"Splatoon 2" will be released this weekend, but its gameplay has already been experienced by thousands of gamers across the globe. Now, the question is: Does it live up to the hype?

"Splatoon 2" has received a mixture of both critiques and praise. The upcoming team-based third-person shooter video game apparently brings back many aspects of what fans loved about its predecessor. Players control characters called Inklings — Marie and Callie — who have the ability to shapeshift between humanoid and squid forms.

In a humanoid form, players can shoot ink using their weapons. The squid one, on the other hand, enables them to swim through their own ink with a specific end goal to move rapidly and replenish ink supplies.

On top of that, "Splatoon 2" brings new standard, sub and special weapons, including a dual-wield pistol, which allows players to perform dodge rolls, and Jetpacks. There is also a new mode called Salmon Run that allows up to four players to team up and go up against waves of enemies.

However, there are also downsides. Destructoid disapproved of accessibility within the game's multiplayer modes. It is said that the weapons cannot be changed between matches, there is no split-screen play and the Salmon Run mode is only playable online at certain times.

While a lot has substantially improved compared to its predecessor, The Verge criticized the lack of a built-in voice chat feature. Unfortunately, players must remain on the screen in order to use the said voice feature, causing serious battery drainage.

"It's terrible," one user wrote in the Nintendo Switch sub-Reddit forum, adding, "Huge difference if I can't even exit the app to do other things. The backlash is about to be immense."

"Splatoon 2" will be released this Friday, July 21 for the Nintendo Switch. While waiting, fans can check out the official gameplay teaser below.