PixlBit

Games of the Decade #15/Blog a Day #16

Hello cephalopods, how are you?

Shooter type of games are a pretty interesting bunch. Shooters were the dominant genre during the last generation with online shooters becoming really popular. They never really interested me. Maybe it was due to yearly releases. Or perhaps it's pretty much the same game, only with a different coat of paint. There are a few select I do like though. But in 2015 Nintendo released Splatoon, their own spin on the formula and it proved to be a hit, but for this we are talking about it's sequel known as Splatoon 2.

                                    Music in this game is different but very good ♥

Backstory time Squidkids: In 2015 Nintendo released Splatoon, a colorful and fresh take on the shooter genre and despite being a Wii U game it managed to sell quite well. It was risky business releasing a new IP, especially on a "dead" console but against all odds it sold well and proved to be popular that years later, 2017 to be exact, Nintendo released a sequel to the game. But is it better than it's predecessor?

When Splatoon 2 was announced I was really excited for it since I loved the original game but I was worried about a number of things since the first game relied on the Wii U's Gamepad for a number of gameplay functions. For instance, the Gamepad had the map and certain abilities are activated via touchscreen. The Switch does have a touchscreen but you can't use it if you're playing on tv. I also imagined the map function might be too clunky without a second screen. But my worries were put to rest once I played the Splatoon 2 Global Tesfire, think of it as an online beta that other games like to do. After that beta I was really excited for the sequel since I was pretty happy with what I played.

Splatoon and Splatoon 2 are multiplayer games at their core but they work differently than other shooter games. In other shooters your goal is generally to have the most kills on your team but in Splatoon your objective is to ink as much turf as you can within the 3 minute time limit. Ink the most turf and you win the match. You can kill or "Splat" your opponent but getting a bunch of kills isn't the main objective, but you can use kills to strategically hamper the opponent team so your team can ink more turf. 

                                 Jetpacks are always awesome no matter the game

One thing I wanted in the first Splatoon was a mode where you and a team of 3 players fight hordes of enemies and in Splatoon 2 they added that and it's called Salmon Rush. Salmon Rush works like a PvE mode where you and 3 other players fight hordes of enemies and enemies get harder in every wave. You can get some good loot to use in the main online modes like new gear and so forth and it's a good place to farm in-game money but they only open this mode on certain days of the week. I assume is to prevent players from abusing the system.

One this I love about this game is the aesthetic or the overall style of the game. Like it just looks so unique to anything out there. The bright colors and style of some of the gear in the game definitely reminds me of the 90's. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where they got their inspiration for some of the stuff in the game.

But one of the best parts of the game are Splatfests. They are essentially in-game events where you vote on one of 2 catergories which could involve things like Pancakes vs. Waffles to stuff like Cake vs. Ice Cream to some special ones like which of the Ninja Turtles is your favorite. Yes that last one is real. You vote and for 48 hours the event goes on and you fight in Turf Wars to help the team you voted for to win. Sometimes you get thrown into a special match that gives you a huge boost of points for your team should you win that match.

 If you win a 10x Battle, you and your team appear in this News Board for everyone to see

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" On the Switch. You can get it there but it almost never goes on sale so you're stuck paying full price. Sometimes it does if a retailer decides to drop the price. Sometimes the digital version does go on sale as well. But if you're looking for something different with color in your online shooter then Splatoon 2 is the game for you.

Nintendo also released an expansion for the game called Octo Expansion which adds new single player content to the game. The stages are a it more difficult than the regular single player stages that are already in the game. But if you can finish them al then you can play as an Octoling in the game instead of an Inkling. I have it and it was really rewarding finishing all the stages and the story of the expansion is really good if you are interested in the lore of the entire series in general. This also won't be the only post-apocalyptic game on this list.

Final Thoughts: Splatoon was a surprise of a game, it was a really neat take on a formula many are already familiar with. Splatoon 2 is pretty much everything I could have wanted in a sequel. They added a ton of new content and they fixed issues many had with the original game. I will say that the first game had better music though.

                                                                It was a fun ride

I am willing to guess that Nintendo didn't expect it to become such a hit when the first game released. I'm glad they took that risk with a new IP and I'm so happy that they treat it as a main IP alongside Mario and Zelda. It's definitely one of my most favorite multiplayer games out there. They went all out with the sequel and I'm really looking forward to what they do with the next one and what direction the story will take. One of my most favorite memories of this game was playing with a friend in 2018 till 2019 since 2019 was the year of the very last Splatfest. We didn't always win them but it was so much fun and those are memories I will never forget.

That's all for this one everyone. I got a Salmon Run shift so I'll see you after that...

 

*All images except the first one were taken by my copy of the game and my Switch*