Nintendo’s Splatoon games have always contained an interesting twist on the third-person shooter concept: Instead of blasting your way through the world and pureeing foes into bloody goo, you use paint guns that splash different shades of inky goo all over your foes and their world.
So while Splatoon is still messy, it’s a more family-friendly mess. And Splatoon Raiders adds a new twist.
While the previous games were all primarily aimed at PvP, multiplayer arena contests (with some solo adventuring thrown in as a tutorial), this new one is all about the single player. Raiders is more of a solo play, paint-lobbing, looter/shooter adventure than anything else. And then it offers online co-op interaction just for fun.
You play as an inkling pilot/mechanic who’s helicoptering a group of other squid-kid inklings to a special point of interest. It seems there is a mysterious chain of islands rising up out of the sea. And Deep Cut (the trio of swashbuckling musicians you’re transporting) is interested in the potential loot they might find on those isles.
However, as you fly in, an unexpected blast knocks your helicopter out of the air and you crash down on a sandy beach. While two members of Deep Cut work on building your home base, it’s up to you and the third member (piloting a tank-like bot) to search the islands for materials, take on fish-like salmonids and, of course, find loot and treasure.
The basics of play begin with a paint gun. There are a variety of paint devices that you can acquire over time, but essentially those ‘weapons’ will splash paint all around as you progress. That paint can splat and blast the hordes of attackers you encounter, but because of your squid-like nature you can also swim into the inky goop for cover and use it to refill your gun’s paint supply.
From there, play boils down to exploration, raiding enemy camps and working your way through progression systems that help improve your gear and make you stronger.
Those “raids” are essentially levels or missions you must complete. They come in several types: taking down swarming groups of salmonids to claim a treasure chest, gathering up enough “power eggs” (dropped by foes) to mine giant crystals or timed events with swarming enemies. You can also find special items that lead you to puzzle-like challenge dungeons with unique awards.
As mentioned, the big change with this Splatoon is the lack of contest skirmishes against other players.
Splatoon Raiders does not require an online connection. But it does allow you to venture forth in co-op adventure play with up to three other online friends.
As with all of the Splatoon titles, one of the biggest bonuses with Splatoon Raiders is the fact that the play generally feels more forgiving and casual than many third-person shooters.
Splashes and squirts of colorful paint are the messiest part of play.
In addition, this is one of those games where parents can quickly pick up a controller and help out, even if they have no prior video game experience. (However, there is no offline co-op play available.)
There’s not a lot to note in this game’s negative column. However, Splatoon Raiders is technically a shooter that incorporates guns, gadgets, brushes, spinning blades, attack patterns and turrets. And enemies splash out of existence when bested.
The combat is not only fast-paced but can often involve swarms of fish-like creatures of various sizes quickly jumping out at you. There are explosions and bursts of light. (Though, again, all of the battles and weapons focus on globs of paint/ink.)
The only “language” I encountered during play was a winking declaration that something was a “honking” big deal.
The game known for gleeful, paint-splashing battles takes a new single-player, looter/shooter tack. But Splatoon Raiders is still colorfully kid-friendly.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
