Just in case (please be the case!) we get to see even just another drop of Splatoon 2 before its release this summer, I wanted to share with you some of my most important takeaways from the game thus far, that you can use for Nintendo previews in the future.

Also, just two quick nerd notes: WHY was this game not called Spla2oon, and WHY was this preview not the entire weekend-long? Nintendo, hear my plea!

But, I digress.

• 1) Prepare effectively. Set your alarm. If you’re anything like me, your body defies all laws of normality and can sleep for startlingly long bouts of time if left uninterrupted. (Don’t test me to sleep for 13 hours straight. I will). So, if you’re going to participate in any sort of oddly-timed Nintendo preview in the future, as simple as it may be, research the specifically set time frames and set yourself up for success. Be realistic; you’re probably not going to feel ready to play and fully enjoy the experience if you just got up 2 minutes ago (I feel like my eyes don’t even properly function unless I have been awake for an hour. Minimum). My body was not ready for 7:00AM EST on a Saturday, so I missed out. In the future, I’ll be preparing my caffeinated beverage of choice (you could even a smoothie, if you’re that type of person…which I am) and easing into it comfortably.
• 2) Choose your most familiar weapon. The good thing about Splatoon 2 is that it’s a mix of the familiar and everything that we all loved from the original game (same basic premise, similar controls, etcetera), along with a whole lot of new features to prevent the avid player from getting bored of it easily. The bad thing about Splatoon 2 is, as most things in life, that same unfamiliarity that keeps everything lively can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Maybe I’m just a shooter game novice, but I was kind of overwhelmed and confused by the Splat Dualies. I’m a big fan of the trusty ol’ Splat Roller; it covers a lot of ground, not too tricky to maneuver, and still usable in close combat. Of course, give the new weapons a try! However, I would highly suggest to stick with something you know so that you can enjoy the new stages and concentrate on understanding the new gameplay.
• 3) Get ready for new stages. During the brief blip of time that most of us who have the Nintendo Switch got to experience Splatoon 2, two new stages were revealed: The Reef and Musselforge Fitness. The Reef reminded me quite a bit of Moray Towers; it sort of had that zig-zag staircase layout that reminds me a bit of what Harry Potter staircases would be like if they stopped moving. It presents the opportunity to really capitalize on some of Splatoon 2’s new features, like the new super jumping mechanism one by pressing A + the D pad. For those of us that like to get creative and use a stage to its maximum capacity, even the early looks at this game assured us that it has a lot to offer. New stages really increase the franchise’s "playability" over time, and, thankfully, Nintendo seems to notice that. New stages are something we can really look forward to, perhaps (if we’re lucky) before the game even officially launches.