Splatoon Raiders on Switch 2: A Portable Shooter Masterpiece
Nintendo has spent a decade perfecting the competitive ink-splatting formula on bigger screens, but Splatoon Raiders is the first mainline entry built from the ground up for the Switch 2—and that means portable play is now the default. After 20 hours with the game, it’s clear Nintendo designed this PvE shooter for quick bursts and longer sessions alike, though some design choices become far more irritating when you’re playing on the go. The action is fast, fluid, and incredibly satisfying in handheld mode, but missing quality-of-life features and repetitive environments threaten to dampen the experience.
Flat Levels, Maximum Chaos: Handheld Action at Its Best
Splatoon Raiders ditches the vertical cover and obstacle-heavy levels of previous campaigns for flat, open arenas where enemies swarm from all sides. This design works brilliantly in handheld mode because it eliminates the need for precise camera control during chaotic moments—you can focus on swimming, shooting, and deploying gadgets without fighting the smaller screen. The ink mechanics feel just as responsive on the Switch 2’s display, and the haptic feedback adds a satisfying rumble every time you splat a Salmonid. The lack of traditional cover forces you to stay mobile, which translates perfectly to short play sessions where you want immediate action — the handheld-first thinking we flagged in our analysis of the first Switch 2 exclusive. Whether you’re propped up on a train or lounging on the couch, the 20-hour campaign is packed with enough variety in missions—wave survival, timed objectives, boss battles—to keep you engaged without overstaying its welcome.
Missing Retry Button: The One Handheld Annoyance
For all its portable-friendly design, Splatoon Raiders commits one cardinal sin: there is no retry button. When you fail a stage—and some of the obstacle-course missions are brutally tough—you have to back out to the map screen and manually restart. This is a minor frustration on a TV, but on a handheld where you’re trying to fit in a quick session, it can kill momentum entirely. The review notes that the stage variety is also limited to a handful of biomes (beach, glacier, volcano, cave, temple) repeated across 50 missions, and the fashion options are disappointingly sparse. In portable play, these shortcomings become more pronounced because you’re more likely to notice repetition in short bursts. Still, the core gameplay loop is so engaging—especially the build customization with ink tanks that let you spec into speed, power, or tactical approaches—that most players will forgive the rough edges. If Nintendo patches in a retry button, this becomes an easy recommendation for any Switch 2 owner — early players have already weighed in with a mix of praise and the same complaints.