The least we can say is that Nintendo strongly believes in the potential of Splatoon: the game's marketing campaign is modeled on that of Mario Kart 8. The latter sold more than 5 million exemplary and barring an improbable miracle, the cuttlefish will not succeed in doing better. But hey, we must also take into account that the objectives are not the same with Splatoon, and that Nintendo's priority is to build a community to then develop it. The best way to achieve this is obviously to inculcate the basics of the game which only take a few minutes to be assimilated. Equipped with a launcher, the player - who embodies a human-looking Inkling - must propel ink on the ground and the walls before diving into it by transforming into a cuttlefish. Then invisible, he can move wherever there is ink (provided it is of his color) not only to reach high areas, but also to cross obstacles such as fences for example. And then, metamorphosing into a cephalopod is valuable for filling your ink reservoir, a constraint likely to screw up a game if you don't pay attention to it. Although Splatoon is like a TPS for shorts, secondary weapons are in order and allow for variety in the approaches to enemies in the single player campaign. Because if the emphasis has often been placed on the multiplayer mode, lonely souls can also find their account by going to lend a hand to Admiral Macalamar. Hidden in the Octavalley, he is obviously the only one to worry about the threat that the Octarians represent for Chromapolis (also the hub of the game), which risks no longer being supplied with energy if the Great Fish- Charged.
Because if the emphasis has often been placed on the multiplayer mode, lonely souls can also find their account by going to lend a hand to Admiral Macalamar.
The main strength of Splatoon's "Story" mode - which requires a good four hours to complete - is to ensure that each level is an opportunity to discover a new gameplay mechanic. The ingenuity rate is not equivalent to that of a Mario, let's not exaggerate, but we must admit that some ideas pleasantly surprised us. One thinks in particular of the sponges which become gorged with ink or shrink, or even of Mecablotters coming to erase the projected tasks. There are also the invisible passages that we must reveal with launcher shots, not to mention all the little subterfuges to divert the attention of enemies. In short, we clearly feel the Nintendo spirit as we progress through the levels. Afterwards, you shouldn't expect pure and hard exploration, and most of the time the game comes down to going from point A to point B. It's true that along the way, you can collect fish eggs to improve the efficiency of your equipment, even recover a shield or documents that will be used to obtain new weapons. But overall, you never really stray from the main path, which tends to make missions feel repetitive over time. Fortunately, the bosses are there to break this monotony, and our preference immediately goes to DJ Octave. Basically, this ultimate fight is a compendium of all the finesse thought up by the developers for the single player mode. A sort of validation of achievements before tackling the multiplayer which is the heart of Splatoon.
MONSTERS INK
Something rare at Nintendo, online is essential for the game to show its full potential. There is a way to organize two-person sessions locally via the "Dojo" mode, but they quickly become anecdotal. Sincerely, who can still believe today that it is enough to propose a battle of balloons to put everyone in the pocket? Ultimately, the only interesting point lies in the Mario Kart-style power-ups - the Super Jump to swap the position of the two players, the Toxic Flask which slows down the opponent's movements for a few moments, or the Detector thanks to which one can locate his prey through walls. Not having to deal with a split screen (one player focuses on the GamePad while the other follows the action on the TV) offers significant visual comfort, of course, but not enough to spend hours on either. The big problem we had with Splatoon was that the servers were almost empty when we started the test. The situation has since improved, but it still happens that long minutes are needed to bring together two teams of four players, otherwise the game does not start. So some will argue that it is possible to wait patiently with one of the four retro arcade games that appear on the GamePad screen, but 1) you must first unlock them with the amiibo of the Splatoon 2 range) we quickly go around. The icing on the cake: when the search for a session is launched, it is impossible to cancel it to start another. Just crazy. It's all the more unfortunate that once this obstacle course behind us, we take great pleasure in throwing ink everywhere. Finally, with a minimum of tactical sense all the same.
Something rare at Nintendo, online is essential for the game to show its full potential.
This is the case in the "Territory War" mode in a classic match, where the goal is to cover most of the level with the ink of your team. Since voice chat is not even offered as an option so as not to offend sensitive ears, a quick glance is in order to understand the role that everyone should hold in theory. Typically, those with a roller will focus on slathering the area, while characters with a sniper rifle will instead have to line up opponents from a distance. Finally, the partners equipped with a more conventional launcher will be at the front, ready to eat bullets to ensure the victory of their clan. Of course, nothing is fixed and it is not forbidden to distribute a few strokes of the roller in an emergency. We're not going to hide from you that it's a bit of a mess at the start, but we realize quite quickly that it's better to divide the team into two pairs: one player who paints and another who covers him. If we are lucky enough not to find ourselves in a team of broken arms, we can even afford to place a sniper in height, while the three other allies take care of redoing the color of the surroundings. To hope to chain a few kills, it is imperative to master the swim to perfection; in other words, dive into the ink at the right moment in order to become invisible and thus treacherously attack opponents. A simple movement but which brings a lot of depth to the gameplay, in the sense that the possibilities of placing a ball between the eyes become multiple, all thanks to a well done level design. Each ink stain represents a potential hideout/threat, and one can emerge from the ground as well as from the walls. A real treat, we must admit.
AN ENJOYING GAME?
Again, secondary weapons are important to break enemy lines. We are not going to name them all here, but be aware that the Ink Wall can hurt a lot contrary to what one might think. Ditto for the Sticky Bomb which systematically hits the mark when you get chased by a hater. There are also special weapons that activate with a simultaneous click on the two sticks, provided that the dedicated gauge is completely filled. Tornadoes are particularly effective when prey is grouped together, just like the High-Piercer whose waves pass through walls. Finally, special mention to the Kraken with which it is possible to execute murderous tendrils without asking questions. Once in the shelter, you can take a look at the GamePad screen to observe the progress of the game. If an area is covered in enemy ink and an ally is nearby, pressing their position will immediately join them. At the end of the countdown, a big tomcat comes to see the damage and designates the winning team. Taking part in this kind of contest is vital to leveling up, filling your pockets and earning the right to chat with G. Latineux, Omar, Cartouche and Anne. Indeed, the latter, who do not take themselves for shit, only address cuttlefish having class as they say and therefore refuse to sell their articles (weapons, shoes, tops, caps / hats) to neophytes . A haughty attitude that has the gift of annoying, since it happens that we have the means to afford the latest gun without being able to buy it. Dirty, indeed.
Despite this appreciable initiative, Splatoon still needs time before reaching maturity, both visually and in terms of content. But the base is there and that is the main thing for a new brand that is just waiting to grow.
In any case, it should be noted that each element making up the equipment gives access to bonuses - four maximum - to facilitate the task during the clashes. Less ink consumption, faster tank filling, increased weapon power, increased duration of use of the special weapon, this is an example of the skills that can be unlocked over the sessions. Apart from classic matches, there are pro matches which only open their doors from level 10. For the moment, they only contain one mode, "Zone Defense", which consists of defending several strategic points. of the map. Nothing really revolutionary but it's always taken. In terms of achievement, Splatoon left us wanting more to be honest. It aliases quite a bit and the textures aren't the craziest. There are even slight drops in framerate at times, a phenomenon that is difficult to understand when you see the levels which are far from being armored with details. That said, seeing the ink squirting from the launchers remains a pleasure for the eyes and you can even observe drips depending on the weapon chosen. On the character design side, we feel that the game was not developed by the dinosaurs of Kyoto, and that the look of the characters is much funkier than what we are used to seeing at Nintendo. Despite this appreciable initiative, Splatoon still needs time before reaching maturity, both visually and in terms of content. But the base is there and that is the main thing for a new brand that is just waiting to grow.
