Splatoon Raiders Revealed Through Surprise Trailer Drop as Nintendo Shifts to Quiet Announcements

You finally have new details about Splatoon Raiders after Nintendo quietly released a brand-new trailer through its Nintendo Today app and social media. The reveal reinforces what insiders previously suggested, that you’re likely not seeing a full Nintendo Direct until at least June. Instead, announcements appear to be arriving one by one, similar to how Rhythm Heaven surfaced recently, with potential drops still expected for Fire Emblem and even Star Fox.

When you first look at Splatoon Raiders, it quickly becomes clear that this isn’t exactly what many expected. Instead of a massive standalone single-player adventure similar to campaigns from Splatoon, Splatoon 2, or Splatoon 3, the game appears to function more like a concluding chapter to the Salmon Run storyline. It also doesn’t seem to match the scale of expansions like Octo Expansion. Instead, the trailer suggests that the larger, more ambitious single-player content may be saved for a future Splatoon 4.

From what’s shown, Splatoon Raiders looks like a blend of Salmon Run and the Side Order gameplay style.

You find yourself on Spiralite Island, battling waves of Salmonid in what feels like an expanded Salmon Run scenario. The setting itself suggests you may even be exploring Salmonid territory, possibly their homeland, which gives the entire adventure a slightly different tone from previous entries.

You step into the role of a pilot and mechanic who crash-lands alongside Team Deep Cut. The beginning appears familiar, letting you customize your character and hairstyle before heading into the action. Instead of standard weapons, you use makeshift gear inspired by classic Splatoon tools, like a rough version of the Splattershot Jr. Scattered beams of light across the island hint at treasure locations, while a robotic suit controlled by Deep Cut members introduces a new companion mechanic. At first, Big Man looks cramped in the cockpit, and later scenes show Shiver taking over as well.

From a distance, you can see islands covered in green goo, Salmonid enemies, and paths that go over water. The glowing hoops in the ocean give hints about how to get around, and the robot friend might turn into a vehicle to get you between islands. This time, though, the Salmonids look different. Their backs stick out more, their hair is wilder, and they even wear clothes that aren't really clothes.

They also seem more aggressive, as they charge at you as soon as they see you.

New flying Salmonid creatures show up in Splatoon Raiders, one of which has a face like a bird's and the other of which releases poisonous gas. The ink they use also changes; it goes from a dark green that players are used to to a mushy, pea-colored substance. Spawn points look like kettle-like hatches, and old enemies like Scrappers and Stingers come back.

Your Deep Cut friend is like a mobile tank that shoots at enemies and sends you into the air to attack from above. Enemies can knock it away, so where you put it is important. The world map shows many islands, such as Herp Island, Tyoru Island, and Puos Island. Each island has a different type of Salmonid living on it. As you move forward, clouds cover up more areas that seem to unlock.

It looks like you can explore freely instead of picking levels the usual way. The map shows where the treasure is, but it doesn't have a direct "start level" button. This suggests a structure that is open-ended, where you can explore islands, find secrets, and collect resources at your own pace.

The HUD adds three lives, crystal counters, egg meters, and a strange ink gauge that shows how much ink you have.

A strange device that seems to be linked to finding treasure may help you find nearby collectibles. You can change the color of the ink, change your clothes, and use makeshift weapons like a brush or a Sploosh-o-matic. Some Salmonid even use broken metal lids as weapons, which adds to the rough survival tone.

Later, new islands like Zapis Island and Spata Island show up, and each one is home to a different type of enemy. There are blue, orange, and purple treasure chests, each with its own set of symbols. The main goals are to collect large crystals called Spiralite shards. Other rewards include glass spheres and relic perks like being able to jump in the air.

Crafting is a big part of it. You make gadgets back at base out of things like Scrapper glass and Spiralite shards. The Splatchet is an axe-like tool that charges up before throwing you forward. Other gadgets are shield generators, pots that look like turrets, and balls.

Ink tanks come in different shapes and sizes, such as vertical, horizontal, and burner-equipped models. This means they can be customized and improved.

Going back to the world means being sent back to islands, sometimes even thrown from the base. Frye riding ink eels suggests other ways to get around. Loadout menus show gadget slots, relic powers, tank types, and Deep Cut companions. Each of these could give you a different bonus.

Perk slots let you customize your character even more by giving them abilities like explosive steps or vertical slashes. Slot limits limit the number of perks you can use, which adds strategy to builds. Enemy hordes come back, along with flying enemies that are like the sprinkler-style threats in Side Order.

Special abilities tie directly to companions. Big Man lets you ride his back mid-air; Shiver summons a shark-like attack, and Frye’s eels likely function as explosive strikes. Boss battles appear as well, including a large, winged Salmonid emerging from the water.

Splatoon Raiders launches July 23 and is described as single-player focused, but you can bring up to three additional players locally or online. Difficulty scales automatically, letting you explore solo or with friends. A walkie-talkie system appears to handle multiplayer access.

New amiibo featuring Shiver, Big Man, and Frye arrive alongside the game.

The price is $60 for the physical version and $50 for the digital version. This suggests that the experience is a little smaller than the mainline entries, but it's not clear how much smaller. In general, Splatoon Raiders looks like a mix of an adventure game with exploration, crafting, and wave-based combat. Splatoon Raiders serves as a bridge between the previous games in the series and the next ones.