When a group of journalists gathered the other day to play “Splatoon Raiders” on the Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, there was confusion and mixed expectations. What is this really about? Can the solo mode (or co-op multiplayer) maintain the characteristic frenzy of the main series’ competitive experience? And is the franchise’s core mechanic robust enough to support a different type of gameplay?
Well, I don’t have definitive answers to all these questions. Those will come with the full review, once we’ve explored the entire Spirhalite Islands map and played in co-op, which wasn’t possible during this first preview. But I already have a much clearer idea, and for now, what I felt while playing Splatoon Raiders is… that it’s quite addictive.
And welcoming, too. Pitched as “perfect for beginners,” it’s nice to see a Splatoon game where you can take your time and ease into it at the start, even though it hides both spectacular moves that require quick reflexes and, as we discovered during our preview, surprising depth. After all, it’s been over a decade and three main installments since PvP became more technical, more “hardcore” if you will. And the 35-minute tutorial offered here helps a lot.
The premise of Splatoon Raiders is certainly inspired by Splatoon 3’s Salmon Run co-op mode, but in an expanded version. You play as “the mechanic,” a highly customizable Inkling who joins the returning Deep Cut group (Octoling Shiver, Inkling Frye, and the manta ray Big Man). But instead of playing music, as the name literally suggests, this is about raids.
Once you arrive on the newly surfaced archipelago and set up your activity-filled headquarters aboard the “Hideout Ship,” where you can upgrade your weapons and equip your latest gear, you simply choose your next destination on one of the islands and set off on a treasure hunt.
The experience within the levels themselves combines an interesting mix of systems and genres. First, there are the familiar Splatoon mechanics: you use precise motion controls to cover your environment in ink by shooting all around you. You avoid water and also transform enemy ink into your own color so you can quickly swim through it like a squid. There are also additional platforming elements with floating plants, and besides surfing on a board, it’s not yet clear if the movement will evolve much, but for now, it doesn’t change much from previous games: you weave through grates and jump between boxes, etc.
Your raids also have an exploration aspect. Initially, the location of treasure chests is quite obvious, as your mechanic companion, the Exploration Bot, marks them with easily visible beacons. But very quickly, you’ll need to dig deeper or tackle different drilling points in order.
Between exploration on platforms and drilling, there’s, of course, combat. The raids in the early missions were quite classic, with waves of zombie-like Salmonids heading towards us, allowing us to test everything: fast movement in ink, precise shooting, and especially the weapons and gadgets equipped for the occasion. On this subject:
- There are 100 varieties of weapons, whether you prefer something faster like a submachine gun or want to make a big splash with a shotgun, and you can evolve them.
- Then, you can buy gadgets with Spirhalite shards. These are secondary weapons that you attach to one of three types of tactical ink tanks, depending on your playstyle: Power, Tactical, or Speed. They allow you to equip two specific attacks, such as a spinning attack wheel or an assistant turret.
- You can then upgrade the exploration bot to benefit from additional actions by collecting red caviar from defeated Salmonides.
- There are also Salmonid relics, a type of treasure you can equip in one of five unlockable slots to gain additional moves, such as a double jump.
- And if that’s not enough, you can unleash your Deep Cut companion’s secret, caviar-filled technique for even more devastating power in the form of a special attack.
Do you see where we’re going with this? Beyond the very satisfying core mechanics, this entire “collect, unlock, equip” cycle is at the heart of the game, and that’s what will make or break the full game.
While the similarities to previous Splatoons are easy to spot, two other Nintendo games came to mind while playing this one. One was Masahiro Sakurai’s *Kid Icarus: Uprising* (or *Kirby Air Raiders*, for that matter), as the whole point of the game revolves around the huge collection of increasingly powerful weapons, items, and gadgets you find on the map to further improve your equipment, making for a rather addictive gameplay loop so far. The other, in a slightly more surprising comparison, is Pikmin: you’re sent to a specific area to retrieve all the treasures, time is of the essence, and some destinations are organized into multi-level underground caves (where you have to eliminate a certain number of enemies to progress).
Finally, while my initial impressions remain positive because I had a lot of fun, there’s one aspect where I expected more: the presentation. I’ve always loved how the series was created by a new generation of young Japanese artists and developers, giving it a unique stylistic identity and earning it a cult following. However, while again, the customization promises to be incredible, I find it a missed opportunity not to add voice acting for such eccentric characters, especially since the game is so focused on single-player. Furthermore, the environments look a bit rough in wide shots, while close-ups reveal low-resolution textures for both characters and scenery. Perhaps it becomes more complex and pleasant to look at after a while, but for now, only the ink itself and the characters (whether good or bad) are convincing.
But gameplay is paramount here, and the highly engaging treasure hunt loop with deep mechanics that Splatoon Raiders offers could very well suck me in and keep me hooked all summer, or even longer. We’ll see in a few weeks, as the game releases as early as July 23rd.