{"id":12781,"date":"2026-07-21T18:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=12781"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:00:31","slug":"splatoon-raiders-review-salmon-fishy-going-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=12781","title":{"rendered":"Splatoon Raiders review &#8211; salmon fishy going on"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305961715-7212.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29190557\" alt=\"Splatoon Raiders screenshot of Deep Cut\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Splatoon Raiders \u2013 we always preferred Callie and Marie (Nintendo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Nintendo<\/a> turns the Splatoon franchise into a primarily single-player game, based on the popular Salmon Run mode, but is it as much fun on your own as it is with friends?<\/p>\n<p>One day we hope not to start a Nintendo review with a commentary on their <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/10\/tuesdays-direct-opposite-nintendo-switch-2-needed-28720815\/\">strange decision-making<\/a> and perplexing priorities for the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo-switch-2\/\">Switch 2<\/a>. That day is not today, because the overriding thought with Splatoon Raiders is\u2026 why?<\/p>\n<p>Although it\u2019s had a more modest impact in the West, Splatoon is hugely successful in Japan, where 2022\u2019s Splatoon 3 became the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/09\/12\/splatoon-3-is-japans-biggest-video-game-launch-ever-17356836\/\">biggest video game launch ever<\/a> and where massive music concerts attract thousands of fans. The popularity is well deserved as, in the West, the games are sorely underappreciated, as highly original third person online shooters that are quite unlike anything else around (especially now clone <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/02\/08\/foamstars-review-progress-splatoon-free-ps5-20243125\/\">Foamstars<\/a> has been shut down).<\/p>\n<p>The problem with the Splatoon sequels is that they changed almost nothing about the original game, with <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/09\/07\/splatoon-3-review-an-inkling-of-trouble-17315156\/\">Splatoon 3<\/a> in particular having so little in the way of new content or ideas it\u2019d make <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/call-of-duty\/\">Call Of Duty<\/a> blush. You\u2019d therefore think Splatoon 4 would be an easy game to get ready for the Switch 2 launch, and an obvious priority, but no. Instead, we\u2019ve got Splatoon Raiders, a mostly single-player only game that also doesn\u2019t do anything new.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s tempting to assume that Splatoon Raiders was originally just DLC for Splatoon 3 that, in the usual Nintendo fashion, exceeded its original goals. But Splatoon 3 already has <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/02\/26\/splatoon-3-side-order-review-roguelike-dlc-not-a-damp-squid-20350793\/\">single-player DLC<\/a> and like the single-player modes for all the Splatoon games it\u2019s\u2026 okay. Splatoon was primarily designed as an online game and while simulating aspects of that gameplay in single-player can be relatively entertaining, it usually lacks the speed and intensity of the multiplayer modes.<\/p>\n<p>Splatoon Raiders\u2019 big idea is that it\u2019s trying to emulate the co-op Salmon Run mode, first introduced in <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2017\/07\/18\/splatoon-2-review-new-coat-of-paint-6788756\/\">Splatoon 2<\/a>, rather than the gameplay of the main competitive modes. Salmon Run is excellent, but it does ignore the paintball aspect of the other modes, so that your guns are used as more traditional third person weapons \u2013 although they still have the benefit of shooting ink, which you can travel in more quickly and use to refill your ammo.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The first missed opportunity for the game is that there\u2019s almost no story. You\u2019re an unnamed mechanic helping idol group Deep Cut to search for treasure, in order to get Splatsville out of a debt crisis. It\u2019s unclear why they thought there\u2019d be any treasure in the hidden archipelago they crash onto, but it turns out it\u2019s actually home to the Salmonids \u2013 the cannon fodder enemies from the Salmon Run mode. Not only is there virtually no plot but Deep Cut come across as entitled divas most of the time, which all seems a major missed opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Since there\u2019s no narrative to add structure, you end up just picking <em>raids<\/em> according to your current character level and how well that matches against the stated Salmonid threat. If you try and take a quick path through the game \u2013 by only completing the raids essential to opening up progress \u2013 you\u2019re quickly going to come up against ones that are almost impossible to beat. So in that sense there is level-grinding, but if you just play each raid in turn there\u2019s almost no need to repeat anything, until the post-game.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Splatoon Raiders, coming July 23rd! (Nintendo Switch 2)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A7jw8pBZs38?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>There are a number of different raid types, with the core story levels being similar to the single-player modes from previous Splatoon games. That means the map design is very linear and obvious, with slow and laborious progression that is nothing like the fast-paced excitement of the multiplayer. The variants where you\u2019re touring a small open world map, trying to collect enough Salmonid eggs to drill a crystal, whose shards are the main in-game currency, are a little more engaging, but only a little.