Splatoon Raiders has become the highest user-rated Nintendo game on Metacritic, with a user score of 9.3 out of 10. The score ties it with other highly rated games such as the original Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil Requiem at seventh overall on the site.
Beating Zelda and Mario
The spin-off title, released for the Nintendo Switch 2, overtakes every other Nintendo game ever made, including The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64 and all Mario titles. This comes despite the game being described by critics as a fun but unambitious and quickly forgettable diversion.
Comparison with Previous Splatoon Games
Previous Splatoon games have lower user scores: Splatoon 1 has 8.7, Splatoon 2 has 8.4, and Splatoon 3 has 7.3. Splatoon Raiders currently has 802 user reviews, compared to over 1,500 for Splatoon 1 and 2. Critics have given the game an average score of 81, placing it outside the top 60 on Metacritic.
Potential Review Manipulation?
User scores on Metacritic can be manipulated, as seen with the Nintendo DS game Cory in the House, which has a user score of 9.2 due to a shared internet joke. However, there is no evidence of manipulation for Splatoon Raiders; the high score appears to reflect genuine enthusiasm.
Sales and Market Performance
It remains to be seen if this enthusiasm translates to sales. Splatoon 2 is the best-selling entry in the franchise with 13.6 million lifetime sales. Splatoon Raiders was the UK's top-selling game last week, though it faced little competition due to the summer drought. Japanese weekly sales figures are expected soon.
