Welcome to Games for Breakfast, a new feature series here on BagoGames!
Games for Breakfast, written by Features Editor Angelo De Bellis, is a daily opinion piece of about 250-500 words—I gotta keep it brief—that engages topical game news. Every new post will go live at 9am EST so that you can grab your cup of coffee and read a brief account of a particular gamer’s take on the latest goings-on in the industry.
With the news over the weekend about a Splatoon 2 beta coming in late March, I began thinking about the unsung hero in the original Splatoon: the campaign.
Before the launch of Splatoon, you’d have a hell of a time finding any indication that Nintendo’s new multiplayer-focussed IP would have at least a decent campaign. At the time, I don’t even remember if I knew there was going be a campaign. And could you blame me? In much the same way that Nintendo hid the fact that the Switch touchscreen supports multi-touch, they are sometimes reluctant to tell us about even the greatest of features in their new products.
Luckily, in the case of Splatoon, that tight-lipped coyness was what made the campaign all the better. I’m not much of a multiplayer guy, but I thought I’d give Nintendo a chance with Splatoon—I mean, they were jumping into the shooter universe so I was curious to see if it’d be a splat. When I discovered the single-player component, which was hidden in the slums of the city as if it were just some simple side portion/microtransaction-hungry addition to the game, I was amazed to find a full-on platformer experience. The level design wasn’t unlike something you’d find a Mario title, definitely well-crafted and filled with creative enemies and parkourable ledges. If you’ve spent any time with the campaign, you’ll know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, why not give it a try before the sequel releases?
I sincerely hope that Nintendo does plan another campaign for Splatoon 2—that’s what the announcement of the Splatoon 2 beta conjured in my introverted, campaign-thirsty mind. How about you: do you look forward to playing the beta? Did you like the campaign in Splatoon, and are you interested in a second round?