“Let the Game Be Your Canvas: The much-anticipated sequel, Splatoon 2 is endless fun!”

By Raymond Hogue II

Back in 2015, Nintendo’s WiiU launched this little third-person shooting game called “Splatoon.”  Splatoon boasted of originality and was a well-received game among the fans and the critics. It was only right that the fans were ecstatic that a sequel was announced for the Nintendo Switch.

The sequel lives up to the hype and then some.

“Splatoon 2” launched on July 21, and it’s everything fans and critics hoped it would be… a blast!

Not only does it revive the fun from the original it adds so much more. The events of the sequel take place months after the Splat-fest in the original game. Marie and Callie are back as well as a few additions of new characters.

The single player campaign is all about Marie recruiting new agents to defeat the evil Octarians once again. This time, the stakes are higher because they have kidnapped both Callie and the Great Zapfish. Sheldon, a weapons expert, valiantly teams up with Marie as they trek through Octo Canyon in search of Callie and the Zapfish.

I won’t give too much away about the plot, but the single campaign is every bit as fun as the original’s, but the money maker for the game is multi-player. The multiplayer campaigns will allow you to battle with other Splatoon players online.

There are several different battles.

The Turf War is probably the most played battle. If you aren’t familiar with The Turf War, its simply, covering as much as the arena with your paint as possible. The opponent can put their paint over yours and so forth. Whoever has the most paint covered wins.

Of course, you can also “kill” your opponent (they’ll respawn), but that’s not as exciting as just running around spraying the place with various new weapons and tools to help you succeed.

There are ranked battles such as Splat Zones, Tower Control and Rainmaker. These are stiffer competition but still fun. The original had number grades, but the results in these modes now are letter grades for a change of pace.

“Splatoon 2” also added new battles.

League mode is a new addition which allows players to form a league (or group) and battle other online groups.

The Salmon Run allows up to four players (online) to fight off Salmoniods until they get to a Boss Salmoniod. Once the boss is defeated, the team will get a golden egg. The main objective is to get your golden egg quota and survive. It’s a very fun experience.

The Nintendo Switch also launched an incredible online app mode for “Splatoon 2” called SplatNet 2. The app allows you to track your multiplayer stats, your gear, matchmake, track your friends online and even look at upcoming stage maps. This comes in handy if you are an avid multiplayer gamer.

The soundtrack of the game also heightens the experience, much like the original succeeded to do. “Splatoon 2”’s soundtrack has a synth-rock 90s style; it’s very energetic and engaging, and it amplifies the tension during multi-player battles. For those that did love the original’s soundtrack, this one is even more refreshing.

There are a few things that “Splatoon 2” does fall short on.

It’s an incredibly fun game that you may say to yourself “just one more match” and end up playing several more, but the game can get very repetitive like its predecessor.

Luckily, to “Splatoon 2”’s credit, there are those new additional modes, and the single player campaign is deeper than before.

Another problem is that matches can be slow to connect to but future (free) updates can correctly fix that problem.

If you have a Nintendo Switch already, I’d say you should absolutely go out and get this marquee game. If you want a family-friendly game that everyone in your house can enjoy, then you should get it, too.

If you don’t own a Nintendo Switch, is this game enough for you to go buy one? I wouldn’t say yes, but “Mario Odyssey” is right around the corner.

Until then, I would highly recommend “Splatoon 2.” It’s addictive, colorful and a worthy sequel to boost the Nintendo Switch.