Splatoon Raiders was recommended to me so fervently by my readers that after I relayed that in public, Nintendo sent me a loaner Switch 2 and a code so I could see for myself. The idea was that in the wake of the death of my main series for 12 years, Destiny, this Splatoon looter shooter could make that sting a bit less. They were right.
I had no idea Splatoon was making a looter shooter at all, so this was a surprise. I have played the past games and found them enjoyable enough, though I was hardly addicted or anything. Raiders is a different story given its loot-based, build-based format. Obviously this is not a replacement for Destiny 2. It’s just a taste of that old loot grind, but it’s a sweet one.
You, the custom, silent player character, crash-land on a series of islands with your crew, some sort of Squid-based rock band. They are treasure-obsessed and believe such treasure is spread around the island. This is true, but there are larger mysteries ahead. So yes, this does have a story as well.
Splatoon Raiders shines in two big ways. The first is its activities, which are self-contained battles of various types (no open world here) that achieve different purposes in different formats, some for random loot, some for specific treasure, some just for currency farming. You might do a linear level for a specific relic, followed by an arena battle for a specific currency, or a roaming cash farming map. All lead to big bosses, of course.
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The second big strength is buildcrafting. This is mainly due to a surprising in-depth string of gadgets that are attached to three ink packs, one for tech support (turrets and such), speed play (grappling hooks and dashes and such) and power play (axe uppercuts and ink forcefields and such). Each has 5 gadgets you can craft, and within those gadgets, attach a large host of modifiers to upgrade their power or even change their functionalities when those modifiers are found in higher rarities. The gadgets you start with are not the ones you end with, particularly when you increase their slot potential. By the very end, you can start cross-equipping pack gadgets and relics as well for even more options.
I am not quite as impressed with weapons, which do have a rarity system and a diverse range from machine guns to snipers to melee weapons to bows. But they are all secondary to gadgets, which is how you will be doing the biggest damage. Your gun is for killing things during cooldowns, though mostly spreading paint. It’s not like they can’t kill stuff, with they have limited modifiers and customization and are just not nearly as fun or important as gadgets.
I am getting close to the level cap and am about to take on the final boss in Splatoon Raiders. I assume there is some sort of extra grindy endgame past that if you want to keep playing. I have gotten to the point where I am pretty overpowered and little can stand in my way (other than jumping challenges), so perhaps I need to turn up the difficulty a notch.
It’s a great game. Mourning Destiny 2, getting those dopamine hits of colorful drops and putting together a powerful build feels nice. It’s just for now, obviously, this isn’t some new live forever game, but I do love it. You might too.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
