For as much as I love the original Splatoon, I have to admit that I wear rose-tinted glasses when I play this game. Splatoon 2 improved a lot in terms of player experience, and Splatoon 3 was polished to a glowing sheen. But every IP needs to start somewhere, and that start was on the black sheep of a console: The Wii U.

I really wanted to pick up this game again before the servers went down, and I'm glad I did. It reminded me how ambitious this title was for Nintendo, and how it was one of their most unique IPs in a long time. It also reminded me of good memories almost 10 years ago (oH no I'm getting old ACK). To say I look back on this title fondly is an understatement, so I will try my hardest to be unbiased in this review.

Splatoon was Nintendo's family friendly take on the third person shooter genre. It was also their most ambitious online game yet. While previous titles only offered online connectivity as a fun leaderboard thing or as a side mode, Splatoon was one of Nintendo's first games to be primarily played online. The single player content took a backseat to the main draw of the game: 4v4 paintball battles.

It didn't initially start with the inklings we know and love, but it seems obvious in hindsight. Being able to hide in ground you've painted was an innovative concept, and the turf war game mode was a fresh twist on the genre instead of solely focusing on PKs. The strategy was very different to other shooters at the time, as sometimes you wanted to PK and other times you wanted to be frantically inking the ground before time ran out. Ranked mode switched it up when turf got boring, with Rainmaker, Tower Control, Splat Zones, and more!

Now, how well does it hold up today? Splatoon 1 has some signs of aging that are especially noticeable if you've put any time into its two sequels. Of course, its running on the Wii U, so the ink has less shine to it and some of the models are a little jagged, not to mention that online matches can drop frames more often than the switch entries. Lots of QOL features are missing, like being able to change gear between matches and seeing what weapons each team has at the top of the screen. And while Splatoon 3 uses largely the same physics as Splatoon 2, The original Splatoon's physics feel off. Aiming isn't as sensitive and movement can feel clunky at times (try swimming up a curved slope without bonking!) but it has its own charm to it in a way.

In contrast, using the gamepad for the map is a DREAM. Being able to see the map without obscuring your main view is fantastic, and touch controls for super-jumping is surprisingly intuitive. I wish I could use the gamepad for modern Splatoon games, seriously.

Finally, as far as actual content goes, it is much simpler than the switch entries, lacking weapon staples like the dualies and brellas. The specials in Splatoon 1 are crazy OP though, there are TWO specials that make you invincible. Not to mention bomb rush's incredible strength to turn the tide of battle! In many ways, I feel like the simple loadout offerings only add to the charm of the game. It plays a little slower, but more strategically as well, since your opponents can be more predictable.

Is it a good game to play in the current year? Well, no. I'm writing this the day that the Wii U and 3DS servers shut down, so playing it is kinda hard unless you want to use a server replacement like Pretendo. If you've played either of the sequels on switch, it's largely more of the same. Many people got into the franchise with Splatoon 2, and I don't think those people would enjoy the slower, clunkier nature of the original.

However, if you did play Spoon 1 all those years ago, when the switch was still known as project NX, then a few matches might be a fantastic way to spend an evening!

God, I'll miss this game...

After hearing the news that the 3DS/Wii U's online services were shutting down, the first thing that popped in my head was replaying this game's online one last time.

Back in 2015, I remember seeing the trailer for this game and thinking it looked really cool. I never played an online shooter in my life, but this one actually interested me with its colorful art style and interesting concept. The day of release, I ask my dad if he could pick the game up on his way from work and when he came home, not only did he have the game..he had an Inkling Boy amiibo as well. That basically kickstarted my Amiibo addiction around that time but that's a story for another time. Anyways, I ended up enjoying Splatoon a ton. I remember the day after I got it, I had a relatives party to go to and I could only think about playing this game. This game consumed my whole summer, I loved it so much. Playing every Splatfest, seeing every update as they roll out, I was hooked for a couple months. Part of that is because I had no school of course, because once September arrived I didn't play this game nearly as much as before. Still, May-August 2015 was the summer of Splatoon and I'll never forget it.

