When the original Splatoon launched on the Wii U back in 2015, it was pretty groundbreaking. Nintendo making an online shooter? It sounded like a recipe for confusion, but as they so often do, Nintendo took a formula that had been refined to the point of parody and decided that it would be fun to be able to swim in bullets. Then they made the bullets ink and everything came together.
Splatoon 2 took this bullet breaststroke formula after just a few years and souped it up for the Nintendo Switch. It was an upgrade in every sense, but now we’re reaching the big number 3. So what are we looking at here? The Halo 3, or the Driver 3 of the Splatoon series?

As soon as you boot Splatoon 3 you’ll be met with an instantly familiar experience. Ink the ground to score points, swim in it to move faster, surprise surprise! It’s Splatoon again. What’s striking though is for how familiar everything feels, it also feels almost unfathomably slick in comparison to its predecessors. Nothing’s going to leap out at you from a mechanical standpoint, but almost every possible area where things could be fine-tuned has been addressed.
When you load up the game now you can simply ignore the news update telling you what maps you’ll be playing on. The excellent Salmon Run mode is now accessible 24/7. You can join lobbies with friends and play Turf War on the same team. You can play the single-player missions in practically any order you like (more on that later). Whilst there is no one major inclusion that sets this apart from Splatoon 2, the veritable militia of minutia that the developers have employed is simply staggering.
Weapons feel more balanced, maps feel tighter yet more open, the Tenta Missiles feel like they’ve been nerfed, the list is frankly endless, so let’s break it down into a few chunks.
The single player has always felt somewhat of an afterthought in previous games; it’s always a very welcome inclusion, but it’s apparent that the lion’s share of the focus was on multiplayer, which for a multiplayer game is probably for the best. Things improved notably with Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion, and we’re wiggling all eight tentacles with glee when we say that Splatoon 3’s Single Player – Return of the Mammalians – is taking reams of notes from that excellent slice of DLC. More cutscenes, more variety in its mission structure, a simple but undeniably charming and engaging plot, it’s just an all-round fun and more fleshed-out time.

To give you an idea of how wild and wacky the missions can get, we jumped from a standard ‘get to the goal’ affair right into another that stripped us of all our weaponry and forced us to simply jump over increasing numbers of shockwaves until a timer finally decided we’d done enough. You’re almost always given a choice of weapon as well, with more outlandish choices netting you a slightly higher reward, so there’s a good deal of replayability as well.
But most importantly your progress is gated only by the fluffy ooze that turns you into a mammal as soon as you touch it. You can clear this by netting enough Power Eggs from missions to bolster your Small Fry Li’l Buddy’s feeding capabilities. Lob him on the appropriate bit of ooze and poof! It’s gone in a flash of mammalian extinction. These can also hide some of the frankly insane number of collectables to be found in the overworld. By no means are these at all necessary, but it’s nice to have something productive to do outside the missions themselves.
We were able to reach the final island of the game before we’d even done half of the missions on the first; the game doesn’t strictly encourage this but, conversely, it also does absolutely nothing to stop you. It’s a shame that thematically each island, whilst being distinct, doesn’t have said theming reflected in its missions; instead, you’re simply whisked away to a mystery zone which could be anywhere. It’s a minor nitpick in what is otherwise probably the strongest Splatoon single player to date, but a nitpick regardless.
One gripe we had with Splatoon 2’s single-player offering was the fact that all the upgrades you unlocked left you overpowered as all hell towards the end, whereas Return of the Mammalians instead strips you down Metroid-style and upgrading merely brings you (as far as we can tell) up to your fighting fit online self that you were before you got mixed up in all this fuzzy business.
The world you explore in single player feels much more cohesive than before, and that sentiment can be extended to the entire game. We were thrilled at just how much has been done to eliminate menus in Splatoon 3, but without making things needlessly convoluted for the sake of immersion. Immersion is still rife though, whether it be the online lobby that reminds us of sports/leisure centre halls with its high ceilings and distant thrumming bass notes, or Grizzco which really does feel about as legitimate as we imagine Mr Grizz’ bookkeeping to be.

No matter where you go in the world, you’ll almost always be given the freedom to move around freely unless doing so would make the experience lesser, such as the weapon and gear shops where – let’s be honest – you’re just going to buy everything up as quickly as you can anyway. Wandering about on two of your many limbs isn’t going to improve that particular shopping spree.
