Splatoon is a really fun game. It’s without a doubt one of the best games on the Wii U. Somehow the combination of third person shooting, painting, and squids have created a unique and all around excellent video game. Nintendo has been supplementing the game with constant streams of additional content in the form of new levels, game modes, and weapons. There are still, however, some enhancements and additions that could make the game even better. In no particular order, here are ten features that will improve Splatoon.

Set Bonuses From Matching Gear

In the world of Splatoon there are a few manufacturers of goods: Tentatek, Zekko, and Firefin to name a few. Each of these manufacturers makes products that you can buy in the various shops in the game: shoes, shirts, and headgear. Each of these pieces of equipment gives you special abilities to use in the game. Adding a trio of products from the same brand that, when equipped together, not only looks awesome but gives an additional bonus a la World of Warcraft would be sweet! Nothing major, maybe just another single ability which could be unlocked would give incentive to look fresh and play competitively!

Nintendo Themed Gear

Speaking of set bonuses, why not bring in sets of gear from other Nintendo franchises? Fans would go nuts to have Link’s hat and ears from The Legend of Zelda, or perhaps Mario’s overalls from the Super Mario series. These additions are purely cosmetic (though of course they’d unlock the same random abilities as other gear) but they would be incredibly fun! And you know, if you wanted to throw in those aforementioned set bonuses, all the better!

More Paint Colors

Another purely cosmetic change, and one that you don’t know you actually want: more colors! One of the best aspects of Splatoon is watching the paint take over the entire level. Purple vs. green, orange vs. blue, and teal vs. pink are all great, but let’s add even more paint to the mayhem. Red, white, gold, silver, and pretty much any other color combination imaginable would make this spalt-tastic game more fun to watch! An option to filter out colors so you can only get the ones you want might be a nice addition too.

The Super Scope

Probably the biggest “Duh” addition that hasn’t come in an update is the Super Scope as a weapon. Modeled after the Super Nintendo’s official light gun, the gigantic Super Scope would easily fit as a Charger type weapon in the game, and makes a lot of sense considering the Nintendo Zapper guns from the NES are already a part of the game. From all the additions on this list, I feel like this is the one that is the most likely to happen.

Expanded Single Player Mode

Nintendo will implement 30 extra player levels in an August update, but the single player campaign hasn’t seen any updates. Adding new levels to this mode will be great as a future free update, but I think an expanded single player mode would be the perfect way to introduce some grander DLC in the form of paid content. More levels, new and creative bosses, and an expanded plot and storyline would be awesome additions. Including new exclusive-to-single-player weapons and gear would be even better! If you haven’t played single player yet, you’re absolutely missing out: it’s a well-crafted experience that has great ties to multiplayer and more interesting spins on weapons and level design.

Changable Hair Styles

One of the most commonly requested additions from the Splatoon Miiverse is custom hair styles. From a development standpoint it seems like hairstyles are tied to the headgear your character wears: some headgear actually covers up the hair altogether, while others let it fly free. Regardless, having the option to give your player dangling tentacles, tied up hair, different colored hair, and a range of choices to make your player uniquely yours would be awesome! Maybe even some headgear that’s actually just a different hairstyle would suffice!

Changing Weapons While in the Lobby

A big issue I have with the online mode is having to leave your group just to change your weapon. It’s frustrating because after playing a riveting round you might realize you could use a different weapon on this particular map with this particular group of players. Being able to swap out weapons while waiting for the next match to load would be wonderful! This is more of a convenience than a real addition, because it’s not a huge issue to have to log out and log back into a match.

More Ranked Mode Types

Currently there are two ranked modes: Splat Zones and Tower Control. Both offer new ways to play the game and give a great amount of variety to the weaponry and strategy of each level. Bringing in more game types could extend the life of the game even further. A capture the flag style mode would fit perfectly, and other new modes could take advantage of the squid form more prominently, or perhaps a new spin on the Turf War mode for ranked matches would work. Really, there are endless possibilities here, and any added mode or modes would be awesome!

Cooperative Online Mode

Taking the online mode in a completely new direction, a cooperative play style would be drastically different. Instead of having a 4v4 battle, teams would group together to defeat an oncoming onslaught of Octarians before they reach a goal, or take on a giant boss that needs to be defeated as a team. This update would likely require a lot of development and storage space to implement, so perhaps it would be best included in a physical/paid DLC release.

No Voice Chat, but Better Communication

I agree with Nintendo’s decision to not include voice chat. While it would have been a cool feature, having played Splatoon for a solid two months now,  you definitely don’t need voice chat to have fun and play well. That being said, a better implementation of pre-set messages would be cool. Add some strategic voice options to the D-Pad, like “Go Right!” or “Protect Our Base!” would be fun instead of just “C’mon” and “Booyah!” Just some common phrases would go a long way for making communication better.

While making this list there were several other ideas that were left on the cutting room floor, including new weapon styles, new gear types, and even more options to better your Splatoon experience.

How has your time been with the game? What options would you want to add to Splatoon? Let me know and keep splatting!

Laters,
Jsick