My honest thoughts on the state of Splatoon 1 now, (and the Inkopolis Plaza DLC)

So, if you've spoken to me once you'll know I've been playing Splatoon since the first game on the Wii U. I was apart of the fandom then, at least on Amino (so cringe I know).

I still play the first game, and honestly, I'm only playing 3 now because of the catalogs. I do love 3, though, it's great. I dropped 2 basically entirely after the finalfest, but I didn't really like 2 anyway. The best part of the game always will just be OE.

3 is very great though! 3 is much closer to 1 than 2 ever was, at least in my opinion. 2 just feels so weird to me. So out of place.

Well, moving on. I'll stop the 2 slander. For now.

Splatoon 1 is definitely not a game I'd recommended playing now if you never played it back in 2015/2016. I think it's true glory was shown during it's "life", it's just a shell of what it once was now. The only people who play it now are people who are either pretty serious about the game... aka level 50 Japanese players, western newbies and also, a shit ton of hackers. Hackers are fucking everywhere. The strategies and controls are hugely different too, due to the bulkiness of the Gamepad and the overall lag that will happen (especially when someone activates a bomb rush).

Ranked battles feel dull, but maybe that's because I'm stuck in the Bs. Even then, I really don't think they're any better on other ranks, C is boring like always, at least from what I saw about a year ago maybe? B is boring too. I'm sure all the excitement is at A but really I can't be bothered to spend all that time trying to raise my rank when the battles are boring. Turf is where all the excitement is in Splatoon 1.

All the hackers I've ever seen in 1 were in turf/regular battles. So really if you're playing 1 just only play turf. It takes too long for you to even get into battles to, so really just do Turfs because they are way more entertaining. I'm assuming it takes longer for ranked battles, at least now, due to the lack of hackers (from what I've seen) and the ranking system. I remember about a year or two ago, ranked battles were quick fast to get into. I haven't properly played since 3 came out, but I do remember they seem even slower than they did before. It seems like most people are just... Moving on? Maybe? Splatoon 3 is reintroducing a lot of 1 stuff, and introducing some nice new mechanics. Combine that with the Eshop closure, and... Yeah. You can see the problem.

I could say more, but I'll limit it. The summary is: Can't have shit in Inkopolis Plaza. At least....

The original form of the Plaza.

The DLC is really exciting to me. It may seem like a waste to some, but as someone who would literally ditch everything to get the true Splatoon 1 experience back, this is so exciting! It's nice that newer fans to the series, such as the wave of newbies that came with 3's release, get to the see Plaza. And in an actually active game with actually balanced gameplay mechanics! (Seriously, splash wall could kill and Kraken really isn't worth the hype after it's nerf(s).)

OK, just imagine I talked about everything, and gave it praise, because that is exactly what I think of it. I don't want to bore anyone who is for some reason reading all of this?

However, I've got to talk about what I dislike.

First of all, the dojo being missing is really upsetting. It was expected, it's just upsetting. Same goes for the lack of the arcade machine (mini games), from at least from what I've seen, and the huge probability we won't get Octo Valley. I think these things actually hugely impacted the feel of 1, it just made the game stand out from the other two games. But, oh well, Inkopolis Plaza is basically like a free preorder bonus, so I can't complain too much. And it is quite literally just a hub reskin.

I guess I should probably end this. I'm so excited to finally see the Squid Sisters preform again without having to use amiibo! Hopefully their amiibos will keep their original function, though.... I suppose I shouldn't really be mad if they don't though, since it's expected. I could keep going on, but I won't.

Well, see ya! And, enjoy the Inkopolis Plaza DLC. When it comes out this month. I know I will.

:)