This past week, the world got to experience Splatoon online for the first time. Nintendo’s first foray into the arena shooter genre is a risky one, throwing out most traditional conventions to focus on a kind of territory war. Kills mean little here, so how can one control a battlefield with paint shooters and rollers? After participating in all three scheduled Global Testfire Demo periods, we got a good idea of what to expect from the online experience, while trying out the expanded weapons and maps for the first time. The E3 and Wondercon demos were great, but with a better idea of what we could expect from the final product, we examined our seven biggest takeaways from the online event.
1. Stalking Your Prey Is Key
In Splatoon, covering the field with more of your team’s paint than the opposition is the name of the game. Moreso than fragging the enemy, surrounding them with paint means you can slow down their movement while speeding up your own. As the game became more comfortable to play, it became apparent that taking advantage of your squid form, and diving under your paint for reloading and positioning purposes was vital to victory. But the best part of being a squid is to be able to sneak up on unsuspecting enemies trying to take your land. While it’s awfully rewarding to catch someone off guard, don’t stay under too long! Camping in your paint will lead to your position popping up on the map. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
2. The Paint Roller Is OP… If You’re New To The Game!
When I first jumped in to the Global Testfire, the Paint Roller felt like the perfect weapon. Allowing you to cover up a ton of space with your paint while having to reload less frequently and gaining a short range scatter shot felt like all you needed to be team MVP! Eventually though, it became obvious that one was dead in the water if seen at a distance, which isn’t hard since the map being covered at a rapid pace is a dead giveaway as to where you’re located. Not that it isn’t incredibly powerful, but let’s just say that winning is likely in the bag if you come across a team of four rollers. Oh, and speaking of weapons…
3. Not All Special Weapons Are Created Equal
Special weapons are a reward for accumulating a certain amount of points without being killed. Yet, while they’re supposed to be huge, area clearing items that give you a temporary boost, most of them in the demo were rather underwhelming. One shot a large wave of paint in a particular direction, which covered a good amount of distance, but was easily undone. The others were variations of unlimited grenades, which didn’t do much when you found yourself surrounded, other than lull you into a false sense of security. But when the Bubble Shield came into play, it was clear that it was the only one worth using. There was nothing more rewarding throughout the entire game than activating it when a smug roller is about to run you over, only for them to bounce off your shield at the last second and proceed to get splattered. I’m crossing my fingers for a bit more balance in this regard, since I didn’t even bother using my so-called reward unless it was the shield.
4.The Charge Rifle Kind Of Sucks.
Moving on from special weapons to main weapons, I struggled to see the point in the Charge Rifle. Aside from picking off opponents who were advancing on your territory, it didn’t contribute much in the way of expanding your team’s territory. Sure, it shot a long stream of paint that would cover a straight line, but this was easily covered by opponents with faster weapons. Maybe when the final game expands on this weapon type with legitimate sniper rifles that cover more distance, they will serve more of a purpose. But in a game where netting kills doesn’t amount to much, especially against rapid fire paint shooters that cover more space much faster, and I was left wondering what the point was.
5. Lobby Mini-Games Are A Brilliant Idea.
Longtime shooter fans will tell you that waiting for a game to start can suck the life out of one’s enthusiasm. Whether its someone dropping out, the connection taking long to establish, or the game itself not functioning properly, sitting on your hands and doing nothing before a match is universally reviled. Luckily, Splatoon added a mini game in between rounds where you help an 8-bit squid jump on platforms to reach a goal. The final game promises multiple games, but this one alone had multiple levels, the end of which I never got. I mean, if The Master Chief Collection had a way of making me forget that it was unplayable online, I wouldn’t have regretted buying it so much! I mean, I still would’ve regretted it, but at least I would’ve been distracted!
6. Be careful where you spawn!
Splatoon has a pretty neat feature that allows newly spawned Inklings to jump straight to the position of a teammate in the middle of the map. This is perfect when you want to get straight back into the action, but an overzealous squid is a dead one. I could have avoided many a death by noticing whether or not the teammate I chose to back up was surrounded, or if I would be jumping straight into a gunfight, rather than helping the lone teammate on the opposite side of the map covering a big, empty space. Dying fast feels terrible, and this was a surefire way to do it. Pay attention, and look alive out there!
7. Victory can be stolen at a moment’s notice!
If it wasn’t obvious by now, Splatoon is far from a traditional shooter. With that said, it’s fully possible for one team to dominate, only for their opponents to turn things around at the last minute and steal the victory away. No matter how many kills you amassed, how much space you covered, or how much you held your enemies at bay, if you let them rally, they will win! It wasn’t unusual to see a team completely take over a spawn point at the last minute, with a few people camping on newly revived enemies while the rest of them continued to take land back. It’s a cruel reality on the paint splattered battlefield! Only the most tenacious will do their colors proud!
So what do you think? Does Splatoon seem like a unique enough shooter for you to enlist, or does its quirks stray too far from traditions to make it worth a purchase? Let us know what your impressions of the Testfire are in the comments, and keep an eye out for us when the next demo period hits on May 23rd!
Splatoon is scheduled for a May 29th release, only on Wii U.