Splatoon Raiders endgame turns it into Nintendo’s Vampire Survivors

It’s not often that I feel compelled to keep playing a game after I’ve finished it, but Splatoon Raiders is a big exception. Nintendo’s new looter shooter got its hooks into me during my playtime, and I have yet to pull them out. I’ve spent well over 30 hours tinkering with my loadout and trying to push my Inkling’s power levels as far as I can. I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon, either.

While Splatoon Raiders can take time to find its momentum, the shooter pays off big time in its post-game. That’s where the challenge ramps up, throwing you into ultra-tough missions that will put your gadgets to the test. It’s where the shooter really comes to life, almost transforming into a different game entirely depending on how creative you get with your gadgets.

Splatoon Raiders’ core story takes around 15 hours to beat if you’re doing every mission. You’ll get your Inkling to around level 40 by the last boss, but you’ll have some Spicy versions of missions to complete that will require you to be closer to 50, the “max” level. Once you beat the final boss, though, the action really heats up. For one, you’ll unlock Super Spicy difficulty, which brings mission levels as high as 80 and locks you to Survivalist difficulty. You’ll also unlock the Bottomless Buffet, a series of escalating arena challenges that get even harder. I’m currently on floor 85, which hits mission level 92 in terms of challenge.

Those late-game missions have hands. And tentacles. And frying pans. Suddenly, you’ll find arenas filled to the brim with Salmonids that surround you from all sides. There’s little relief, as you always need to be moving and shooting to stay alive. Even the Lesser Salmonids hit unexpectedly hard, let alone the beefy Seasoned Salmonids. It’s a test of skill and endurance on par with the hardest challenges in Splatoon 3’s PvE Salmon Run mode.

More importantly, it’s a test of your ingenuity. The whole hook of Splatoon Raiders is its deep customization layers. Beyond hunting for five-star weapons and treasure that levels up your passive buffs, every gadget can be loaded up with perks that completely change how they work. I’ve spent a good deal of the game using the Shot Pot as my go-to tool. At first, it’s your standard auto-firing turret that helps deal some extra damage on enemies. The base version doesn’t do much in Super Spicy levels, but it can be a menace depending on how you build it. Currently, I can spawn two at once with maxed out fire rates, range, and duration. They have been modified to shoot in two directions and fire explosive shots, and each is equipped with a sprinkler that spreads some extra ink around. I still have another free perk slot, too, which I could use to bump down the cooldown timer, add an explosive effect on deployment, or add a scent that attracts Salmonids.

The quest to craft the perfect gadget is the real endgame in Splatoon Raiders; the escalating challenges are just there to dare you to make another tweak. I’m still messing with my gear routinely after each mission cleared, occasionally making one small change that makes me feel unsplattable for a spell. Now pair that with an overleveling system, which allows you to push both your character and weapons above level 50 with small stat boosts. That’s enough to give you a grind worth chasing until you’re satisfied with your power.

Image: Nintendo via Polygon

In my review, I compared Splatoon Raiders’ late-game to Vampire Survivors. The more I play, the more that holds up. With the right tweaks, you hardly need to fire a shot at all to survive; your overpowered gadgets can take care of business, just as a maxed-out garlic clove can in Vampire Survivors. Toss some auto-triggers on your gadgets, and you can mostly focus on ducking and dodging. (I finally did this in a recent run, and it was an absolute game-changer for my already powerful build.) All the while, the images on screen get more hectic as dozens of Salmonids explode around you in inky splashes. My favorite moments are when I can barely process what’s happening on screen at all, achieving that Dynasty Warriors-esque chaos that’s all about keeping your cool in a crowd.

If you’re finding Splatoon Raiders’ early missions a little boring, but you enjoy it on a mechanical level, consider sticking with it to the point where you can start overleveling your character. That’s where it really builds into a furious flurry of ink and Salmonids that puts your tinkering and reaction time to the test. I’ll meet you 100 floors down in the Bottomless Buffet.