Nintendo just dropped something a little different for ink fans. Splatoon Raiders is out today, July 23rd, exclusively on Switch 2, and it reworks the franchise into a single-player-focused, co-op PvE looter-shooter.
That's a real departure from the competitive ink arenas the series built its name on. You play as the Mechanic, exploring the Spirhalite Islands with Deep Cut (Shiver, Frye, and Big Man) riding along as your support crew, and the enemies are the franchise's ever-present Salmonids.
Tanks, Gadgets, And The Loot Grind
The tank system is the heart of it. You pick from three loadout styles - a Speed tank for mobility, a Power tank for close-range fights, and a Tactical tank for battlefield control - and slot two gadgets into each (a third unlocks later).
Gadgets are where the looter-shooter part kicks in. You collect gadget parts out in the field and use them to crank up damage, fire rate, duration, and effects like knockback and explosions, so your build comes together piece by piece. Expeditions task you with timed Power Egg collection, map-wide crystal gathering to fire up drilling machines, and wave survival, then you haul your loot back to the Hideout Ship to craft and upgrade before the next run.
Three difficulty modes - Tourist, Raider, and Survivalist - are swappable any time, and here's a nice touch: the loot drops stay the same across all three, so cranking the challenge only changes how hard the enemies hit, not your rewards.
The campaign is built to be played alone, but you can bring in up to four players online or via local wireless. It runs on a Monster Hunter-style assist model: drop into someone else's game to help out, or fire off a call for backup yourself, with the assisting player earning weapons, gadget parts, and materials for pitching in. Difficulty scales to your party size automatically.
A quick heads-up on the essentials: it's $49.99 on the eShop or $59.99 physical, it's a 13.1 GB download, and online co-op needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Splatoon amiibo unlock cosmetic outfits, with a new Deep Cut Raider set landing alongside the game.
Are The Reviews Any Good?
They are. Splatoon Raiders sits at an 80 on Metacritic and an 81 on OpenCritic, right in line with the mainline entries. Nintendo Life and IGN both handed it a 9 out of 10, with Nintendo Life calling it "possibly the most variable and exciting game the series has ever offered." The Guardian was the notable holdout at 2 out of 5, so it isn't a total clean sweep, but the consensus is strong.
Producer Seita Inoue framed the whole pitch simply: the team "thought it might be interesting to create something with a slightly different approach to gameplay, where you can really savour the action on your own," per Nintendo's developer interview.
So, is a co-op loot grind the direction you wanted Splatoon to go, or were you holding out for a straight-up Splatoon 4? Jumping in solo or rounding up a squad?
Let us know in the comments below!