And because we can’t gush enough about the improvements, the online lobby is just to die for. You can bring up a menu at any time to queue yourself up for any one of the many online options available, but as soon as you’ve done so you’re once again free-roaming around the lobby’s interior with your equipment of choice. You can simply stand still (as it won’t be long before you find a game), or practice dealing death and swimming lengths just to keep your hands busy. We’re sure nobody can deny that this is a lot better than a list of names on the right-hand side of an otherwise practically static menu screen.

All of this adds up to make Splatsville the biggest and most alive-feeling of any of Splatoon’s hubworlds. But if the illusion of reality isn’t your thing, you can burrow yourself into the new in-game card game on offer: Table Turf Battle. In this deceptively simple yet dense side game you’ll be laying various shapes down to ink as much of the table’s turf as possible, with each card offering a unique and wacky shape to work with. It’s a surprisingly well-thought-out inclusion and one that we feel many other publishers would release as a standalone product. As it stands here though it’s a hugely enjoyable little freebie added into a game already bursting with content.
There’s more to do in this game than we possibly expected, and we haven’t even mentioned the entirely superfluous custom locker system. Through a set of arguably clunky controls you can stuff a load of things that you own in your locker to show them off to whoever might want a look. It’s limited, it’s time-consuming, and it has no impact whatsoever on the rest of the game, but we can’t deny that it’s fun to try and cram as much Splatoon-related guff into our rectangular prison as possible.
And we haven't even mentioned Salmon Run properly. Gone are the arbitrary time restrictions meaning Grizzco is open 24/7, and in its place is the horrifying notion that after your third wave you might come up against a colossal King Salmonid. Waves feel tougher, but fairer at the same time with the introduction of your ability to throw eggs. That may sound minor but believe us it is anything but.

'Event' waves have also been shaken up. We've had to bus cartfuls of Golden Eggs from the beach to the high tide Egg Basket, throw bombs into the mouth of a giant enemy Salmonid, as well as classics such as using cannons to keep hordes of Cohocks at bay. It's certainly more Salmon Run, but it's more varied, more exciting, more rewarding, and more terrifying.
But despite all this, we can't help but feel that after five long years fans deserve something more. The Table Turf Battle is a nice inclusion, but whereas Splatoon 2 got the excellent Salmon Run to make it truly stand out, Splatoon 3 struggles to boast anything as substantial. That doesn't take away from every one of the countless improvements featured, but it's still lacking that one big addition that is reasonable to expect after so many years since Splatoon 2's launch.
In terms of visuals and performance, it’s the same as the minutia we mentioned prior; small changes but oh so many of them. Ink looks glossier than ever and reflects light in a way that just makes us want to reach out and touch it, the Inkling and Octoling proportions have been lengthened slightly (perhaps these inhabitants are collectively older), and if 59 frames per second isn’t enough for you, we’re pleased to say that just like all previous games we couldn’t shake its rock-solid 60fps. Loading times are also supremely fast, and when combined with the tighter lobby system we were able to squeeze far more games into our hours playing than we ever would have been in Splatoon 2. Nice.
Conclusion
Splatoon 3 is more of the same, but refined to borderline mechanical perfection. It's the most fun we’ve had with an online shooter in years, and for series veterans it makes Splatoon 2 feel entirely redundant for all but its unique single-player content. It feels like the development team has solved every problem the Splatoon community was bleating on about, and then fixed some more that we didn’t even realise were problems until they were fixed. There's nothing revolutionary about it compared to its predecessors, and it's perhaps missing a Big New Idea™ that you might expect after five years, but Splatoon 3 is the pinnacle of the series, and the pinnacle of shooters on Switch.
Comments 110
I've put over 1,000 hours into Splatoon 2 but have barely touched the game since they stopped doing Splatfests so I'm suuuuuuper keen to finally really get back into the series now. Will be jumping straight in as soon as the digital version becomes playable tomorrow night, can't wait.
Mildly surprised by this score.
Edit: I genuinely expected lower.
I absolutely cannot wait for this game. I was expecting a 10/10 from you guys since Splatoon 2 received that, but a 9 feels fair to me, considering the points mentioned.
@StarPoint I was kinda expecting it to get a lower score here if anything after all the discussion around whether it's done enough to justify a new entry or whatever.
