When comparing Splatoon 2 vs The Escapists 2, the Slant community recommends Splatoon 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best games for the Nintendo Switch?” Splatoon 2 is ranked 8th while The Escapists 2 is ranked 31st. The most important reason people chose Splatoon 2 is:
Most modern shooters are all about lethal weaponry, gore, death, and getting the most kills, but Splatoon 2 steps away from this formula. You use paint guns and brushes to color the map and the opponents, but it's never about going just after the opponents. Even if you manage to take someone out, they're never killed, but turned into paint, which is a natural defense mechanism of the game's playable race – the inklings. As a result, Splatoon 2 is a friendly, but at times highly competitive, battle that's well-suited to any member of your family.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Family-friendly shootouts
Most modern shooters are all about lethal weaponry, gore, death, and getting the most kills, but Splatoon 2 steps away from this formula. You use paint guns and brushes to color the map and the opponents, but it's never about going just after the opponents. Even if you manage to take someone out, they're never killed, but turned into paint, which is a natural defense mechanism of the game's playable race – the inklings. As a result, Splatoon 2 is a friendly, but at times highly competitive, battle that's well-suited to any member of your family.
Pro Highly accessible team-based gameplay
Even though Splatoon 2 rewards skillful play, having accurate aim is not as important as it is in most third-person shooters. This is mostly because it's a game about territory control, requiring you to recolor areas of the map to win, so you can contribute to your team's victory by just shooting the ground and walls, which is something most players can do without any practice. As a result, Splatoon 2 can be more accessible and less stressful for beginners and players that aren't very good at aiming, making the gameplay more enjoyable in the long run.
Pro A really fun co-op mode
Splatoon 2 has its own horde mode called Salmon Run, where you and up to 4 other players fight off waves of Salmons while collecting their golden eggs. It's fairly challenging, requiring you to properly utilize your weapons, learn salmon types and their abilities, and understand how to best cooperate to survive till the end. This can lead you to a lot of intense, sometimes unfortunate, and sometimes even funny moments throughout a match that might keep you wanting for more.
Pro Excellent for short play sessions
Each multiplayer match in Splatoon 2 lasts only about 3 minutes, with about 1 minute of wait time between each match. This can be very useful in cases when you have some spare time, but can't afford to play a long match. It's a nice change in an era dominated by competitive multiplayer games that force you to commit more than 30 minutes per match.
Pro Great multiplayer level design
While all multiplayer levels have gorgeous visuals, featuring very detailed urban landscapes, their most noteworthy aspect is their adequate size. They're just large enough that a match doesn't feel like a claustrophobic shootout that ends in less than a minute. And they're small enough that you encounter opponents very often, reducing time you spend purely on running to get back into action. It's a design choice that keeps the gameplay focused in most cases, making it a more enjoyable experience as a whole.
Pro Encourages experimentation and creativity
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation.
Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Pro Good balance of game systems make for a rewarding simulation
Taking action in the game uses up your stamina, so you'll still have to make time for things like eating and sleeping if you want to have energy for things like digging through walls, fighting other inmates, or cutting through vents and gates.
Items such as shovels and cutters have limited durability, so they can't be used endlessly. Raw materials can be found around the prison to craft items, or you can buy items from fences using money earned by running fetch quests for other inmates. No matter how you acquire them, crafting materials and finished goods are limited so you'll have to use your items wisely.
Time is an important factor that has to be managed too, with certain activities having to be done at certain times. This limits the amount of time you have to roam the prison, since you have to show up for meal times and roll calls. Free time can be used to craft, roam the prison to determine the guard patterns, or finally put your ultimate escape plan into action.
Juggling each and every one of the various aspects of the game results in a very deep and rewarding simulation experience.
Pro Solid progression of difficulty
The difficulty increases as you progress, with each prison becoming just a little more intricate and more challenging to escape from than the previous. The prisons themselves get more complex with more obstacles to overcome such as tougher guards which results in more ways things can go wrong. The progress feels good and natural, as you're always building on what you learned in previous prisons to escape from the newest one.
Pro Great pixel art style for retro fans
If you enjoy a more retro style, then this game is pure eye candy. Simple but charming, the pixel art is colorful, with the sprites having a nice variety in animations when they're shoveling, searching, running around, fighting, or partaking in any kind of activity that would require movement. The tile sets for the game world are nicely detailed, colored and shaded. You won't get tired of looking at the same tiles over and over due to the sheer amount and variety of the art assets created for the game.
Pro Lots of replayability
No two games will play out alike. Each prison is an open sandbox, so it's definitely not a linear experience with a defined escape blueprint. Prisons can be replayed over and over to beat your previous time, measured in how many in-game days it took you to escape, which leaves plenty of room for trying new things on each successive playthrough.
Pro Co-Op multiplayer mode adds a new depth to gameplay
Working together creates a whole new experience with loads of possibilities. In co-op mode, you play with up to 3 teammates either online or locally as you work towards escaping the prison together. This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay as working together creates experiences that just aren't possible when playing solo. Someone could distract the guards, while another searches rooms for crafting materials. One player could run around collecting items, while another scopes out the guard's patrol patterns. Some can complete quests to collect money while others are working on digging tunnels.
Pro A couple of alternative prisons add a change of scenery
Tired of bricks, cold floors, and cement cells? For those who want a change of scenery, there is a prison set in the wild west, and even a futuristic space prison. This adds a little bit of variety to the look of the game while keeping the same gameplay mechanics. It's a nice touch and gives your eyes a break from staring at the same tilesets over and over.
Cons
Con The horde mode is on a schedule
Despite being the most popular multiplayer mode in Splatoon 2, Salmon Run is on a schedule, sometimes having gaps of up to 2 days between each appearance. It's not as bad as it was upon release, but it can still be quite aggravating when you can't play Salmon Run when you finally have the time for it.
Con Getting caught by guards can be overly punishing
It's frustrating when you spend several hours grinding quests for other inmates, collecting items, crafting, and carefully planning your escape, only to get caught by guards and lose all your items or killed. This effectively means you have to start over, wasting hours of your own time and days of in-game time.
Con Can feel grindy at times
Running around doing fetch quests for other inmates, or searching for crafting materials for hours on end can get stale after a while.
Con Tutorial doesn't cover much
The tutorial will only walk you through the barest of basics, resulting in the player having to learn the game's various mechanics on their own.