Article Skittles' Box of Reviews: Splatoon

Welcome back, Lake Valor and all the Valorians that inhabit the lake! A few days ago, LV came back for all of us to enjoy after almost two weeks of waiting. To celebrate, how about an article written by one of our writers? That'll surely do!

Now, to the actual thing. Skittles' Box of Reviews is not only the perfect pun of my online persona, but a new review series I'm doing! Here, I'll do short and sweet reviews of games I enjoy playing and list off everything about the game and what I thought of it to get readers thinking about if they should purchase the listed game.

So, let's get into things!

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With the release of the Nintendo Switch in early March along with some Nintendo Directs, we’ve gotten some info on some new game titles coming for the newest member of the Nintendo console family. In June, one of those games will be Splatoon 2, the sequel to Splatoon.

That got me thinking: while we wait for Splatoon 2 to make a splash on the Switch, why not take some time to step back a console and review its predecessor?

Today, I’ll be doing just that! Splatoon is quite a big game with many aspects, so I’ll try and keep it mostly short.



Before getting into things, where did Splatoon even come from? What even is Splatoon?

Splatoon is a third-person shooter game from Nintendo published for the Wii U. Released in May of 2015, it was Nintendo’s first leap into the shooter series and praised by many for the game’s presentation, gameplay, and unique soundtrack. The game focuses on little humanoid creatures called Inklings, able to transform into squids and back as the player takes part in either a single-player campaign or hopping into an online match with seven other Inklings from around the world.

Okay, basics covered. Now time to focus on the individual components of the game.

~The single-player campaign

When you first start up your game, you’ll be presented with a little tutorial on how to play and what buttons do what. After you’re done learning the controls, you’ll be dropped into the hubworld, Inkopolis. Although you can start playing multiplayer right away, I found it beneficial to start the single-player mode before all else. Not only will it give you more time to get the controls memorized, but some ideas used in story mode make an appearance in online gameplay.

In single-player, you are recruited by a war veteran named Captain Cuttlefish to save the Great Zapfish, Inkopolis’ power source, from the arms - or tentacles - of the evil Octarians. You will then play through around thirty levels within five areas, each filled with different enemies and key concepts of this mode’s gameplay: a few would include inkrails, sponges, and moving platforms.

If a linear story isn’t really your favorite thing in the world, single-player offers a fun little challenge, along with the game’s key way of explaining the lore of the world. In each level, a Sunken Scroll is hidden somewhere… it’s a blast trying to collect them all to see the lore this game has! Some of them are hidden well, so I found this a fun little tidbit after I finished the main story. Collecting all of them really gives you a sense of exactly why you’re fighting this war: however, I won’t spoil why for the people who plan to pick up the game for the first time.

~The online play

Now, if you’ve seen videos on YouTube or other video-sharing sites, this is probably the game mode that most of you are familiar with. It’s one of Splatoon’s highlights and the most fun way to play the game: online play.

But first, you’ll want to prepare. Unlike story mode, you can choose and customize your Inkling’s clothes and weapons! Each article of clothing will give you a boosted ability in-game, and every weapon has different ways of operating, subsets, and special attacks. Together, you can use these battle perks to optimize a weapon to your play style: there are endless possibilities on how you can arrange the customization or your Inkling and how it affects the weapon you like best.

And now we’re ready to start playing! Head up to Inkopolis Tower to begin one of two game modes: Turf War, three-minute matches; and ranked, five-minute games with three different modes that rotate every four hours.

Now, I’ll just present every game mode in short: they’re quite simple to get the hang of and don’t need much of an explanation.

~Turf War

Turf Wars is the main game mode of online. Four Inklings are pitted against another team of four, and the objective is to use your weapon and cover the ground with your ink color. The matches are three minutes, and whichever team has inked the most turf wins.

~Splat Zones

Splat Zones is a ranked game mode. In this, teams compete to control neutral zones by inking the turf in the zone(s) around the map. When a team takes control of a zone, their counter will go down as long as their team’s ink remains in the zone. The opposite team can take the zone away by simply inking it, so defense is key. The team that reaches zero on the counter first or the team that has the least time on the counter when time runs out is declared the winner.

