Nintendo has just released a demo for the hugely popular online shooter Splatoon 2, giving new Inklings a chance to dip their toe in the ink before they buy. That's not the only benefit, though, as you're about to find out.
The demo will allow players to jump into 4-on-4 Turf War battles, Salmon Run, League Battle, and Ranked Battle modes online with friends and other players who own the full game. If you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, this is a perfect opportunity to check out the gameplay, customisation options and more that have made the game such a success.
The demo is available to download from the Nintendo eShop as we speak and is scheduled to go live tomorrow; this means that you can download the demo ready in advance and jump into the action immediately when it fully kicks in.
Of course, you need an online subscription to play Splatoon 2 online, so Nintendo is also giving anyone who downloads the demo a seven day trial of the Switch Online service. You can use this trial even if you've already had a previous trial for the service - make sure to keep an eye on your email account for a code if you download the demo.
The demo will go live from 2pm GMT / 7am PT tomorrow for exactly one week (so until the same time on 25th March).
On top of all this, players who fall in love with the demo can pick up the full game from the eShop at 20% off in North America, or at 33% off in Europe - as long as you download it during the demo period. As an extra bonus, you’ll even be able to transfer your demo progress over.
Have you been putting off a Splatoon 2 purchase? Will this demo finally make you take the plunge and see what it's all about? Let us know if you'll be giving it a go in the comments.
Comments 55
Not bad, not ball at all
I highly recommend this game! Be sure to take advantage of the demo/discount!
That is an incredibly generous demo, good on Nintendo here.
@NintendoFan4Lyf I see what you did there
Oooohhh, I’ve been looking for a chance to try Splatoon out.
It all sounds good, except for the fact that they’re doing this right before they end Splatfests and pull future new content support for the game.
That's great for anyone interested! That's extremly generous as well. I wonder if I can add that extra 7 days on top of my already existing year-long subscription that ends in october. 🤔
Have never played it, and probably never will, just looks lame (this is my opinion and I'm allowed to voice it)
Splatoon is so much fun, I highly recommend it if you're still on the fence.
Wow, this was a smart business deal for Nintendo.
Oh, goody, more people who won't know what a Splat Zone is or what to do with the Super Clam.
/kidding
On a more serious note, I wish that Nintendo would explain the game's mechanics more to new players. A lot of people don't know, for example, that in Salmon Run, the Explosher can take out a Flyfish's launchers when they're open; no need to use a splat bomb.
Even better? If a Dynamo Roller is in the weapon rotation in Salmon Run, there's two awesome uses for it: 1) Plop that sucker down, keep it down and don't move during the Rush (the event where glowflies make you a singular target of their ravenous wrath). Any salmonid that touches it will instantly go kablooey.
and
2) During the Goldie Seeking event (the event where you have to find the Goldie amongst the gushers), plop the Dynamo's roller down in front of where the Goldie is walking. The eggs will literally flow out as it hits him (and will likely kill him if you do it right).
I'm downloading this for my kid. I really didn't like this game that much. But it's a really good strategy from Nintendo, to get people hooked with the game to get the online paid service.
@thesilverbrick since when did they announce they're puling support for Splatfests? The regular free content every month has only just finished, and immediately after it did they bought out more weapons and gear. I'd say this is a fantastic time to jump aboard!
Got this day 1. Definetely recommended. Online is great. Always games available online and the DLC is much much better than the actual story
@Iacobus It made me laugh when I used to see players go off as if it were turf war in other modes, only realising about 30 seconds later that they had wasted their time =0p You don't see that when you rise through the ranks though... just more squid partying.
Woah right when I was feeling like getting this game. Now I can properly try it first. Thanks Ninty
@sikthvash The Splatoon 2 Direct in 2017 said Splatfests would last for 2 years and while the content for a year part of the announcement got extended via an E3 2018 announcement, the Splatfests for 2 years part didn't. So as far as we know there's 3-4 Splatfests left (April, May, June, maybe July).
Demos are always good news
I still dont understand why they have to stop doing splatfests. Just make it a monthly event were people pick either pearl or marina and have the same dialog everytime. Like does anyone really care for ketchup vs mayo themes?
@sikthvash When they announced Splatoon 2, they said they would run Splatfests for two years. This summer ends the second year.
@Agramonte
Well, unless it's the Sonic Forces demo. That was just awful.
I downloaded the demos for Forgotten Anne and Monster Boy at the weekend. I was surprised at how many good quality demos there are now for Switch. This Splatoon announcement is more good news.
Seems Nintendo wants to bolster their online service by hooking players. Nice move Nintendo.
@Grumblevolcano @thesilverbrick Oh no, that sucks. I completely missed that =0( thanks for the info. Suppose we can expect Splatoon 3 by next year then!
