User Review : Splatoon

Amazinkly Squiddicting

Splatoon is the kind of squideo game that the 8th generation has been woefully lacking. In an industry where massive teams are desperately trying to deliver big budget games in time for the holiday season, Splatoon squirts on to the Wii U at the dawn of summer, wallowing in its 90's 'tude and harkening back to the bright colors and inventiveness of Dreamcast-era Sega. The only crucial problem the game has, is that there's just not enough of it.

Splatoon is divided into a single-player story mode and a 4v4 online multiplayer mode. The story dives into the rivalry between the Inklings and Octarians, and consists of bite-sized levels revolving around the game's core mechanics. I've seen a lot of people relate it to Super Mario Galaxy, and that is a fitting comparison. The levels are only a few minutes long, so they are both addictive and focused. The developers did a good job of presenting new ideas at a regular pace throughout the campaign, so it never felt repetitive. I beat the single player portion in only about 5 hours, but anything more than that would've felt a little overkill. To expand replayability, there are some collectibles to be found in the levels revealing a pretty funny lore for the game's world.

The multiplayer seems to have been the team's main focus, and it's a blast. A lot of work was put into the unique movement of the game, and it feels awesome to master techniques for quickly traversing the map while laying down ink. There's a high level of customization, with a ton of weapons, sub weapons and clothing to purchase. Surprisingly, the game's local multiplayer mode is limited to a boring 1v1 mode which splits the two players between the TV and GamePad. If there's one thing Nintendo has over the competition this generation, it's their commitment to local multiplayer, so the lack of attention here is unfortunate. The game only launches with 5 maps and 2 game modes, with more content promised for free throughout the summer. I don't really agree with what is blatant fragmentation of content to get the game out sooner. This is basically a $60 down payment for a game that won't be worth that money for a while. Whether or not that's okay is up to the consumer. I'm sure the upcoming content will be great, but I can't score the game on faith alone. Another questionable decision is the choice for the maps to play in rotations. Meaning, two maps are available for a couple hours, then another two maps replace them. It basically forces you to play on the same maps for extended periods of time, and I'm just not sure why the developers chose this system. As for the elephant in the room, voice chat definitely feels like a striking omission from Splatoon. I think as time goes on, people will adjust to the visual communication from the map, but I definitely don't feel like voice chat should've been excluded from such a competitive game.

The controls took a little getting used to, but they work fluidly once you master them. Basically, you can either aim with the gyro controls or the right stick, or both. I'm not one to favor motion controls when given the option, but using a mixture of the stick and the gyro controls worked the best. The right stick worked well for steering the character in the right direction, while the gyro was good for positioning the sniper weapons and for twitchy encounters with enemies. The GamePad's implementation is pretty good, displaying a real-time map and allowing you to warp to team mates with a tap of the touch screen. You can also play 8-bit minigames during loading times, which was a nice touch.

The development team took the squid theme and deeply imbedded it into the dialogue and scenery of the game. The game is constantly kraken jokes and squidding around, and it's impossible to not find charming. For example: in the game's hub world, the entrance to the multiplayer mode is called "Booyah Base", a clever play on bouillabaisse. The Squid Girls, pop stars within the game's world, are named Callie and Marie after calimari. The shops and their owners are also all representative of various sea life, and are cleverly designed to make even spending in-game currency a delight. I can't tell you how funny it was to see the emotionless, blank-staring clownfish swimming in the anemone hair of a shopkeeper spit out various snarky comments as you leave the store. If you're sick of nautical puns, you can always visit the only mammal in the game for some purrfect cat puns.

Splatoon's music is one of its most unique elements, as the veteran composer basically invented a musical genre to fit the game's image. The multiplayer has bizarre parodies of various rock genres, while the single player has more experimental, electronic music. It really sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. My only gripe is that there isn't more music, and hopefully it will be coming soon in one of the free updates.

Splatoon is the first product of a new strategy Nintendo is calling "garage development". Basically, they break some of their studios into smaller teams where it's easier share ideas. It's a brilliant idea for a company often criticized for being stuck with a same-y software lineup for years now. It's also a brilliant idea in an industry where creativity is increasingly threatened as larger costs and teams become the norm. With "garage development" Nintendo is giving their younger, more ambitious staff a chance to shine and make a Mario or Link of their own. I hope Splatoon sells well, because the creativity fostered by smaller teams and the polish possible with Nintendo's developers is a perfect recipe for great, fresh games.

Even though some things hold it back, Splatoon is an ink-redible game that I highly recommend to anyone with a Wii U. See you on the splattlefield, N4G!