Splatoon Review part 2!!!

This is the SECOND part of my review on Splatoon. If you have no idea what Splatoon is, go read the first part! Long story short, this is a game with shape-changing squids called Inklings that compete in paintball style shooter matches, competing to cover as much of the map in their team's paint as possible while slowing down the other team's progress. That is a literal mouthful.


LOGO!!!

Now this part of the review is on Splatoon's multiplayer modes. There are currently two modes for online (the one that I play) and one mode for local multiplayer (Which I can't even play because My Wii U only has one controller).

The first mode is available right at the start. It is Turf War. In Turf War, two teams of four player controlled Inklings compete to see who can cover as much of the map in their team's ink/paint as possible within three minutes.




This mode is the shorter of the two in the game at the moment. Unless you are reading this a 100 years in the future in which case welcome to a article of the past! Anyway, assuming you are NOT from the future, Turf War is fun, but newer players may struggle with it because in my experience there are a LOT of high level players playing this mode at the moment. Says the guy who's been playing this game so much he reached level 13 the day after he bought the game.

There is really not a strategy to winning on this game-mode unless you are like me and find some cheeky little way to wreck people. A very good idea, at least on the Saltspray Rig map (more on the maps later), is to control as much of the platform at the North end of the map. Because I have found that because there is so much land there that the team that controls that area is probably going to be the winner.



Another thing to know is that you can customize your Inkling with hats, shirts/vests/jackets/etc, and shoes. These clothing items aren't cosmetic however, as every piece of equipment grants a perk/buff like respawning quicker when you get KO'd. Or dealing more damage. Or letting you throw bombs father away. Or making your weapon use less ink (every weapon in Splatoon uses ink as ammo).

Right now My Inkling is wearing a Camouflage Hoodie, a pair of Goggles, and pair of Pro Trail Boots. NOTE: I do not have any pictures of my Inkling sadly. Rest assured he looks amazing in his outfit.

A really nice addition is that what is available in the stores changes daily, But if they are selling something you don't want but see another player wearing something you do want, you can talk to a guy called Spyke and he will get you a perfect copy of almost any item in the game (with the exception of the three specialty outfits you get for doing the Amiibo challenge). For a price of course.


Spyke!

Now for the SECOND mode! Splat Zones! This is my favorite of the two. It's actually off-limits until your Inkling is level 10 or higher. Which makes sense because this is the more competitive of the two modes available.

 

Now in Splat Zones, Two Teams of four players fight for control of a specific spot on the map and hold that spot for a 100 second countdown. As one can imagine, strategy is crucial to this game mode. One of my personal favorite tricks is best used on the map Blackbelly Skate-Park (and of course because this blog is open to the public literally everyone reading this is going to try it). On this map there is a cylindrical tower at the center of the map. From the top of that tower you can snipe people from almost anywhere!

Only I don't use the sniper rifle (or Charger as it supposed to be called). I use the AeroSpray RG. Not the AeroSpray MG, but the AeroSpray RG! Completely different weapons. Technically. Not at all. They look similar but one fires much faster than the other.

Now onto the maps.

The first map is Saltspray Rig. It's a oil rig with several platforms and elevators. I have yet to play Splat Zones on this map so I do not have a decent trick for it yet.





The next map is one of my favorites! Blackbelly Skate-Park! It's literally a giant skate-park as one can imagine. As I mentioned above, because of the tower in the center of the map you can snipe almost anyone anywhere!





The next map is very small and favors the close quarters approach. Port Mackerel! This map is a harbor filled with cargo boxes (some of which one can climb up for the occasional snipe). As stated, close range combat is inevitable on this map simply because it's one of the smaller maps and is much more confined. NOTE: I could not find a top down view of Port Mackerel for visual aid. Just go with the picture below.



This map is what I like to call, SNIPE CITY!!!! It's Arowana Mall. It's a mall. What did you expect!? Anyway, there are so many places to attack from above and sneak attack moments it's not even funny! But like I said, Blackbelly Skate-Park is my favorite (at least until the two new maps come out in the form of free updates).





The next map is Urchin Underpass. And I am going to be honest. I have never played a match on this map. AT ALL. So I know nothing!





Oh and there are several more maps coming later on in the form of updates. What I am hoping, is that they add a Pirate ship/Pirate hideout themed map. Considering all the fish puns in the game, and the fact that almost every character is a sea creature, I would love to play a round of Splat Zones on a Pirate Ship. Speaking of which I am building a Pirate Ship in Minecraft Survival World.

As I have stated, I love Splat Zones a lot. I could play that mode all day. I normally only play Turf War simply to test out a newly purchased weapon. But I cannot deny that Turf War is just as fun as Splat Zones, it's just I personally like Splat Zones more because of the more competitive nature of it.

For those worried about internet connection problems don't worry! Splatoon runs surprisingly smooth. The only instance of lag I have seen was in one match where no matter how many times I shot a specific spot on the ground my ink would not appear and I was stuck in enemy ink and then I died a very sad death at the hands of a paint roller.

