On July 4th, 2015, Nintendo gave the United States of America a nice 239th birthday gift: the first Splatfest in Splatoon. I know this sounds like a first outing in a porno, but rest assured it’s nothing like that. Now to be one hundred percent honest, I’ve not been as hardcore of a squid as some of my friends. I’ve dabbled here and there with the game, enjoying what I play, and really hoping for a Super Mario Sunshine 2. I have played enough multiplayer and single player to know that once I beat Arkham Knight my time and focus will be drawn to Splatoon and all the colorful goofiness that it oozes.
The multiplayer’s pretty standard in Splatoon; you and three other squids take on another group of four to cover as much of the map in paint. Yes, this multiplayer isn’t about killing and teabagging your downed opponent; it’s about painting as much as possible in the time allotted. Splatoon gives you fun quick matches that you can squeeze in before work or after supper. What makes them even better for someone who dabbles in multiplayer from time to time is the fact that there is no 12-year-old telling me how great my mother was in bed last night. That’s right folks, there’s no voice-chat in any Splatoon matches, and that’s what puts this multiplayer game over any other right now…the lovely silence while playing.
I fired up my Wii U in my America shirt and America shorts and jumped into my squid form. Once I was released into the main area I had to choose my team: Team Dog or Team Cat. Being allergic to cats and seeing how sneaky those bastards are, I went with dogs. I checked my equipment to make sure I had the splatiest of weapons and ran for the lobby. From there, I jumped into the Splatfest where I was paired with three other dog lovers to face off against friends of the feline variety.
Then some disappointment set in. I figured there would be different game options or perhaps more opponents to fell. I was wrong on both counts. There were no huge eight on eight or twelve on twelve matches, and the maps were no bigger or different. The only difference that I could see is that as you level up as a squid, you level up as a Dog Lover.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the matches I played and the fact that I was Splatting cat lovers, the game was the same one I could have played the day before without the animal inclusion. I know this was the first Splatfest of many that Nintendo will be allowing us to participate in, but I felt it was a tad rushed.
I’m hoping the next Splatfest I get to partake in will have bigger teams; that’s what the title indicates to me. Splatfest should be a huge massive paint fest over a huge massive map. This would be insanely and massively fun. I’m looking forward to the next Splatfest announcement, and the new maps that Nintendo will soon be releasing for this very fun and very unique shooter.