Splatoon 2 player reaches Rank X using only their feet

VTuber Miro Amakusa has pulled off the seemingly impossible and reached Rank X in Splatoon 2 while being restricted to only using their feet to control the game. The VTuber began the challenge on August 14, 2021, and was able to complete it in roughly one year.

In Splatoon 2, online matches are split between Turf War and Ranked Battle modes. The rules are simple in Turf War as the team that covers the most area in ink wins. Ranked Battle is a bit different, though, with different rules and game types that really put your skills to the test.

With each game type in Ranked Battle, players have what is called a rank which increases as they accumulate wins and decreases as they lose. Ranks start at C- and rise through C, C+, B-, B, and so on. After A+ comes S Rank, which is divided into S+ 0 through 9, and for players that make it beyond that waits Rank X. Rising through all 20 levels to reach Rank X is a long and difficult road.

However, one player was able to overcome that challenge using only their feet. VTuber Miro Amakusa set a goal to reach Rank X using their feet instead of their hands by the time Splatoon 3 released and was able to reach their target just in the nick of time.

When Miro Amakusa began streaming to Twitch on September 7, viewers could see Miro Amakusa, the Splatoon 2 screen, and a shot of their feet operating the controller in an odd departure from the standard hand camera that streamers use to show their inputs.

Miro Amakusa picked up where they left off streaming Splat Zones matches from Rank S+8. Their movements were so smooth that you wouldn’t have any idea they were using their feet, and with a custom button mapping and refined foot control, they showed off excellent movement and positioning around the map.

For these matches, Miro Amakusa used the Foil Flingza Roller weapon. With the roller’s far-reaching vertical swing and the Tenta Missiles, which are easier to fire multiple times as the required special gauge is fairly low, there’s good synergy between the main and special weapons.

Under normal circumstances, Miro Amakusa would use a shooter to expertly take out enemies, but when playing with your feet, a roller which requires less precision aiming is probably a better fit. But with that being said, Miro Amakusa also displayed some fine splatting after getting used to the foot controls.

Once it looked like they were one win away from reaching Rank X, Miro Amakusa switch streaming platforms over to YouTube. The Splat Zones match was set to take place on Ancho-V Games. Miro Amakusa used the Foil Flingza Roller to cover the map with ink while keeping enemies at bay from a distance using the Tenta Missiles. Even against long-range Chargers, they were able to boldly close gaps and repel their attacks by diving into the ink to create favorable situations.

With calm and composed play, they snagged the victory which lifted Miro Amakusa to Rank X. Since Miro Amakusa spent most of the match inking the stage, they seemed a little dissatisfied at the ending, but it was a victory earned by clearly understanding the situation and coordinating with teammates.

After working toward the achievement for roughly a year and a month, Miro Amakusa was overcome with emotion when expressing their joy. Viewers that watched it happen in real time were also celebrating in the chat. Miro Amakusa’s tweet reporting they had reached Rank X was also showered with celebratory replies.

While it may be obvious, Miro Amakusa has also reached Rank X through normal play. In order to prepare for this challenge, they first went through Splatoon 2’s single-player Hero Mode with only their feet to get used to the controls.

Looking back on the footage from when they first began, you can see things start a little shaky. But after some good old-fashioned hard work, they were able to go toe-to-toe (or toe-to-finger in this case) with excellent players who played normally with their hands. Seeing this kind of growth shows that we can all improve our skills if we keep at it.

Miro Amakusa began their challenge of only using their feet to prove that you can reach Rank X with good situational awareness and positioning. Now to see it achieved with such restrictions on controls shows just how important those factors are in Splatoon.

Plus, they played by placing the controller on the floor and fixing it so it wouldn’t move. This meant they couldn’t use gyro controls to aim which many believe is the superior method. Miro Amakusa reaching Rank X this way might also be touted as a win for team stick controls.

Splatoon 3 is coming to the Nintendo Switch on September 9, but Miro Amakusa says they’re still deciding on if they’re going to play it with their feet or not.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-09-08 16:54 JST)