>>FULL REVIEW
Splatoon has always controlled too well to be trapped inside one type of game.
That is what makes Raiders interesting.
Nintendo took the shooting, ink movement and bizarre weapon design that normally power competitive multiplayer and built a PvE progression game around them. It sounds like the kind of spin-off that could easily feel like a side mode stretched far beyond its limits.
Instead, it makes me wonder why Nintendo waited this long.
Moving through your own ink still separates Splatoon from basically every other third-person shooter. One second you are shooting enemies and covering the floor, the next you disappear into that ink to reposition, recover and reload. That rhythm works just as naturally against PvE encounters as it does against another team of players.
Raiders then gives you a reason to keep messing with it.
Missions reward equipment and upgrades that allow actual builds rather than tiny percentage bonuses nobody notices. Different Ink Tanks favor different approaches, weapons already behave completely differently from one another, and gadgets create another layer to experiment with. The progression gradually opens enough possibilities that finding something new can change how you approach the next mission.
The structure is also surprisingly easy to settle into. Missions are short enough that playing for half an hour feels worthwhile, which suits the Switch 2 perfectly. When you have more time, the constant stream of upgrades makes it dangerously easy to run one more mission.
Co-op improves it further. Up to four players can tackle the PvE content together, and Splatoon's weapons naturally create useful roles without forcing everyone into traditional tank-healer-damage boxes.
Raiders does not completely escape repetition. Some mission ideas are reused more than I would like and certain locations never become as memorable as Splatoon's best campaign stages. The story gets the job done but is nowhere near the main reason I would recommend playing. Critics who came away less impressed often pointed specifically to simplistic missions and the game taking too long to reveal its deeper systems.
I understand that criticism more than the score might suggest. The beginning does not immediately show how interesting the progression will become.
Once it opens up, though, Raiders is excellent.
Performance helps tremendously. The game maintains the smoothness Splatoon needs even when the screen becomes a complete mess of enemies, projectiles and ink. Its art direction remains loud without becoming difficult to read and Switch 2 gives all of that color a cleaner presentation than the series has had before.
Public opinion has been exceptionally positive, particularly among players rather than critics. That does not automatically make every complaint wrong, but it fits the game I see here: Splatoon fans are finding more to love in Raiders than someone evaluating it as another looter shooter might.
If you have always liked Splatoon but eventually got tired of competing against people who seemingly have not put their controller down since 2015, Raiders might be exactly the version of this series you wanted.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Players who love how Splatoon controls but would rather build a character and fight through PvE missions than spend every night competing in Turf War.
SKIP IT IF
Competitive multiplayer is the entire reason you play Splatoon or repetitive loot-driven progression loses you quickly.
