Splatoon 3 Preview – Feeling As Fresh As Ever

When the Splatoon 3-focused Nintendo Direct hit two weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the information and how much content the Splatoon team was bringing at launch. The Nintendo Direct, which was focused on Splatoon 3 and Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion, provided all the information I required to increase my excitement. The opportunity to grab the soon-to-be released Splatoon 3 made this game even more exciting.

My 75 minute hands-on session allowed me to see the main three pillars of Splatoon 3 – the single-player Hero Mode and 4v4 Turf Wars. I also saw the co-operative four-player Salmon Run. These three modes were all present in Splatoon 2. However, Turf Wars remains the main draw since its debut. Splatoon’s multiplayer gameplay will always be a highlight, but the story mode of single players from the original two games is still highly regarded. My time spent with Splatoon 3’s story shows that the final chapter of this continuing saga will offer even more shooting, splatting puzzle-solving and platforming. 

Bill Trinen, Nintendo vice president for product and player experiences, says that Hero Mode is often forgotten because of the heavy focus on multiplayer in Splatoon. “They forget just how inventive the level design and single-player platforming that they’re doing in that mode is, and just how connected it is to, I think, what is a very traditional Nintendo approach to gameplay and level design that often gets overshadowed by the multiplayer side of Splatoon. It’s my hope that people will get into the game and not just jump to the multiplayer like many long-time Splatoon players.

Three stages were completed in story mode. Each stage required me to use unique strategies to achieve the end goal. One had me completing mini puzzles and combat scenarios to retrieve four keys to reach the end, while another asked me to constantly stop charging enemies from getting too close to me. My favorite part of the campaign was the one where I could use my new Tri-Stringer bow weapon. The bow-and-arrow weapon can fire a 3-arrow spread, which can either be rapid-fired (or charged). The arrows can be charged for long enough to make mini bombs. They explode as soon as they reach their target. This is a useful technique when you have to deal with shielded octarians. The Tri-Stringer can be used to move the spread’s direction from vertical to horizontal. You can also use the Tri-Stringer while jumping.

Salmon Run, which brings numerous improvements, adds to the frenetic pace of the mode. While players have the ability to drop golden eggs by bosses now, the best part about the Splatoon 3 Salmon Run experience is the rise of new bosses like the Slammin Lid. There are many options, so you won’t be able to rely on one strategy alone. To survive high-difficulty Salmon Run attempts, you must expect the unexpected and be attentive to your fellow teammates. After completing a simple playthrough of Salmon Run at a lower difficulty level, our second attempt of Salmon Run was much more difficult. We failed to get enough golden eggs within the deadline. Salmon Run now works at any hour, rather than during specific windows. You can also bring rewards into other modes.

“Previously, you’d go into Salmon Run during the window that it was open, and you’d have special gear that was going to be available for that Salmon Run,” Nintendo senior vice president of product development Nate Bihldorff says. With Salmon Run always available, you will not only be pursuing those temporal awards but your progress there will also feed back into the seasonal catalogue and unlock items there. The game’s economy works with Salmon Run always being accessible. This is an even bigger part of the virtuous cycle of driving you between modes so you are constantly re-engaging.

Turf War is the final game I was able to play during my hands-on experience. You can imagine that this feature is just as entertaining as before, and has received small enhancements to make it more enjoyable. Being able to move in one direction when splattered is a great feature. Also, the weapons and specials have been updated and are much more effective. In my third match I used the Splatana. You can use new moves that change your traversal or combat in subtle yet important ways. Squid Surge is a fast way to climb a wall. However, the Squid Roll can change the direction of any encounter. You can change your swimming directions quickly while still being shielded by a shield. Squid Roll was a tool I found very useful in my sessions.

Splatoon games used to launch with very little content, promising that they would add more content over time. But, the two-year-long content plan for post-launch is still robust. Splatoon 3 will include 12 Turf War stages at launch, nearly matching Splatoon 1 and Splatoon 2’s combined launch totals. It takes quite a while to view the weapons screen, which shows how far the arsenal has evolved since 2015. Nintendo has an ambitious plan for the future, including seasonal content every 3 months, free maps, weapons and DLC.

Bihldorff said, “I think that we are dealing with an established audience who already have their preferred modes. And for that audience it is important to be able entice them into playing them. However, for newcomers, it’s just a matter of saying: ‘Hey! Look at all the stuff you can’.” You can also expect the same content as the previous games post-launch, and a constant drip-feed.

There are still many modes to explore in Splatoon 3, despite the ones I had time to see during my preview. Other than the maps and bosses I saw in Turf Wars Story Mode, Salmon Run and Story Mode, I wasn’t able to view how Splatfests would play in this entry.e items I’m able to peruse in the shops,Tableturf Battle is the best. Although Nintendo isn’t revealing much about this card battler like other mainstay modes it still plays into the wider Splatoon 3 ecosystem. It encourages players to look it up so that they can unlock other Splatoon 3 modes.

Trinen explains that you will unlock cards as you play and go through the game. This is another small reward. Splatoon is a game where you feel as though you get more and more items that will help your experience to grow.

After getting my hands on Splatoon 3, it has become easily one of my most anticipated games for the remainder of the year, which says a lot when you look at the release schedule over the next several months. With the Splatfest World Premiere happening in just a few days, I can’t wait to once again dive beneath the surface as my favorite kid/squid hybrid creatures. Splatoon 3 will be available on Nintendo Switch starting September 9. Splatfest World Premiere available for free now on the eShop. The online multiplayer event will run on August 27.

For more Nintendo talk from Brian, be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo, a weekly podcast he hosts covering the biggest news and games from the world of Nintendo.