Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2: Performance Review, Co-Op Features, and Is It Kid-Friendly?

Splatoon has already slowly turned into a series. Although the first one came out in 2015 for the Wii U, we've also received two sequels for the Switch in the meantime. And despite the series having story modes, most of the focus has always gone to online shooting in Turf War.

Although the concept was quite unusual and the big focus was on conquering areas with your team's color, I didn't spend too much time on it. I tried out the story part a bit, played one or two online matches, and saved Splatoon to the eternal digital hunting grounds. Simply put, there are too many good games to dedicate time to one multiplayer shooter.

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Splatoon Raiders: The Looter Shooter That Finally Clicked

Precisely because of this, I followed the presentation of Splatoon Raiders with much more attention. It's a looter-shooter that can be played solo or cooperatively in PvE. And I must admit, it has a highly addictive core gameplay loop that almost perfectly fulfills all dopamine requirements. Jump into a raid, pick up loot, upgrade equipment, put together a new build, and dive into a harder raid. On paper, it sounds quite formulaic, but in reality, it creates a perfect circle that's very hard to exit once you start playing.

What also helps are the fairly short raids. Most of them don't last longer than about 15 to 20 minutes, so it was much easier for me to justify "just one more" raid. You jump in, pick up new gadgets, and then it would be a sin not to try them out immediately.

As for the raids themselves, I unlocked new ones on the map by completing previous ones. Sometimes the path can branch on certain islands, but every section ends up at the same place – a big boss battle. Before that boss battle, I went through raids with levels, those where you need to capture certain points on the map by drilling them, or through certain platforming sections where I would only have specific weapons or gadgets at my disposal.

Weapon Variety: 11 Types and Over 100 Variations

Speaking of weapons and gadgets, I must mention that there are multiple elements I could adjust to put together a build for the next raid. There are 11 weapon types in the game, with over 100 variations. Each weapon has a level that we can increase up to five levels using crystals, as well as stars that indicate how rare the weapon is.

Those with five stars, aside from a powerful attack, usually bring additional buffs, such as slowing down enemies, repelling them, or boosting gadgets. After trying out multiple weapon types, I dedicated myself most to shotguns, which proved to be the best for controlling large numbers of opponents.

In addition to weapons, I always added one ink tank to my build. Three types of tanks are available – Power Tank for stronger attacks, Speed Tank for greater mobility and easier enemy avoidance, and Tactical Tank with a bunch of gadgets for battlefield control.

Now, here's where the real fun begins. With each tank, you can choose two gadgets to use. For example, the Power Tank would add floating ink that spins around the main character and attacks enemies that get close enough. With the Tactical Tank, I could toss out a turret that shoots everything that moves beside me. Each tank has five gadgets, some of which must be unlocked later by progressing through the game.

Balancing Issues Of Splatoon Raiders: Not All Weapons and Gadgets Are Equal

Each gadget also has a bunch of permutations that increase its power, range, duration, and so on. Once you go deeper into the game and unlock gadgets and their permutations, you can spend up to ten minutes between each raid putting together a new build. And no, personally, this didn't become monotonous for me. On the contrary, each new build was further proof of progress and a reason for that mischievous smile when you realize you've just put together the perfect machine for "color-cide."

On top of that, I also had special attacks, level unlocking, and skill points that I could use to increase the main character's health, weapon strength, number of gadget permutations... I believe, from these million options, you can tell that I was having an absolute blast and that there's truly a ton to unlock here.

The only minor complaint about the entire experience is the occasional feeling that certain weapons, gadgets, and tanks aren't equally balanced.

For example, the roller brush was probably super useful in the original PvP Splatoon titles for painting larger areas, but in Raiders, I didn't find much use for it. The same goes for gadgets. Although most are fun, some are much stronger than others. The Tactical Tank and various auto-firing devices, once you upgrade them enough, do most of the work for you.

The only minor complaint about the entire experience is the occasional feeling that certain weapons, gadgets, and tanks aren't equally balanced.

Difficulty and Co-Op: Perfect Challenge Balance

Regarding the game's difficulty, I'd say they hit the right balance between challenge and frustration. From time to time, I would lose a raid, but I never got stuck on any one for more than two or three attempts. Still, for the less skilled, there's always the option to call for help from other players, which turns every raid from a single-player experience into PvE cooperation. The number of enemies increases, but I'd say the transition is ultimately easier than in single-player.

It's also commendable that you can jump in to help other players who need assistance, during which you can get unique upgrades that you can't obtain through single-player progression.

Visual Performance Of Splatoon Raiders

The last thing worth praising is the game's performance. The game runs at 1440p in docked mode and 1080p in handheld mode, while maintaining a fairly stable 60 frames per second. Given the sheer number of characters, the ink physics across the screen, and the general hecticness of what's happening, the performance really deserves praise.

On the other hand, the maps are often quite similar, monotonous, and without any distinctive elements. Once you see the first map with beach themes, you've practically seen all of them. The same goes for volcanic sections, icy sections, and so on. Also, the music is quite repetitive and without any particularly distinctive or interesting tones, which is a shame because Splatoon has always had a pretty good musical score in previous installments.

In Conclusion

And the last big minus to mention is the story. In short, there's a big debt in the city of Splatsville, and our unnamed main character, a mechanic, must head to the Spirhalite Archipelago and, together with three other characters, discover the great treasure. Shiver, Frye, and Big Man rank among the least interesting characters I've ever encountered in gaming. It doesn't help that the enemy is one-dimensional, nor do the rather banal plotlines. I tried to follow the story for the sake of the review, but after a while, I gave up. Only the game's finale brings a minor surprise, but honestly, it comes way too late.

But again, despite the story, I ended up playing Splatoon Raiders more than I expected. Even now, I'm still playing because there's enough content to keep me engaged after completing the game. It's simply an enticing combination of quick raids, collecting things, and using them in the very next raid. The entire core gameplay loop is perfectly executed and manages to push aside the game's other shortcomings.

We can talk about an average story, bad characters, and monotonous environments.

But honestly, who cares when I'm having this much fun?

Rating: 8.4/10

This game earns this rating because despite its weak story, uninteresting characters, and repetitive environments, the core gameplay loop is so addictive and well-crafted that it completely overshadows these flaws, delivering an exceptional looter shooter experience that keeps players coming back for more.

Age Recommendation

I would recommend this game for ages 12 and up.

The game features cartoon-style violence with ink-based combat rather than realistic blood or gore, and the cooperative PvE focus makes it more accessible than competitive shooters. The mechanical complexity of builds and upgrades might be overwhelming for younger children. Still, the short raid format and optional co-op play make it suitable for teens who enjoy strategic action games. The complete lack of mature content (no language, sexual content, or realistic violence) makes it a safe choice, though younger players may struggle with the build optimization aspects.

Gemini AI Summary

Splatoon Raiders successfully transitions the beloved Nintendo franchise from PvP shooter to a highly addictive PvE looter shooter. The game's core strength lies in its perfectly crafted gameplay loop: short 15-20 minute raids, loot collection, build customization, and immediate re-engagement. With 11 weapon types (over 100 variations), three tank classes (Power, Speed, Tactical), and extensive gadget permutation systems, players can spend hours optimizing their loadouts for maximum efficiency. The game runs smoothly at 1440p/60fps on Switch 2, and the co-op options improve accessibility for less-skilled players. However, the experience is marred by repetitive, unimaginative map designs, forgettable music, and a notably weak story with bland characters. Despite these flaws, the reviewer ultimately gives the game a high score (8.4/10) because the core gameplay is so addictive that it overshadows all other issues, creating an experience that's too fun to put down.