🎮 Splatoon Raiders is the first primarily single-player Splatoon game. An enticing concept, to be sure. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, I can thankfully say you don’t really need any past knowledge to understand the story of this entry. A fun idea is one thing, but execution is everything. So was this game a hidden treasure, or is it more of a lacking haul? Read on to find out.

Story:

In this game, you play as a pilot-turned-mechanic working alongside the band Deep Cut as they take on their side occupation as treasure hunters, exploring some mysterious islands in search for loot to help pay off Splatville’s debt problems. The three personalities of the trio are diverse enough to feel fairly fresh and distinct, and the mystery around the mystery of the archipelago can make for an intriguing hook. Though I will say there is no English vocals in this game. Or any languaged vocals for that matter. The characters speak in their own language, and thus reading the accompanying text is a necessity to understand what’s going on. I only say this because I know some kids can get bored from excessive reading pretty quickly. Though I will say aside from the mystery mentioned above, the story is fairly straightforward. It works for the kind of demographic the game is made for, but if you’re hoping for something more complex, you’d be better off searching elsewhere.

Gameplay:

Like all Splatoon games, the bulk of the gameplay involves shooting enemies with colored ink to defeat them, and painting your surroundings in said ink for various environmental advantages. If that sounds weird when phrased like that, don’t worry. It’ll make sense when you see it in action. There were plenty of new additions to the gameplay that I did quite enjoy. Namely you can choose from 3 different ink tanks depending on the playstyle you prefer: power, speed, and tactical. That offers a fun bit of personalization that I’ve always liked in games. Even if only a little. Additionally, there is a leveling system in the game, as well as the ability to upgrade weapons and abilities, allowing for ways to gradually become stronger against enemies in the later levels. You’re able to adjust the difficulty at any time, so you don’t need to worry about things being too hard or too easy depending on your taste. Though if I wanna be nitpicky, there are some times where you can be defeated by enemies in a manner that is unfair, like if an enemy attack’s knockback blows you backward over the edge of the arena, rendering you unable to make it back in time before you fall to your doom. You can survive falling once, but sometimes there’ll be so many enemies standing on the edge of the arena there’s no room to safely land back on it. But those instances are so rare that it’s not really a factor. I found the game to be a bit slow at the start, but once things got going and you unlock the more interesting features, it became pretty fun. Ironically the part of the game I enjoyed the least was the boss fights. They’re effectively damage-sponges, taking breaks between attacks to let you wail on them and incrementally chip away at their health. But every boss is largely dependent on enemy rushes, even outright making the bosses impervious to damage until you’ve defeated a certain amount of normal enemies at least twice in a fight. And that feels a bit momentum-killing to me, given it makes the fights go on even longer, and kinda replacing what should be a boss fight with just more gameplay that every other level provides. I was hoping for something a bit more inventive that bleeds together less with the normal flow of the game. But that’s just me.

Conclusion:

I would say I did enjoy this game. It took me 3 or 4 days to finish, and that is partially because I usually play games on easy mode. What can I say? I like to feel in control of whatever is thrown at me. It wasn’t anything too special as far as games go, but it was a pleasant experience I felt was worth my while for what it provides. As such, I’ll be giving the game a ranking of 7/10.