Splatoon Raiders

Splatoon Raiders was a game that was on my radar, but I truthfully didn't have much interest in trying it. I've barely dabbled in the Splatoon series as a whole, mostly because I'm not too interested in dedicated multiplayer games these days. Upon it's release I started to hear great things, particularly regarding the looter-shooter gameplay loop - something that I have historically enjoyed in the form of the Borderlands games. After picking up some extra driving responsibilities my wife Francesca bought me a physical copy, and with that I figured I'd give the game a full try! Immediately, you are met with a brief cutscene and stranded on an island. There is no voice acting, and only a few characters outside of the primary enemy - Salmonids - of which you will encounter different variants. Like I said, I haven't really played any Splatoon games before this, so I can't comment on what is a callback and what is entirely new. To me it seems that a large number of assets were reused, as the pool of enemies doesn't change considerably after the beginning of the game. Regardless, I was immediately impressed with how streamlined the gameplay and looter-shooter loop were. Nintendo has a historical tendency to reject trends in the industry in favor of their own vision. Splatoon Raiders feels different, and is undoubtedly a very dopaminergic experience. Each level finds you bouncing in and out of paint (where you assume the form of a squid and move faster) while gunning down hordes of Salmonids complete with hit-markers, explosions, and colors galore. After finishing a level you are rewarded with treasure, which plays a slot machine-like animation when you claim it before revealing your loot - a new gun or ability. On top of the stimuli, the game also has special abilities with cooldowns which you can customize and swap as you see fit. And it doesn't stop there, at your hideout you have the opportunity to upgrade skills, craft new weapons, and even play some mini-games. Even though it feels like a proof of concept in some ways, I had a hard time putting Splatoon Raiders down - finishing off the main story in a mere couple of days. While I didn't delve too deep, there also seems to be a plethora of post-game content to engage with for those looking to min-max the best guns and abilities. If you enjoy roguelites, looter-shooters, or other feedback driven games I have no doubt that you will appreciate this title. I'm truly surprised that Nintendo released such an unadulterated dopamine generator such as this, but I have to say that I hope they double down, and give us a fully fledged follow-up that takes a similar form.

Play it for the:

• Mobility based shooter gameplay
• Near perpetual replayability
• Steady upgrades, loot, and incentives

Reviewed on 2026-08-13

The platforming can be simple at times, but it always feels rewarding.