Anyways, time to actually review the game lol. I think the most striking aspect is just how stylish this game is. From the different outfits you can wear, to the more experimental soundtrack, to the unique art styles that appear in the sunken scrolls. I've seen people compare this game to Jet Set Radio cuz of it's sort of counter culture type attitude and ofc its stylishness and appeal to the younger demographic and I can totally see it. It can be really influential playing this as a young lad, and it certainly worked for me.

Speaking of the music, I've seen some individuals on this site specifically call it bad and I just don't see it. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea but the OST is really well done honestly. Splattack! is of course a classic and Ink Me Up brings me right back to participating in Splatfests all day. Those are my two favorites but the whole OST is great. I think Splatoon 2 is great and all and probably the objectively better game, but if there's anything I prefer more in 1, its the soundtrack.

The meat and potatoes of this game however is it's online matches. This game doesn't have as much content or modes as 2 (and god it was pretty barebones at launch I'll admit that) but it's still a ton of fun to play a match or two. I was able to play a couple turf war and ranked matches and they were still fun. I remember raging so hard whenever I would lose on ranked matches, I had issues lol. Still, I wish Urchin Underpass and Saltspray Rig were in future games, I miss em lol. Sadly couldn't play them during this last play session but I remember they were some of my favorites.

I did also replay the campaign, and it's still fun as it was back then. Sure, it's no octo expansion and probably worse than 2's, but I always enjoyed it personally. I don't know if it's weird to say but I kinda get Mario Galaxy vibes from it. Just going from section to section using the launchpads and seeing the really cool backgrounds in each level. Always got that vibe. It does get a bit formulaic having every 5th and 6th level be the same level type, however overall, I really enjoyed the single player. At least you can still play that even with the online off.

This game may have been a bit obsolete in the eyes of a lot of people once 2 and eventually 3 came out. However, 2 I never got into nearly as much so my memories of 1 really outshine it. It's not perfect but this game will always hold a special place in my heart and is one of the first things I think of when the year 2015 is brought up. Rest In Piece Splatoon 1 online and the 3DS/Wii U online in general, I loved you dearly.

A shooting game where the focus isn’t on killing opponents (although that’s sill important), but more on covering the arena in your team’s colour. The brilliance of the game is in how all parts of its gameplay work together, as while you opponents ink hurts you, your own colour ink allows you to zoom through as a squid, or stay still to be hidden. You can also use this to move up walls.

Each arena has multiple routes, and your spawn point is protected, you can also perform a superjump to an ally (which is telegraphed so is dangerous to jump to someone near enemies), so you never feel cornered, just find another route and start covering the arena from there.

There’s also a singleplayer mode which, while simple, is still good fun and has some cool uses of ink that weren’t seen in multiplayer until free levels came out later on

For someone who (at the time) was exclusively playing on the Wii U, Splatoon was such a contrast to anything else I had played on it. This blend between Nintendo's style and creativity and a third person shooter is phenomenal. When disregarding the other two 'slightly' better successors, the campaign is unique and an interesting mode to play when you get bored. I usually don't advocate for live service products, but I do genuinely think Splatoon could have benefited from more post-launch content to add to its potential.

This game had a lot to compete with when it came out and beat the odds especially considering it was exclusively on one of the worst selling consoles of all time. A fresh new concept from Nintendo that captivated many people and was a great enough idea to birth two sequels. Somehow Nintendo was able to create a very competitively viable third-person shooter game all while keeping it family friendly and interesting at the same time. Heavily stylized art style and music and a downright unique as hell game. Really not worth playing in 2024 since Splatoon 3 exists, but the story mode is something that many still go back for today.

The star of the Wii U. A shame it won't be supported forever because it deserves to be. Inarguably a series that was best experienced with the gamepad.
Wonderfully varied maps, a fun sense of movement and creativity, amazingly memorable aesthetics.
If they hadn't figured out modes like Salmon Run for the sequels there really wouldn't be much reason to play them over this one since this one was already so perfect.

Best idols too!