Good review. I’m glad it turned out well despite me not being super hyped for it. I’m very happy you can que up with friends on the same team now and skip the intro at the start of the game. Also thank goodness Salmon run is not only better, but available at anytime.
That said, I’m really bummed the stage rotation is still here. It made the game feel a lot more repetitive to me. I think I’ll stick with Splatoon 2 for the time being but I can see myself picking up 3 down the road when more content is added and it goes on sale.
Whether or not this game is worth the price for having familiar content from previous games is totally up to you.
But I'll say this: at the end of the day, it at least gives you a whole lot to do compared to Mario Strikers Battle League. Which is why I will happily pay full-price price for this.
Seems like a well put together, fun game worthy of the score… BUT… if you’ve already played the other two in the last 7 years I wonder if it covers too much old ground?
And that’s the challenge of rating a sequel if you do so encompassing it’s evolution on the previous games or if you do so in a vacuum?
Is it really different enough from the previous game to justify full price and a 9/10?
The game is good. I'm not going to deny that. But it's missing that new thing. Just like how Salmon Run was introduced in Splatoon 2. I think I'm going to wait a bit until more updates come in and try to reduce my backlog instead.
Con: Rehashed stages from previous games (one of which is on the same console!) instead of making all the stages new
Awesome review, I only skipped the single player stuff though because I want to go in as fresh as possible there in particular. I'm really happy to hear how well this game turned out even if that big new mode isn't really here (yet, who knows if it's still in the works).
Thank you for the reivew Alex!
It’s the most complete Splatoon experience to date, basically. But the continuation (conclusion?) of the Squid Sisters’/Agent 3’s behind the scenes work is enticing. That, and if we’re reaping the chaos from the end of Splat2’s final fest, does that mean we will be exploring some order in Off the Hook’s DLC? Hmm…
"the veritable militia of minutia..."
Nice.
Single player campaigns in Splatoon always felt like a chore to clear out until the Octo Expansion, so I'm glad to hear thats the direction they're taking it in.
In all honesty, I'd still be playing Splatoon 2 if they kept up with adding new stages, weapons, and continued with semi-regular Splatfests. I still have the urge to ink, and I've hit a lull in playing other games so Im more than happy to build up to level 99 all over again.
ALSO! Im hoping the "next big thing" that sets Splatoon 3 apart is the "Big Run" mode that was teased where you play Salmon Run to stave off kaiju sized salmonoids from attacking the city. It sounds like this may be handled like a Splatfest event, and I'm hoping this means that the overly spacious Splattsville will become the battleground to coat in ink.
It's great to hear that Splatoon 3 maintains the freshness! The wait just got that much harder...
So its better then Splatoon 2 yet you rate it lower.. very peculiar indeed.
Feel this really could have done with a new feature, to hook people on the fence. It didn't even have to be much, maybe a battle royale, to make it easier to distinguish between it and a expanded Splaroon 2 and convince more people to double-dip. More sales... everyones happy.
Oh well. The added variety does look good and I will buy, just not immediately.
I’m going to wait on DLC since I play splatoon for single player (I use NSO mainly for mario kart). But glad it is reviewing well. It will likely get 8s and 9s in other places.
I'm also a little disappointed at the lack of a substantial new mode to really differentiate it from Splatoon 2, but I'm looking forward to playing the new story mode and the card game.
I do not understand why Nintendo makes the single player with platforms and static enemies ... instead of creating an artificial intelligence that really works against you. The game is action, but the single player is more platform. Where are the enemies creating strategies to beat you? Where's artificial intelligence? Only static targets in a puzzle scheme don't make sense to me.
@AlexOlney Any amiibo support in this game? I have several Splatoon amiibo that I've been using in XC3, b/c I don't have any XC amiibo (are there any besides the impossible to find Shulk? I really need a Heropon amiibo) so I hope they do something after Nintendo sold them to me. Did they do anything in Splatoon 2? I know I have Splatoon2 amiibo but I never bought the game, it was too soon after Splatoon. I have 3 on pre-order due to arrive Friday w/ the keychain.
Thanks for the review; it helped me make up my mind. Between an improved singleplayer mode and Salmon Run always being available, I've decided to get this (but I might wait for a sale).
I haven't played any of the Splatoon games, is there any reason o play Splatoon 2 now?
I'm tempted by the improvements but it is a lot of money for such a similar game.
I'll probably wait for the inevitable September Direct to see if there are any shadow drops more deserving of my money but may well pick it up if there are no other releases or decent sales.
