Splatoon Review by: Uzar - 8.5/10
Get Ink'd! Splatoon ReviewHold on to your tentacles! It's review time!
Splatoon is a somewhat recent release at the time of writing this. It's notability exploded quite literally seconds after it's first announcement. But three years later it's finally out! This was Nintendo's first step into what...literally every developer has done for the past 7 years. An online shooter. But as Nintendo typically does, they spun the concept around completely! And in a way that anyone of any age can enjoy. Not just 12 year olds hyped up on mountain dewritos. This is a third person shooter where you shoot...Everything! Not just each other. :P
Graphics: 9/10
This game's graphics are great! The levels all look stunning. It's almost a shame you'll be covering it up with ink moments into the game. But they really do look amazing. Although there's no real theme to each map. Some take place in a city, some are on a port, and some are in a summer camp! They look beautiful, but I think our Inkling friends prefer it to ll be one color or another. Good thing the ink dissolves after each round...
The weapons all have different designs to them. So you need to keep an eye out for what your enemies are holding, and how to react to them. Some weapons look identical, but others are radically different. But all are very creatively designed.
The Inklings (Squid kids) look great too! Problem is, the boys all look alike. So do the girls...So what do we do? Throw in hats and customizable clothing! But unlike a certain notorious Pay2Hat game...These are all free! Everything only costs in-game currency to buy. (Something every game with extras should have instead of real money...)
Anyway, those all make you look like the freshest squid on the block. And you'll start playing like it with time. The graphics, in every respect, are amazing. Except for maybe the somewhat empty skyboxes in single player mode.
Sound: 8/10
The sounds are very...unique in this game. You see, these are squids, not humans. So they all speak in what sounds like underwater gibberish. Thankfully there are subtitles!
The music in this game is also fantastic. You're treated to a wonderful
selection of pop, metal, rock, and electronic music...As preformed by squids. It's all complete gibberish lyrically speaking, but the music itself is great! Although frequently I've had matches where I focused so hard I actually couldn't hear the music. But when you're more relaxed and listening to the music, you won't help but smile.
Addictiveness: 10/10
This game is highly addictive. Please consult a doctor before going within 60 feet of it.
But seriously, I haven't been addicted to many games as I've been with Splatoon. It's intense fun! At least for me it was. But it's really addictive whether you like playing for extended periods, or if you like playing in short doses. If I had to place my finger on it, I would say it's how unique the gameplay is. It just leaves you wanting more. And if you're placed on a good team, you will be soaked into the game for quite some time. It rarely gets boring to play.
Depth: 7/10
This game is pretty deep. It has a lot of maps to play on, a minigame while the main game loads, a single player campaign, and a ton of clothes and weapons. And thanks to
updates, more of each of these get added every now and then. Pretty cool huh?
Each weapon works differently too. Which is something I really like about the game. No two weapons are exactly alike. And that lead me to a non-issue of too many options. Sometimes I can spend an entire match's worth of time just trying to decide on what weapon to equip. Depending on what maps are in rotation at the time, some weapons are better choices than others. So you actually do need to stratigize if you want to win.
The clothing is interesting too. Each come with bonuses, and the more expensive they are, the more bonuses can be unlocked. And each piece of clothing (Which are hats, shirts, and shoes) and even some weapons have different brands. Wearing things of the same brand leads to effects that work well with each other. So there are lots of different things to experiment with.
And aside from cosmetics and weapons there is a viraty of gamemodes to try too. Once you reach level 10 and unlock Ranked Mode anyway.
Splat Zones is a defense control game where your team has to capture certain areas of the map for a certain amount of time.
Tower Control is very similar to Team Fortress 2's Payload game. You need to ride a floating platform across the map. Ending near your enemies' spawn point.
And finally that leaves us with Rainmaker. Rainmaker is basically Capture the Flag. Only there's one flag. And that flag can be used as an incredibly powerful weapon. :P
Story: 4/10
There isn't much of a story here. Not in the main multiplayer anyway. In single player there is somewhat of a story. However it's kinda what Nintendo is known for.
Basically, once upon probably yesterday; The Great Zapfish (A giant electric eel thingy) was kidnapped! And so have all the little Zapfishes! But by who? Only a crazy old street hermit knows. It's those pesky Octolings! The accursed eight armed menaces... Without the Zapfish, Inkopolis is left powerless. And now it's up to you, now known as Agent 3 by Cap'n Cuddlefish himself, to get the Zapfish back! Why can't agents 1 and 2 do it? Well...Because you gotta do it, that's why!
There is an item hidden in each single player level known as a Sunken Scroll. Collecting these gives you more backstory and little bits of Squid history. Squidstory, if you will. They don't change much of the main story. But it is interesting that the Octolings are trying to [spoiler] restart a century old war. And that rising tides brought the extinction of some odd creatures called humans...[/spoiler] It's at least kind of interesting when you look at everything again through the extra information you're given. Anyway, it's a somewhat weak story saved somewhat by the power of supplemental material.
Difficulty: 6/10
The controls to this game are pretty simple. The right trigger on the gamepad fires, the left trigger turns you into a squid, X lets you jump, Y resets the camera, R throws an ink bomb, the left control Stick makes you move, and the right control stick moves the camera. Alternatively you can move the gamepad to control the camera. But you'll need to reset it often. At least if you're actually moving around or not.
The gameplay itself is pretty simple. Hold down the fire button and run around! Occasionally you'll need to turn into a squid and dip into your team's ink to refill your ink tank. While in Squid form you can also pass through grates, and swim very fast through your team's ink. So the more ink you have will help your entire team out. You can tap any of your teammates on the gamepad to jump over to them also. This makes dying not quite as painful as it would be without this feature.
How to win depends on the kind of game you
select. A Turf War is simply...Whoever has the most ink on the map when the timer hits 0 wins. Regardless of whether you win or lose, you gain EXP and money. Once you hit level 10 you unlock Ranked Mode.
Ranked Mode is a more competetive way of playing Splatoon. And in this lies the other previously mentioned gamemodes.
The game is great, to say the least. I was a bit skeptical going into it at first. But it is a ton of fun. I highly recommend playing it if you ever have the chance to. The controls are smooth, the concept is a refreshing take on the multiplayer shooter genre, and the sea related puns are really something else! :P I am very proud of Nintendo making an amazing non-rehash game too. I really wish that Nintendo would continue down that road of...originality.
Overall: 8.5/10
Graphics
9 Sound
8 Addictive
10 Depth
7 Story
4 Difficulty
6
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