Splatoon 2’s best mode has a frustrating quirk

Splatoon 2 is a worthy follow-up to one of the Wii U’s flashiest games, according to reviewers. What really makes it worth the dip is its co-op mode, Salmon Run, which has already won over so many fans that it’s become a trending topic on Twitter ... even though Nintendo doesn’t want us to play too much of it.

If you’ve seen us play Salmon Run live on YouTube — the archive’s below, if you missed it — you have a sense of how this mode works. Up to four players work together to take down three waves of enemies, each of whom have unique weak spots and drop golden eggs in their wake. Hitting the egg quota before time runs out moves you onto the next wave.

It’s intense, it’s ridiculous and it’s great team-bonding. We’ve been excited about people getting into Salmon Run since before the game launched, and now that it’s here, people are singing its praises.

It even became a big trending topic in Japan when Splatoon 2 launched last Friday.

The only problem? Salmon Run is only playable online on a schedule, putting some severe limits on what many think is Splatoon 2’s most fun addition.

When Nintendo revealed how Salmon Run’s online portion worked, players were both confused and preemptively annoyed. We’ve asked Nintendo as to why Salmon Run works like this online, but consider that other games have similar rotating live events. It’s just a shame that Salmon Run is so, so fun — the kind of fun that we want to check out as much as possible.

Luckily, Salmon Run is rad in local multiplayer too, if you have pals around. There’s also Turf War to play online whenever ... but that horde mode is a special kind of novelty that won’t wear off for a while.