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Splatoon (Series) Review
Posted: 21 months ago, last updated 11 weeks ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
For younger players, this is a good alternative to more violent shooting games like Fortnite, but every bit as skilful and exuberant.
Game Details
Content Rating: PEGI 7
Skill Rating: 8-14 year-olds
Release Date: 21/07/2017
Platforms: Switch and Wii U
Genres: Action and Shooting
Accessibility: 2 features
Developer: @Nintendo
Lists
View our choice of games like Splatoon. This game is good if you want to:
Commitment
Players: You can play with 8 players in the same room and up to 8 players online. To play battles in the same place on the Switch version with up to 8 others you each need a console and the game. Or you can play online with up to 8 players in public or private matches.
Costs
Age Ratings
This game was rated PEGI 7 for violence that lacks any apparent harm or injury to fantasy or mythical beings and creatures and for non-realistic violence in a child-friendly setting or context. The examiners report expands this rating with the following: The violence in this game is unrealistic. When the characters are hit with ink multiple times they explode into splashes of ink. The game is set in a very colourful, cartoony and therefore child friendly setting. The only available weapons are ink blasters or paint rollers.
Some of the bosses look evil but the general atmosphere of the game never gets scary. Characters use expressions like: “Oh carp!” and “This sucker’s not messing around” but no actual swearing.
This game has been rated ESRB EVERYONE 10+.
Skill Rating: This game is enjoyed by 8-14 year-olds as it's a good match for their ability and maturity. Although the game looks perfect for super young players, you do need quite a bit of dexterity and motor skill to enjoy it. For children who have had a few years in school this is a great game, building team work and paint-covering strategy.
Users Interact: The game enables players to interact and communicate with each other, so may expose players to language usually associated with older rated games.
Accessibility
- Difficulty: The different matches of a variety of challenges and there are good tutorials for each mode and spaces in which to practice with each weapon.
- Reading: There is reading to do, the text is quite big but the font is stylised.
- Controls: There is a range of controls. Motion controls are default but can be switched off in favour of sticks. Sensitivity can be adjusted.
- Image calibration: Visual indications of audio cues in the game. The colours are bright and can be locked to blue and yellow for colourblind mode.
- Audio calibration: Rumble is used to communicate when you’ve taken damage and give you feedback on your movement. The sound effects and score are also pretty helpful in anticipating attacks. There are stealth attacks that you aren’t going to notice, but that’s a universal thing. You can't adjust the sound effects and music separately.
Our Splatoon Accessibility Report details 2 accessibility features:
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