Friday was a rough day for me. I had been looking forward to Splatoon 2 for so long (it is, in fact, the main reason I have a Switch right now), but I couldn’t get used to the DAMN NEW CONTROLS. The Joy Con Grip was nowhere near as comfy as some had said, the new right joystick position was crimping (and cramping) my style, and the X button…
Ah, the X button.
Years of being used to X being the jump button upended in a single day. Now when I tried to do a daring jump out of the ink into firing position, I would bring up the map instead, obscuring the whole screen and making myself easy target practice for the other team.
Let’s just say that I was not happy.
Fortunately, the last few days have seen me starting to relearn my muscle memory. The grip is a bit more comfortable now, and I only hit the map button 50% of the time instead of 100% of the time. I’m starting to figure out the new subs and specials, and I unlocked my beloved Aerospray (but I don’t get the variant until Level 28?!). The map design is excellent and exciting to learn (or re-learn based on the tweaks to Port Mackerel).
I’m a bit underwhelmed by the music, which seems uniformly restrained and “cool” compared to the boisterous chaos of the first game. Even the remixes make me pine for the originals (I suspect it’s unlikely, but it would be great if they became available later, even if paid DLC). And I’m still mad that even the lame same-system local multiplayer option was removed instead of expanded. I know everyone loves to sit around with their multiple systems in Japan, but that leaves me and my kids out in the cold. Our love of playing Splatoon together just isn’t worth another $720.
But much of the charm is still there, which is a big part of the appeal to me. I’ve played a few rounds of Salmon Run, and that looks like it will be a great alternative to the campaign. And the Turf Wars are as addictive as ever.
But, really, Nintendo, the X button? I know the B button is now closer to the right stick, but the B button did NOTHING in the first game. It could EASILY have been the map button, and then no one would have to relearn anything! C’MON!