“Splatoon Raiders” Puts a Fantastic Single-Player Spin on the Franchise

Back in 2015, Nintendo introduced players to a whole new third-person shooter franchise with Splatoon. It brought them to a postapocalyptic world overtaken by beings known as Inklings and Octolings engaged in paintball-like warfare. While the premise sounded strange, the gameplay and world were a hit. Now, after three mainline multiplayer games, the studio has introduced a single-player take on the concept through Splatoon Raiders, which has made for a great time.

Nintendo

Unlike the first three games, the new installment is built around being a single-player experience first with an optional co-op mode attached. This is in stark contrast to what has come before, which makes the spin-off extremely risky. However, the studio has been able to mold the concept fantastically, making this a game that fans will not want to miss out on.

In Splatoon Raiders, players take on the role of the mechanic. Alongside various characters from Splatoon 3, they are tasked with traversing the mysterious islands in search of treasure. Of course, it is easier said than done, as the map is filled to the brim with hostile creatures known as Salmonids that want to stop them at every turn. You must utilize the franchise’s tried-and-true weaponry and gadgets to make it out alive.

Nintendo

That tried-and-true gameplay is where Splatoon Raiders, like every Splatoon game before it, really shines. Players will once again spend hours filling up battlefields with colorful ink, swimming through said ink, and utilizing a wide assortment of unique weaponry to take on their foes. The fast-paced play will keep players coming back for more, so luckily there is a ton of content to enjoy here.

Since this is mostly a single-player game, players will not be duking it out online against others. Instead, they will be taking on various missions around the islands to collect treasure, upgrades, weapons, and various other collectibles. These missions come in the form of Treasure Hunts, Shard Mining, Spirhalite Gem Searches, and Buried Ruins. Alongside these come sampler dungeons, which test players’ skills with various gadgets and weapons.

Nintendo

Treasure Hunts and Shard Mining are the most common mission type and simply task players with destroying crystal shards scattered across a larger map. The only big difference is that Shard Mining requires players to destroy smaller shards before they can break a larger one, while Treasure Hunts task them with simply clearing out the entire map. As players progress further in the game, they can revisit previously accomplished tasks at higher difficulties for greater rewards.

Spirhalite Gem Searches and Buried Ruins send players underground and have them fight against a ticking clock. These mission types are the most stressful because if players are not careful, they may run out of time. Buried Ruins add an extra level of stress, as there are multiple floors that need to be completed, and they often culminate in a challenging boss battle. Additionally, the game incentivizes players to complete them at least three times, using different equipment each time.

Nintendo

Speaking of equipment, that is Splatoon Raiders’ primary form of progression. While players will level up and earn skill points, the majority of their time will be spent tinkering with their gadgets and weapons. There are numerous gadgets that can be used, unique weapons to master, and so many upgrades to attach to them all. With so many variations, players will likely spend a while playing around with all sorts of different builds

All of this makes for such a fun game, with countless hours of content to explore. It is just a treat getting to experience the Splatoon gameplay in a primarily single-player experience, and hopefully there are plans for even more titles like it in the future. The franchise has seemingly cemented itself as a Nintendo mainstay, so offering more unique experiences like Splatoon Raiders within seems like an easy win.

Splatoon Raiders is available now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.