So Nintendo
hit us with a Splatoon 2 focused Direct, and it did not disappoint. This Direct
was a decent length, being over 25 minutes, and the whole presentation was full
of information. There was also a good flow to today’s Direct, which was a
welcome feature, as Nintendo has often struggled with pacing in their
presentations as of late. Information was presented clearly and in a timely manner,
and even though there was a lot to take in, I don’t feel like I really missed
anything. There was also that lovable Nintendo charm present, as they chose to
stick with the “Squid Research Lab” theme that myself and many others have come
to love. It definitely seems that this direct delivered on almost everything
that Splatoon fans wanted, so without further ado, let’s jump into the details.
New Features
When
Splatoon 2 was first announced, one of the biggest criticisms of the game has
come in the form of people questioning whether or not it would have enough new
features to distinguish itself as a full-fledged sequel rather than just a
glorified port. I have to admit, I too had these concerns, up until today that
is. While Splatoon 2 may not be as different from its predecessor as a Call of
Duty or Battlefield game might be, it still seems to be offering enough to show
that this isn’t just a simple port. There are plenty of new features that the
original game just did not offer including weapons, clothing items, deeper
character customization, new characters, a revamped Inkopolis, a seemingly
deeper story mode, new Amiibo functionality, a new game mode, online voice chat
(including SplatNet 2) , new multiplayer stages, and more. To further elaborate
on the new content Splatoon 2 will offer, let’s dive deeper into some of the
bigger pieces of content.
While there
is seemingly only one new game mode (other than the Squid Beats 2 minigame)
currently being added to Splatoon 2, it will likely be a big and very popular
one. Salmon run is a hoard/waves of enemies style game mode, similar in that
way to Call of Duty’s Zombies mode. Players will be thrown onto an island with
3 other players and will have to battle off wave after wave of creepy, salmon-like
creatures. These waves will also include newly announced and very unique
bosses, which will sure to be a major challenge requiring high levels of skill
and team work. This game mode looks to already be a fan favorite, as there is a
lot of buzz about it in the Splatoon community. There is one area that should
be addressed about this game mode, however. It appears that Salmon run will not
be available to play all the time, and will only be playable at specific time
slots throughout the day. At first I was very down on this idea, wondering why
Nintendo wouldn’t let players choose this game mode at their own leisure. After
thinking on it, though, it began to make sense why they did this. Having
specific timeslots that Salmon run will be available during will funnel the
community into playing all at once, making it much easier for players who aren’t
playing with a group of friends to find others to get matched with. While this doesn’t
completely excuse locking a game mode behind time slots, it does make it much
more understandable.
Another new
feature that can NOT be overlooked is the addition of in game voice chat,
available through Nintendo’s Switch Online smartphone app. Look, I know there
are still a lot of inconveniences to Nintendo’s choice for voice chat, like
having to use your phone and not being able to talk to strangers. These are
huge frustrations, and I won’t even begin to make excuses for them. At the end
of the day though, it’s better than nothing, right? There are still hoops to
jump through, but at least there is a path to get to where we want to be now.
Voice chat is an essential part of a game like Splatoon that requires a ton of
teamwork and communication. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that it is
actually an option in this game, and it should make team play a lot more fun!
The all new
story mode has to be quickly mentioned here as well. We obviously don’t know a
whole lot about the story of Splatoon 2 just yet, but there is no denying that
it looks vastly deeper than what we got in the original game. I had a lot of
fun playing Splatoon’s story mode, but it felt very short and often times
lacked variety for me. Splatoon 2 looks as though it will fix those problems!
Returning Favorites
While there
is a ton of new content coming to Splatoon 2, there is also a lot returning
from the original game as well. Most of everyone’s favorite weapons, such as
the splat roller and the splatershot are making a return. This is actually a
nice touch, rather than having all new weapons like most shooters opt for. It
is always a frustrating process to have to relearn all new weapons from game to
game. With Splatoon 2, however, we actually have the option to start with what
we know, and integrate new weapons as we go along. Fan favorite maps are also
making a return in Splatoon 2. It was almost like there was an audible cheer to
be heard when everyone saw their favorite maps. Of course, everyone’s favorite
game modes are making a return as well. We already knew that turf war would be
coming back, but today we also got to see that the modes from ranked play are
coming back too. I for one can’t wait to play more rain maker! Last but not
least, a lot of the original characters are returning for Splatoon 2. It’s
great to see that Sheldon will be returning to his weapons store. His
eccentricity for weapons is adorable, but I think we will all be happy to skip
over his dialogue this time around! We also can’t forget about the pop
sensations Callie and Marie! While it seems they have been replaced in their
previous roles as everyone’s favorite pop artists and stage announcers by
newcomers Marina and Pearl, the two seem to be slated for a deep role in the
story mode.
A few Surprises
Most of the
information laid out during the Splatoon 2 Direct was just more details about
content we already knew was coming. However, Nintendo definitely did not disappoint
as they had a few surprises in store as well. One of the biggest surprises form
the Direct was the announcement, via music video, of the band Off the Hook,
starring Callie and Marie’s replacements, Marina and Pearl. These two little
Squids have garnered a HUGE reaction online. Fan art is already starting to
emerge for the pop duo, and posts such as “Marina is my Waifu” can be found
scattered throughout the web. Marina was even a top Trend on twitter for a
couple of hours after the direct ended. Callie and Marie were massive hits and
fan favorites from the original game, so it’s really no surprise that Marina
and Pearl have gotten such a warm welcome from the community.
Nintendo’s
biggest and most welcome surprise of the day, however, was the announcement that
we would be getting a pre-launch Splatfest 1 week before the game comes out.
Switch owners can download the Splatoon 2 demo from the eshop and choose
between either team ice cream or team cake, in preparation for the upcoming
Splatfest. Leading up to the Direct, the Splatoon community was buzzing with
hopes and rumors that we would get another testfire. Well, Nintendo did us one
better by giving us our testfire in the form of a one day, 3 hour long
Splatfest!
What was Missing
Honestly,
this Direct had almost everything that fans desired and wasn’t really missing
much of anything. I am going to nitpick for a moment, though. I would have
loved to have seen some form of a local, one Switch required, multiplayer mode.
Whether this came in the form of local co-op for the game’s story mode, or split
screen online or offline turf wars, I would have liked to have seen something.
I only own 1 Switch, and I also have a younger brother, and plenty of nieces
and nephews that I would love to introduce to this franchise through local
multiplayer. Unfortunately, though, it doesn’t look like I will be getting that
chance with Splatoon 2, unless it is added later.
Verdict
Overall, I
would say that this was the best Direct that Nintendo has presented in quite some
time. The last direct I remember being this well presented was way back when Twilight
Princes HD was announced. Nintendo gave fans almost everything they wanted in
this Direct, whether it be in the form of new content, returning favorites, or
big surprises. The reception online has seemed mostly positive toward both this
Direct and Splatoon 2 as a whole. I can definitely say that I am more excited
for Splatoon 2 today, after the Direct, than I was yesterday, and that is
always a great sign of success!
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