Global Test Fire

Well this took longer than expected but here's my Splatoon blog! The Splatoon Direct didn't reveal much we didn't already know, if you've been following the splatoon Facebook page that is. The Global Test Fire event however, allowed everyone to play Splatoon's Turf Wars mode for three hours, so what went down?

Turf wars

Splatoons main multiplayer mode is simple; 2 teams of 4 players compete to cover as much ground as possible with their ink before the enemy does. Defeating enemies offers no points, but your characters special abilities will charge much faster, which is imperative if you wish to gain the upper hand. The nature of Turf Wars encourages you to explore the map, making age-old pastimes like camping redundant as you won't benefit your team. Turf Wars is fast, fun and refreshing in what has been a stale genre in recent years.

Setting the Stage

Nintendo offered 2 maps to play during the global test fire, Walleye Warehouse and Saltspay Rig.

Walleye Warehouse has lots of maze like corridors with an open area in the middle, encouraging mayhem between the two teams as they battle for turf. There's also an upper level to allow for sneak attacks and the opportunity to claim a little extra turf that may just give the edge to victory. The only problem with Walleye Warehouse is that when one team takes the upper hand and forces the opposing team back toward their own base, turning the tables is almost impossible.

Saltspray Rig is a collection of walkways and platforms in the shape of a squid. The two teams start on opposite tentacles and work their way towards the head. It's a great map as there's opportunities for sniping, but make sure to watch your step as you can fall from the stage and into the sea.

Weapons

Splatoon has 4 weapons to choose from, each with their own secondary weapon and special ability. First the Splattershot JR; a small automatic weapon useful for scouting and defending an area from opposing forces. Along with this comes some powerful grenades and a bubble shield which can be shared to allies upon contact.

Next the Splattershot, another automatic which feels more like the default weapon (much more balanced). This comes bundled with water bombs (ink-bombs?) as a secondary weapon, and your special ability allows you to throw flurries of ink-bombs for about ten seconds.

The Splat Charger is a rifle that covers quite a bit of ground when claiming turf, but I found it incredibly tricky use, especially in close combat situations. Splat Charger users also come equipped with the same grenades as the Splattershot JR and you can throw flurries of them as your special ability.

Finally we have the Splat Roller, which is turning out to be a controversial weapon in Splatoon because it's hideously unbalanced but great fun to use.  You can claim great swathes of turf by rolling it along the ground or flinging it to claim vertical turf. It's really a melee weapon so you've got get in close to defeat your enemies, but once you do they go down instantly. The secondary weapon is a suction bomb however, I couldn't see much difference between this and the grenade. The special ability allows you summon an immense speaker that blasts some funky tunes, and throwing ink into the sound wave allows you cover huge areas of turf and defeat enemies.

All in all Splatoon is shaping up to be a brilliant shooter and a must-have title for the Wii U. There's still a few things to tweak as we slowly make our way towards launch, the Splat Roller in particular, but with free DLC, tons of unlockables, and not to mention the single player campaign; Splatoon is going to have you hooked for a LONG time.

The Global Test Fire is happening again on May 23rd, hope to see you on the battlefield!