@MarioBrickLayer Not unless there is a major sale and you dont mind waiting an eternity for online matches.
Splatoon 2 is great but the online lobbies will be no where near as full once 3 is released.
Considering Nintendo never do sales over 33%, I'd get the new game.
@MarioBrickLayer Considering this is dropping in only 2 days I'd just wait since this one improves on 2's mechanics in almost every way
The lack of a local (single system) multiplayer option, even as a mini side mode keeps disappointing me with this franchise. Third game, third skip.
Waiting for a “sounds like a 7 to me. Hard pass or deep deep discount” comment.
I'm skeptical about such a high review score, but how can I doubt as lovely of a person as Alex?
I ordered a PS5 (which will actually be my first non-Nintendo system), and it's supposed to come in the mail today. So, Splatoon is not a very high priority for me right now. I'm looking forward to experiencing the single-player mode, but I imagine it's pretty short, like in the previous games. I might hold off on Splatoon 3 until they announce that the DLC will be included in the Expansion Pass at no extra cost. At this point in time, it just doesn't feel like it's worth 60 bucks--especially since I'm not that interested in the multiplayer. I'm just not good enough to compete, so I fall off of it really quickly.
So yeah, Astro and Sackboy it is for me this month.
This site is a laughing stock, and I hope those in charge can take the FAIR criticism. Once again, Nintendo Life are above the review average, they always are. Hhmmm!
Your conclusion reads:
But it doesn't matter because it's Nintendo Life and it's a Nintendo game, here have a 9/10. I'm only slightly surprised you didn't give it a 10. The game looks more like a 7(being generous) than a 9. Nintendo have saved the bulk of the new content for the paid DLC, again.
There's plenty more to criticise. Like how more than half of the multiplayer stages are from the previous 2 games. I'd have more respect if you were honest and called the game out for what it is, like VGC did.
Amazing. Can't wait for it to unlock this week. Spent a lot of time with Splatoon 2. Looking forward to the nonstop inking.
Catch Ya Later!
@LivingLegend Multiple other websites, not just Nintendo-related ones, gave the game anywhere from an 8 to a 9 out of 10. As far as I can see so far, VGC is the only outlet out of several that has scored the game lowly for the points you mentioned.
Huh, I was expecting either a 10 or an 8… if it’s that much better than 2 shouldn’t it have the same score it had?
I cannot wait for Friday. I admittedly played Splatoon 1 more than 2, and I feel like the OP specials in 3 are more akin to 1's after playing the Splatfest demo.
What I love about Nintendo is their creativity. When we got wind Nintendo were making a beat em up, it was funny to imagine Mario spamming fireballs with the constant 'It's a Me' sound bite. Of course, what we got was Smash Bros which was genius. One of those 'why hasn't anyone done this before' type games. When Nintendo had plans to make an online shooter...Splatoon is just a breath of fresh air. They don't just make a genre of a game, they genuinely manage to look at genres from a different angle. I don't think the series needs to be chastised for not reinventing itself heavily. Smash Bros has gone from strength to strength with tweaks. I think Splatoon can happily follow suit.
My eldest son is really looking forward to Friday and this arriving in the post. After putting hundreds of hours into the first two he can't wait to try out the single and multiplayer.
He's just a bit disappointed there is no new game mode.
Sounds nice, but can't believe they still don't allow full stick control in both X and Y with gyro aiming?!!
It's a refinement of a great series. The score seems fair, though the game itself might not be what I was looking for. After having played lots of Splatoon 1 & 2, I'm in the mood for something a bit different. So I'll likely skip this, but others who aren't burnt out on the formula may well love this.
I loved what I played of the Splatfest Premiere and to see the whole game be just as good if not better makes me absolutely over the moon. BRING ON FRIDAY BABY!
tests are not biased on this site. /s
Splatoon is a good cooming simulator but 9/10 ?..
BOTW2 will be 10/10, I can see it.
Digital Foundry has already started praising this games 60fps at 1080p performance weeks before launch. They love how rock solid it is. That's impressive quality folks rarely seen in chaotic shooters today (and my comment is trying hard to be respectful to other consoles... 😂).
I think most critics are gonna be more, well, critical of this game, but then again this is called nintendo life...
