The Splatoon Raiders Direct outlined the structure of the upcoming single-player-focused title, and it looks packed with challenging encounters against hordes of Salmonids. If any raids get a little too punishing, an online feature will lend solo players support in a way that recalls modern Monster Hunter games.
As detailed in Nintendo’s video presentation, you can send out a call for help before beginning a raid–other players can select a “Go Help” option on the map to be matched with another player seeking help and join their lobby.
Failing a raid results in players losing all the loot they collected in that session, but succeeding will give the helper a “help bonus” in the form of “nifty in-game rewards.” If the raid is successful, there will be a cooldown period before you can call for help again.
It’s not unlike the SOS Flare mechanic from Monster Hunter World (and Monster Hunter Wilds). The big difference here is that in Monster Hunter, your player character will quite literally shoot up a flare in-game during a quest instead of calling for help from a menu.
Of course, Splatoon Raiders lets you team up with up to three other players through online or local wireless play, but difficulty will scale depending on the number of players. GameSpot’s preview of Splatoon Raiders observed how players’ different builds can synergize with each other, and said that “multiplayer seems like a fertile ground for high-level raids against tough opponents.”
Splatoon Raiders is the first spin-off and the first Switch 2 entry in the series. It launches on July 23 alongside other heavy hitters that month.
