Splatoon Raiders Review

Splatoon Raiders Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

I’ve been a veteran of the Splatoon series since the first Turf War splashed onto the Wii U back in 2015, and it’s a series I still love diving back into every now and then. There’s something brilliant about battling for territory by covering the map in ink while taking on opponents in fast-paced, chaotic multiplayer matches. But what happens when you strip away that competitive focus and build a mostly single-player adventure instead? The result is Splatoon Raiders, a looter shooter that boldly steps away from the series’ defining multiplayer formula in a gamble that could either pay off or miss the mark. What’s it like? Prep your loadout, choose your Splat Pal, and get ready to drill down as we review Splatoon Raiders for Nintendo Switch 2.

Splatoon Raiders casts you as an unnamed mechanic accompanying the pop trio Deep Cut on a treasure-hunting expedition to the Spirhalite Islands, an archipelago shrouded in a mysterious fog that promises adventure, ancient secrets, and, most importantly, enough treasure to help pull Inkopolis out of its crippling debt. What are you going to do in this economy? Am I right? Things go awry, and after disaster strikes, you and the members of Deep Cut find yourselves stranded alongside a battle mech aboard a makeshift ship. From there, it’s up to you to explore the islands, uncover the truth behind the strange fog, and haul home as much treasure as you can.

So naturally, the big question is… does this setup and solo adventure actually work? As someone who genuinely thought this had the potential to be a flop, I’m pleased to report that Splatoon Raiders works incredibly well. The core gameplay loop sees you explore locations, fight Salmonids, drill for treasure, upgrade your items and abilities, then rinse and repeat. Most runs will see you levelling up and modifying your gear with bonuses to HP, weapon damage, and gadget damage to help meet the challenge of your next expedition. You’ll also be able to upgrade your base throughout the campaign, unlocking new gameplay features such as stripping weapons for resources, crafting your own gadget buffs, and even changing the power-up ability on your favourite weapons. There’s a lot to do here.

The core Splatoon gameplay is all here, but with an added twist in the form of gadgets. These revolve around three main ink tanks you can equip: Power, Speed, and Tactical. Power gives you gadgets like the Splatchet, a devastating melee weapon that slices through Salmonids. Speed initially starts with a simple jump attack, but as you progress, it unlocks powerful gadgets like the Flywire, which acts as a grappling hook. Tactical, meanwhile, focuses on deployable turrets and other gadgets that let you take the fight to your enemies in different ways. This gadget system works in tandem with the treasure you recover, which offers special boons and bonuses when equipped, making your build surprisingly customisable. Some islands even require you to complete them using each tank separately, which keeps the gameplay varied instead of shoehorning you into a single playstyle. That said, every opportunity I got, I ran a Power tank with the Splatchet and the Meteor Mitt, letting me deal huge damage up close and personal.

You’ll also be joined by Splat Buddies in the form of Deep Cut, each offering a unique ultimate ability that can be activated once you’ve collected enough Salmon Eggs. The more you adventure alongside a particular member, the higher your bond grows, eventually levelling up their ultimate while also diving a little deeper into their personalities and backstories. Signature weapons also drop randomly throughout the game, allowing you to swap your loadout between missions. Iconic weapons like Rollers, Splatanas, Dualies, and the traditional Shooters all make their return, and I had an absolute blast experimenting with different builds. Weapons also come in different rarity tiers, and I almost fell off my chair when my first Mythic-quality Blaster dropped. Eventually, you begin finding the weapons that best complement your build, pair them with the right relics, and steadily improve that setup to tackle Spicy difficulty levels before eventually taking on the brutal Super Spicy dungeons for even better loot.

You won’t always dominate the battlefield either. Elite enemies require different strategies to defeat, while the game’s boss fights can push you to your limit. If you fail, you might need to tackle a few easier dungeons to earn enough resources for upgrades before trying again. Despite losing a handful of times, whether I was defeated outright or simply couldn’t eliminate enemies quickly enough before time ran out, it was rarely frustrating because I always got to keep the treasure I’d collected. In fact, there was only one late-game area that really tested my patience, where I narrowly missed collecting enough Salmon Eggs to drill down to the next sub-level and was sent all the way back to the start. You can also put out a Call for Help, or answer someone else’s online, allowing you to team up and tackle particularly challenging dungeons together. Now, I’ve really only skimmed the surface of what Splatoon Raiders has to offer. I almost felt like the game only truly begins later in the campaign, and especially once you reach the endgame, and I think that’s a fantastic approach. The main campaign is approachable enough that even casual players on Tourist difficulty should have a great time, while the endgame offers plenty of depth and challenge for those who want to optimise their builds and chase the best loot.

Splatoon Raiders looks absolutely gorgeous on the Nintendo Switch 2. For the most part, it embraces a bright, tropical colour palette that pops in both docked and handheld modes. The ink sprayed across the environment looks more liquid in nature compared to Splatoon 3, and there are countless little visual details that add an extra layer of polish, giving the game plenty of style and charm. Because you’re marooned on a remote island, your iconic weapons are cobbled together from junk and debris, giving the game a wonderfully scrappy aesthetic. Weapon systems are haphazardly assembled with tape, soft drink bottles, fish bones, and whatever else the mechanics could get their hands on, and they look fantastic while perfectly fitting the game’s theme. The Salmonids have also received a makeover, with several new enemy types, including the previously mentioned elite variants, all of which are equally detailed and suitably menacing. All of this runs at a targeted 60 frames per second, and despite some cutscenes oddly appearing to be capped at 30fps, I never encountered any noticeable performance hitches or frame drops, even when the screen was flooded with dozens of enemies, ink effects, and explosions.

For my Inklings looking into accessibility, there are gyro aiming controls available in both handheld and docked modes when using supported controllers. While I usually dislike gyro and motion controls, Splatoon Raiders felt incredibly responsive, and the quick reset button made it easy to re-centre my aim whenever I needed to. Outside of this, the only other dedicated accessibility option I found was the ability to lock paint colours for improved visual clarity, so, as always, I recommend further research into finding out if Splatoon Raiders suits your accessibility needs.

At just under $85 AUD, Splatoon Raiders offers excellent value for money, with plenty of variety to cater to different types of players. The main campaign delivers a more curated adventure with a steady learning curve that’s made even more enjoyable by teaming up with friends or strangers online. Once the credits roll, the post-game content shifts gears, giving hardcore players an endless chase for increasingly difficult scenarios and better loot that’s genuinely hard to put down. Splatoon Raiders, in my opinion, was a very risky move for a franchise that’s still growing its playerbase, but Nintendo has managed to defy expectations by delivering a solo Splatoon adventure with plenty of bait on the hook. Rather than simply serving as another Side Order, Splatoon Raiders inks its own identity in spectacular fashion, and it’s safe to say this adventure has me hook, line and sinker.

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