@SplooshDmg it's super fun and the controls are super slick. You'll get the hang of it in like 10-15 minutes top. 😎
@Deepdoop Destructoid gave it a 9. IGN a 8 (single player). Games Radar 4/5. Eurogamer recommended. It's scoring well so far.
had thousands of hours in Splatoon, and less then 20 in Splatoon 2. I don't know why it didn't really grab me. I'm hoping this one pulls me in again.
@Deepdoop 84 metascore currently.
This game is clearly about perfecting Splatoon, and I’m good with that. If someone just isn’t into Splatoon and still won’t be even with all of these improvements, then that’s their call, but this should be absolutely fine for fans and newcomers. From my time with the Splatfest, the game looks and plays differently enough. If anything, it would’ve been great if there was better local multiplayer or the ability for more than one person on the same Switch to play online together with strangers.
Actually, this is better than Splatoon 2 was at launch. Splatoon 2 was pretty much Splatoon 1.5 yet got a ten here while 3 will be better in every way yet has gotten a 9. Evidently, 3 is more deserving!
The big feature missing is clearly a 4 player split screen mode. Bad, Nintendo. Bad. Despite this, I might finally get into the series, or should I wait for Splatoon 4?
I'll buy this game once Splatoon on Wii U doesn't have online anymore, it's the exact same game.
Nice. Not getting this game right away, but it's definitely on my wishlist.
@pilonium64

Something like anti-gravity boots seems like it would be a good addition to mix up the gameplay. They could really go wild with some crazy level design too.
Posted something like this on the video review, but I skipped out on 2 mainly because Salmon Run was time limited or whatever. I did look up gameplay and thought it was interesting, but...it was always the same map. This mode has more than one map, right?
I love that nobody's complaining that there isn't split screen. It's such a huge miss of an opportunity to not be able to play salmon run with a friend locally or team up to go online like in Mario Kart 8D.
Oh wait I forgot nintendo is greedy and doesn't like people having fun with one copy of a game.
I can’t wait! I’m so hyped!
I'm not sure I understand all the talk about whether the game justifies its own existence. The alternative here would likely be for the series to do what every other series like it does, and become a free game riddled with micro transactions that would likely demand far more than $60 from its players every five years. This is essentially a one-time fee for a big update to the same formula that lets us avoid a less savory form of monetization--completely worth it I would think for most fans of the series.
IronMan30 wrote:
I honestly thought they were just going to throw another 10/10 score. A lot of the latest interests in nintendo series got that as well.
1st dip in the ink for me, pre-ordered and waiting patiently for Friday to come. I have this funny feeling I will be regretting not purchasing 1 and 2 and trying them out years ago. However, that said, it looks like I'm starting my ink splatting on what looks like the best of the bunch!! Happy daze and roll on Friday!!
Well this game is the definitive multiplayer game for switch right now isn't it
LETS GO I cannot wait. Most hype I’ve been since odyssey
@LivingLegend it’s almost like the game is still really good despite these qualities you see as flaws. Huh. Weird.
If this game makes Splatoon 2 feel moribund in comparison, why not give Splatoon 3 a 10/10 and rewrite the Splatoon 2 with 9/10? This doesn't make sense
How are these games using traditional controls instead of motion controls? I’m not big on motion stuff.
I'm the same as many. I played Splatoon 2 a good while when it was still getting Splatfests, but quickly left when the events stopped. So, it's been awhile, and I'm super excited to get back into it! (I did enjoy the demo, and I agree that it feels "slicker" and more balanced than 2.)
Another great exclusive. This console will be HUGE at the end of its life!
What a fantastic year, and next month, Bayonetta 3, Mario & Rabbids 2, Nier Automata, Persona 5 and No Man's Sky...
@awp69 for me and my friends, traditional is what we set it to. Motion for me and my buddy was not enjoyable and he almost didn’t finish the tutorial until he found out he can change it. I like the gimmick just not in multiplayer.
@skadoom doesn't veritable militia of minutia mean genuine army of tedious minor details?
Just occurred to me, this ONLINE TEAM SHOOTER just got a 9/10 score but was it even played yet? Don't you have to wait to actually see how the connections hold up before grading it?
And it's the 3rd game of this team shooter in 2022, is there in game voice chat, b/c if there isn't, that should at least stop the score to a 6 or 7 no?
Map packs - Most competitive shooters don't do map packs, but when they do the price seems to be in at around $5.99 for 4 maps. So that's $24
Weapons - The best example seems to be GTA online, where weapons cost about $1. So we'll call that $12, even though it would likely be much more given the number of new weapon / sub / special combos is much, much higher.
