5 Things Splatoon Has That Splatoon 2 Doesn’t

The sequel is improved in many ways, but the original game still has unique things going for it.

Most of what the original Splatoon had to offer on the Nintendo Wii U was brought over to Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch. Concepts and inclusions from the first game were improved upon in a variety of ways, making the sequel more appealing overall. But there were a few things that didn’t make the transition to Splatoon 2. Because of that, players might want to go back and play the original game even today.

Free Online Multiplayer

It may not seem like much, especially since a Nintendo Switch Online subscription only costs $20.00 USD per person, per year. But to some folks, paying extra money each year to play a game they already purchased is a significant consideration, especially for a luxury item like video games.

Unlike the Nintendo Switch, the Wii U did not charge any kind of fee outside of your usual internet bill in order to play its games online. So the first Splatoon is possible to play online without having to pay anything extra.

Local Multiplayer On A Single Console

Splatoon 2 added more robust local multiplayer options than the original Splatoon had. By entering The Shoal area of the map, players are able to enjoy local multiplayer matches in Turf Wars, Splat Zones, Rainmaker, Tower Control, and Clam Blitz modes, as well as a special Splatfest-themed Turf Wars variation. Even Salmon Run, the new game mode for the sequel, is playable locally without needing an active internet connection. If you have enough other players that meet the necessary requirements, you can have local matches with up to 8 people simultaneously, or up to 4 people at a time in Salmon Run.

The original Splatoon only had a single mode for local multiplayer, called Battle Dojo, and two players would compete to see who could pop the most balloons in a given time limit. The weapon and stage selection were limited, and the gameplay options and variety were slim, but Battle Dojo had one big advantage that Splatoon 2 doesn’t. Two players could play together on a single Wii U system and only needed one copy of Splatoon, with one person playing on the Wii U gamepad, and the other using a second controller to play on a TV.

Not only is Splatoon 2 missing the balloon-themed Battle Dojo mode from the first game, but it also requires each player to have their own Nintendo Switch console and their own copy of Splatoon 2 in order to play any of the local multiplayer modes.

Sub Weapons, Special Weapons, And Gear Abilities

There were quite a few changes made to the special weapons, sub weapons, and gear abilities between Splatoon and Splatoon 2. For the most part, the changes helped to balance Splatoon 2 better overall compared to Splatoon. Fans may have felt disappointed to learn that some of their favorite aspects from the first game wouldn’t be returning.

All of the special weapons from the first Splatoon game were left behind in favor of completely new specials. Some were functionally similar to their past incarnations, like the Splashdown special being the replacement for the Inkstrike, or the Ink Armor replacing the controversial Bubbler special from the first game. Players have to go back to the original Splatoon if they want to experience the Kraken, Bubbler, Inkstrike, Inkzooka, or even the humble Echo Locator specials.

Most sub weapons from Splatoon made the transition over to Splatoon 2. The Disruptor sub weapon was replaced by the functionally similar Toxic Mist in Splatoon 2, but perhaps the biggest change was the original Splatoon’s Seeker sub weapon. Seekers laid down a trail of ink in front of players and could home in on opponents. If they hit obstacles they would explode their ink on contact. They were replaced by Curling Bombs in Splatoon 2, which lost the homing ability and the explode-on-contact properties, and instead will rebound off of walls they come in contact with.

As far as gear abilities go, while most of them transitioned over from the first Splatoon, some got left behind with no equivalent or replacement in sight. The hugely popular Damage Up and Defense Up gear abilities from the first game are gone in the sequel. Same with the Bomb Sniffer ability, which helped players identify when a sub weapon was used by an opponent during the crazy chaos of an intense ink-filled battle.

Prominent Fan-Favorite Characters

New characters added for the sake of lore, world-building, and just general newness in a sequel game makes sense, but returning characters can be a fun aspect too. While some characters did have important roles in both Splatoon and Splatoon 2, others got relegated to extremely minor roles in the sequel. A few were replaced entirely rather than returning.

Take Spyke for example. Observant players are able to spot him hanging out inside of a cafe in Splatoon 2, but there is no interaction with him in the game. His replacement character Murch mentions he is working as a middleman on Spyke’s behalf, but that’s about it. Then there’s Jelonzo. There’s almost no mention of him in the sequel at all, and he’s replaced by Jelfonzo, a Jellyfish character with a nearly identical name.

Other returning characters have limited roles as well. Annie only appears in the SplatNet mobile app, completely outside of the interactions in the game itself. Callie does appear again during the events of Splatoon 2’s story, but her role compared to the first game is diminished as well, with Marie taking the lead support role and gaining the majority of the screen time. And Cap‘n Cuttlefish, a significant character in the first Splatoon’s story mode, really only makes an appearance in the Octo Expansion. The Octo Expansion is an additional single player mode that costs $19.99 USD to unlock in Splatoon 2, meaning not all players will have the opportunity to interact with him.

7 Multiplayer Stages

Almost half of the multiplayer map stages from Splatoon didn’t make a return in the sequel game. Splatoon has 16 stages compared to 23 (excluding Shifty Stations) in Splatoon 2, but 9 of those 23 came from the original game. If players want to enjoy playing on the other 7 original stages: Saltspray Rig, Bluefin Depot, Flounder Heights, Mahi-Mahi Resort, Hammerhead Bridge, Museum d’Alfonsino, and Urchin Underpass, they’ll have to go back to the first game. Either that, or wait and see if any of the original 7 make a return in Splatoon 3 when it releases sometime in 2022.