While I’m not a pro at the game by
any means, I love Splatoon. I named
it my personal Game of the Year back in 2015, I collect merch from the game,
and the art design and music are some of the most unique in the industry right
now.
So when Nintendo announced Splatoon 2 was coming to the Nintendo
Switch, I was both excited and admittedly nervous. While I was certainly
looking forward to playing more Splatoon,
I wasn’t sure how they would adapt the game to being played on only one screen.
Without the Wii U GamePad there’s no map right at your convenience, and I also
wondered how the classic Splatoon
gyro controls would make it into the new version?
I was able to play in only one of this
week’s Testfire (although I tried to get into a second, but more on that
later), and I personally really enjoyed my time with the hour I had. It’s just
as fun as the original, with several new tricks to keep old players invested.
The core of the gameplay is the same
as the original: paint as much of the area in your team’s colour as you can.
The team at the end with the most area covered wins. Simple as that. Nintendo
seems to have taken the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach to designing Splatoon 2, choosing to improve on what
was already perfect instead of changing things around too much.
Onto the controls, they are just as
responsive as they were in the original, but I do have one caveat. Since there’s
no constant map screen anymore with the removal of the GamePad, the developers
had to place the map in the HUD somehow. There’s now a map screen in the game,
and bringing it up allows you to select which player you want to super-jump to
with the D-pad. This is fine and all, but the big problem comes with the button
the map is mapped to (ha ha). To bring up the map, you press the X button.
Doesn’t sound like a problem? Well, it is, especially to a Splatoon veteran like myself. In the original game, the X button
was what you used to jump. So now muscle memory keeps pressing the X button to
try and jump but instead I’m bringing up the map screen. Jump is B now, and
while I was getting used to it more towards the end of my session, it’s a big
oversight and I honestly hope the developers include the ability to map buttons
wherever you want in the final product.
The only weapons available in the
Testfire were the classic Splattershot, Splat Charger and Roller, as well as an
all-new weapon type known as the Splat Dualies. These work essentially as two
smaller Splattershots with two separate reticles to show you where each will
fire. What makes these extra cool is that they give you the ability to roll. You
can roll up to two times, and it comes in handy when trying to quickly position
yourself to take down an enemy. Rolling is useful to tricking out players using
Chargers, quickly getting behind them and eliminating them before they can
ready their weapon. I do think that it’s not quite as useful as turning into a
squid and slithering behind them in ink, but if there’s no ink nearby rolling
is a viable option.
All four of the weapons are each
equipped with a new special weapon, with none of the old classics like Inkstrike
or Kraken anywhere to be seen right now. The Splattershot has the Tenta
Missiles, two large guns that target a single enemy and send down an aerial
barrage of ink. Even after using these a bit I honestly wasn’t able to get a
kill with them, considering how fast paced Splatoon
2 can be at times. It’s also recommended you don’t activate them until you
have an enemy in your sights, because if you use them too early you’ll be stuck
waddling around looking for a target like a complete sitting duck.
The Charger is given the Sting Ray, an
upgrade to their rifle that allows them to shoot a laser line of ink through
walls. Full disclosure, this is the only one of the four specials I didn’t use
for myself considering I’m terrible at sniping in video games. You can tell
when someone is using it because their sniping line turns a glowy red, making
them both a deadly enemy and a prime target.
The Roller gets my personal favourite
new special: the Splashdown. This one works similarly to Lucio’s Ultimate
Ability in Overwatch, but with a
reverse effect. Your Inkling jumps up, surrounds themselves with an energy
field of sorts, and releases a torrential amount of ink when they hit the
ground. If any enemy is caught in the field when you land they are instantly
splatted. This ability is great to use in many different situations, such as
when you’re cornered by a group of enemies or when you’ve snuck up on members
of the opposing team. You can also activate this ability while super-jumping,
so if you know that a teammate is being hassled by a group of enemies, it’s an entertaining
way to take them by surprise.
Last but not least, the Splat Dualies
have what might be the coolest of the new ultimates, the Inkjet. This ability
gives your Inkling a literal jetpack, lifting them off the air. You can shoot
slow but large blasts of ink from your new high perch, which is great for
picking off enemies wide out in the open. It’s a lot of fun to try and chase
down unsuspecting foes, although it does take a little of time to get the hang
of aiming while in the air.
We got to see two of the new maps in
the Testfire as well: The Reef and Musselforge Fortress. Reef is immediately familiar
as a city plaza-type stage, very similar in design to Urchin Underpass from the
original game. Musselforge, on the other hand, is very unique and fun, with
multiple paths and hidey holes that allow you to get the jump on enemies. If I
were to compare it to a stage from the previous game, I’d say it most resembles
a smaller version of Walleye Warehouse.
Speaking of which, that’s my one gripe
with these two stages: they’re a little on the small side. While I wasn’t quite
expecting stuff the size of Museum D’Alphonsino, I was hoping for something a
little bigger. I know that Moray Towers has already been confirmed as a
returning stage from the original game, and I guess that the smaller maps were
easier to handle on the servers, but I really hope we have some larger maps to
try out if the Testfire comes back.
And speaking of the servers, that’s
the last thing I should probably talk about. As I mentioned earlier, I was
fortunate enough to play in the very first Testfire scheduled, but when I tried
to get into the Saturday Testfire at the exact same time no matter what I tried
I just could not get in. I tried literally everything, from resetting the
Switch’s Wi-Fi connection, disconnecting and reconnecting, restarting the
system, even resetting my router (ugh!), everything. I know it wasn’t my
problem, because during that time I tried to access the eShop, which also
refused to allow me entry. The Switch’s internet server was borked within
minutes of the Testfire starting.
I will say that on the first Testfire
the gameplay ran as smooth as silk, with no slowdown or disconnects. It wasn’t
a clean entry then either, as it was a lot of restarting and testing the system’s
connection to the internet before I was finally allowed entry. I sincerely hope
that Nintendo improves the strength of the servers by release, because this
wasn’t exactly the first impression you want out of what’s going to be a paid
online service by the end of the year.
Overall, I really loved the Splatoon 2 Testfire…when I could get in,
of course. I’m glad Nintendo didn’t feel the need to shake up the fantastic Splatoon formula, and the new weapons
and maps are sure to help the game, in the words of the Squid Sisters, stay
fresh. I really do hope that the final product will include button mapping to
allow players of the first game to better adjust to the sequel, and the servers
really need some fixing. I don’t want to have to fight with my Switch’s
internet connection every time I feel like playing a round of Turf War.
Honestly, considering the game isn’t due
till the summer, having a Testfire this early might be hugely beneficial in the
long run. This gives them plenty of time to fix what needs fixing and improve
what requires improvement. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see a second Testfire
before launch when the servers are more stable (and have been a little more
broken in thanks to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe),
and I left this experience more excited for the game than when I came in. It’s
more of the same splatastic stuff you loved on the Wii U, and that’s exactly
what I hoped it would be.
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