Lobby, Skins, and game modes - There is absolutely no way a huge upgrade to QOL like the lobby wouldn't be bundled into a "battle pass". Much like DOTA2's assigned roles match making, this would be a "feature" only accessible by premium players. Using a battle pass is also a good way to gauge the value of all the new cosmetics. DOTA battle pass also includes a new co-op game mode, so it's a really good model to compare to. We'll ignore that under a DLC model you would have to grind for 1000 years to unlock everything, and just bundle the lobby and cosmetics into a battle pass at around $24 a year.
27/4 Salmon run – This is bundled into the game pass.
Analytics - esport analytics (like the replay) are generally limited to a $2.99-$4.99 a month service. So let's say $36, to cover a full year at the lowest price. I think a lot of people wouldn't see value in that, so I have an idea ...
Single Player - Story base DLC releases at around $15 to $25 depending on how big it is. Given games like Bioshock charged $25 for 4-6 hour add ons, Nintendo would be at the high end of this so that's $25.
Table Turf - Hearthstone is FTP with card packs as add-ons and Artifact was $25+cards. Given the review notes the game is something they would expect other developers to charge for, it safe to say this has some value. I’ll low ball it at $10.
SO BUY THE SPLATOONS 2 DLC PACK! $96 of value, plus a FREE 1 year subscription to Splat-lytics , our esport analytics partner ($36 value) all for ONLY $69.99.
Use the code "IM A INK-CEL to upgrade to a lifetime membership!
CAN WE SHUT UP NOW?
@rjejr no voice chat has been here for so long that people forget it’s supposed to be a thing and they forget to dock some points. I have some great black ops memories and friends from all over the world because of voice chat. Sure we had to mute some people. That’s life. This feels like I’m still a child and Nintendo thinks they’re my parents. What happened to the parental control settings for this system? Would that not work? Or is NSO so weak it can’t handle one more thing.
Want to get back into the series after selling off the second game. Can’t say I’ve felt any hype for the game though hope it’ll prove me wrong.
goes to show sploon3 biggest offense is not being compelling to some casuals who already played 2. i have no reason to think the games anything but great, the sequels always get bigger and better
@Deepdoop looks like it’s getting great marks
@rjejr why would no voice chat in a game that is not solely designed for voice chat be docked so severely?
@Crockin B/c it is marketed as a 4 on 4 TEAM shooter. Online. In 2022. And it's $60. That's why it should. And if they are telling people to "use the app", then guess what, the game is meant to have voice chat, that's whey they are telling us to use the app. If it's not in the game, we have to use a phone app and "SplatNet3", then deduct the points from the score I say. Seems fair.
How long is the list of online team shooters that require an app on a phone vs how many have it in the game? Fortnite is free, pretty sure it has voice chat built in using my PS5 controller, b/c I turn it off b/c all the little kid voices bother me.
@sixrings The thing that's funny is that Nintendo did NOT forget it's a thing, they made SplatNet3 IN THE APP. They know the game works better w/ voice chat so they made a smartphone app for it but we can't use it on the Switch.🤷
Fortnite is FREE. It has had built in voice chat on the Switch since since 2018, 4 years ago. Cross console even. So kids can play in that cesspool of vulgarity (I have to mute it but I only play solo, I have zero friends) on their Switch but not Splatoon 3, Nintendo's own $60 game. 😝
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/06/heres_how_voice_chat_works_in_fortnite_on_nintendo_switch
The lack of voice chat is one of this games strongest selling features, and oh wow is this thread showing why.
Notice all the people saying the game should have voice chat are all like "I totally respect your option and not all games can please everyone, we just don't see eye to eye on this issue and that's okay"?
Haha, just kidding. The comments are all "IF YOU BUY THIS GAME WITHOUT VOICE CHAT YOU SHOULD DIE. YOUR FAMILY SHOULD DIE. YOUR FRIENDS SHOULD DIE. WHAT TYPE OF IDIOT LOSSER CHILD MORON ARE YOU FOR PLAYING A GAME WITHOUT VOICE CHAT!!!"
So yeah, thanks Nintendo. Please keep making games where I don't have to listen to people like that, ever.
