Splatoon Raiders

« Splatoon Raiders of-fish-ally earns our seal of approval as a fantastic game in the franchise. Whether you go it alone or get help from other players, searching for loot and mining ore has never been so fun, thanks to the amount of weapons and gadgets you can equip to blast enemies out of existence. Plus, you get to hang out with Deep Cut, which is always a fun time. »

« Splatoon Raiders is a wonderful solo reinvention of the popular multiplayer series filled with smartly designed missions and endlessly engaging progression systems. Underpinned by the franchise’s fantastic shooting mechanics, it’s a fresh and exciting adventure that should be in every Nintendo Switch 2 owner’s library. »

« Splatoon Raiders doesn't take itself too seriously and knows its audience. It's not trying to redefine gaming, it's just a fun, lighthearted ride that doesn't underestimate the audience or hold back on its mechanics. »

« You know you’ve hit gold when your biggest criticism of a game is that you just wanted more. Between the fast-paced, technical gameplay, the depth of the build mechanics, and the irreverent design that underpins the Splatoon series, this is an experience that’s shockingly hard to fault. Go play it. »

« Splatoon Raiders marks an excellent entry to the Splatoon franchise I’d wager, and anybody that enjoyed the previous games but might’ve wanted a more fleshed out solo experience is gonna have a blast here. It might be a little repetitive if you’re not familiar with this style of looter gameplay, but otherwise it’s a fantastic experience. From the blend of stick aiming and gyro aiming to the fun soundtrack these games always offer and all the way down to the core gameplay, Raiders is an addictive title well worth playing. Personally, I’d wager I like it just a little more than the standard Splatoon titles if not solely for the fact I’m definitely not as good at Splatoon than other kinds of shooters. Existing Splatoon fans will have a great time with Splatoon Raiders, but for new fans or anybody interested in Splatoon it’s probably the best way to get into the series in a solo environment before you decide to make the plunge into the main games. »

« Splatoon Raiders offers excellent value for money, with plenty of variety to cater to different types of players. The main campaign delivers a more curated adventure with a steady learning curve that’s made even more enjoyable by teaming up with friends or strangers online. Once the credits roll, the post-game content shifts gears, giving hardcore players an endless chase for increasingly difficult scenarios and better loot that’s genuinely hard to put down. Splatoon Raiders, in my opinion, was a very risky move for a franchise that’s still growing its playerbase, but Nintendo has managed to defy expectations by delivering a solo Splatoon adventure with plenty of bait on the hook. Rather than simply serving as another Side Order, Splatoon Raiders inks its own identity in spectacular fashion, and it’s safe to say this adventure has me hook, line and sinker. »

« Splatoon Raiders is a gamble that paid off. Nintendo takes one of its most recognizable franchises and has the courage to steer it in a completely different direction without betraying its identity. Ink, movement, and chaotic combat remain at the heart of the experience, yet a surprisingly deep progression system emerges around these elements—one capable of winning over even those who usually view looter-shooters with skepticism. A bit too much grinding, a structure prone to repetition, and a narrative that falls short of the game world's full potential keep the title from achieving perfection. Yet, Raiders proves something important: Splatoon is not merely a brilliant competitive arena, but a world still brimming with possibilities. And this spin-off is concrete proof that Nintendo was right to explore them. »

« Splatoon Raiders is an amazing evolution of the series, perfectly expanding and improving the Salmon Run-mode. Especially the gameplay-feeling when fighting against the wicked salmonids sucked me right in and captivated me for hours on end. »

« Splatoon Raiders is an absolute blast from start to finish. It delivers an insanely fun, highly addictive gameplay loop that makes it almost impossible to put the controller down. Beyond the thrilling mechanics, the world design is pure magic—visually stunning, brilliantly creative, and packed with charm. If you're looking for a game that fuses non-stop excitement with incredible artistic detail, this one is an absolute must-play. »

