Nintendo’s Splatoon franchise is getting a shakeup with the upcoming Splatoon Raiders, which takes the famously multiplayer title into single-player territory. Splatoon Raiders features a trio of beloved characters in a new adventure, aided by their pilot-slash-mechanic-slash-armed treasure hunter.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series, expecting another high-stakes multiplayer splatter-fest. Instead, the upcoming game provides a new spin-off adventure that’s unlike anything the series has seen before. I got to try out Splatoon Raiders at an in-person event in NYC, and I’m absolutely hooked.
Splatoon Raiders starts with the Deep Cut crew crash-landing their chopper in the middle of Spirhalite Islands. For those not in the know, Deep Cut is a popular music group within the Splatoon universe, made up of Shiver Hohojiro, Frye Onaga, and Big Man, the stingray of few words. (Mostly “Ay.”) The trio is joined by another character in this adventure: the Inkling or Octoling pilot and mechanic of the team. AKA, you!
A New Take On A Beloved World
The Deep Cut members (and mechanic) want to go home, of course, but they end up building a floating home base while they wait. It gets a little out of control, becoming a large hub that grows and evolves as you play. Before long, the group discovers that there’s treasure to be found on the surrounding islands. So, of course, that takes priority over getting home!
They uncover an Exploration Bot with a built-in treasure radar and a nifty drill. Then, they yeet the mechanic and the Bot (piloted by one of the Deep Cut characters) to hunt for treasure, collect goodies and weapons, and defeat enemies called Salmonids. Getting home? Oh, that can wait. There’s treasure to be found!
At the event, I got to try the first few levels of the game, which introduce players to the new setting. The Splatoon-specific Nintendo Direct releasing today goes over the gameplay in detail, but in a nutshell, your goal for each level is to get to the treasure. How you accomplish this varies depending on the area and type of level, from straightforward “mine the crystals” levels to raids, challenges, boss monster arenas, and more.
In the hour or so I got to play the game, I saw a huge number of customization options for gameplay. Everything from your ink tank to the gadgets you attach to it to the weapon you use can be customized to suit your playstyle. You can also choose who pilots the Bot, which tags along with you and provides backup, a boost for high jumps, and a special attack that differs based on who’s in the pilot’s seat.
Like in any Splatoon game, the ink is ink-tegral to the gameplay. As you shoot or splash ink, it creates color puddles on the floor. Dive into these puddles to move faster, regenerate health faster, or refill your ink tank. It’s also handy for climbing steep surfaces and avoiding enemies. Diving in and out of the ink splatters to get around is fun and satisfying.
It’s also a treat to look around the level for extras like poppable balloons, breakable boxes, and rings to run through. A few spots require you to glide over the water—this is where I found myself constantly plummeting into the wet abyss, which, ironically, hurts your Inkling or Octoling. To be fair to the game, this was probably user error: I kept automatically entering squid form to attempt a midair dash, which is not its function.
The title also uses motion controls by default, which I found felt unnatural. Luckily, this is super easy to change from the menu at any point during gameplay, so I wasn’t flailing around the entire time of the preview.
Splatoon Raiders Oozes With Charm
The world of Splatoon Raiders has a boatload of personality and charm: The weapons are made up of reclaimed materials McGuyvered together, and there are random old human items built into the environment. You can customize your character with cool outfits and hairstyles. Best of all, there are fishy puns aplenty!
The attention to detail is stellar. While poking around the base, I accidentally pelted Big Man with my ink blaster. He looked alarmed for a moment, then shook it off. Delightful!
Splatoon Raiders is very beginner-friendly—both in terms of gameplay and franchise knowledge. You’re not expected to know anything about the lore, and can dive right into the adventure even if you’ve never played a Splatoon game. At the same time, you can make the game as involved or simple as you want: rush headlong into battles with the speed-based tank and a spray-and-pray tactic, or be more strategic and focus on tactics and weak-spot sniping.
Exploration and experimentation are both encouraged. Even if you fail a level, you get to keep everything you got from it so far (including EXP and items). Plus, everything is automatically picked up, so you don’t have to worry about missing any key items or materials. And, when all else fails, you can just change the difficulty level mid-play.
Diving Into The Deep End
In the second half of the preview event, I got to play with some more advanced strategies and equipment. Instead of starting from scratch, I was thrown into the deep end with a bunch of skill points to spend and a lot of weapons to choose from.
I played around with my loadout until I found what worked for me, since every weapon, gadget, and tank type has their pros and cons. Certain level types challenge you to play using preset weapons and gadgets in an almost puzzle-like experience. Trying one of these got me to experiment with a tactical setup, which I’d normally avoid.
I discovered that the Power Tank, combined with a gadget that causes it to ram forward, was an unbeatable combination that felt right… Until I failed a raid. This led me to experiment with different weapons until I found the bow. It lets me send a volley of five arrows at enemies, or charge it up for a powerful attack that also launches timed explosives. Perfection. That raid didn’t know what hit it!
Finally, I got to try the multiplayer and pair up with the others attending the preview with me. Even though Splatoon Raiders is designed to be played solo, all non-dungeon maps (AKA the challenge maps) can be played with up to four friends in local or online co-op.
We had a good time blasting our way through a level together. The ground was completely covered in ink from all of us shooting at the Salmonids, so getting around in squid form was even smoother. Enemies scale with more players, keeping the challenge high enough to be engaging. Three new amiibo figures based on the Deep Cut characters will be available in time for release, which will unlock exclusive customization options and more in-game.
Whether you play with or without friends, Splatoon Raiders is shaping up to be a great addition to the Splatoon universe. It’s approachable, charming, and most importantly, really fun. Splatoon Raiders is scheduled for release as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive on July 23, 2026.
- Released
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July 23, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
