But also, Splatoon 2 is my least favorite of the three Splatoon games. I've always felt that Splatoon 2 is another instance of the time honored Nintendo tradition of "making a really good, interesting, unique piece of art and then taking away a lot of the parts about it that make it so in the quest to be a better game. I talk about it in my Pikmin post, shameless self promotion, and will probably talk about it in a bunch of other posts too including this one. Like, I still think it's a great game, obviously, I've played it a ton, but like. Splatoon 1 is a game that's full of life and personality, it has little news segments every stage rotation that give you updates on things, its stages all feel as much like real locations in the world, the hub feels like a real city due to how open and alive it is. And Splatoon 2 streamlines everything here in an attempt to make a more competitive experience. Which is, you know, good, it's an esport, it's a competitive multiplayer experience first and foremost, it's not bad it removes the news broadcasts and has more balanced stages. But it makes me like it just a little less because of these things.
This means, a, no proper review section, I feel like I've already roughly given my spoiler free thoughts on Splatoon 2, but 2, this post will probably have more bias and I will almost certainly be comparing Splatoon 2 to 1 a whole lot. I'm sorry, I don't like doing that because I feel like games should stand their on own ultimately, but that's how it be, that's how I think about this game. My rating though is an 8.1/10, despite not being as bad on Splatoon 2 I do genuinely think it's still great, like it a ton, it's just you know. My least favorite.
Diary
5/7/25
Finally playing Splatoon 2's campaign after all these years. This is how it went with Splatoon 1 too, I played it a ton, put hundreds of hours into it, didn't touch the campaign until no one was playing it anymore. What can I say, when I start up Splatoon I want to go-go-go. Like, the campaigns are excellent but my focus is always on getting into the multiplayer, y'know. Got friends to play with and drag down.
I always forget how slow the like standard Splattershot/Splattershot Jr. is. Splatoon 2 I was a Sploosh main so I get into the campaign mode and I'm like "why is inking so slow". Something I've had to get used to playing this one. And also having to use a bunch of weapons I never used because, man, I get why Splatoon 2's story mode forces weapons on you. The function of these story modes is not just to have a fun campaign but also help people naturally adjust to the gameplay and give them kind of a basic rundown of how each weapon class works. It's just, you know, inconvenient for me because I don't know how any charger works and the only Splatling I've ever played for any length of time is Ballpoint so I don't know how those work!
The level design in Splatoon campaigns is so fun, I always forget how fun it is. Like Splatoon attracted a big audience of players who would, normally, not give shooters a chance due to working in the sensibilities of a platformer instead. And I think the campaigns are excellently highlight this fact, feeling more like a Mario game at times than a shooter. It's been long enough since I played 1's campaign that I unfortunately don't remember too many intricacies with the level design, but it feels like Splatoon 2 goes a lot wilder on the platforming elements. There are loads of bounce pads and disappearing platforms in levels and they also do wacky things like have bowling balls constantly spawning to roll downhill. It feels very Mario Galaxy.
The second boss of the game was really fun. Like the first and third bosses were also fun but like, they are what you expect of a Splatoon boss, a giant tower to climb that tries to smash you, it's fun but it's not reinventing the wheel. But the Samurai boss? Super cool. It's super interesting having a boss being built around a specific weapon type too, in this case Rollers. Makes me wish we saw more of that, though I understand that the Splatoon devs really wanted to go larger than life for their boss battles. Still, something of a standout fight for me. I also loved his little motorcycle.
I do have to say though, I'm kinda not feeling this one as much as I felt the first one. Like, it's not bad, but it IS just more of the same? It kinda feels like it was made in a rush, to be honest, which would check out since Splatoon 1 came out near the end of the WiiU's lifespan and 2 was a launch year game barely two years later. While it's certainly building upon the foundation of the first game, it feels just kinda. Unambitious? Like it doesn't really introduce anything new. It's fine so far, some parts are highlights but mostly it's just kinda like everything else in Splatoon 2: fine, really fun, kind of a downgrade on the original.
5/9/25
Splatoon 2's story mode is finished!!! At least until I eventually come around to doing Octo Expansion which may be a while. The last little bit had some really fun levels in it! I was a big fan of the level with multiple paths where you had to find three keys, that one was fun. The Dualies level where you grind the entire time, that one owned. Any of the levels where you had to use a Brella were really fun. Octo Canyon definitely ramps up in quality in the late game, imo, the last section is just way more fun than the first three areas.
