[REVIEW] Splatoon Raiders | Nintendo Switch 2

When the third-person, turf war shooter Splatoon first released on the Wii U, it took the world by storm. It redefined online shooter games by focusing more on claiming as much turf with your team’s coloured ink, and less so on simply eliminating opponents to get the highest kill count (although you could still splat the opposing team, and the time taken for them to respawn gave you precious seconds to cover more turf).

Splatoon was an instant success for Nintendo even with the Wii U itself labelled as a commercial failure. The Splatoon series went from strength to strength as mainline sequels followed with Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 releasing on Nintendo Switch, and both games getting plenty of free content updates in the form of new weapons, gear, and stages being added, as well as paid DLC Expansions to keep players engaged in the world of Splatoon.

Whilst the mainline Splatoon games are heavily focused on online multiplayer, they have substantial single-player campaigns for players who prefer to enjoy the games at a less competitive pace. In a surprising twist of events, Nintendo’s latest entry in the Splatoon series, Splatoon Raiders, is a spin-off that flips its tried-and-true formula on its head, focusing solely on the single-player experience, but with cooperative online elements for those who want the option.

So, let’s dive into Splatoon Raiders, starting with its story and then moving on to gameplay. The game follows Splatoon 3’s idols Shiver, Frye, and Big Man of the musical group Deep Cut, as they are stranded on an archipelago known as the Spirhalite Islands when their helicopter is caused to crash by a strange storm. Joining the trio is the mechanic, who was also the pilot of the helicopter and survived the crash. The mechanic serves as the player’s avatar in the game and is tasked with finding useful materials that can be used to get the four castaways back home. Well, that was the initial idea, but the lure of valuable relics and vast fortunes is too good an opportunity for the music group/treasure hunters to let it pass by. So, they all decide that it is best to make the most of their predicament and search the Spirhalite Islands for loot that they can sell when they get back home.

It’s a simple yet decent story to set up the gameplay loop of raiding dens for loot. Anyone who has played Splatoon 3’s single-player already knows about Deep Cut’s treasure-hunting background and the motives for why they hunt for treasure, making them ideal characters for this spin-off and providing a great premise to dive into the backgrounds of each artist.

When it comes to gameplay, if you have played any of the main series entries, you will already have a pretty good idea of what to expect, as it combines elements of the single-player campaign with that of the Salmon Run mode. Your main enemies are the Salmonids, and it is up to you to splat them out of existence as you loot each dungeon. All of the Salmonid archetypes are here, as well as newer and tougher variants from the lowly Chums up to the mighty Boss Salmonids.

Loot comes in various forms, from weapons, materials, and gadget upgrades. Sub-weapons have been replaced by gadgets, each with its own uses and effects. Gadgets are assigned to three tank categories: Power, Speed, and Tactical. Each tank variant and its respective gadgets provide slightly different styles of gameplay. The Power tank puts strength first with stronger weapons and is suited for those who like to get into the thick of action. The Speed Tank is for those who like to get in quick and get out just as quickly, and the Tactical Tank is for those who prefer to be more strategic in their battles, like setting up drones to help fight for them. I would recommend trying out each tank to see what combo works for you. You can swap between tanks at any time between dungeon raids, so don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit as you may find that some gadgets may be more effective in certain scenarios than others.

In terms of customisation, there are some differences between Splatoon Raiders and the mainline games. First of all, outfits are purely cosmetic in this game and don’t have any perks attached to them. Instead, there are relics that you can find to add perks, as well as gadget upgrades that will increase the strength of the gadget as well as their ink consumption and whatnot. The number of gadget upgrades you can attach is limited, but you can increase the upgrade capacity using skill points that you acquire by levelling up your character or from special raid dens.

The weapons in Splatoon Raiders are similar to those in the main games, but do not carry their manufacturer’s brands. This is because they are makeshift weapons made of all sorts of materials like ketchup bottles and sippy cups. They still function like their “official” counterparts and have similar rates of fire and ink consumption. One big difference about these weapons is that they have varied levels to them. As you level up and get stronger doing tougher raids, the weapons and loot you find are stronger too, with higher damage output. Don’t worry about accumulating too many weapons though; as you progress through Splatoon Raiders, you will be able to scrap unnecessary weapons and use the Spirahlite ore you receive in return to upgrade your higher-level weapons to make them even stronger.

For all intents and purposes, Splatoon Raiders is primarily a single-player experience. That said, you can play online with other players, including friends or with random players around the world. To play with friends, you can create or join a room with up to four players, either via Online Play or Local Wireless. This will require some organization on your part so that you and your friends are all online at the same time to play (Game Chat will probably be a good idea as well). If you wish to join a room, you will need either a room code or to see if one of your friends is online and currently playing Splatoon Raiders. As for playing with random players, this comes in the form of helping others on their raids, or enlisting the help of others on your own raids. By doing so, you will join a party temporarily of only three players and will disband once the raid is over, successful or otherwise. During my playthrough, I have made good use of helping others online, as you can get some cool loot if they are tackling tough dens. You can also obtain extra loot as well, but only if the raid is successful. If you fail the raid, you get nothing, so there is plenty of risk, but the rewards can be worth it sometimes.

Wrapping up this review, I want to say that Splatoon Raiders has pleasantly surprised me. I did quite enjoy the underrated single-player of the Splatoon games, but Splatoon Raiders takes it to a whole other level. There is much more depth, and the levels themselves are very well detailed. I like how the gadgets work and swapping between weapons and styles, as it keeps the game feeling fresh. Sure, the gameplay loop can get a little repetitive, but I found it very hard to put the controller down as I just wanted to keep on playing, just one more raid, and then another, and another. Before I knew it, six hours had passed and I was still unable to put the controller down.

If you have yet to play a Splatoon game, then I sincerely encourage you to play Splatoon Raiders. You can take the game at your own pace, and you don’t have to worry about overlevelled players turning you into Calamari paste every five seconds. The story is pretty fun, and I find myself much more endeared to the characters this time around than I ever did with Splatoon 3. Sure, the amiibo functionality is a bit of a cop out this time around, with only four unlockable outfits to obtain, one from each of the Deep Cut amiibo and then just one single outfit for all of the other Splatoon series amiibo. That aside, the game really is great fun and is well worth picking up when you get the chance.