~Tower Control

Tower Control is another ranked game mode. A floating tower is set up in the middle of the stage, and it must be ridden to the target area near the other team’s base by simply having an Inkling stand on the tower. The team that rides the tower to the target first or the team that has the least distance left when time runs out is the winner.

~Rainmaker

Rainmaker is the last ranked game mode. It is a capture-the-flag game, only with a golden Inkzooka-like weapon. In order to win, a team must carry the Rainmaker to the target near the opposition's base. If you are holding the Rainmaker, you cannot super jump to a teammate or run fast, but you are able to unleash a powerful attack on whoever tries to stop you. Whichever team reaches the target or has the least distance left when time runs out is the winner.

~Other modes

There are two other game modes: private battle and squad battle. These both use the Wii U’s Friend List function. In private, you can have as little as two players play together, and in squad battles you round up a team of friends.

No matter which ranked gameplay you play, you will earn or lose rank points (excluding private battles). Rankings span from C- to S+: ranks don’t really do anything special anymore, but they used to give you Splatfest benefits when Splatfests were a thing. Additionally, Turf Wars and ranked will each give you experience points and gold. The game will reward you with a little gift every five levels, so it is a nice system that keeps you working towards level fifty (I will mention, it takes a very long time to get to fifty).

I did mention this before, but there was a gamemode called Splatfest around once every month. Sadly, Splatfests ended, but will likely be making a return in Splatoon 2 so I’ll explain: there are two different teams (let’s say cats vs dogs) and you choose cats. You will then be paired with other “team cat” Inklings, only facing off against Inklings who are on “team dog”. This was the main way to get Super Sea Snails, an item that allowed rerolling on your items for different skills. The team that wins is based off of how many people chose the team multiplied by how the percentage of wins that team got. It was a fun competition, and hopefully we'll be seeing it again in the sequel.

~Final thoughts/wrap-up

When I first saw the game via a Twitch stream, I did condemn Splatoon for what it was. A shooter game that looked happy instead of the grim FPS games that dominate the video game charts? This is the absolute strangest thing I’ve seen Nintendo do! What are they thinking?! Nintendo can’t make shooter games, so why now?

Somehow, I warmed up to the game after watching some videos. It was somewhere during that time where I decided to get the game for myself and see if was really as fun as the YouTubers made it out to be.

I have never regretted my purchase of Splatoon.

I’ve been playing Splatoon for over a year now, and it is easily one of the best Wii U games I’ve ever played: perhaps even one of my favorite games of all time. The presentation is joyful and welcoming, and the game has a nice, witty way to present information. Things like that drew me into the game when it started up and kept me there as I admired how beautiful the game looked.

Unlike other shooter games I’ve seen, Splatoon is the first one that I’ve not only been able to watch in full, but actually play myself. There’s no blood, death, gore, or anything that would draw faint-hearted people like me away from games like that. Splatoon instead offers colorful ink, silly cheers you can use during battle, and a humorous splatting noise whenever you splat someone. It is a huge relief for people who abstain from violent games like me.

I did mention this before, but I just love the creative aspect of the game when it comes to building weapon sets. You’re not pegged into one role on the team because you’re a Roller: you can build an offensive set if you so pleased.

Literally everything about Splatoon I love: the characters, the presentation, the wacky yet addictive battle soundtracks, the graphics… this game has so many high points. Although there is a lack of ongoing story, the interesting lore before the game is a nice touch to replace that (not to mention a few Sunken Scrolls are sarcastically witty: my favorite).

In general, Splatoon is a great title for those who enjoy either casual or competitive play, want to play with friends or meet friends through the game, or any Nintendo fan in general. It’s a great shooter game for children not quite at the teen rating and even hardcore players of popular FPS games. No matter the age, Splatoon finds a way to deliver a fun experience for every demographic of player.

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Aaaaaaand, that's it! Sure hope you guys enjoyed this article to welcome our dear site back. If you have and comments, questions, or add-ons about funny experiences you had with the game, do leave a replay! With that out of the way, I'll see you guys next article!