The sequel to one of Nintendo’s newest IP’s is out and splatting screens everywhere. Splatoon 2 is the Nintendo Switch followup to the 2015 third-person team shooter Splatoon. Does it build on the original with meaningful additions, or is it a glorified port? Our review roundup is here to help you figure that out.
Most reviews are weighing in around a solid 8 out of 10. Common thoughts point out Splatoon 2 added some great content and features while maintaining the unfortunate online issues from the series’ first installment. You’ll find new weapons, gear, and abilities, along with an expanded single-player campaign and new horde mode called Salmon Run, in which a team of players take on waves of Salmonid enemies and collect their eggs.
Below is a list of some major outlets’ review scores and main thoughts. Be sure to click the links to read the full reviews if you want even more detailed opinions on the game.
Destructoid: 8.5/10
“If you’re the type of person who tried Splatoon for a little while and gave up, Nintendo hasn’t done a whole lot to change your mind outside of adding a horde mode. But with more concessions for higher-level play and a deeper meta, veterans will be jumping ship from Wii U to Switch in an instant. Here’s hoping that Splatoon 2 gets even more long-term support and Salmon Run is free of the shackles of a “once in a while” event for those of you who don’t have multiple Switches at your disposal.”
Polygon: 8.0/10
“What the first Splatoon did well is still built into the sequel’s barnacle-encrusted DNA, and now it’s on a system that you can stuff in your bag or play on the couch. It’s baffling that Splatoon 2’s best feature is held back by a frustrating lack of proper online support, and in many ways, it’s the same game with some new tricks. But there are still enough imaginative additions for anyone who played the first game to death, especially via its strange, captivating supporting cast. It may be much more of the same, but the same is still pretty fresh.”
NintendoLife: 10/10
“Splatoon 2 is just about everything you could ask for from a sequel. It builds on everything the original set up and then some; almost every single major issue people had with the first game has been resolved, showing that Nintendo is genuinely listening and wants to deliver the absolute best experience possible. It maintains the freshness you’d expect and throws in countless big and small changes and additions, every one of them for the better. Anyone who says Nintendo can’t do online should be eating their words right now; Splatoon 2 is simply inkredible and continues Nintendo’s trailblazing first year of Switch stunners.”
GameSpot: 8/10
“At first glance, Splatoon 2 seems very similar to the first game. But all the small changes, and even the bigger ones in single player and League Battles, make for a fresh take on the already unique shooter. If you played a lot of the original, the sequel has enough to keep you coming back, and if you’re new to the game, it’s a fantastic place to jump in.”
Eurogamer: Recommend
“By any reasonable measure, this is a better game than its predecessor, and not just on quantity alone. It no longer benefits from the shock of the new – for that, you have to look towards the outstanding Arms – but it’s most definitely an improvement on what remains one of Nintendo’s finest games in many a year. It was only inevitable, though, that this one was never going to feel quite as fresh.”