Overall the multiplayer is the best I have seen in any video game I have ever played. And thus, Splatoon's multiplayer gets a 10/10!! And the final verdict on Splatoon as a whole is a solid 19.7/20!! Go ahead and read part 1 of My review to see what I though of the story mode.

Splatoon is a Wii U exclusive available at GameStop for $59.99. I recommend this game to any Wii U owner.

Splatoon Review Part 1!!!

This post is a review on the game Splatoon, which came out a few days ago.

LOGO!!!

However because I have yet to try out the multiplayer mode I am splitting the review into two parts: Part 1, where we talk about the Story mode, and Part 2, where I will share my thoughts on the multiplayer. One thing I do know about the multiplayer is that there is no voice chat. So stop complaining about it!

Anyway, in case you don't know what the game is, it's Nintendo's take on the shooter genre and making some fun and innovative changes to it. It's also the first completely original IP Nintendo had in years.

In Splatoon, you play as shape-changing squids called Inklings (pictured below). Inklings can take a humanoid form, in addition to becoming a squid. The main mechanic of Splatoon is painting everything in sight and being able to "swim" through your paint as a squid

 

Inkling Girl!

 

Inkling Boy!

Now switching between the two forms is vital in both modes. While as a squid, you can move faster and climb up walls (only when you are in your paint) and can jump farther, but you won't be able to attack. While in the humanoid form, your Inkling can use a large variety of paint themed weapons (paint rollers, paintball grenades, etc) but moves much slower. You can hide from enemies simply by transforming into a squid and staying still. Doing so makes you completely invisible.

Anyway, here is the main story of Splatoon. 

Once upon a time there was a city called Inkopolis. A race of octopus like creatures called the Octarians kidnap (or should I say "SQUID-nap!?) a giant puffer-fish called the Great Zapfish. The Great Zapfish powers the electricity of everything in Inkopolis. You can see why the Inklings want it back.

 

Octarians!

Early on in this adventure your Inkling meets a creepy old dude named Captain Cuttlefish (and no, I am not making it up. The game literally called the captain a creepy old dude!). 

 

Captain Cuttlefish!!!

Something I should warn you is gear in story mode and gear in multiplayer are completely separate so if want to wear something snazzy in Story mode your out of luck.

Now I am going to share my thoughts on the Story mode.

The Story mode was fun. It was really fun. But it's really short. I got the game yesterday and I am already at the final world. In fact by the time you read this I have already beaten the game. There are lots of things about this game that I like that I assume at least one will carry over into the multiplayer. First is the attitude this game has. It never takes itself seriously. EVER. And that's what I like about video games. I play games to have fun, not to get absorbed into a dark and gritty revenge story. And Splatoon is the most carefree game EVER! Even though some people say the collectible Sunken Scrolls imply that the game has a massively hidden dark Side to it, I have yet to find any proof of these claims.

Another thing I liked was the Octoling Showdowns. There is at least one per world (there are five worlds) and they are one of the toughest moments in the entire game. Why? Because they do everything you do. And they can kill (or "splat" as the game calls it) in seconds if you are not careful. I've died so many times on the Octoling Showdown levels that I can't even count.

 

Octoling!

I also loved the music in this game. It's like...90's...hip....and stuff. I don't have a ear for music OK!? But it sounds awesome, and that's all that matters! Speaking of sound, Almost every character also has a 90's hip type personality.

Another thing I loved about the game was the boss battles. There are five bosses, and all of them are cool. The very first boss, the Mighty OctoStomp, is a giant cube with a Octarian's face. To defeat it, your Inkling must shoot paint on the sides of the Mighty OctoStomp and when he tries to crush you, swim up his sides and shoot his weak spot (which is a Octopus tentacle with a neon green scar on it). 

    

The Mighty OctoStomp!

All the bosses are amazing but most of them are easy once you see their attack patterns. By the way the story missions remind me a LOT of Super Mario Galaxy, especially the way the bosses explode when you defeat them.

But of course the final boss is an exception to the easy difficulty of the bosses. There are literally thousands of people praising Splatoon for having one of the most intense final bosses ever. But I don't know for myself because I haven't fought the final boss yet! I will let you know what I thought of the final boss in a editor's note or something.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I Just beat the final boss and it was actually funny. I know I said that the game never takes itself seriously, but the Final Boss is hilarious. And surprisingly difficult! Job well done for that final boss! I won't spoil how the boss is hilarious, just don't expect a big menacing Kraken like I did.

On another note, almost every level introduces a new puzzle mechanic that's really cool (shooting sponges to make them grow, sneaking from one side of the map to the other to avoid airstrikes, etc).

Overall, I loved the story mode of Splatoon. I just wish it was longer! And the Story Mode section of Splatoon gets a 9.7 out of 10 from me.

Stay tuned for my review of the multiplayer section of Splatoon.

If you want Splatoon it is available at GameStop for $59.99. It is also a Wii U exclusive.