Nintendo keeps making shooters more friendly and approachable - The Verge

What the report says

The Verge reports that Nintendo’s Splatoon Raiders is set to launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23, offering a new direction for the long-running shooter series. In a review, Andrew Webster describes the game as a solo-friendly take on the looter-shooter format associated with titles such as Destiny and Borderlands, while retaining Splatoon’s colorful, ink-based action.

Unlike earlier Splatoon games, which centered mainly on competitive team battles, Raiders shifts the focus to missions, gear collection and repeated runs through increasingly difficult stages. The Verge says players take on the role of a mechanic whose craft crash-lands on a chain of islands, joining members of the in-game pop group Deep Cut to build a base, explore, fight enemies, gather treasure and look for a way home.

The review says the familiar Splatoon mechanics remain central: players use ink-based weapons, move quickly by swimming through ink, and rely on constant motion to survive. Raiders adds loot progression, weapon upgrades, powers, boss fights and levels that can be completed alone or in cooperative play with up to four players. The Verge highlights customization as a key part of the experience, noting that the game encourages players to test different weapons and abilities rather than settle into one approach.

The broader significance, according to The Verge, is that Nintendo is applying Splatoon’s accessible design philosophy to another shooter subgenre. The review frames Raiders as a more approachable alternative to grind-heavy or live-service looter shooters, arriving at a time when many online shooters are struggling to sustain audiences.