Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo's first single-player-focused spinoff from its inventive multiplayer shooter series, arrives on Switch 2 disappointingly ordinary, according to the Guardian's review. While it can be completed solo, the game is designed around cooperative play with up to three others, sending players out from a hideout ship on repeatable missions to upgrade gear and build their character, and it loses much of the original series' quirky, puzzle-like charm in the process.

The review praises the inventive weapon and gadget customisation, which brings genuine enjoyment as players unlock new combinations and tackle escalating challenges, but criticises the thin story, involving an unnamed mechanic stranded with the returning band Deep Cut, for lacking the imaginative world-building fans expect. The reviewer suggests the game feels like Nintendo softening one of its more eccentric properties into a generic cooperative action title to appeal beyond its strongest market, Japan. Splatoon Raiders is released on 23 July, priced at £41.99.