Two weeks ago, I wasn’t sure why I preordered the Nintendo Switch. Sure, big games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey are slated for the platform’s first year. I just couldn’t seem to get excited about the console though. But a few minutes with Splatoon 2 was apparently all I needed to become a convert.
My Splatoon 2 demonstration was limited to a pair of Turf War matches with fellow members of the gaming press — without such limits, I imagine the Splatoon 2 line would quickly fill most of the PAX South show floor — but that taste of the action was more than enough to see Nintendo has another winner on its hands. Despite recent criticism, there are clear signs of evolution in the upcoming Splatoon sequel, from changes to the game’s map system and armory to the addition of new stages and cosmetic items. Old favorites, like the Splat Roller, are still ready and waiting. But Nintendo is already showing off the game’s first new weapon, the Dualies, a set of twin paint pistols that make quick work of the opposing team’s Inklings.
Once matches begin, the action is as frenetic as ever. Players race around the map, splatting opponents and spreading their team’s paint on any/ever surface they can find. And there’s still no one winning strategy. We saw players taking less-aggressive approaches, avoiding combat in favor of coating less-populated corners of the map, while others leaned on the new special, Jet Splat, to douse their opponents (and any nearby surfaces) in paint. Matches are still short, at just three minutes long, so even a losing effort is over before it can become too frustrating.
Obviously, there’s still a lot we don’t know about Splatoon 2 . Nintendo hasn’t committed to a specific number of new stages or weapons, we don’t have any idea how drastically the game’s cosmetic closet will grow and there’s no word on if/how Nintendo plans to improve the game’s online features. And Nintendo has only been showing a build of Splatoon 2 that is configured for motion controls — a big reason why many shooter fans didn’t like the original — which makes it kind of a hard sell for anyone who just wants to use the left and right thumbsticks to move/aim.
That said, it’s not hard to see Nintendo already has a solid foundation to build on. Splatoon 2 may not reinvent the wheel but — in a world where many annualized series return each year with minimal changes — I think it’s fair to say Splatoon is living up to the vision of being an online shooter for those who don’t enjoy Battlefield , Call of Duty and/or Titanfall . It’s going to be a little while before we know just how much new content is packed into the Splatoon sequel. But I can at least say that I’m leaving San Antonio with a good reason to give Nintendo $300 (plus the cost of the system’s absurdly overpriced accessories) when the Switch debuts in March.
Splatoon 2 is in development for the Nintendo Switch. The game is expected to debut in Summer 2017.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes and f ollow Scott on Twitter for more PAX South news, including previews, interviews and hands-on coverage, throughout the rest of the show.
