Stay Fresh with Salmon Run

a brand new hectic mode from Splatoon 2

Stay+Fresh+with+Salmon+Run

By Nicolas Brown, reporter

In 2015, Nintendo released Splatoon on the Nintendo Switch, a TPS game. In this game, you control a human-like squid and play various online modes that involve inking as much ground as you can. There is also a story mode where you join “The Squidbeak Splatoon” and fight the Octarians to take back “The Great Zapfish.” 

Fast forward to 2017, when Nintendo released Splatoon 2, an improved and more entertaining version of Splatoon. All the modes previously stated are in the game. They added to the formula by creating a new online mode, Clam Blitz, and an entirely new side mode called Salmon Run, in addition to new weapons, new gear and new maps to play on. Now that the game has been out for two years and the final Splatfest has concluded, I thought I would talk about my experience with the game. 

I got Splatoon 2 the day it came out and played it for about two weeks. After that, I put it away for two years for the following reasons: I could not deal with all the new maps, the new specials, and the new mechanics. Anyone remember the Inkstrike? That was my favorite special. One of my friends wanted to see how the game works. This is when I stumbled upon the wonders of Salmon Run. In Salmon Run, you are randomly paired with three other people making a team of four. Additionally, you are assigned a weapon along with your teammates and you all work together to fight boss Salmonoids in to collect Gold Salmon Eggs. All the bosses have different ways of moving and attacking, and this makes Salmon Run a challenging and unique mode. In my opinion, here are the top five most annoying bosses in Salmon Run. Now this is solely my opinion and my experience; it may differ from yours.

  1. Flyfish: The Flyfish hovers in the air using two jet packs. It attacks from above using squid-seeking missiles. The only way it can be defeated is by throwing a bomb into both of its jet pack baskets. To kill this boss your aim has to be incredibly accurate and since bombs take half an ink tank, you will have to work a buddy or take it down in two cycles. This boss should be your top priority. If not and another Flyfish shows up, good luck not getting splat.
  2. Steel Eel: The Steel Eel is a large mechanical eel with middle segments that spray the ground with green ink to make it look like walls. Hitting the tail segment will cause the Steel Eel to break apart. However, the walls are impenetrable and can not be passed through. The eel will lock to a player and follow them until they get splatted or it’s killed. The best strategy for taking the Steel Eel down is to have someone lead it away and a teammate shoot it from behind. 
  3. Steelhead: The Steelhead attacks by throwing a large green bomb from the top of its head. The bombs instantly splat Inklings, and the blast radius is wide compared to the normal bombs. A Steelhead can be taken out by attacking the bomb on its head before they are launched; they will not start throwing bombs until a player is close. Luckily, the Steelheads are slow. The Steelhead is not much of a threat by itself but if there are 2 or 3, you better watch out. One thing to keep in mind is snipers can kill them in one hit. 
  4. Stinger: The Stinger and the Steelhead are interchangeable; they are equally as annoying. The Stinger is made of multiple metal segments and is killed by shooting all the parts until your able to shoot the head. While it is the easiest boss to kill in my opinion, the real trouble comes from its attack. The Stinger is able to launch a long beam that reaches all across the map and can travel through walls. It can splat you from the other end of the stage without you realizing. If two are in the game, you will be stuck because there will a crossbeam of deadly ink. 
  5. Griller: The Griller resembles a giant barbecue covered in armor. It moves along a path while ink falls beneath its slim body. The Griller relentlessly pursues the player the tracking laser is pointed at. They are accompanied by tremendously tiny Salmonoids called Smallfry. This boss only appears at night, which is rare. The most annoying thing about the Grillers are that they travel in groups and while shooting them, the Smallfry collect around you unnoticed and could kill you. 

Splatoon 2 has been tons of fun and I am looking forward to the third game. Salmon Run is by far the most enjoyable new addition to the franchise. I hope you take a look at it if you previously ignored it. It’s a really hectic and entertaining mode. However, if you do check it out and play with me, do not use the Booya command. I will hate you. Thank you all for reading. Until next time, don’t get cooked, stay off the hook!