Nintendo has revealed a ton of new details on Splatoon Raiders, with a specialized Direct presentation dedicated to the single-player spinoff.
The video delves deep into many of the game’s features, including enemies, gadgets, weapons, collectibles, multiplayer features, and more.
Treasure Hunting
The band Deep Cut, consisting of members Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, are on a quest to find treasure across the fog-shrouded Spirhalite islands. During their flight, a sudden burst of light forces them to make an emergency landing.
Players take control of The Mechanic, Deep Cut’s pilot, who joins the band to hunt for riches. The islands vary in their environments, ranging from beaches and swamplands to areas covered in lava and ice.
Players must fend off the hostile Salmonid creatures, while a member of Deep Cut controls the Exploration Bot – a robot that detects where treasure is hidden. Power Eggs obtained from Salmonids serve as energy for the Exploration Bot.
Lesser Salmonids
While not much of a threat individually, these regular enemies can attack in hordes to overwhelm the player. They include the following:
- Small Fry
- Chum
- Tong Chum
- Spring Chum
- Sparky
Boss Salmonids
These creatures are more of a challenge to defeat, with each having their own unique strengths and weaknesses. When a Boss Salmonids is defeated, it will drop a Mega Power Egg, which is worth 100 regular Power Eggs. They include the following:
- Scrapper
- Salty Tongue
- Salivator
- Smoker
Seasoned Salmonids
“The pinnacle of Salmonid evolution,” these giant monsters are the most powerful threat in the game. Seasoned Salmonids appear to be covered in salt, and the Direct narrator speculates that the “saltier” a Salmonid is, the stronger it is. They include the following:
- Minced Scrapper
- Thick-Cut Salty Tongue
- Big-Stack Stinger
Weapons, tanks, and gadgets
As with previous Splatoon games, players have an arsenal of weapons that blast ink in various ways. Ink is used to defeat enemies, and can be spread across the environment. By diving into it, players can refill their ammunition.
There are over 100 weapons to choose from, and they are sometimes dropped at random by defeated Salmonids. Weapons also have levels – the higher the level, the more powerful it is. Players can swap between weapons at the Hideout Ship.
The Mechanic will have an ink tank strapped to their back during raids, and these come in three varieties: the Speed Tank, Power Tank, and Tactical Tank.
The player can attach up to two Gadgets to a Tank, which provide the player with unique abilities. The types of Gadgets players can use depends on the Tank equipped.
The video showed the following examples:
Speed Tank
- Blast Boot
- Dash Bomb
- Booyarang
Power Tank
- Splatchet
- Splatellites
- Spinwheel
Tactical Tank
- Shot Pot
- Bombloons
- Tether Wail
Each time a Gadget is used, a cooldown timer will count down until it can be used again. They can also be customized with Gadget Parts, which are used to upgrade their abilities.
Leveling up, outfits, multiplayer, and more
Experience points are gained in every run, even when the player fails. These are used to upgrade skills and add new facilities to the Hideout Ship.
At the Mechanic’s Shack, players can upgrade their tank, and boost HP and damage output. Shiver’s Gadget Workshop can craft new Gadgets, while Frye’s Weapon Stash can be used to upgrade weapons or scrap them for materials.
Big Man catalogs research uncovered across each raid, and lets players view their Relic and Briny Scroll collections. He can also give players access to information on Salmonids, Gadgets, and Weapons.
Players will unlock more apparel and accessories as they progress so they can customize their outfit. Tapping Splatoon amiibo will unlock unique designs.
The difficulty level can be changed at any time via the Options menu, and modes include Tourist (easiest), Raider, and Survivalist (hardest). This will adjust how fierce the Salmonids are, but the loot obtained in each run is always the same regardless of the difficulty mode selected.
In multiplayer, up to four players can team up via local wireless or online play. When playing solo, players can also use the “Call for Help” feature, which invites another player into the game for help.
The assisting player can only help until the current raid ends, and the player must then wait a while before using the feature again. With this in mind, Call for Help is best saved for particularly tricky sections. Answering someone else’s Call for Help request will earn players extra rewards.
Finally, Salmonid Relics can be found across the adventure. These treasures will unlock unique abilities for the Mechanic.
Splatoon Raiders release date
Splatoon Raiders will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23rd. On the same day, Blue and Light Yellow Joy-Con 2 controllers, inspired by Splatoon characters Shiver and Frye, will also be released. You can pre-order your copy of the game at Amazon and GameStop today!
Check out more Splatoon content
Splatoon Raiders has unlockable amiibo costumes for players to wear
Blue and yellow Switch Joy-Con 2 announced, launching alongside Splatoon Raiders in July
Keys Factory to release new Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 accessories – cases, Joy-Con 2 covers, more
Leave a Comment
Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