That being said, every level where you had to use a charger can go die. Look, I get it, Splatoon 2 wants players to have a basic understanding of the various weapon types before going onto ladder, that's why it forces all of them on you. I also imagine the devs could have more fun with level design knowing that each level would be designed around a specific weapon's strengths and weaknesses. But man, it's also really unfun to be walled by a level that forces you to use a weapon you're horrible with, you don't even know. Every level I got a Game Over in was a level where I had to use the charger. I am awful with chargers, there has never been one in rotation for me, this sucked.
It pains me to say this because I love Calamari Inkantation and ESPECIALLY Spicy Calamari Inkantation, I think it's an extremely underrated version of the track. But I don't think it should've been played in the final boss fight. It just feels like the entire story was building to Tidal Rush, this remix of the two Squid Sister solo songs featured in the previous game. It's kind of fulfilling the results of the last Splatfest, the two cousins were put up against each other and this game shows the consequences of that outcome, but now, in the finale, they are united once again. Also, Tidal Rush is just like. My favorite song on the soundtrack. And you don't even get to hear a full loop of it because it's only played on the final hit of Octavo's first phase because we get Spicy Calamari Inkantation. I feel like Tidal Rush is just an objectively better final boss song in this case, idk.
Speaking of the final boss, man, it's kind of disappointing. Like, don't get me wrong, it's an excellent boss fight, I had a lot of fun fighting Octavo in this game. His remix of Bomb Rush Blush is great, the fight is really well paced and requires a lot of quick thinking, it's a great boss. But Octavo in Splatoon 1 was such a perfect boss fight. It felt like everything you had learned in the first game's campaign culminated in Octavo, you used everything you had experienced to overcome the fight. Like I said, Octavo is still great in 2, it's an all timer boss fight, but it just feels more like every other boss in this game and it can't help but be a bit disappointing.
I also feel like the story could've used an extra world, tbh. Just either have it be a little longer or in-depth. I understand and appreciate how utilitarian the Splatoon story modes are, don't get me wrong, they accomplish their goals effectively and don't overstay their welcome. But I feel in this case, the story we're given needs more room to breathe. Like, we find out that Callie is, somehow, behind the revival of the Octarian army at the end of Area 4 and then Marie doesn't even really have time to react before we have another world full of stages to deal with. It would've been nice to have maybe a battle against Callie to establish the whole mind control thing before revealing Octavo or just have Callie taunt us throughout the final world something giving more to this conflict.
Speaking of Callie, I had a really interesting thought throughout playing the final area. Like, I had often thought that while it was cute to see Splatoon 2 be impacted by the results of final Splatfest in Splatoon 1, I always thought they probably had most of the story hashed out and ready to just slide the appropriate Squid sister into when the results came in. Like on the surface, it feels like nothing would change if Callie won instead of Marie, Callie would be the one that's looking for Marie and Marie would be mind controlled by Octavo and we'd get a remix of Tide Goes Out instead of Bomb Rush Blush. As I played it though, I was amazed and kind of impressed about how tailor made this story was for Marie. Like, they probably still had two versions of the Splatoon 2 story written out, one for Callie and one for Marie, ahead of time but like. The more I went through it, the less I feel like Callie could've been the one who stayed. A big thing about this game and, eventually, the trajectory of the Splatoon story is Marie taking up this mentor role. Her more quiet, reserved nature proving very effective as she grows to eventually take over leadership of the Squidbeak Splatoon. And idk, I just feel like Callie wouldn't fit in that role, she's too hot tempered and excitable and just wouldn't make a very good leader, sorry.
Overall, Splatoon 2's story is much like Splatoon 2 itself. In some ways it's better than its predecessor. It's better focused on ensuring the player has a rough knowledge of every weapon type in the game. It focuses way more on deep level design, combining the platforming and shooting elements into a more cohesive package. It is a great game, I really like it. But in other ways, it's a pretty noticeable downgrade. It sacrifices a lot of what made Splatoon 1 so interesting in the quest to be a better video game. While the first game's story was definitely utilitarian this one's feels very directly like a glorified tutorial for a bunch of weapon types. It's a much less charming game, a lot of the personality feels stripped from it in its quest to be better. Splatoon 2 could very well be the best Splatoon game, I reiterate it's still one I like a ton, I've spent more time in 2 than its predecessor or successor. But it's still my least favorite of the three. 8.1/10.
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