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| You're a kid now, You're a squid now, You're a kid now, You're a squid now, You're a kid now, You're a squid now, You're a kid now, You're a squid now, You're a kid now, You're a squid now... |
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Version(s): Exclusive to Wii U
Price: $59.99
Release: May 29th, 2015
If I had obtained my Wii U and played Splatoon last year I can say without any doubt in my mind that it would have been in my Top Five Games of 2015. Sadly I was not able to get my Wii U until just a week ago, but that doesn't stop me from saying Splatoon is one of the funniest multiplayer shooters I have played in a long time. I'm not usually a fan of multiplayer games in general, but Splatoon managed to win me over. How exactly did it accomplish this feat! Well let me tell you.
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| A Boy and Girl Inkling. |
Splatoon puts in the role of an Inkling, a squid like creature that can switch between a humanoid kid form that can run around and shoot ink using special paint gun-like weaponry and cepholpod squid form that can phase into their ink and swim through it real fast, who is trying to make a name for themselves on Inkopolis' Turf War scene which the city of Inkopolis' society is built upon. Meanwhile, the Great Zapfish that powers the city has been stolen by the evil Octarians who are planning on taking over Inkopolis. The game is split between the main multiplayer mode where you go up against other players online to make a name for yourself in the world of Splatoon and a single player Hero Mode were you team up with an old crazy guy named Cap'n Cuttlefish to stop the Octarian menace and save Inkopolis.
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| Inkopolis Plaza is the central hub of activity in Splatoon. |
I think the first major thing that drew me to Splatoon over other multiplayer shooter games was is wonderfully colorful aesthetic design. In a world where the majority of games coming out try their absolute hardest to be dark and edgy with lots of browns, grays, and black color palettes that quite frankly are just awful to look at half the time it is always great to see a game as lighthearted and colorful as Splatoon come along. The world of Splatoon is also great fun to be in with it wonderful mix of modern day pop culture, Japanese mythology, and aquatic ocean life. I just loved every second that I was in the world of Splatoon and was always sad when I had to leave.
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| The Sunken Scrolls are hidden collectibles found in Splatoon's Hero's Mode which explain the backstory of the world. |
The next major thing about Splatoon and its main attraction is the excellent multiplayer.Unlike most multiplayer shooters that prioritize killing other players and the team/player that gets the most kills usually wins, Splatoon's main multiplayer mode is all about covering the environment around you with ink with a variety of fun weaponry ranging from rapid fire paint guns and giant rollers. The team that has the most ink on the map at the end of the match wins. Killing other players, which is called Spatting, takes a back seat compared to simply painting the environment around you. The only reason you even need to attack other players is that they will try and stop you from spreading your ink so you need to stop them first. Matches are fairly short, but there's never a dull moment in those few minutes and you will undoubtedly want to play another right after. Players have a great deal of customization for their characters. Winning matches accumulates Cash that players can spend on new weapons and gear that gives you passive bonuses in matches. During special in game events called Splatfests you can obtain another type of currency called Super Sea Snails that you can use to modify gear. Overall the core of Splatoon is utterly fantastic. However, for as much as I like Splatoon there are a few issues I have with it.
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| An Inkling shopping for weapons at the Ammo Knights store. |
While Turf War is the main mode of the game it does get a little repetitive after a while, but as of the time of writing it is the only regular multiplayer mode you can participate in without doing anything special. To access the other game modes the game has to offer you have to get to Level 10 to access Ranked Battles that have several other game modes you can participate in. There is also no easy way to arrange battles with friends and it is very easy to end up waiting up to a half an hour to get in a match with your friends because other people keep joining the game before you. You also can't switch out gear without leaving matchmaking. Given that in other multiplayer shooter games like Destiny where you can change your gear in the middle of a match that is just unacceptable.
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| In spite of several problems I have, Splatoon is a fantastic game! |
But in spite of my few issues with Splatoon it still a fantastic game overall. Where every game these day is trying so hard to be dark and mature that that suck all the fun in the process Splatoon is just a ton of lighthearted fun that makes you feel happy which is honestly something I really need for a good long while now. If you have a Wii U and still haven't picked up Splatoon I highly recommend it. I'm so happy to finally have a Wii U and games that are just raw concentrated fun and I can wait to dive deeper in Splatoon over the next few months...I'm a kid now and a squid now!
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