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Splatoon Review

By: Paul (@MrHarkinian)

• Splatoon
• Developed by: Nintendo
• Published by: Nintendo
• Wii U
• Rating - E10+

When you think of a multiplayer shooter, I bet you don’t think of Nintendo’s first party games. In fact, that last relevant Nintendo exclusive multiplayer shooter was released nearly 20 years ago. Well, Nintendo finally remembered that people like to play games other than Mario and Zelda games and released a new IP, Splatoon. Now Nintendo fans need not get an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4 to enjoy a good shooter.

Splatoon is an original IP from Nintendo, that being that it’s a completely original idea by Nintendo, but it’s easy to see that there are many borrowed elements from other popular games such as Jet Set Radio’s hip and youthful atmosphere and Super Mario Sunshine’s liquid throwing gameplay. Splatoon is a great looking and sounding game with a surprising amount of detail in the world. 

The main attraction to Splatoon is the multiplayer and it’s great fun. I got lost playing for hours before I realized that I have obligations to society. Even though the game is simple and straightforward, there’s an addicting quality to it. 

Character customization is surprisingly in-depth too, allowing you to chose your gender and skin tone, along with clothing and a large assortment of weapons. Each piece of clothing comes with a perk that can help strengthen your character and makes you look all the more hip and fresh.

There is also a single player campaign that feels like an afterthought. All of the levels, while still staying true to the ink throwing formula, lack that sense of urgency and fun that the multiplayer has. It’s not the worst single player campaign I’ve ever played though, but it could have definitely been better.

My only complaint for the game so far is the online connection. For the most part, the game can immediately find 8 players and throws you right into a game. Other times, though not often, the game can take an age to find a full room of players and sometimes players can go AWOL, which can lead to some unfair match-ups.

Overall, this is a must have game for the Wii U. Never would I have thought that Nintendo was still capable of coming up with original IPs that can hold their own in a competitive market. If you haven’t already, you should definitely pick this one up and paint the town whatever color your team is assigned.