My Thoughts on Turf War and Salmon Run (Splatoon 2 Review)

One of the strongest features of Splatoon 2 is that it is truly a full-fledged sequel that knows how to keep all the strengths of its predecessor, while adding new modes, mechanics, and tweaks to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. This statement is especially true when pertaining to two of the game’s modes. Turf war and Salmon Run. While turf war is a tried and true, beloved game mode from Splatoon 1, it has also been slightly revamped in a way to make it even more enjoyable. Salmon Run is a mode unique to Splatoon 2 that adds an entirely new layer of gameplay to the title. These two game modes are quite possibly the biggest highlights of Nintendo’s hit sequel.

Turf War

There is no denying that the flagship game mode of Splatoon 2 is turf war, and it is arguably the most fun aspect of the game as well. When anyone who knows what Splatoon is thinks of it, they will likely imagine an epic 4-on-4 turf war with ink flying all around. In turf war, teams of four battle one another to see who can ink the most turf and splat the most enemies in a set amount of time (3 minutes). The winner is the team that has the most turf covered in their color ink when the timer hits zero. Splatoon 2 does very little to change this formula, and that is certainly not a bad thing. When the original Splatoon first launched, it was very bare bones, essentially only including the story mode and turf war. Yet, despite a lack of content, the game still held its own at launch due in large part to the addicting and near perfect nature of turf war. With Splatoon 2, Nintendo knew not to fix what wasn’t broken, so turf war remains one of the game’s best features. New maps, weapons, and ability customization make the experience of a turf war feel fresh, despite being essentially the same experience from Splatoon 1.

Nintendo made a few modifications to make turf war an even more enjoyable experience for Splatoon 2, as well. The biggest of these tweaks deals with matchmaking. In Splatoon 1, it was easy to find yourself in a randomly assigned lobby where one of two outcomes were possible. One scenario was that you were lucky enough to get assigned to a lobby where almost everyone was near evenly matched, thus making for a great series of back and forth turf wars. The other scenario, however, was you would get assigned to a lobby where the teams/players were so unbalanced in their skill level, that it would be a series of massacres either in your favor or against it. Needless to say, the latter of the scenarios grew a bit tedious after a short while. Splatoon 2 fixes this problem as lobbies and matches are organized via skill based matchmaking. This has made for many more close turf wars, and prevents players/teams from being able to go on incredibly long winning/losing streaks. You are essentially playing with teams and players that are significantly closer to your own skill level.

The final improvement to turf war that I will mention actually applies to all other game modes as well. In Splatoon 1, your attention was almost constantly divided between 2 screens. Both menus and in-match maps were found on the Wii U’s gamepad. While this second screen experience was vital to some other games like Mario Maker, to a game like Splatoon, a second screen was actually a burden. Competitive shooters require full attention on the match at hand at all times. Therefore, requiring players to look away from their TV screens in order to check a map was simply unintuitive. Splatoon 2 once again fixes this seemingly minor problem, as it has redesigned maps and menus to pop up on the TV screen at the touch of a button on your controller. This is a tiny tweak, but it really makes all the difference with the split seconds you save from not having to look down at a second screen.

Salmon Run

There is one simple word to describe Splatoon 2’s new game mode. Chaos. Controlling that chaos is your job as a new recruit at Grizzco Industries, the company that you will be working at while you play Salmon Run. That is where all the fun lies, in controlling the chaos. In Salmon Run, you are thrown onto an island in the middle of a sludge filled ocean, and are assigned to survive three waves of Salmonids, your enemies. While trying to survive these waves, boss Salmonids will also spawn onto the island, and when destroyed, will drop golden eggs. You are to collect these golden eggs and return them to a designated spot on the island. Fail to meet a specific quota of golden eggs before time runs out for a wave, then its game over. If you and all your teammates fall in battle simultaneously, then that also results in a game over. It is a very simple gameplay premise, but there is definitely more than meets the eye with this game mode.

Even though Salmon run, by its rules, seems like a simple twist on the classic hoard mode, there is a lot more to it that makes it addicting, satisfying, and incredibly difficult all at the same time. Salmon run offers a crucial leveling up system that helps you climb the ranks from being a recruit, to a part timer, and so on. This leveling up system gives a sense of accomplishment as you climb the ladder at Grizzco Industries. There is also a system of unlockable bonuses as you increase your paygrade at Grizzco Industries, giving players even more reason to keep returning to Salmon Run.

The primary key to Salmon Run’s addicting nature is actually its difficulty, and how satisfying it is to actually complete all three waves. Not only are the bonuses better and leveling up accomplished when completing all three waves, but just the sense of winning is enough to give any player a rush. While the premise of Salmon Run is not outright difficult, it is actually the randomization of everything that spikes the difficulty level. Not every play through of Salmon Run is as difficult as others, as it all depends on the luck of the draw of many factors. These randomized details include: where enemies spawn, what boss enemies spawn, how many enemies spawn, tide level (island size), night or day, fog, weapon assignment, and even skill the skill level of your randomly selected teammates. All of these individual factors are randomly dished out, which creates a varying difficulty level and a unique experience nearly every play through.

Splatoon 2 perfectly combines the new with the old with both turf war and salmon run. Turf war was everyone’s favorite game mode from the original Splatoon, while salmon run has quickly become a fan favorite of Splatoon 2. These two game modes could not be any different from one another, as they offer different challenges and require a totally different set of skills. Salmon run and turf war once again show Nintendo’s brilliance in game design, as they can add intriguing variety to nearly every game genre, now including the third-person shooter. The two aforementioned modes are far from the only ones offered in Splatoon 2, but honestly, the game would be worth purchasing solely based on the quality of these two modes. Be sure to not overlook either one of these brilliant game modes!