<\/p>\n<p>You quickly begin to realise that Splatoon Raiders is at its best the closer it sticks to the Salmon Run formula, and the further away it gets from that the less interesting it becomes \u2013 including the optional dungeons that are puzzle-based assault courses meant to teach you how to use gadgets (we\u2019ll get to them in a moment). That said, the raids that are just a single-player variant of Salmon Run, either on one map or several that have to be completed in a row, are hugely entertaining.<\/p>\n<p>The gunplay and movement of Splatoon is superb, and always has been, with the optional gyro aiming working so well we miss it in every console-based shooter we play, especially because the PlayStation DualSense controller could use it if it chose to. Salmon Run\u2019s goals are very simple \u2013 collect a set number of eggs before the timer runs out \u2013 but it never gets old, either here or in the mainline games. But apart from some fun boss battles the only other part of Splatoon Raiders that\u2019s truly engaging is acquiring loot and upgrading your character and weapons.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305961710-8209.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29190562\" alt=\"Splatoon Raiders screenshot of combat\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Collecting Salmonid eggs was always the goal of Salmon Run (Nintendo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Your character has a limited set of stats and a level ranking, while the weapons have a level and, in rare cases, one or two buffs. The full range of weapon types from Splatoon 3 are included, from simple paint guns and buckets to paint rollers and paint-flinging swords. There\u2019s also a range of gadgets that can be upgraded with extra buffs and abilities, by either earning the upgrades as loot or crafting them with collected resources.<\/p>\n<p>The gadgets are the only new mechanic in the game and include an impressive variety of devices, from an auto turret and floating bombs that can be chain-linked together, to little paint satellites that rotate around you, various melee attacks, and a paint boomerang \u2013 plus a variety of gadgets to give you extra speed or jumping abilities. They\u2019re fun to use but apart from a super attack, that takes ages to build up, that\u2019s it in terms of genuinely new gameplay ideas.<\/p>\n<p>After an hour or so you unlock the ability to call in online players to help you on a map, otherwise you only get a member of Deep Cut piloting a dumpy little mech. While online co-op is fun, and turns the game into something even closer to the original Salmon Run, it\u2019s not really necessary to progress, as the game\u2019s not that challenging on standard difficulty. Although unusually for a Nintendo game there is a harder mode available from the start.<\/p>\n<p>Although everything is perfectly entertaining when you\u2019re playing the Salmon Run raids, which accounts for about half the game, none of the other stuff is particularly fun and the linear levels are downright boring. The game\u2019s not entirely full price, so Nintendo seem to recognise that this is something short of essential, but it\u2019s not cheap enough to really forgive anything.<\/p>\n<p>The best parts of Splatoon Raiders are highly enjoyable but it\u2019s still a very slight and thoroughly unnecessary game. It\u2019s a minor diversion, that for veterans of the series only makes the wait for Splatoon 4 more painful, while for those new to the franchise it\u2019s enough of a mixed offering to make them wonder what all the fuss was about in the first place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tSplatoon Raiders review summary\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p><strong>In Short: <\/strong>Salmon Run remains one of the great co-op experiences of the modern age but only a minimal effort has been expended in turning it into a single-player game, as Splatoon Raiders struggles to justify its existence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pros: <\/strong>The raids based around Salmon Run are extremely entertaining, with a wide range of different weapons and enemies. The new gadgets are all interesting and varied. Co-op is always fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cons:<\/strong> Very few new ideas. Linear levels are actively boring and there\u2019s virtually no story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Score:<\/strong> 6\/10<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Formats: Nintendo Switch 2<br \/>Price: \u00a341.99<br \/>Publisher: Nintendo<br \/>Developer: Nintendo EPD<br \/>Release Date: 23rd July 2026<br \/>Age Rating: 7<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305961501-9798.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29190558\" alt=\"Splatoon Raiders screenshot of main character\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Can we Splatoon 4 now, please? (Nintendo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/21\/splatoon-raiders-review-salmon-fishy-going-29184249\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GameCentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more stories like this,\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/entertainment\/gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Splatoon Raiders \u2013 we always preferred Callie and Marie (Nintendo) Nintendo turns the Splatoon franchise into a primarily single-player game, based on the popular Salmon Run mode, but is it as much fun on your own as it is with friends? One day we hope not to start a Nintendo review with a commentary on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305961708-1c69_1784635538.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}