Nintendo Wii U shooter Splatoon dropped a massive patch this week to help improve the multiplayer component of the game. Update 2.2.0 aims to improve weapon balance and tweak a few modes and stages of the game.
Nintendo Life delved into the patch notes revealing that the developers made adjustments "to make for a more pleasant gaming experience." The main adjustments to note were made on the Main Weapons, Sub Weapons, and Special Weapons. Also, tweaks to the rules in Rainmaker and Tower Control modes were made. Both major changes affects the competitive nature of the game.
Clearly, Nintendo is targeting competitive online players of the game. Even matchmaking calculations were tweaked. For example, a Rank S player will be matched up with other Rank S players more frequently. This means less skill mismatches in multiplayer and more fun for everyone.
Stage adjustments were also made for Walleye Warehouse, Saltspray Rig, Arowana Mall, Kelp Dome, Flounder Heights, and Hammerhead Bridge.
Aside from stage, weapon, and ranking adjustments, Nintendo also improved the graphics and sound of the game. The first is less visible visual effects of position-tracking for teammates. The second is a louder launching sound effect for the Inkzooka.
For those who are having trouble updating Splatoon, the Nintendo of America support team made a little three-step-guide:
- Connect the Wii U console to the Internet.
- Return to the Wii U Menu and launch Splatoon.
- Once the update is installed, the newest version number will be displayed on the title screen.
The support document also said that as long as the system's Standby Functions are enabled, the patch will download and install automatically.
As mentioned above, this patch is massive. However, Design & Trend reporter Christopher Groux was a little bit disappointed. He said that he kind of expected the update to include playable Octoling characters that a few dataminers uncovered recently. These little octopi characters were allegedly teased by Nintendo this month during a sponsored event in Japan.
Splatoon was launched as a Wii U exclusive on May 28, 2015 in Japan. This third-person ink shooter created a significant market mindshare for the otherwise lackluster game console.
Join the Conversation