WhenSplatoon2 released early into theSwitch’s life cycle–and only coming 2 years after the original title’s release on the Wii U–many were disappointed in the quick turnaround as well as the lack of substantial changes made.
Some time later, after substantial additions of content to the game, including 2018’s Octo Expansion DLC, public opinion saw a more positive upswing. Splatoon 3, despite releasing on the same console hardware, seeks to avoid many of these same early mistakes its predecessor made. Here are some of themajor additionscoming to Splatoon 3 on September 9th.
10/10 New Single Player
The new single player story mode featured in Splatoon 3 is titled, “Return of the Mammalians.” The mode will continue the limitedloreexplored in Splatoon 2’s base game story mode and the Octo Expansion. So far, not much has been teased story-wise beyond the inclusion of octolings and the fact that it willlikely serve as a finalefor the story modes offered thus far. In either case, it should see some major improvements from Splatoon 2’s well-received Octo Expansion single player DLC.
9/10 New Weapons
Splatoon 3 will see series staples such as the Slosher and Splattershot return, in addition to major new arrivals. The pre-launch ‘testfire’ let players test out these new weapons for the first time. The two major new additions are theSplatana, an ink Katana with surprising range that can switch between a wider horizontal attack or a higher risk/reward vertical strike. The other major addition is theTri-Stringer, a bow that shoots smaller ink balls in sets of three; after charging, it can fire three smaller explosives that can surprise enemies at distance.
The post-launch period is sure to introduce more new weapons to the fold after the first few weeks. If those weapons are half as interesting as the ones shown off so far, Splatoon 3 will have a lotmore varietyin its metagame than ever before.
8/10 New Specials
There couldn’t be new weapons if there weren’t also new Specials as well. Splatoon 3’s testfire showcased some very different specials compared to prior additions. Possibly the most discussed has been theCrab Tank. The Crab Tank turns players into a crab-like vehicle that, upon revving up, can shoot ink accurately at medium to long distances. The vehicle’s lack of quick movement and short range accuracy is made up for with the ability toroll into a balland re-position.
The other unique special is theTacticooler. The Tacticooler drops a machine that supplies you and your teammates a beverage after interacting with it. This beverage offers arandom temporary buffto friendly players who interact with it. Time will tell if any of these new additions are relevant to the metagame, but with the time players have spent with them so far, they are definitely proving to be a lot of fun.
7/10 New Maps
The last of the most obvious additions are the new maps coming to Splatoon 3. So far,12 mapshave been confirmed–some arenew maps, while others arereturning favoritesfrom Splatoon 1 and 2. Of the half or so of the maps that are new,Haggle Fish Marketlooks to both be the most aesthetically pleasing and the most interesting, design-wise. If the testfire is any indication, it does not appear Nintendo has any intention of changing the frustrating 2-map rotation any time soon.
6/10 Hub Area
The hub area introduced in Splatoon 3,Splatsville, is by far the largest and most crowded hub area in any of the three games. Some teases from the Splatoon Direct and the pre-launch testfire led people to believe Splatsville may be even bigger than what has been shown so far.
Visually, there has clearly been a lot of work put into this new area, but some players have complained about the size making it difficult to traverse. The usual fast travel optionsfor stores and the multiplayer lobby are still there, but it remains to be seen if there will be any other way to get around in such a large area.
5/10 Change to Splatfests
While the only Splatfest we have seen so far have been in the testfire, it was the perfect showcase of what Nintendo has in mind for Splatoon 3. In the days leading up to the event, thesky changes color, light boards and floats start appearing, and the whole event culminates by the end at night time with abig concertin Spatsville. While these are technically very minor changes, it serves to not only add style to the game, but also make Splatfests feel like a much bigger deal.
4/10 Three Way Turf War
Possibly the strangest addition thus far has been the three-wayTricolor turf war. Tricolor turf war starts with one traditional team of four and two separate teams of two. The team of four starts in the middle with the opposing two teams on opposite sides. The team of four will start by protecting both the middle and the‘ultra signal.’ The ultra signal will spawn sprinklers that cover turf of the team that holds it. Other than that, the game mode functions as a traditional turf war with the team that covers most of the map winning. There have already been balance complaints with the mode in the limited time it has been played. Splatoon’s Japanese twitter account has promised balance changes after launch while specifically mentioning the Tricolor turf wars.
3/10 Customization
For those of you that care more about yoursquid’s dripthan the actual game itself, there will be plenty more options for you to adjust your style compared to the previous Splatoon 2. The game starts by allowing you to customize your character. While Octolings were available in multiplayer for Splatoon 2, that was only for players who had purchased and completed the Octo Expansion DLC. In Splatoon 3, the ability toplay as an Octolingwill be available by default.
In addition to new hairstyles, Splatoon 3’s multiplayer will featureplayer cardsand post-victory emotes for the first time in the series history. While relatively minor additions, it shows a dedication by the Splatoon team to continue to give the player more agency in how they experience the game.
2/10 Tableturf Battle
Possibly the most surprising addition to the game is its owncompetitive card game. The tableturf section of town was largely empty and inaccessible during the testfire, but that also means there is plenty in that section that we have yet to experience. Each card represents something from the game, with each player seeking to cover an area on the gameboard. Not much is known about thisnew game mode, but with Nintendo confirming around 150 cards as of launch, it’s safe to say they are dedicating quite a bit of resources into making sure it succeeds.
1/10 Testing Area During Match Queue
Easily the smallest effort of the new features shown off so far, but also the most welcome, is the testing area becoming accessible during the match queue. While you and your friends are queuing for a match, you can all access the testing area totry out new weaponsand their specials, or just practice your aim before the game starts. While you can see your squadmates in a small capacity in this section, the testfire version had seriouslatency problemswith seeing other players, so it’s really more of a novelty than anything else. In either case, adding such an obvious optional segment that was otherwise just spent looking at a menu is the best possible quality of life change they could have made, and one that will be welcome by longtime players and newcomers alike.
