A great sequel to Nintendo’s take on third-person shooters
“Splatoon 2? What’s that?”
Splatoon 2 is the sequel to the original game on the Wii U. It’s a third-person shooter where you and three other players would partake in a “Turf War,” which is trying to get the most territory in a stage within a certain time limit by splatting your team’s color everywhere. It was a successful game on the Wii U, and it’s still a successful game on the Nintendo Switch. Though what did Splatoon 2 do to improve upon its predecessor? Lets find out.
The Story
Like the original, you don’t actually have to do the main story right away. The news broadcasters, named “Off The Hook” talk about the Great Zapfish, a giant fish capable of electricity, has been stolen, and that Callie, a member of the Squid Sisters, has mysteriously disappeared. As started before, you don’t actually have to do the main story right away. In fact, you don’t have to do it at all. Though this section would be a lot shorter if we don’t talk about it a bit more. Upon going through a grate, you are greeted by another character from the past game, Marie, who believes that the main enemies of the game, the Octarians, have stolen the Great Zapfish and possibly Callie, and assigns you to be Agent 4. The story allows players to learn how to play the game pretty well in case the short tutorial when starting it up wasn’t enough, and the various stages are entertaining in their own right, complete with their own funky beats.
The Gameplay
As stated previously, this is a third-person shooter game. Now there are two types of battles. You have the standard Turf Wars, and then you have Ranked Battles. Ranked Battles are for those are a bit more competitive and have more game modes such as moving a tower to one side of the map or King of The Hill. Though if you’re not feeling confident in your current set of gear and weapons, don’t worry, because there are stores to help you out to becoming the freshest squid around. The gears are divided into four sections: Hats, Clothes, Shoes, and Weapons. All of these are equally important because the first three offer perks that can help you gain an advantage over the enemy team, and weapons have their own Sub-Weapons and Specials. As an Inkling, you can swim around in your own ink through the floor and walls, but don’t expect to ink everything. In Turf Wars, you’re mainly supposed to ink the floors, as inking the walls won’t add up to your team’s score. Both game modes are very fun to play with, if you’re a more laidback player or if you’re more competitive.
Conclusion
In the end, Splatoon 2 is a faithful sequel to its predecessor. With its charming characters, great music, and gameplay, Splatoon 2 is something that is highly recommended in the Switch’s library. Even if you haven’t played the original Splatoon, don’t worry. It’s not as if you need to have known everything from the first game. Though it would be nice to do at least a little homework before playing.
