Splatoon Raiders Hits Switch 2 on July 23, and It Is Nothing Like the Splatoon You Know

Splatoon without turf wars sounds like a joke, but that is exactly what Nintendo ships this week. Splatoon Raiders launches Thursday, July 23 as a Switch 2 exclusive at $49.99, and it is the first true spinoff in the series since the original game arrived in 2015.

Video: Nintendo of America on YouTube

A story game, not a lobby shooter

This time you do not play an agent or a plaza kid. You create your own Inkling or Octoling mechanic who gets hired to fly Deep Cut, the treasure hunting trio from Splatoon 3, out to the tropical Spirhalite Islands. A storm brings the helicopter down, and the game follows the crew as they build a base camp and raid the islands for salvage and Spirhalite Crystals while Salmonids swarm them at every turn.

The structure is closer to a run based co-op shooter than a classic Splatoon campaign. You pick a destination, roll out in one of three tanks (Speed, Power or Tactical, each with its own gadgets), clear the raid, then spend your haul on gear upgrades, weapon levels and improvements to your hideout ship. Three difficulty settings, Tourist, Raider and Survivalist, can be switched at any time, which is a friendly touch for players who just want the story.

Solo first, but friends are welcome

Nintendo is pitching Raiders as a single player experience first, and that alone makes it unusual for this series. Still, every raid supports two to four players over local wireless or online, with difficulty scaling to the size of the squad. Online play needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership, the download weighs about 20 GB, and amiibo unlock extra outfits for your mechanic. Themed Joy-Con 2 controllers arrive alongside the game for collectors.

Our take

We think this is the most interesting thing Nintendo has done with Splatoon in years. The mainline games have leaned on the same competitive loop for a decade, and handing the spotlight to Deep Cut and a customizable nobody is a genuine risk. The open questions are length and variety: raid structures can wear thin fast if the islands repeat themselves, and at $49.99 the game is priced close to a full entry. We would wait for launch impressions on how much the raids evolve past the opening hours, but as a first swing at a Splatoon spinoff, this one looks like it has real personality.