[timestamp] is a running journal and reflection on the games I play, news I’ve read, and commentary on hot topics and conversations I have come across. These will be free to read online and printed in a limited monthly edition for $15/mo Patreon supporters!

Games played: Splatoon Raiders (Switch 2)

Splatoon Raiders really has that “live service” feel, and I really think the game could be better if it actually leaned more into it, honestly. Live service games, I feel, are now just the butt of jokes and a synonym for failure, but this is such a bummer for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, a game designed to just nickel-and-dime a player out of cash with little reward or value for that investment is a terrible idea, and definitely predatory. But not all live service games are that. I think back on the first few years of Destiny and Destiny 2, and that was a game that I was fully connected with. The money I spent on the expansions, I thought, was well-paced and worth the investment. I continued to play the quote-unquote same game for over a thousand hours in Destiny, and hundreds more in Destiny 2. I only quit playing because my core group all moved on to other games, but I was still locked in.

Splatoon Raiders is designed for replayability. You are encouraged to replay levels for more rewards, increasing the difficulty for a higher challenge and a chance for random loot, which can be new weapons, trinkets, and resources to build and invest in new items at your HQ. The extra traits on your new weapons are random, and there are plenty of trinket parts to keep finding across all your gadgets. I can easily see this game adding two new weapon families, a new tank, 10 new stages, a new boss type, and increasing the max level, along with a new tier of spicy stages for the old levels, packaging that all up, and selling it for $20. This is something I would be way into buying.

The only drawback is that as much as the foundation is there in its design, the game also does NOT want to be a live service title. There are no groups or parties. There is no invite system outside of playing with registered friends. There is no public chat support. The fact that your player character only has so many cosmetic variants to choose from to make your avatar unique to others is another sign that the roadmap isn’t there for an experience like I am hoping for long term.

If they saw this as more than a looter-shooter-inspired game, and an actual live service game, there could be a roadmap for the future. There could be a whole extra tier of difficulty, like a Destiny raid-style challenge, with a longer stage designed to test not just you, but a group of players. The levels can combine challenging your platforming skills as a group while battling off waves of enemies, then ending it with an ultra boss. As it is, the game still has a strong loop, and enough to engage with for its cost, but I can just see how there could be so much more, and why would anyone want to quit playing a game if it is still so much fun?

The progression I made today put me right at the door of the endgame. I have maxed out all three tanks. I am currently finishing maxing out my bond with my last buddy, and I am at the center of the map where a final battle could be, or a penultimate battle before some last challenges appear. I have been jumping into a ton of missions to help others for the extra experience and levels before I take a dive into the ??? In the center. I was about to play it before I shut it off for the day, but the game limits how often you can “call for help,” which is the game’s way of matchmaking with strangers for three-player battles. I know this is a single-player-focused game, but it is so much fun with three raiders all dropping unique gadgets and melting away the waves of enemies. I didn’t want to hop into it solo, so I am walking away for now, and I’ll take on that stage sometime later.

I have gone full completionist mode and am clearing all levels, treasure hunts, raids, and challenges on the map as I move along. Only one gave me any grief, and after I found the speed tanks’ flywire and bomb jump skills, I was able to clear the raid as the game designed it. I am just feeling a little bummed that I may be reaching the end, and if this is it, I don’t know how I'll keep grinding away at it once I hit max level and max out my trinkets and gadgets. With no more carrots to chase, it will just be what it is. But still, that is a wildly fun game, and I have very few issues with it. Nintendo, if you want to chat or consult with me, I’d love to give you ideas on how I can give you more money to keep playing!