How do You Play This Game?

[redacteddd]

No really... how. Clearly I haven't even grasped the fundamentals of this game with constant lose streaks and improvement just isn't in cards. I've been playing since the test fires and I'm still in the lower end of the skill scale.

So... how do you play Splatoon?

A good start is to stop beating yourself up. Don't expect yourself to be a top-tier player that fast. Remember your strengths, recognize your weaknesses and address them.

 

[BlackZero]

Have you played through story mode? I'd recommend playing through it a few times if you're struggling to get the basic concepts of the game. That's what it's there for, after all.

Game developers are pretty clever people. Rather than giving you an instruction manual to read through, they design the game levels to teach you how to use basic game mechanics to perform more advanced techniques. I'd recommend playing the story levels again and pay attention to what the developers are trying to teach you via the techniques you have to use to clear each level. Mix and repeat until you can run through each level smoothly (the Octoling levels can really help ease into multiplayer). This will help ingrain some gaming "muscle memory" that simply reading online guides won't. After you develop a "Splat Sense," you'll find it much easier to react appropriately to online situations.

Just $0.02 from someone who just started online play yesterday after finishing story mode.

 

[adamjoseph]

Have you played through story mode? I'd recommend playing through it a few times if you're struggling to get the basic concepts of the game. That's what it's there for, after all.

Game developers are pretty clever people. Rather than giving you an instruction manual to read through, they design the game levels to teach you how to use basic game mechanics to perform more advanced techniques. I'd recommend playing the story levels again and pay attention to what the developers are trying to teach you via the techniques you have to use to clear each level. Mix and repeat until you can run through each level smoothly (the Octoling levels can really help ease into multiplayer). This will help ingrain some gaming "muscle memory" that simply reading online guides won't. After you develop a "Splat Sense," you'll find it much easier to react appropriately to online situations.

Just $0.02 from someone who just started online play yesterday after finishing story mode.

I strongly agree with this, especially if you're struggling with some of the basic mechanics of the game (although it sounds like you've got some of it down based on others' comments on your video). It's not an absolute 1:1 translation to online skills, but it will train you to utilize certain techniques for navigating around the map, make you to use your subs, and push you out of your comfort zone. It's one thing to read online what you should be doing, but it's another thing to have the game force you to do it.

Again - it's not a magical cure-all, but it's a pod starting point. And it's fun!