Splatoon Raiders review: A fun single-player shooter game that rewards treasure hunting

Splatoon Raiders is effectively one big treasure hunting game as the ink series moves away from online multiplayer mayhem to a more personalised design

Splatoon fans now have a fun single-player ink gun game to enjoy and – while it won’t blow gamers away – it does a good job in delivering a quirky take on the third-person shooter.

Splatoon Raiders is effectively one big treasure hunting game.

It takes the multiplayer meyhem core engine of hit 2015 Switch title Splatoon and repurposes it into a single-player campaign game.

The result is a mix of shooter chaos and exploration as you hunt down treasures and take on waves of Salmonid baddies in a colourful splatter of cartoony goodness.

Splatoon Raiders places you in the role of a mechanic working with members of the swashbuckling musical trio Deep Cut.

Together, you’ll raid the Spirhalite Islands for undiscovered spoils and fend off hordes of malicious Salmonids standing between you and your treasure.

One member of Deep Cut can join you on each quest as you go on a ‘raid’, piloting a powerful bot and lending you their unique Showstopper attack as huge amounts of baddies track you down for the kill.

As in previous Splatoon games, there are no bullets here.

Instead Nintendo goes for the more cutesy factor by equipping our mechanic hero with an ink firing gun that splatters colour all over the floor and slowly wears out bullet-sponge baddies by sapping their health.

When your paint tank is empty, you have to switch quickly to squid form to wade through the inky splatters of colour on the floor to effectively ‘reload’ your tank for another shoot-fest.

It’s all incredibly intuitive and beautifully colourful on-screen as you battle between taking out villains while reloading your tank and trying to not get killed.

That mix of reload and fire, dodge and attack is at the heart of this game and when it pays off feels absolutely brilliant to play.

Fail in your endeavours, and you will fail, and it’s one big restart.

So the threat feels real and the challenge jumps quickly and readily as you progress through the distinct island backdrops.

I’ve never quite fully gotten to grips with the motion control move-the-Switch-around-to-aim system on top of the thumbstick physical in-game character movement.

But it does its jobs well enough in this title not to be a complete nuisance.

And when the gaming gets really frantic, the Switch 2 does a great job in having tons of visible chaos on-screen without any stutter or hindrance to gameplay.

Nearly everything you collect can make you stronger – and you’re going to need every bit of it.

You’ll level up your character, and power up your weapons and gadgets with the trinkets and treasures you find during your island excursions.

The gadgets you can use depend on your choice of tank: Speed, Power or Tactical. Pick your favourite according to your preferred playstyle and customise your gadgets for even more personalisation.

And in Splatoon Raiders, you don’t have to raid alone.

You can join up to three other players online – or via local wireless – to conquer raids and gather riches as you progress through the game together.

Even when playing solo, you can call for help from other players online or offer help and receive rewards if you get stuck.

Overall, this is a fun side-step in the Splatoon universe that moves away from the complete online multiplayer of the core titles to deliver a single-player treasure hunt that’s colourful to watch and enjoyable to play.

VERDICT 3/5