5 Game Modes Splatoon 2 Should Take From Other Shooters

Gun Game

Splatoon, and now Splatoon 2, are some of the most unique shooters to launch on any system in recent years, with their quirky sense of style and emphasis on controlling turf. Even with how unique the series is, there are still some key modes that Splatoon 2 could stand to take from other shooters and contemporaries. Of course, it wouldn’t fit the series if Nintendo didn’t find a way to specially adapt it. We’ll take a look at a few modes that should definitely make their way to Splatoon 2 in the future.

Gun Game is one of the most unique game modes to hit the Call of Duty series, featuring cycling weapons that have you using a different gun each time you get a kill. This is an idea that would be perfect for Splatoon, either as it’s used in Call of Duty or with a bit of a twist. Just imagine how hectic a match of Turf War would be with weapons cycling every 30 or 20 seconds. This would make the fast pace of each Splatoon match even more intense. The best way to do this would be to randomize the weapons so each player has something different at each point, but everyone uses the same weapons at every point during the match. Or even better, you’d need to randomize sub weapons and special powers. This means there’s a ton of different combinations possible, allowing for wild variation in just one match.

Splatoon at this point doesn’t have a team deathmatch mode to speak of, but this could be a unique way to introduce the mode to Nintendo’s shooter. Of course, cycling weapons would be just as novel in a turf war mode and add a layer of unpredictability into things.

Conquest

Splatoon maps are generally small and contained because of the game’s focus on quick and short matches. However, there’s no reason Splatoon couldn’t be a prime candidate for larger, more expansive matches as well. Particularly, something similar to the Conquest mode from Battlefield. This mode would require new larger maps than the ones Splatoon 2 currently has, with different zones and sections. They don’t need to be as large as the maps we’d see in something like Battlefield, and the mode could still use 4v4 teams.

A Splatoon version of Conquest would see one Inkling team attacking an area with another defending. The attacking team could have to ink a set amount of turf in the allotted time, while the defending team’s only goal is to keep the turf their color. If the attacking team can take over a significant portion of the area, they’ll move on to the next area. Of course you could go more Battlefield style, and just make the attacking team hold one or more specific areas to move on. The key is that the focus is Inking territory through multiple steps and phases.

Horde Mode/Tower Defense

Obviously Splatoon 2 already has a horde mode with the new Salmon Run, but this would be more of a traditional type of mode, similar to something you see in Gears of War. It would be nice to switch things up from collecting Salmonid eggs, and maybe go for an all out defense of certain areas. For this, Splatoon would need to create Ink machines, turrets, that help defend your areas and ink the field. Some turrets would directly attack enemies, some could function as radars to warn you, while others continuously ink areas to slow down enemies and allow you to swim. You could even introduce a brand new enemy type, or combine the forces of Salmonids and Octarians for even more variation.

A more traditional horde mode seems like a no-brainer, as it’d allow Splatoon 2 to introduce new enemies, weapons, and some unique gadgets for Inkling culture. Salmon Run is a much needed change from the Splatoon formula, but it’s still strange that it’s only available for limited time windows. Introducing another wildly different type of horde mode would mean Splatoon 2 could alternate between the two and have that type of co-op gameplay available at all times.

Search and Destroy

Search and Destroy is another trademark shooter mode, featured in Call of Duty, Battefield, and numerous other titles. As such, it seems like Splatoon 2 should implement some kind of mode like this, and there’s a perfect item to put as the objective – the Zapfish. These electric little creatures are the main objectives in Splatoon’s story mode, and they’re surrounded by a protective barrier that you have to ink and explode. This could be taken one step further by significantly upping the creature’s shields, and making the Zapfish a kind of bomb that an attacking team has to attack and capture.

The best way to put a Splatoon spin on this would be for the Zapfish to move around the map constantly, inking areas as it goes. This would create a more mobile game that has both teams darting around the battlefield, while adding another variable into inking turf with the Zapfish. Another alternative on this mode would be a Zapfish that one team member could pick up and move, but like the Rainmaker it would alter their ability to move and shoot. Either direction you go with Splatoon 2, there’s some real potential for a Search and Destroy type mode.

Free-For-All

Splatoon is an entirely team-focused game, and that’s great, but at some point it’d be nice to shake things up a little bit with some new options. Salmon Run was a good horde-like variation, and now Splatoon 2 could definitely use some kind of free-for-all mode. Maps would need to be condensed a little bit, maybe half the size of what the game has now. However, eight players running around all with different colored ink would be insane, as well as a visual treat for the eyes. You could do a straight up deathmatch like in other shooters, but really Splatoon’s strength lies in its turf war game mode, and that’s just where a free-for-all would fit.

This would have to be a casual mode, of course, as having eight players all gunning for turf would be hard to keep completely organized for a Ranked match. As a fun, hectic alternative to Turf War, however, free-for-all would be pitch perfect.