Splatoon Review

Nintendo has had a long history of creating some of the most beloved and iconic video game characters of all time. From franchises such as Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Kirby, Nintendo always manages to craft memorable gameplay experiences which feature bright and cheerful visuals alongside upbeat music. Now, with Splatoon, Nintendo is proving that they can continue this tradition despite taking on a new genre outside of their usual area of expertise by incorporating unique gameplay elements alongside and unique Squid-like character designs and 90's urban setting.

The story is actually surprisngly complex, or as complex and intricate as one can get given the nature of the game. The main plot of the game revolves around the player character, a custom-created Squid-kid, being tasked with saving the source of the city's power, a giant electric eel, which has been kidnapped by another race of marine-based creatures known as the Octarians. From then on, the main story is a fairly by the numbers rescue plot that focuses more on the action as opposed to the narrative. While the occassional cutscene will play following boss fights to set up some exposition and provide context for the player's actions, don't expect any sweeping revelations or shocking plot-twists to keep you invested in the story. However, for those who are truly curious as to why marine life has all of a sudden taken to walking on two legs and why there is a random cat who sleeps in the the main hub area, there are collectible scrolls that can be found in the single player game that serve to provide additional context to the setting of the story. It's not much, but it does serve to flesh out the world.

There are two primary game modes: multiplayer and single player. Single player mostly consists of going through various obstacle course-like levels before reaching the end and collecting the zapfish at the end. It's a very basic set up and you'll find yourself completing it in only a few hours. However, the real attraction comes in this game's extensive multiplayer modes. Matches consist of teams of four players going up against one another in order to see who can cover the most terrain with ink. While this may sound simple at first, matches can quickly become chaotic. When you factor in the fact that each weapon also has three different abilities, one of which is a super move that can quickly change the tide of battle, and you realize that there at first seemed. Another layer of depth to the gameplay, lies in the ability to transform from a kid into a squid. At the push of a button, your character can turn into a squid, and by doing so, it allows you traverse across the map at insane speeds while lying in allied ink. Not only that, but by tapping on an ally on the Wii U touch pad, you can launch yourself across the map in an instant. However, you want to be careful as so much as touching enemy ink will damage you, so going too fast can prove problematic. As you play more matches, you level up your character which allows you to buy more clothes and weapons. What clothing you have equipped can also alter the way the game is played. While it may seem purely cosmetic, each article of clothing has a different special effect attributed to it. Furthermore, higher leveled clothing has more abilities to it than lower-leveled clothing and as such, there's a balance as to whether you want to spend money on new weapons or new upgrades for yourself. One downside to all of this, however, is the stages. While none of them are poorly designed, the stages are set up on a rotation schedule, meaning that only two stages are playable every week. While this means that there will always be variety in the stage selection, it also means that you're not allowed to play on you're favorite stage until it pops up on rotation. Another concern of mine is how Nintendo plans on handling this feature when the servers inevitably go down.

Finally, the presentation is outstanding. The environments are peppered with lively music and bright colors. All of the stages are vibrant and designed to accommodate maximum mobility for your characters. The music is all heavily-influenced by J-pop and goes so far as to feature two of the game's main characters, Callie and Marie, as J-pop idols. Furthermore visuals are also a mix of the 90's and Japanese pop-culture giving it and identity all it's own.

As a whole, if their's one word that can best be used to describe Splatoon, it's personality. The game oozes personality from the visuals to the music to the gameplay. There are some drawbacks such as the limited stage selection and the weak single-player campaign, but the music, the colorful graphics, and the deep gameplay makes the game more than worth picking up.