Splatoon Raiders, the latest spin-off in Nintendo's popular shooter series, represents a significant achievement in single-player design, though its success owes a considerable debt to the campaigns that came before it. While new entries in a franchise often overshadow older ones, the single-player modes of Splatoon, Splatoon 2, and Splatoon 3 were foundational experiences that significantly contributed to the series' evolution and are not to be dismissed.
The original Splatoon's campaign, Octo Valley, established the franchise's lore and introduced the antagonistic Octarians. Through hidden Sunken Scrolls, players could delve into the history of the conflict between Octarians and Inklings, with accompanying visuals detailing Inkling evolution and biology. The levels themselves served as engaging introductions to the game's diverse weaponry, often centering on unique mechanics like inkrails and propeller platforms, a design philosophy reminiscent of titles such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World. The campaign's distinct musical score also played a crucial role in differentiating the cultures of Inklings and Octarians.
Splatoon 2's campaign, Octo Canyon, continued this tradition while offering more gameplay variety. It maintained the level structure of its predecessor but provided players with a wider array of weapons, encouraging different approaches to challenges. Notably, this campaign integrated the results of Splatoon 1's final Splatfest, making players' previous actions relevant to the ongoing narrative. The Octo Expansion DLC for Splatoon 2 elevated the series' narrative and progression further. It adopted a challenge-room structure, allowing players to tackle levels in a non-linear fashion via a subway-inspired map. This expansion is often considered the most influential in the series and even features one of the franchise's most notoriously difficult bosses, Inner Agent 3.
Splatoon 3's campaign, Return of the Mammalians, initially appears to revisit familiar territory with elements reminiscent of Octo Valley and Octo Canyon. However, it soon transitions to a structure similar to the Octo Expansion, featuring non-linear progression and levels that test players' skills with multiplayer special abilities. The subsequent Side Order DLC for Splatoon 3 further built on the Octo Expansion's foundation, presenting players with intricate challenge rooms and extensive upgrade and loadout possibilities, effectively creating a roguelite experience that stands as a strong entry in the genre.
Splatoon Raiders draws inspiration from all these prior single-player experiences. The focus on lore and history through hidden collectibles echoes Splatoon 1, while the weapon experimentation found in Raiders is similar to Splatoon 2. The non-linear level progression of the Octo Expansion is present in Raiders, alongside Splatoon 3's approach to teaching special abilities through its Sampler Dungeons. Furthermore, Raiders' permanent upgrade systems bear a resemblance to the spec-building mechanics seen in Side Order.
Ultimately, Splatoon Raiders can be viewed as a culmination of the franchise's decade-long development of its single-player content. It refines and integrates elements from past campaigns into a cohesive standalone experience. However, this does not diminish the contributions of the earlier titles, as each brought unique innovations. While player preference will always vary, the overarching takeaway is that Splatoon, as a whole, offers a consistently special experience across all its iterations.