Nintendo is a company known for providing incredible single-player series that are unmatched in popularity. Until just recently though, this same success was not witnessed in their multiplayer titles; the few that they even released. While titles like Mario Kart did present a step towards their online presence, Nintendo was only known for their single-player gameplay. That all changed with the release of Splatoon, an online multiplayer shooter that focuses on painting more of the environment with your paintball gun, than your enemy. While the concept sounds strange, the gameplay was incredibly fun and addictive. Now Splatoon 2 is here offering the fun and addictive gameplay from the original Splatoon title, with new weapons, modes, and much more.

Splatoon 2 follows the concepts of the first title where gameplay focuses on painting the arena, with painting your enemies as a secondary goal. The concept is unique, and fun as you must think about more than just going on killing sprees like other online shooters. With a wide arsenal of paint-guns to use, players have options on how they look to take on the competition. Yet players will need to be versatile to accommodate their play styles to the various multiplayer game modes.

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Splatoon 2 is heavily focused on its multiplayer game mode, which is extremely fun; but suffers some flaws. As you start out, you are only able to play regular battle which focuses on the Turf War game mode. Turf War tasks teams with painting more of the map than the opposing team in the allotted time. As you progress in rank, you’ll earn the ability to play ranked matches. This opens 3 new game modes in the form of Rainmaker, Tower Control, and Splat Zones. Rainmaker takes players with collecting the super weapon (the Rainmaker) in the center of the map, and delivering it to the enemy’s base. The super weapon acts like a chargeable grenade launcher that deals out heavy amounts of paint when charged correctly. Tower Control has players rushing to control the tower in the center of the map, riding it to your opponent’s base. Splat Zones is like Turf War in the sense that you must paint more of a certain area than your enemy, but you must hold the position until you complete the allotted points.

The multiplayer game modes, while all extremely fun, aren’t always available to be played as the maps and modes rotate. Every 2 hours, ranked modes and all maps rotate so you can’t just play any map or mode you want. While I enjoy this gets you to play the various maps and modes offered in the game, if you are limited on times that you can play you won’t get the full game experience. Especially if you are looking to play multiplayer for an hour, you could be stuck playing the same 2 maps with the same mode during that timeframe. This becomes problematic if you’re looking to boost your rank in ranked modes as each mode has a different rank; if you don’t get a chance to play one of the modes, you can’t raise the rank at all.

After reaching a B- in ranked mode, players have the opportunity to take part in League Battles. League Battle tasks teams to win the most games in a 2-hour time limit. While this is great if you have 3 other players that you play Splatoon 2 with, but inaccessible otherwise which is a letdown; and this isn’t the only mode that has restrictions.

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Salmon Run is a survival mode that is easily the most fun. Players must survive waves of enemies that come out of the sea, and collect the eggs they drop. As you progress, larger enemies arrive making it even more difficult to survive. The biggest downfall of Salmon Run is the limited timeframe that the mode is open; you heard that right, it is not always open to play. This game mode is only open for players to enjoy at certain points of the day, so like the various game modes, if you’ve got a limited game time you may miss out; and this is a major problem that we hope changes.

As you continue to level up in Splatoon 2, you’ll unlock new weapons and various customization options that will help give you an edge. Players can purchase new weapons that include long range rifles, paint brushes and rollers that work as melee weapons, dual-wielding splatters, and various rifles that get better as you level up. Players can further benefit from the various attire options in the form of headgear, shirts, and shoes that give you perks like more ink, faster reloads, and much more. The higher level you are, the more perks you’ll unlock on the attire; making it easier to succeed. Leveling isn’t the only way to unlock some of the game’s weapons though.

While the multiplayer is where the best content in Splatoon 2 is at, the single-player offers a fun experience. The single-player mode, unlike the multiplayer, plays more like a platformer with the player facing off against squid beings. After completing the minor levels on each island, you’ll face off against comedic looking bosses (an evil robot toaster, etc.) that can be difficult if you’re not careful. Single-player does introduce some awesome concepts, like grappling orbs, that are absent in the multiplayer; which is sad, because they could’ve added new ways to strategize in multiplayer.

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Gameplay is easy to pick up and play, with various ways for you to control your inkling. Players looking for a more traditional shooter style can use the Pro Controller, the controller style joy-cons, or motion control joy-con. While the first two styles are the easiest to master, as you go into higher ranks you’ll want to master the motion control as it enables faster motion when looking for your enemies. Otherwise controls follow the typical shooter mechanics with triggers controlling the shooting, and the left trigger turning you into a squid. Movement as the squid allows you to gather ink to reload your weapons.

Splatoon 2 is a gorgeous game to look at with vibrant colors that is like a buffet for the eyes. The further the matches go on, the more beautiful the map looks with various colors across the ground. The gorgeous appearance is complimented with the upbeat, and cheery soundtrack that not only energizes you as you play, but also makes you feel genuinely happy.

Splatoon 2 is an incredible step towards improving Nintendo’s lackluster, and limited online. While it is not without flaws, Splatoon 2 offers a variety of game modes to keep you playing; even though not all the content is always available. While we would like to see future maps implement the awesome gadgets from the single-player, at least we get to try them in the single-player mode for now. If you’re looking for something keep you occupied with your Switch (and add another online game to play besides Mario Kart and ARMS) Splatoon 2 is the perfect buy.

THE BREAKDOWN

PRO’S

• Fun and addictive gameplay that will easily keep you painting for hours
• Variety of weapons and attire options gives players versatility in how they want to play
• Fun soundtrack is great to listen to, even when you’re not playing the game
• Miiverse images from online users are incredible, and hilarious

CON’S

• Disconnection from matches happens more than it should, with it sometimes viewing it as you quit the match
• Cool gameplay mechanics found in the single-player are absent in the multiplayer
• Maps and game modes vary in availability, so make sure you have an open schedule