« If the goal of Splatoon Raiders is to take the mechanics from the multiplayer focused mainline Splatoon games and transfer them to a compelling single player focused game. It's a massive success. Firing one of the vast number of ink weapons and swimming through the trail of ink on the ground will always be fun, but it's what Splatoon Raiders does with the gadgets that elevates the whole experience. It's essentially a class based raid looter shooter. You have a base, you 'tinker' with your loadout and dive into various levels, usually 5-10 minutes in length. Powerup back at base and go back out there. There is a story holding the whole thing together, drawing on the charm and uniqueness of the Splatoon universe which has been built out over 3 mainline games. The writing is suitably witty, the world is weird and mysterious enough that you do end up reading the description of items and monster notes. The story and lore is there, if you want to engage with it, but it's really the gameplay that keeps you playing longer than you intended each session. You start out with 3 ink tanks (classes) to choose from, a speed/ movement based class, a combat/ tank and a technician which allows you to send out turrets and approach combat situations with a more thoughtful mindset. Each class has various gadgets which you can put in your loadout. Each gadget has various upgrades you can find or develop to make each gadget play differently. The amount of loadout options is staggering and you soon learn that some tank/ gadget combinations are better than others for certain raids. I initially wanted to stick to one ink tank (class) as that's how I have played other looter shooters in the past. But the game encourages you to try different ones and the various gadgets associated with them. There are compasses you can find in some levels which lead to 'secret' levels that often focus on one gadget to get through them. So it tutorialises them in a way which showcases the various situations you could use them in. As you develop each class, you unlock the ability to mix in some gadgets from other classes into another which leads to even more varied loadout possibilities. The variety of raids/ levels is also great. I think having them shorter than other games means you're constantly upgrading something. Even if you fail a raid you still get experience, currency and any items you found. Meaning the next time you attack it you're going in slightly stronger. What's even more exciting about this game is the possibility of where it could go in a sequel. Of course some people prefer the competitive multiplayer focus of the main line games. And I think the introduction of gadgets could become a compelling thing to add into those games. For a direct sequel of Splatoon Raiders, they could go more open world, whilst teleporting to missions, they could have it in the city setting that the mainline games are in. Even more inventive gadget opening up even more gameplay options. It's a really strong start to potentially another path for the developers. I would be okay with a mainline game next, then another raiders game for them to experiment with. I think it's a game Splatoon veterans will enjoy and a great intro point for new players who perhaps were put off by the competitive nature of the mainline games. Whilst there are things I want in a sequel that would improve the experience. The game itself I struggle to find issues with. It's so tightly designed, compelling and most importantly fun to play that it's hard to fault it as a package. »

« One of the best games I've ever played. The only game that received any score on Metacritic. I didn't have high expectations, but this game surprised me a lot. It ended up being better than the mainline series itself!! It's very addictive. It has good music, an interesting story, fluid gameplay, and I didn't encounter any bugs/lag in the game. As a single-player salmon run experience, this game delivers on its promise very well. I'm satisfied! »

« Love the game a lot! On the higher side of the spectrum when it comes to this series’ singleplayer campaigns. Music is the weakest in the series, but the rest of the presentation is lovely. I’m giving it a 10/10 to spite VGC »

« Incredibly addictive gameplay loop that sees you go from "just one more level" to being late for work the next morning. It's the most novel looter shooter around, and easily one of the best Switch 2 exclusives alongside Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Pokemon Pokopia, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. »

« Takes on a new way of fighting enemies from the last 2 games and directly improves literally everything excluding multiplayer. The best Splatoon single player game. »

« Fun and addictive game! As typical for a Nintendo game, the story isn't the biggest part of the game, but the gameplay is chef's kiss. Addictive, dynamic, engaging... I couldn't drop it for over 40 hours and I haven't event beaten the secret final boss yet. It surprised me because Nintendo promised it as a single-player focused experience, but it is actually also a co-op game if you want it to be. The experiences of playing alone or co-op are quite different. Event if you were never big into the regular Splatoon online PVP experience, this might be something that gets you into Splatoon. »

« Excellent spinoff that combines the best parts of Salmon Run and the mainline games' story modes. Extremely fun with tons of content and customization. Would highly recommend to anyone who's a Splatoon fan or looking for an entry point to get into the series. »