@rjejr playing solo queue and playing with friends in league or competitive are completely different experiences, almost a different game. Playing with randos is like, the entire point. That is first and foremost the the core experience of splatoon. Voice chat is a feature for competitive.Plus u just acknowledged the game has voice chat, so that’s an L.
@HeadPirate imagine how insufferable and Miserable splatoon solo queue would be with voice chatting randoms like holy omg it would be bad
"and we’re wiggling all eight tentacles with glee"
Octopuses have no tentacles and 8 arms. Squids have 2 tentacles. I think the non-inclusiveness of phrases like "Hold on to your tentacles" from Inklings was the reason behind the first great turf war.
@Crockin The game REQUIRES voice chat, a telephone supplies voice chat, the game does NOT have voice chat built in.
require <> have
Those first 3 sentences I thought you were talking about Fortnite. A lot of people play in teams, so I've read, but I've only ever played solo. Well even when I play on a team, not in battle royale, in creative, I still turn off my voice chat b/c the squeaky high pitched voices give me a headache.
@BenAV Same for me! I'm so ready!
Splatoon 2 is, and has been for 5 years, the single greatest competitive shooter I've ever played.
Splatoon 3, without question, looks to supercede Splatoon 2 in every possible respect.
I tip my hat to pay homage to the new king of shooters.
@rjejr casual play of splatoon does require chat at all. You even just said you TURN OFF voice chat in other games because it’s annoying. What are u even arguing
Getting it Day 1. Thanks for the review!
It only took 5 years for Nintendo to count upwards from 2 to 3. Now let's do it for Mario Kart 8, which some of us have been playing since its release in 2014
Knowing myself I'll probably get this down on the line, despite me being terrible at Splatoon 2
@StarPoint So you're saying other sites are as bad as this one. Thanks, but I already knew that.
Man people will always complain about a game always and at this point in my life it comes down to one question only do I like the game yes or no this is definelty a yes for me
@Syton yea but people don't understand that they a full price and think nah this is the worst thing they can do clearly they haven't seen other companies
I just read a review on Ars Technica which absolutely savages this game as a complete cash grab with nothing to recommend it over Splatoon 2 at all. It's quite shocking to compare these two takes on the same game.
If I was younger and poorer I'd feel differently, but in my opinion Splatoon 3 is a fair counterpoint to free-to-play live service games. You can play Fortnite and Rocket League and it's technically the same game for like 10 years. They're not asking you to buy Fortnite 2 for $80, and having to justify that with enormous new features. But on the other hand, Splatoon isn't microtransactioning its players to death. If Nintendo were to just let you play Splatoon 2 for 10 years without a sequel, at some point they're just providing a service out of the goodness of their heart.
(edit: I forgot about the Switch Online fee... That does change the maths a bit from the consumer's perspective. Probably not much from Nintendo's perspective though)
@Crockin I'm arguing that in 2022 a $60 ONLINE TEAM BASED shooter should have the voice chat built into the game on the device you are playing it on, you shouldn't need to download an app on your smartphone. And Nintendo has no excuse, it's their game on their hardware and free to play Fortnite has voice chat on Nintendo's hardware.
Why is that so hard for you to understand?🤷♂️
@rjejr cuz it’s not needed for how the vast majority of the install base play the game! Additionally this is a kids game. It would be a total nightmare. Don’t even compare to fortnite. Fortnite is basically free slop, splatoon has infinitely more polish and care put into development.
@nimnio yeah it is Ars's thing to not give scores. But I read Ars (and Sam Machkovech in particular) because I like their style and insight. They're usually an excellent source of journalism and opinion, aside from that whole Wata Games thing which is still an anomaly to me.
Anyway to each their own; there's a certain degree of jadedness there and a certain degree of fanboyism here, it comes with the territory.
@N64-ROX that guy definitely had a bone to pick. He knew exactly what that review would be way before he even touched the game. F2P games never, ever get this level of polish and QoL. He recommended picking up splatoon 2 lmao. He’s not serious
@Crockin @nimnio yeah I do agree as well, I was just surprised and amused by such polar opposite opinion coming from my two favourite review sites. I'd definitely say that Ars's review sounded a lot more like someone enjoying themselves while writing, as opposed to not enjoying themselves while playing.
It looks like this will be a skip, at least for now.
