Going back to the roots of this blog, I'm writing about a game!
General
Generally, with work and responsibilities I had gotten less and less time, and also motivation, to get into new games. But seeing that Splatoon 2 was pretty cheap for a used copy, especially for a first party Nintendo game, I had to get it. I was always interested in the franchise, and even though I read online that it doesn't have too many players, and the single-player wouldn't be worth it on its own, I was still determined to try.
First things first, you DEFINITELY need Nintendo Switch Online for this. I briefly tried the Singleplayer/Hero Mode, it was fun, but after trying the Multiplayer, you really get what the game and hype is about! I'm currently running on my free trial of NSO, after that, I will have to consider going on further. (even though online isn't that expensive (yearly), I don't like paying for subscriptions, especially if I only need them to play one game)
The Game
Splatoon 2 had me hooked IMMEDIATLY! (well, almost ...)
After completing the tutorial, and switching off the motion controls (I am mostly playing the Switch in handheld mode), I went into the Hero Mode, as without the Online trial, it was the only thing available. Salmon Run and Turf Wars, the two 'main' modes, were locked behind online. Most progression is also locked to online XP, you unlock different weapons in Hero Mode, but your range of outfits and weapons is definitely limited.
After activating the online trial, the fun I was having rose sharply! Playing against real players is always a thrill. The matches are short and sweet (3 minutes, and it feels quicker as time passes faster if you have fun), and have energetic tracks to complement them! In the last minute, it also always switches to an even faster track, making you even more hyped to win the game. Even if I lost, I was always having a good time, because I managed to get a cool kill or flanked the enemies. Your main objective is to colour the entire map in your colour, and of course, the enemy team wants to do the same...
It's hard looking up the tracks, as they don't really have 'real' lyrics, but after a short time, I managed to find my favorite track:
Customization
You start out with a simple blaster, a bomb/grenade that explodes after a short while, and an 'ultimate' that you can use after painting enough surfaces (you lose it when you die! Better use it than lose it)
These weapons always form a set of 3, a main weapon, the secondary, and the 'ultimate'/special weapon.
Leveling up, you gain access to a wide repertoire of weapons: two faster blasters, a sniper, a paintroller (good for melee and getting a lot of ground), a gattling gun, and a lot more! I have been really fond of the double blasters and the N-ZAP 85. Of course, there are also a lot of different secondaries too, like an impact grenade, a curling grenade, sticky bomb, ...
The ultimates also range between a high pressure cleaner, jetpack, armor, or missile launcher to hit your foes from afar
But, you don't only get a lot of weapons. You also get to customize your so-called Inkling how ever you want! Your clothing also levels up with you, giving you different bonuses, like needing less ink to paint or moving faster when swimming in your ink. (Swimming in your own teams ink replenishes your ink/ammo). Take a look!
Playing you unlock coins to buy all that equipment/clothes. You can also, with a cooldown of a single day, buy some items off your opponents/teammates when you return to the main lobby/plaza!
Other modes, caveats
As already mentioned, there is also the 'Salmon Run' Mode, which is a cooperative gamemode. I played it a bit, it was fun, but a bit hard in my opinion. Especially if you get thrown into the match alone, if you die, its immediatly over. And then you gotta wait again. And that is one of the main caveats of Splatoon 2. The game was released in 2017, so it's almost 10 years old. There still seems to be a loyal playerbase, and also new players, as I was queued with Level 1-10 and Level 50-90 players, but still, sometimes you have tough luck, and gotta requeue for a few minutes til you finally find a game (then you sometimes wait longer than the game takes). If you have a full round one time though, most of the time, the players will last for a few games/you will quickly find subsequent games.
An empty lobby. The lobby track also gets memorable realll quick. They also added a fun gimmick where you can control pic/sound FX by pressing the buttons and control stick'Salmon Run' is about defeating Salmonids, and taking their golden eggs for Grizzco Industries. Most Salmonids are simple enemies, but then you have the Boss Salmonids, and those can hit you pretty hard and bad. One emerges from the ground and devours you immediatly (that was what ended my solo game), the other is only killable at its tail and sprays the entire map full of enemy paint. I can't say more about it as I didn't play it as much, Turf Wars was more fun to me. I also read online that the DLC is a worthwhile single player experience, but this I cannot comment aswell.
After reaching Level 10, you can play Ranked. I tried one match ranked, when I reached Level 10, it was a bad time and I couldn't find a full game. It was fun, Ranked has different modes spicing up the gameplay, I played a Tower Control mode, where you have to escort a tower into the enemy base.
Verdict
I love this game. Even after playing it shortly, I was convinced. This is first party Nintendo quality, an awesome overall experience. Great Look-And-Feel, great Music. If you plan to get it, you must get NSO too.
Some pictures that didn't fit anywhere else, and also, a pretty cool killstreak by me.