@sikthvash I highly doubt it. Splatoon will likely be like Nintendo’s other multiplayer games (Mario Kart, Smash), one iteration per generation.
I hope Nintendo re-thinks their current plan and continue holding monthly Splatfests for many more years. Currently, Splatfests are set to end this year but I have to say, they're always so popular and it's a huge part of the Splatoon community. I don't see why Nintendo can't keep hosting them, the resources that go in to holding one are minuscule at best. If they can't be monthly, then at least bi-monthly. It's a mistake to cancel Splatfests. When they made that decision for the original, it really affected how many people played the game on Wii U, the numbers dropped significantly.
@thesilverbrick Ah, well, technically we haven't had a proper Mario Kart then for Switch; just a re-release from the last gen hardware ;0p
In all seriousness though, perhaps they will just fully unlock Salmon Run to fill the void left by the end of Splatfests.
I also really don't see why they need to stop doing Splatfests considering how easy they must be to run. They should just keep doing them for the foreseeable future, even if that means recycling the old maps. It'll be pretty rough for new players to add slots to all their gear once Splatfests are done.
Neat o! I’ll try this out. I’ve never played either one.
@thesilverbrick That's one thing I'm unsure about because if Splatoon 2 was the only Splatoon game on Switch, wouldn't it make more sense to keep Splatfests going longer than 2 years?
Mario Kart has always been a long term evergreen title and Smash is the same but also may get more than 1 Fighters Pass (it's pretty standard for fighting games to get multiple "seasons" of DLC). Splatoon however is one of those franchises that needs content to survive.
Remind me to download this when my year's subscription goes out...as it seems like a free 7 Day Trial... I actually never used the initial 7 day trial either, so actually, one could get two weeks of Online for free now...
@Bunkerneath you’re entitled to your opinion, but please try it out.
@Grumblevolcano I think Nintendo just has a roughly 2 year limit on post game launch support. Mario Kart Wii is the first game I can think of which had post launch support with the tournaments, after a while they just started recycling them.
I would prefer for them to keep doing them for longer. I just recently got the game and the newest Splatfest was my first one ever. I played the first game as well but the Splatfests were long over, it's clear they really add to the game.
The latest splatfest got me back into the game after a long while of being away from it. Until darksiders comes out I'll be playing a ton it.
This is a very UnNintendo deal!
Awesome.
Is the demo time limited? Can you keep playing it forever as a demo?
@Grumblevolcano Nintendo has never released more than one iteration of any of their multiplayer IPs on a single console. I have a hard time believing they’d break tradition with Splatoon and divide the player base between two different games on a single console, especially when Splatoon 2 has proven to be an evergreen seller. They’d be sending an awful message to the steady stream of late adopters of Splatoon 2 by moving the dedicated player base on to Splatoon 3.
This is good, as Nintendo's exclusives should have demos, as there will always be new people wanting to try before they buy. (Still waiting for a Xenoblade 2 demo where I can try the combat, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.) Though this is a special demo, and not just one available anytime. Here's hoping they'll eventually make a regular demo like they did with ARMS, which is very much possible for multiplayer-based games.
@Bunkerneath As someone who loves the game, I agree it does look lame. But it's not so much about how it looks, but more so about how fun it is, and you can't decide that until after you've played it. I'd recommend playing the demo
This would be a no brainier buy if it had split screen multiplayer, but it doesn't so I have no use for it.
can I get 20% off the DLC
Thanks Nintendo. I tried at last Tetris 99 and I won the first place in my first 4-5 games
@thesilverbrick tbf, there are 4 more Splatfests. Not a ton, but it's something.
I highly recommend this game. It`s waaaay better than any other shooter out there.
@Aozz101x and that save data transfer!
I might need to get back into the game!
Is there going to be Private Battles
Sounds like another ploy to get people to sign up to NSO. Thanks but no thanks.
Huh, fancy that.
Selling a two-year-old game at full price AND stating that you can't even play it without an online subscription plan means it isn't a first choice for new adoptors anymore, and now you have to lay out bait.
Who'da thunk it.
my subscription lasts till November I may try this demo.lot a people seen to enjoy it but then again same with fortnite which seems lame✌
hugely popular online shooter Splatoon 2.
more like most over rated nintendo title next to botw.
Really, a Wii U and the first Splatoon are a much better bargain than this.
Not that it isn't a good deal.
I really enjoyed Splatoon once I picked it up on Wii U. Splatoon 2, while fun, just doesn't quite hit the spot for some reason. I will enjoy the free week, but probably will go back to Paladins for my shooter fix.
@Zequio I agree, it's awesome to see Nintendo putting one of their titles on sale for once!
And to answer your question, no, it is not possible to play the game as a demo forever, the demo ends on March 25th. After that date the demo software will be unusable.
@The_ghostmen so... Its not hugely popular?
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