Nintendo continues their recent impressive run of exclusive titles with the quirky and addictive Splatoon which combines the color and fun of Paintball with a customizable shooter.
Playing either solo or multiplay, players compete in various arenas to battle it out for control of key locales and to score more points that the other team. That sounds simple enough, but when you factor in the ability to turn into a squid to hide yourself in one of the many paint puddles you can create or to scale a wall, then you have something entirely new.
Splatoon also offers a campaign mode where players go through a training course as well as get to enjoy leaping from one launch point to another to battle enemy forces. Clever trimming can be required as there is not an infinite supply of paint, so gamers will have to reload which is key when you’re laying down your colors in an effort to control and area.
I especially liked the paint bombs you could throw at an enemy as the colorful nature of the game is really one of the most unique action shooter elements in recent memory.
The multiplay matching was fast and in no time I found myself on a team battling it out. The motion control aspects did take some getting used to as tilting the control up, down, left, and right to aim while using the control sticks to move did take some adjustment and this is not a game you want to play standing for long periods of time, as the action is fast.
The social area of the game allows players to customize their characters with new clothes and weapons so players have an incentive to do well in their games for more than simple bragging rights.
While the graphics will not set new standards, they are in keeping with what players expect from Nintendo and the action and fun of the game makes Splatoon a must own for Wii U owners and one that any shooter fan, especially those with younger gamers will want to experience.
4.5 stars out of 5.
