Open to everyone who downloaded the free demo from the Nintendo eShop, the Splatoon Global Testfire gave Wii U owners three hour-long chances to play the game's multiplayer. Each hour-long opportunity was the same experience: pick your inkling, play the tutorial, pick your weapon set and jump right into multiplayer. The Splatoon Global Testfire offered four weapon sets to use, two maps to fight on and one mode to play. In between matches, you could play a retro-stylized Doddle Jump clone called Squid Jump.
After spending close to three hours with Splatoon, I found Splatoon's take on the multiplayer shooter to be a very enjoyable experience. Despite more developers focusing on team-based and asymmetrical skirmishes recently, the most popular entries in this genre try to make the player feel like a one-man army. On the opposite side of the fence, Splatoon's multiplayer only consists of four vs. four team battles, which focus on covering the battlefield with ink instead of blood. Focusing on teamwork and toned down violence makes Splatoon a more age-appropriate mutliplayer game than the military shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield that kids find ways to play. This focus also shows that multiplayer shooters don't need to be extremely violent in nature to be fun.
The first thing you will definitely notice upon loading up Splatoon are the controls. The controls are very similar to other shooters with the left analog stick to move, the right analog stick to look left and right, and the triggers for weapons. The difference comes with how you control looking up and down. Instead of mapping it to the right analog stick like most shooters, you control looking up and down by tilting the Wii U Gamepad in either direction. This control scheme can be jarring at first, but was easy to grasp after a few rounds. While I did get use to these unique controls, they don't work for every weapon in the game.
The controls fell apart when using the Splat Charger, a weapon that works much like a sniper rifle. Accuracy and precision are key when using this weapon, which makes aiming incredibly frustrating when the motion controls pick up every slight movement. I found out from friends and other sources that you can customize the controls, but the option was never made clear during the beta or through Nintendo's vast amount of promotion material.
Aside from the inconvenience, Splatoon plays great. The weapons have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Sub-weapons and special moves offer tactical options for changing the tide of battle. The instantaneous jump into the heat of battle activated by tapping the Gamepad eliminates the downtime of travelling. Plus, transforming into a squid to hide from foes or escape from danger is exhilarating.
The Splatoon Global Testfire offered two maps to play: Walleye Warehouse and Saltspray Rig. Both maps are symmetrical, but different in their design. Walleye Warehouse is built for close-combat with tight alleyways and few open areas, while Saltspray Rig is an open arena with multiple elevations and central platforms to battle over. Compared to other shooters, the maps are small and compact. The smaller maps increases the tension as your opponents is always close by. The tension is heightened by the lack of communication outside of a few preset phrases. While it creates a tense atmosphere, the lack of voice chat between teammate is a missed opportunity on Nintendo's part.
Apart from a few failures to initially connect to a game or connection errors, I had little to no problems with the Splatoon Global Testfire. The game's multiplayer looks to be shaping up nicely and I look forward to spending more time with it in the near future. With this successful test into public betas, hopefully Nintendo will use this method of testing for future projects. Maybe even give Wii U owners a few more chances to play Splatoon before launch. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
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