Much like its predecessors, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter in which players take on the roles of Inklings or Octolings, half-human children and half-squid, and compete using paint-projecting weapons. Since the game is primarily intended for multiplayer, it takes the form of territorial warfare in which two teams of four players face off against one another. You need to cover more of the map with your ink than your opponents to win.
In the previous two games, each character can dive into the ground that is painted in your team’s color. You can move around much quicker as a result of this transformation, which is very useful for rushing into the action or escaping a tight situation. You also get to recharge your weapons by performing this action. Beyond their hip urban appeal, your character’s attire offers important passive advantages that can end up being the difference maker during a match. Splatoon 3 takes all the aforementioned elements from the first two games and adds some new content and mechanics on top to deliver a game that’s largely familiar yet fresh in certain meaningful ways.
Splatoon 3 features a story mode, just like its two predecessors. This time, the campaign is called “Return of the Mammalians”. Your inkling confronts Admiral Macalamar, who is convinced that the Octarians have once again taken over the Charge Fish, the primary power source for City-City. As such, it’s up to you to save the day.
Your adventure soon takes you to Alterna, a region that acts as a central hub for accessing the numerous levels that make up the story mode. Once finished, these bring back eggs that your companion fish can use to open up new areas to explore and, consequently, new levels. The six islands that make up the Alterna Archipelago are so full of things to discover that exploring them quickly becomes your favorite pastime. Each island is filled with a variety of hidden secrets, including fish eggs and locker customization items as well as documents about the Splatoon universe. It will take some time to thoroughly explore every inch of Alterna, but since it is entirely optional, those in a hurry to make progress in the main story can always come back and explore at their own pace. Exploring the archipelago holds worth because doing so nets sardines and skill points to unlock useful passive bonuses in the skill tree.
The greatest strength of Splatoon 3’s campaign lies in its sheer variety and imaginative levels. Some areas bring about well-thought-out restrictions to divert focus from specific game mechanics, such as forbidding shooting, preventing reloading, or even limiting you to your secondary weapon. The story mode is, therefore, not just there for the sake of being there. Thanks to the variety that it offers, the quality of its levels, and its welcoming hub to explore, it’s an essential part of the package.
While the story mode is a great ten to fifteen-hour diversion, multiplayer remains the central component of Splatoon 3. While it certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the game adds new movements and weapons that breathe new life into the multiplayer experience. On the other hand, there are only eight new maps, which isn’t a lot for a competitive shooter at launch. Splatoon 3 introduces two mechanics for navigating the maps more quickly. There’s the Squid Spin, which enables you to jump in the opposite direction while assuming the shape of a mollusk to benefit from a small shield that guards against enemy ink. Then there’s the Squid Breaker, which can be used while hanging from a wall, enabling you to launch yourself into the air. While it certainly takes time to effectively use both mechanics in a multiplayer match, they can prove to be very useful in a variety of unique circumstances.
The new Piercer and the Shard weapons are essentially a bow and a katana in Splatoon 3, and they take some getting used to because of their unusual handling and limited potential. Meanwhile, the assault crab, which resembles a small tank, the high-piercer, which projects lines onto your opponents, and the Super Mollusc, which permits grappling, are just a few of the new special weapons available in Splatoon 3. Although these new weapons are decent additions, they don’t dramatically alter the underlying formula of the Splatoon series, nor are they attempting to do so.
Much like its predecessor, Splatoon 3 also features a coop mode called the Salmon Run. It challenges four players to hold off Salmonoids on a small map while under the restriction of changing weapons at random with each new wave. You need to gather a specific quantity of golden eggs after defeating Salmonoboss to advance to the next stage. Only one egg can be carried at a time, so cooperation between players is crucial, as every player is encouraged to play their part. It’s all very similar to the coop mode found in Splatoon 2, and one does get a sense of déjà vu here.
Splatoon 3 is a highly refined take on the series’ formula. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel with major innovations. Instead, it opts to deliver the best version of a tried-and-tested experience that the series is known for. As such, fans of the series should feel right at home with the third entry. The multiplayer benefits from some interesting new mechanics and weapons, while the story mode delivers a varied and imaginative experience. The coop mode, however, could’ve used a bit of a shakeup.
Disclaimer: This review was conducted with a review copy provided by Nintendo UK.
Splatoon 3 is a highly refined take on the series’ formula. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel with major innovations. Instead, it opts to deliver the best version of a tried-and-tested experience that the series is known for.