About 70-80 perecent of Splatoon players utilize the gyro-based motion controls that are default for the squid shooter according to Nintendo.
“That’s not to say we’re forcing it on to them,” said Nintendo’s Tsubasa Sakaguchi in an interview with Eurogamer. “From our point of view, we think that the gyro controls are the best way to play Splatoon, the reason being there are two main movements you need for a shooter. One is moving the body, the other is aiming where you’re shooting. In that sense, we think for Splatoon the gyro gives that subtle movement and more precise actions to be able to really experience the game in a much better way.”
While many users reported changing the settings of the game to allow Splatoon to be played through classic dual-stick methods on the Wii U gamepad, Sakaguchi says using the Wii U gamepad to aim and shoot becomes natural for the title.
“We were slightly concerned about whether users might feel the gyro controls were a little bit difficult,” says Sakaguchi. “But I like to use the analogy of riding a bicycle. You need a lot of practice, but once you’ve learnt that the bicycle becomes one with your body and it opens the whole world to you. In that sense, we’re really happy that many users have learnt to ride the bicycle!”
Splatoon launched in late May on the Wii U and has been a surprise success for Nintendo. If you’re squidding with it, are you still using the motion controls or have you been playing it with classic settings?