Nintendo has a long, storied history of re-inventing genres. They’ve made the complex JRPG into a handheld sensation with kids around the globe. Nearly every sport under the sun has seen a Mario-branded recreation. Super Smash Bros exists in a class of it’ own in the world of fighting games. The latest to join their ranks is Splatoon, Nintendo’s first major attempt at the online shooter genre. The result is a unique creation that may be a little short of content, but delivers personality and fun in bursts.
Splatoon is best described as a Team Fortress 2-style third person shooter, done through the eyes of a mid-90s Nickelodeon game show. You play as an Inkling, preteen squid-human hybrids who can change forms at will. In teams of four, you are thrown into a battle arena with a simple goal — ‘ink’ as much surface area as possible. On the opposite end is a team of another four players, with the same goal and another color.
Painting the ground allows you to quickly traverse across it in your ‘squid’ form and proves hazardous to the other team. Splat them enough with your ink-filled blaster, and they’ll respawn back at the base. Once the match ends, the colors on the ground is tallied up, and whoever has covered more takes the crown.
Matches last only three minutes, but you find plenty of time to form rivalries, experience dramatic comebacks, or feel the rush of all-out domination. It’s a simple formula, but it proves consistently fun. There’s a deep catharsis in coating an opponent’s territory with your color, backing them into a corner and seeing the entire battlefield glow with your neon identity.
While most multiplayer games have started to feel like intense sporting events — where playing perfectly is demanded of all parties — Splatoon feels like a water balloon war on a childhood summer day. Win or lose, Splatoon‘s infectious energy will put a smile on your face.
The base game is fairly simple, and at the time of review — not terribly deep. Currently there are only six maps available for play (cycled between groups of two active maps every few hours), and only four different weapons (though there are nearly countless combinations of sub-weapons, special attacks, and perks). Nintendo has promised new content (including new game modes) will be added to the game through free DLC delivered all summer long. But right now, compared to most other multiplayer shooters on the market, Splatoon‘s content offering is on the light side.
Additionally, the game is at the mercy of Nintendo’s less-than-modern standard for online play. Features that many gamers have taken for granted, such as voice chat, group party systems or dedicated servers, are nowhere to be seen. Server connection issues have been a wide-reported issue, and the game isn’t great at compensating for lag. Combine with the WiiU’s relatively small player base, and it raises the concern — will anybody be playing Splatoon in a year? What value does it hold then?
If you tire of the battle arena, Splatoon does offer some single player content. A series of missions task you with taking down evil octopi, using the game’s traversal methods for some clever puzzle-platforming. It’s nothing memorable, but helps to flesh out the package.
Overall, Splatoon is a delightful game with some great moments, but an uncertain future. If you’re a WiiU owner looking for a fun summer fling, I give it a hearty recommendation. But the long-term value is ultimately going to rest on Nintendo to keep up the stream of content — keeping multiplayer servers flowing with new potential targets.
Follow Chris Berg on Twitter, @Mushroomer2