Nintendo's Kid-Friendly FPS Is a Messy Good Time

First, some table-setting: Splatoon is particularly interesting since it's Nintendo's first real response to the wild success of shooters like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Halo. In other words, the kind of violent games traditionally unavailable on Nintendo's more wholesome consoles.

While the ESRB rating for Splatoon is still pending, we're guessing it'll be 100% family friendly. After all, this is a shooter where bullets and realistic grenades are replaced with paint-firing super soakers and bouncy, triangular bombs.

Players aim using the WiiU tablet's built-in gyroscopic sensor—a choice that makes the game accessible even to young children. And the objective is something everyone can get behind: Covering everything in paint.

Four-person teams are populated by cutesy characters with identical stats and attributes. That may turn hyper-competitive gamers away from the game, though it contributes to Splatoon's overarching focus on fun.

We played a two-round match in the "Turf War" game mode. Two teams (orange and blue, reminiscent the Portal games) faced off on a semi-symmetrical map with the goal of covering the ground in as much of their team's paint as possible.

Gameplay is made slightly more complicated by the fact that characters can transform into fast-swimming squid at will, traveling quickly and silently over ground dominated by their team's paint. If squid run into the opposing team's paint, however, they get stuck.

Much of the relevant information, such as the map progress or teammate positions, is relegated to the WiiU's tablet controller. The screen updates in real time, feeding information about unpainted areas of the map, or heavily contested spots.

This allows your TV screen to provide an uninterrupted view of all the carnage. The WiiU is Nintendo's first full-HD console, and Splatoon takes full advantage. It's bright, vibrant, and fast-moving. It looks great.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that my team (the Orange team, or "Good Guys") lost badly in both rounds. I had no trouble spraying paint with reckless abandon, but when it came to fending off other players and steering clear of their bombs, I was at a loss.

Unlike more competitive shooters, however, Splatoon doesn't taunt players with replays or death-cams. You simply respawn, and a chubby cat (oh, Nintendo...) encourages you to get back in the game.

Outside of its unique position as one of Nintendo's only new original titles in years, Splatoon also stands alone as one of the only family-friendly, fast-paced action/strategy games on the market. It should be a great alternative for parents unwilling to buy their kids titles featuring visceral, realistic combat and hyper-competitive game mechanics.

By stripping the genre down to its core elements—fluid physics, a responsive movement system, and unique weaponry—Nintendo may just have proved that the "S" in FPS isn't as necessary as everyone thinks.

Fancy yourself something of an artist with a paint gun? Splatoon releases exclusively for Nintendo's WiiU console this May.

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Meet the tester

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

@Koanshark

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

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