and burst enemies. Hearing an enemy Inkling’s gurgled screams as they burst into a puddle of ink is disturbingly pleasing.

Touch a teammate’s icon to instantly launch to their location and provide back up

Splatoon’s default control scheme involves the use of the GamePad’s gyro sensors to aim and move the camera. While I did find this control scheme to be unwieldy at first, I quickly adapted and was able to precisely aim my shots. The option to turn off motion controls and alter sensitivity are also available for those who prefer more traditional methods of aiming. The GamePad screen features a map that shows an aerial view of all the action and also allows you to quickly return to the fight by jumping to an ally’s location.

The singleplayer portion of Splatoon includes missions to rescue Zapfish from the Octarian invaders. Similarly to Super Mario Galaxy, launch pads replicate the launch stars and fling you to your next location. Your guide will be Cap’n Cuttlefish, a crusty old squid who lurks in the sewer of Inkopolis Plaza and recruits you to help defend Inkopolis.

Missions involve expanding sponges with ink, swimming up large vertical surfaces and splatting Octarians to make your way to the goal, similarly to established 3D platformers. While not particularly difficult, the missions are fun and offer a variation on the unique ink shooting mechanics. Racing from structure to structure, blasting enemies and traversing the landscape as you switch from squid to kid, is quite thrilling.

One of the more common Octarian enemies you will face during the game’s single player campaign

Octarians vary in type from giant stamp-like creatures who faceplant the ground spreading ink, to walking torpedoes who chase you on sight and explode. As with other characters, these enemies carry a familiar Nintendo charm.  The campaign offers little in replayability other than repeating missions to find any missed Sunken Scrolls, collectibles that provide a history of Splatoon’s universe and weapon unlocks. This is to be expected as the main meat of the game comes in its multiplayer offerings.

The core gameplay of Splatoon’s multiplayer is simple: cover more of the map in your ink than the enemy team. Combine this with the various gear abilities and weapon types, you have quite an intricate and tactical game. There comes a certain feeling of freedom and joy when running around, dousing the landscape in ink.

Each weapon feels unique and provides a different way to play. Spray surfaces with reckless abandon using the Splattershot or steamroll your opponents with the Splat Roller, leaving wide trails of ink in your wake. Weapons feel good and ink flows fluidly as you take aim at enemies. Deciding on weapon and gear combinations adds to the fun as you experiment with faster running speeds or ink conservation and so on.

Blackbelly Skatepark features little covers as teams fight for control of tall, central platform

Arenas in Splatoon feature a variety of locations to battle on. Arowana Mall is lined with shop windows while Saltspray Rig is located high above the ocean with cranes towering overhead. Surfaces are designed with textured metal and wood, which adds a pleasant aesthetic variety to locations, in both singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

Verticality plays an important role in Splatoon as high ground provides a vantage point from which to shoot down enemy Inklings. This is true of Blackbelly Skatepark, a wide open arena where teams naturally battle for the tall structure in the centre, to gain better sight of the battlefield.

The added ability to hide and swim through ink means battles feel fast and ambushes are effective. It is a shame that Nintendo chose not to include voice chat for the title to organise these strategies. Splatoon by its very nature requires teamwork to ensure victory and the lack of voice chat or a suitable substitute is frustrating. There are countless times where I would notice an enemy pushing up to our base with no way of communicating the threat to my team. Even the simple ability to ping locations on the map would alleviate this problem.

Each battle mode features two arenas that are on rotation. Unfortunately, players cannot vote on which map to play

Splatoon also stumbles when it comes to map rotation. Only two maps are available at a time and there is no way to vote on which one to play. Combine this with the inability to change your loadout during a battle and you realise that you aren’t given as much control over battles as you should expect. These are very much standard mechanics in other shooters and yet, Nintendo have failed to implement them, leading to

situations where for example, you are placed in a team of three Roller users on a map that is more suited to the Splattershot weapon.

While the multiplayer of Splatoon is great fun, it does lack enough modes to truly be outstanding. The current modes available are Turf War, available in both regular and ranked battles as well as Splat Zones, exclusive to Ranked battles. Nintendo has promised more features and modes will be released as free DLC over time, with a major update coming in August, however it would have been nice to see these updates available from launch, in a complete package.

Amiibo support is also available and each Inkling amiibo figure will unlock a set of exclusive missions that will reward players with exclusive gear and mini games, which can be played from the arcade machine in the plaza or when queueing in lobbies.

Splatoon amiibo. Highly collectible and grant access to some cool gear and minigames

Splatoon is an impressive venture into the shooter genre for Nintendo. While it does fail to deliver on some of the more standardised features of similar games, it is drenched in the familiar Nintendo charm that makes it stand out from the rest. The idea of using ink to battle makes the game accessible to a wider range of gamers and allows for a deeper level of tactics and strategy than may be expected. If you are tired of the monotony that has plagued shooters for several years now, Splatoon offers a welcome and refreshing change that will leave you smiling.

Editor’s Rating 8.3Nintendo's venture into the shooter genre provides a refreshing change from the humdrum found in current titles. Although it lacks some basic features, Splatoon proves to be an addictive shooter with great potential that is drenched in pure fun and mischief.