Trying Splatoon 2 for the First Time
Let me start by explaining my situation.
I am not a competitive (online) player. I’m not a shooter player.
I owned the original Splatoon because it came bundled with my Wii U, but I have never launched it once. Though there is a single player portion to the game, I knew it was primarily online team multiplayer. I was too afraid to try it, despite the color and quirky appearance, and hearing everyone speaking so highly of it.
When everyone else was going nuts for the new Splatoon 2 on Switch, I’d tuned most of it out, the same as I did with ARMS. Then, last Friday, I surprised myself when I suddenly decided to pick up the game as I headed home from work.
I don’t remember what got me to consider it. I don’t remember why I changed my mind. Maybe I was feeling a little over-confident from the PvP I’ve been running on Frontlines. I just know that I came home with Splatoon 2 and wondered if I had made a mistake. I bought a physical copy just in case I needed to return it.
Researching
I actually did a bit of research. I read through the tips and suggestions for noobs. I read to use the motion controls, even if there was a learning curve for it. I read to try out the single player mode first to learn the ropes.
So, that’s what I did.
After exploring the hub area a bit…
…I jumped feet-first into the single player scenario.
Tutorial and Single Player Scenario
For someone completely new to everything about this series and shooters in general, the single player scenario does a great job as a tutorial. Despite all the help it tried to provide, I was absolutely terrible at it. I tried with and without motion controls, and determined that motion controls didn’t make it all that much harder, so I stuck with them.
I hated the feel of the starting weapon (mostly lack of range), and got frustrated really fast at the objectives like “Throw a bomb to distract the enemy, then shoot them in the back.” The enemy never sayed turned around long enough!
I had to start and restart the scenario several times, and almost didn’t clear it at all. Finally, I went to watch a video of someone clearing it to see how they did it — he didn’t fool around with the bombs, he just went in with guns blazing.
So, I worked up my courage and followed his example. Somehow, it worked!
I beat the first scenario with a time of 33 mins. (Ugh)
I put the game down a while, then came back to it again later that night. I replayed the first stage, and I was able to clear it, this time in 12 mins. That’s not fantastic, but hey, it’s a clear in less than half the time of my first.
I could see I wasn’t earning experience or unlocking anything by doing the single player stuff, so I decided to work up the courage to just jump into the multiplayer turf wars.
Turf Wars
So the objective of Turf Wars is to cover as much of the ground with your color ink as you can. Splatting other players is a means to an end, but only going for PKs won’t win you the round.
I was really happy to see that each round only lasts 3 mins. This means that if you’re losing something terrible, you don’t get too beat down because it’ll be over quickly. Also, it keeps the action fast pace, and encourages quick play.
There’s no typing or forced group chat, so you can play without fear of being yelled at by people who are so much better than you are. I’ve probably been really frustrating to carry through things, though I try my hardest to learn and adjust.
It was encouraging that on my very first game, my team won in Turf Wars. I’m at the bottom of the list for my team, but not too bad for a first try on a weapon I didn’t really care for.
How I Roll
After several matches, I gained enough levels and gold to be able to experiment with other weapons. That’s when I picked up the roller. And I really liked it! Now, I have a LOT of learning and practice to do with this weapon. But, I’m trying — reading tips and watching tutorial videos.
I’m getting the feel for the motion controls a bit better after several hours of play. Now, I need to learn to incorporate the flick attacks on the roller, and just get a better sense of spacial awareness.
Even with just noob rolling techniques, I was sometimes pulling top coverage for my teams.
But when I’m up against more skilled players, I don’t have a chance. I keep trying, and working to learn the different arenas, though.
I have unlocked the Carbon Roller now, but still prefer the first roller due to the Splashdown special. I’m also learning about what abilities I should pick up in order to be more effective with the weapon.
Cosmetics & Apps
Yesterday, I bought a jacket that I really liked based on looks… only to learn that it would never have the abilities I needed to be more effective. Apparently, rollers should hook up with Ninja Squid to help them move unseen… I did order a 3 Star shirt with Ninja Squid on it last night, but it’s going to cost me 30K gold. Seeing that I only have 8K right now, I have a lot of gaming to do tonight before my order expires!
I like that you can browse and purchase cosmetics through the Nintendo App, as well as check your stats and progress. I don’t use the app for anything like voice chat (I’d use Discord for that), but what I do use it for, it works well.
Also, it looks like my first Splatfest is coming up this weekend. I don’t know how that works, but Team Ketchup FTW!
