Nintendo released a major update for Splatoon 3 this week, and in case you missed it, it adds health bars to the game.
This has come as a real surprise to Splatoon players, as up until now, the enemy's health in multiplayer was displayed through visual cues. As Nintendo notes, the remaining health of opponents will now be shown above their heads for "a few seconds" when they're visible. Certain abilities can also make this bar visible.
Here's Nintendo's official description about the implementation of health bars in multiplayer:
Health bar
"With version 11.0.0, it’s now possible to see an opponent’s remaining health when they’ve been hit. Previously, you could only see how damaged an enemy was by looking closely at how much ink they were covered in – not so easy to do in the heat of battle!
"Now, their remaining health will be shown in a bar above their head for a few seconds, provided they’ve not ducked behind cover or dived into their ink. Though if the opponent is visible via abilities such as Thermal Ink or has been marked by things like a Point Sensor or Wave Breaker you’ll be able to see it even then!"
As mentioned by Nintendo, it's not always the easiest to see "how damaged an enemy" is in the heat of the battle, so this update will no doubt help, even if it arguably removes some of the uniqueness and charm of the team-based squid-shooter.
Nintendo also mentions how you can now also see the health bars of your teammates when they've taken damage, which may allow you to save them before they're wiped out:
"You’ll also be able to see the health bars of your teammates if they’ve taken damage. Keeping an eye on these health bars is a great way to support your allies or chase down weakened foes – even if you’ve teamed up with Inklings and Octolings you’re not familiar with."
Apart from these updates, Nintendo has also highlighted some other notable updates, including a new state known as "Flow Aura", updates to the game's hit detection, and stealth jump. You can find out more about all of this in the official patch notes.