STACK #261 July 2026

GAMING FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

THE RAID!

Chaos is set to get a fresh coat of ink in this month’s series spin-off, Splatoon Raiders . Taking more of a story-based approach, join the action shooter madness as Inklings and Octolings dive into another wild and energetic adventure. Bulging with neon-soaked arenas packed with treasure hunts, tricked-out gear, cool mechs, and all manner of bizarre creatures, you’ll assist a trio of swashbuckling musos known as Deep Cut as their in-house mechanic. This introduces survival and raid mechanics, including making your own ship hub, plus unlocking weapon and character upgrades, as well as scavenging resources, as you go. While essentially a single player experience, four-player co-op means that friends can always join in on the inky fun.

GENRE: Action adventure MULTIPLAYER: Yes

FORMAT:

L

P A

A T’S

S W

H

T

E T

K

I

!

I

E

Y

I

L

It started with cubes and, since its arrival in 2015, Splatoon has become one of Nintendo’s most successful new franchises. With the series' first spin-off, Splatoon Raiders , ready to have us inking big this month, we take a quick look at where the series has been, and where it’s heading... Words Amy Flower

new moves, weapons, and collectibles, while new modes – such

IN THE BEGINNING The Nintendo people were hardly short on big, eminently exploitable franchises when they launched the Wii U console back in 2012. While we did see the famous likes of Mario, Link, Kirby and more doing their stuff in style on the system, some young blood at Nintendo had plans to introduce something new. That big new thing was Splatoon . While basically a classic multiplayer third-person shooter, it swapped out the more un-Nintendo bullets and warfare realism for a cartoony future Earth world of cephalopods, cute characters, ink, and Nerf-ish weaponry. It worked a treat. With fun the name of the game, Splatoon boxes with ink-shooting schnozzes rather than characters. Once the team had nailed the enjoyment aspect, the search was on for characters to populate this inky new world. After a brief dalliance with rabbits, the idea of squids came to the fore, offering a handy solution to the need for the game’s inhabitants to be able to hide in and glide through the seas of ink that were central to the game. When they evolved from a black-versus white tech demo that featured

needed to shoot, they morphed into humanoid shapes, before returning to their squidliness when hiding. Hello, Inklings! TAKE ONE Featuring everything from much fascinating and super-stylish lore to an engaging single-player story mode and multiple multiplayer options, Splatoon ’s arrival brought a palatable take on the shooter concept for a broader audience, and it was an instant hit. So far, so good! In time, the game content updates and special ‘Splatfest’ events, but the writing was on the wall for the Wii U. After the successful launch of the Nintendo Switch, a Splatoon sequel was a safe bet... TAKE TWO Splatoon 2 , already in development before the console’s launch, arrived soon after the Switch itself, in July of 2017. A direct sequel, it stuck with the single-player campaign coupled with numerous multiplayer romps formula. Knowing that they nailed it first time out, this was more of an evolution of the original, adding saw several substantial

as the wildly popular co-op fest Salmon Run - found their way in. Many more themed Splatfests also followed. TAKE THREE Then, in September 2022, a long-overdue sequel arrived in Splatoon 3 . It delivered a further evolution of all that we loved about the series, including new single and multiple player pursuits. An array of new weapons joined the established favourites, including the

very cool Tri-Stringer ink bow, as we journeyed from Inktropolis to the desert-based, more post apocalyptic Splatsville. Splatfests returned, a new Tableturf card battle game gave us thrills, and more game expanding DLC meant that Splatoon 3 continued the series’ must-play vibe.

• Splatoon Raiders is out Jul 23

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, de Blob, Luigi’s Mansion 3

12 JULY 2026

jbhifi.com.au