Videogame Playlist: Splatoon

by John Lora

If you have a Wii U, you probably own this game, and if you don’t, FOR SHAME! While there were some hiccups at the beginning, Splatoon has made its way to being one of the best and most creative third-person shooters in 2015. This may be a shock at first as the words Nintendo and shooter usually don’t meet often, but when they do, they can make quite an explosion, like Metroid Prime. This time around, you aren’t exactly a badass space mercenary hunting down aliens: in Splatoon, you’re a cartoony, shapeshifting squid-child that shoots ink. So… just a little different.

The main gameplay mode of Splatoon is a multiplayer setting, where your goal is to cover the map with more of your paint than the opposing team. The mechanics allow you to shapeshift from a bipedal squidkid to a squid that can swim through paint at high speeds making for quick transportation and sneaking up on enemies. This game is bright, colorful, creative, competitive, and downright fun. The only problem, as with any multiplayer-based shooter, is the tunes get old fast, but I’m here to help scratch that itch for you.

Splatoon’s tone is reminiscent of some themes in anime. For example, the scoreboard cat, who waves flags to announce the winner, reminds me of Korin from Dragon Ball. There’s more in common than animated cats, though. Splatoon and certain types of anime have a flair for the outrageous but maintain a strong core mechanic or emotion that keeps you invested in the medium. So while you’re shooting off a cannon of ink or slipping and sliding through the stuff, let the epic guitar riffs, upbeat drummin’, and major-key mania of Japanese Pop/Rock guide you to flag-wielding-cat victory.