A lot of improvements over Splatoon 2, I dig that Salmon runs are always available now, but speaking in Splatoon terms: I'm looking for a ''fresh'' experience and the lack of a new mode is what's holding me back for now. No splitscreen for local multiplayer is also a bit of a shame. I wonder how this compares to Splatoon 2 with all the updates and the Octoling DLC, that was a pretty good expansion. Maybe Splatoon 3 gets some cool new content later in its lifespan. Anyway, I see no harm in waiting for a discount.
To those strongly against voice chat... What if:
The game had voice chat... that you can turn off. Not only you can be happy, but the players that want in-game voice chat can be as well. Crazy right?
@SothisPocus I completely agree. Hopefully the future updates will revive my interest p, but for now I’m satisfied with 2.
I miss seeing the losing team on the results screen after a defeat. Why did they get rid of that?
Not a fan. I prefer the Moneypit
I did not care for Splatoon or Splatoon 2, so Splatoon 3 gets a no from me. I do love Goldeneye 007 tho
@Big_Fudge To be fair, Splatoon 2 is five years old already. I must also say, I'm pleasantly surprised by the much improved single player campaign on Splatoon 3, and how polished the game feels thanks to the new lobby feature and other improvements.
Kinda makes me wonder, since I have Splatoon 2 and I’m satisfied with it, do I really need this? It’s like with some other sequels on Switch that came out and I was hesitant about since I owned previous versions of those games too…
After a couple hours of gameplay I still prefer the 2nd game's multiplayer, OST, menus and weapon selection. Campaign got a huge improvement and there are several relevant QoL changes everywhere (Lobby now makes sense), but the gameplay got too chaotic and unbalanced for my tastes. There aren't many good weapon choices and most sub/special combinations are weird. Close-ranged weapons aren't always properly balanced with close-ranged specials, and certain damage calculations just seems... wrong? In theory they have made some interesting adjustments to the formulas but in practice your ink supply is nearly non-existent to use the weapons effectively, and I always find myself getting caught with an empty tank while trying to aim a bomb right after a full recharge dive.
Simply put, it just doesn't feel as good to play against other people.
After a couple weeks of playing, I don't think I can agree that this is the "pinnacle" of the franchise.
Sure, Splatoon 3 adds a LOT of needed quality of life changes but it also strips out a lot of maps and weapon loadouts which makes the game feel like several steps back from Splatoon 2. They've also completely retooled the balancing, which is, frankly, a mess.
A lot of the QoL updates could have easily been added to S2 as a premium DLC pack. The new primaries, specials, and secondaries could have easily been added as new loadouts in Sheldon's shop. They could have easily integrated the Sheldon License currency in S2 since the game already supports multiple currency types. There's only 5 new maps and 2 new Salmon Run maps, none of which have anything that really necessitates an entirely new game.
Popping in Splatoon 2 after playing Splatoon 3 definitely highlights the QoL differences, but actually PLAYING Splatoon 2 highlights just how much better, overall, Splatoon 2 currently is. Gameplay is the meat and potatoes of the game and Splatoon 2 offers much more content, better balance, and better network stability. Splatoon 3 is going to take another couple of years to trickle out the same content S2 already has...
Dear Nintendo although I love the game all I have to say is THE TEAMS YOU CHOOSE TO WIN MOST OF THE TIME ARE BIAST FIRST YOU HAD WHITE CHOCOLATE WIN EVEN THOUGH MOST PEOPLE ON EARTH HATE IT, SECOND YOU HAD NISSIE WIN EVEN THOUGH AILIENS ARE THE MOST POPULAR, THIRD RECENTLY YOU MADE TEAM LOVE LOSS EVEN THOUGH IT DESRVIED TO WIN, AND FINALY CAN YOU STOP HAVING SHIVER WIN ALL THE TIME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO EVENTUALY STOP CARING ABOUT SPLATFEST BECAUSE IT WILL BE TO PREDICTABLE, so with all love and respect PLEASE MAKE YOUR SPLATFEAST BETTER
@Nydius what are your thoughts 2 years later?
Mine are that S3 was better from the beginning outside of the balancing and maps (which, S2 had its own balancing issues).
@LivingLegend the game was an 8 at minimum at launch. Now, it's a high 9.
@Yomerodes why on earth is THAT keeping you from getting into Splatoon? First off, only the first game had such a thing, and that was only because the Wii U Gamepad allowed the TV player to play without significant frame drops. I too love split screen, but this shouldn't keep you from enjoying this series. If you're that worried about it, your friends should probably get Switches and copies of the game on their own (the game does still support local wireless).
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