Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Like its ink-splattered predecessor, Splatoon 2 retains the "Jet Set Radio" 90s 'tude, and it's as fluid and colorful as ever. Except this time around, the designers opt for darker, more unsettling imagery, almost like an avant-garde film. It's quirky and peculiar for sure, but it's also difficult to say whether the departure marks an improvement. The engine is crisp and the stages aesthetically appealing, though they do still suffer from the somewhat aliased look of the first release.

The game's soundtrack follows the direction set by the visuals; yes, the songs still have the goofy "fish voice" vocals of the original-- but the compositions themselves this time are offsetting mixtures of drum and bass, techno, and even hip-hop. The risk taking is commendable, but it just doesn't come close to reaching the iconic and memorable stature of the first game. At least the sound effects are still wonderfully functional.

Splatoon 2 is a straight engine lift-and-shift to the Switch hardware: consequently the mechanics, from the control scheme to the "feel" of the physics, are totally untouched; why fix what isn't broken? New to the mix is a cooperative "Call of Duty" zombie-style invasion mode, plus the ability to play actual turf war matches on a local network, with another nearby Switch player. Some of the new abilities are interesting, such as homing missiles and an ink-powered hover backpack.

The first game had single player-- goofy, "Blasto"-style floating islands-- clearly bolted on as a last-minute afterthought. Fair enough. But why replicate that dour experience here, when it could have been re-thought completely? On top of that, try as they might, the game's new stylistic sensibilities just never really gain traction. The core multiplayer gameplay is still as good as ever though, and the new horde mode is fun, if a match can ever be found in it. On the balance then, Splatoon 2 is a lateral move from its Wii U-borne forefather, if not a slight step backwards.