Splatoon: Paint and decorate your way to victory with our beginner's guide

Stay fresh with our guide to Splatoon's most useful tips and tricks

 

Nintendo's first foray into the world of competitive online shooters isn't your garden variety multiplayer game. Whereas most shooters encourage you to pile up the bodies and rack up as many kills as you can, the goal in Splatoon is not to squash the opposition, but to cover the map in as much paint as possible. Killing enemy combatants is a good way to free up space and buy time to lay down some precious paint, but if that's all you're doing don't be surprised to find yourself at the bottom of the leaderboards. So, if you want to post some ink-redible scores and help your team dominate the competition, follow our tips and become the freshest squid on the battlefield.

Art attack

As we mentioned above, the aim of the game in Splatoon is to cover as much of the arena in your team's colour paint as humanly (squidly?) possible. The more gallons of emulsion you squirt onto the playing field, the higher your final score will be. Painting should be your priority, always.

Keep in mind, walls don't count towards your team's total, so save your paint for floors, ramps and sloped surfaces only. 

If an enemy happens to cross your path, by all means, blast them into oblivion, but don't fall into the trap of thinking of Splatoon as another simple death match shooter. If you do, you and your team will lose.

Squids in

The best way to travel in Splatoon is by turning into a squid. By assuming this slippery form you can zip through paint like greased lightning. In fact, if you're not locked in battle or redecorating the arena, there's no excuse not to be a squid. So, embrace your inner squid and go forth - not only will this make it harder for enemies to spot you, it'll also keep your paint reserves in the pink. Just keep an eye out for that pesky Echolocator perk- this special ability will let your opponents know where you're lurking, even in squid form. 

Keep a close eye on your map

Be sure to consult your map by taking a gander at your gamepad every now and again. This will give you a better idea of what the enemy is up to, as well as help you identify areas in need of a touch-up. Often you'll see teams that clump together in the middle of the map, concentrating on killing each other when they should be painting. Instead of getting drawn into the fracas, this is your chance to slip past the enemies' defences, push into their spawn area and lay down some serious ink.

Of course, your enemies will seek to do the same. To stop them getting the jump on you, always pay special attention to your own spawn area: a single enemy inkling armed with a paint roller or ink-strike can quickly turn the tide of battle if they manage to infiltrate your half of the map in the dying moments of the game. By keeping a close eye on your map, you'll always know when to push forward and when to fall back and defend.

Try before you buy

The best way to get a feel for the many different types of weapons, subs weapons and special abilities in Splatoon is by taking them out for a test drive. The humble Splattershot is easy enough to get to grips with, but the more specialised weapons, such as Chargers, Rollers and Blasters, aren't quite so straightforward. Instead of breaking them in on the battlefield against live opponents, spend 5 or 10 minutes playing around with each one in test mode. This will help you get a feel for how they play and familiarise you with their strengths and weaknesses.

Don't sit on your special ability

Cover enough square footage with paint in Splatoon and you'll fill up a bar in the top left corner of the screen which grants the use of a special ability. Unlocking these powerful abilities is easier during the early stages of a match when there's plenty of fresh ground to immerse in emulsion. Later on, when untouched ground becomes a rarer commodity, they're much harder to unlock. To make matters worse, these abilities expire when you do. This means it's often a good idea to use your special as soon as possible. Sit on it too long and you could lose it completely, along with a healthy chunk of your ability gauge. 

On a roll

Depending on who you ask, the roller is either the most formidable weapon in the game or one of the weakest. In terms of raw painting power, the roller is a beast, able to lay down vast swathes of goo with alarming speed. This makes it easy to rack up big points and charge your special ability in the ink of an eye. Come up against a half-decent player with a ranged weapon, though, and you're going to get splatted. 

You can even the odds somewhat by using the Kraken special move, a formidable ability that turns your inkling into a whirling, dervish of squiddy death. For the most part, however, you'll want to avoid charging into the fray; concentrate instead on flanking enemies, making paths for your team-mates and running around mopping up uncontested territory. 

If, on the other hand, roller-happy inklings are giving you headaches, concentrate on taking them out from afar. Unless a roller sneaks up behind you or bushwhacks you from cover, they're not too much of a threat. Just keep a cool head, hang back and pick them off - if you're facing a roller head-on, 9 times out of 10 you should be able to put them down before they are able to close the gap. 

Look before you leap

At any point during a match in Splatoon, you can leap to another player's location by tapping their icon on the gamepad.  Following a short delay, your inkling will assume squid form, blast off across the map and land next to their comrade. Handy, eh? This makes it a cinch to cover a lot of ground quickly, press your team's advantage, and make inroads into enemy territory. 

Unfortunately, if used haphazardly they can strand you in no-man's land and give the initiative to the opposing team. I've seen jump-happy teams wiped off the map in seconds, so eager to get back into the thick of battle they unwittingly parachute into a crossfire, dying one after the other and leaving the path to their base undefended. 

So, have a care next time you think about super-jumping. ask yourself: am I jumping to victory or certain doom?

Second that motion

Aside from letting you use the right analog stick to manipulate the camera, Splatoon's default controls also let players aim with the Wii U gamepad's inbuilt gyro. If, like me, you've spent a lifetime playing shooters with traditional twin-stick controls, wiggling around the gamepad to aim is going to feel highly off-putting at first. 

Instead of turning the motion controls off after five minutes, though, I'd urge players to step out of their comfort zone and give them a whirl. I'll admit I found them frustrating at first, but after spending an hour or so tinkering with them incampaign mode, I came to appreciate the added level of accuracy and responsiveness they provide.

Handy hint: With motion controls enabled you can execute a fancy, instant 180-degree turn by facing away from the camera and hitting the 'Y' button.