It’s Been 10 Years Since I Splatted My First Inkling In Splatoon, And It’s As Satisfying As Ever

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Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum. They’ve definitely had some odd missteps along the way – remember the Virtual Boy? – but that’s precisely why taking risks and trying new things is so important.

Everyone has bad ideas sometimes, and you might even share them with the world. But those ideas are uniquely yours, and that’s what truly matters.

But what really sets Nintendo apart is its exclusive game franchises – they’re incredibly original and help drive sales. A decade ago, they released a game that, at first glance, seemed really unusual. It featured quirky, octopus-like creatures battling with ink-shooting weapons – a truly unexpected concept from Nintendo!

So, it was Splatoon they were all hyped about! And honestly, the whole gaming community was about to find out why – everyone was going to be paying attention, trust me.

The first Splatoon unfortunately launched only on the Wii U, which didn’t do very well, so not as many people got to play it. I was a fan of the Wii U, though, and I was really excited to see a game that helped make the system more well-known.

I never would have guessed Nintendo would ever make a third-person shooter, and honestly, it seemed miles away from what the Gears of War games were all about. Let’s face it, the super-violent chainsawing action in Gears probably wouldn’t fly with Nintendo’s fans, so they definitely had to take things in a different direction!

This game is a vibrant and visually striking shooter. It features incredibly fluid movement, a fantastic and original soundtrack, and gameplay modes that cleverly break away from typical genre conventions.

Splatoon started as Nintendo experimenting with a popular game style, and it’s now become one of their biggest franchises beyond the Super Mario universe, with two successful sequels already released.

The game quickly found its core format: it’s a team competition where the main goal is Turf Wars. In Turf Wars, each team has a short amount of time to cover as much of the arena as possible with their team’s ink color.

A Splattin’ Good Time

I’ve always thought this feature makes the game more interesting than just running around shooting. Enemy ink will hinder your movement and hurt you, but you can transform into a squid to swim quickly through your team’s ink or hide within it.

You can rush towards the enemy’s side to attack them directly. Alternatively, you can gradually claim territory starting from your base and expanding outwards. Another strategy is to hide within your own territory, waiting for opponents to enter, then ambush them.

Depending on the way the match is going, your approach might well switch between them all.

I love how fast-paced Turf Wars are – you really have to think on your feet! And it’s awesome how the game kept adding new ways to play. Salmon Run, especially, was a super fun cooperative mode, and they also introduced some more standard objective-based battles, which kept things fresh.

Honestly, for me, the best part of playing with others has *always* been Turf War. It’s what I think about the most when I remember playing these games – those matches are just the most fun!

I enjoy playing competitive games, especially ones that are lighthearted and fun. Nintendo’s ARMS is a good example of this, and it actually has a lot in common with this game, even though they’re different types of games.

These games offer surprisingly deep strategy thanks to their customizable gear – carefully choosing abilities can take time! They also both feature engaging multiplayer events. Like Splatfests in Splatoon, the now-discontinued ARMS Party Crashes had players pick a side and compete against others to support their chosen team.

Both of these games represent Nintendo’s peak creativity. While ARMS has faded from memory, Splatoon 3 is still thriving – it’s getting a special ‘Splatoween’ event in 2025, a decade after the first Splatoon was released.

I mainly play with Rollers, and there’s still nothing quite like quickly surprising an opponent, splattering them with ink, and then winning the match at the last moment. Each new game in the Splatoon series improves on the last, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what new weapons, levels, and gear Splatoon 4 will bring – even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet, it seems likely to happen.

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2025-10-12 22:10