Splatoon 3 game review – Review a range of splashes

It’s difficult to say whether Nintendo expected the success achieved by Splatoon when he launched the latter in 2015. Strange concept mixing the aquatic world with that of the first-person shooter, Splatoon quickly became a true phenomenon that rivaled the biggest multiplayer games in the world. Two iterations later, we have to admit that the formula still works even if we feel that the originality is starting to lack.

• Available on: Nintendo Switch
• Price: $79.99 + tax

A better single player mode

From the outset, fans of Splatoon will find themselves on familiar ground. Indeed, the very essence of the franchise has not been modified in any way for this third opus. You will therefore be able to personalize your Inkling using a few options and then wander through the same exploded universe as that of the previous ones. Splatoon. However, whether you are a newbie or a veteran, the game will encourage you to take a look at its single-player mode in order to familiarize yourself with its bases as well as its many weapons.

Although it could not seem more classic at first glance, the campaign Splatoon 3 is bigger and more interesting than that of Splatoon 2. In the shoes of your Inkling, you will have to purge an archipelago of islands infected by a strange hairy substance. To do this, you will have to complete dozens of levels contained within kettles. In doing so, you will have the opportunity to collect fish eggs that can increase the strength of the small animal that will accompany you and thus eradicate this toxic substance.

Each level of the campaign represents a challenge in itself. Sometimes you will have to complete series of puzzles while on other occasions you will have to navigate through it in order to massacre enemies. Either way, it’s a great training ground that will familiarize you with the surprising amount of weapons on offer. For this purpose, I particularly fell in love with the large brush similar to a sword as well as the arc which can project three ink bombs. Since each weapon offers its own tactical possibilities, the single-player campaign will help you determine which ones will be most effective for your playstyle.

On the other hand, the slightly more open-world structure outside of the levels makes exploration more interesting than within Splatoon 2. In addition, you will discover a multitude of secrets in order to collect customization items as well as fish eggs. In addition, you will come across balloons to explode representing so many small challenges through which you will have to shoot at your targets as quickly as possible.

In short, Nintendo created the best campaign in the universe Splatoon nowadays. Not only are the levels as diverse as they are well designed, but exploring outside of them is much more satisfying than in the previous game in the series.

Conservative multiplayer, but meeting fan needs

If you know Splatoonyou know that the main attraction of these games is the multiplayer. Splatoon 3 is no exception since it is through its multiplayer modes that the game takes on its full meaning.

If you do not import your profile from Splatoon 2, you will start at experience rank 1 with only access to the classic mode of the series. In the latter, two teams of four players compete to spread the greatest quantity of ink on the field. Each ink stain placed on the ground will reward you with points, meaning that you can accumulate points and obtain experience regardless of your level of expertise within the series. The winning team will be the one having covered the greatest percentage of ink on the level.

After a few hours of play and a certain number of experience levels acquired, you will unlock other modes aimed at more experienced players. In one of them you will not only have to fight against your opponents, but also complete objectives in each game. Then, the famous cooperative mode Salmon Run makes an expected return by offering enemies as well as bosses that are even crazier than in Splatoon 2. Moreover, you will now be able to throw golden eggs obtained after eliminating a boss. This will allow you to chain together devastating attacks with your teammates and maximize your attack power during your games.

That said, even if there are no new features as major as the inclusion of the mode Salmon Run In Splatoon 2, Nintendo has modified a range of multiplayer elements to make the experience much more enjoyable. For example, when you activate the option to start a game, you will no longer have to wait in front of a static screen for other players to join. Instead, you will be able to freely wander around a lobby and practice on targets before the game begins. As a result, you will be able to continue to perfect your techniques in a much more interactive and stimulating way than within Splatoon 2.

Splatoon 3 also allows you to maintain a team that you enjoy playing with. Therefore, if you get together with friends or are part of a squad, you will be able to stay with the same players rather than having new allies each game. Not only is it more interesting in the competitive modes, but it’s also much more enjoyable to face creatures in the competitive mode. Salmon Run with players we get along well with.

Nintendo has also added tactical points as well as even more entertaining levels than in Splatoon 2. If the majority of the best levels of the latter are back, the developers have still made modifications and included new levels to diversify its tactics. For example, you will see that some tables will provide ideal vantage points for snipers while others will be better suited for close-range weapons than some tables in the previous Splatoon.

In short, the multiplayer of Splatoon 3 has obtained modifications as well as additions which were requested by the large community of the series. If we don’t reinvent the wheel, Nintendo has still changed enough elements and included a lot of new cosmetic items to unlock to keep you hooked for dozens, if not hundreds of hours in the different multiplayer modes of Splatoon 3.

The magic recipe of Splatoon

As I indicated a little above, Nintendo has not changed the recipe for Splatoon for this third opus. However, how is it that despite a game similar to its predecessors, Splatoon 3 be as catchy?

The answer is not simple, but lies in the fundamental elements of Splatoon. Furthermore, like its predecessors, Splatoon 3 is an easily accessible game. Not only does its colorful and crazy style suit everyone, but its controls are disarmingly simple. Whether you decide to play it with or without the gyroscopic controls, you will have no difficulty projecting ink everywhere to color your environment and eliminate your opponents.

Moreover, Splatoon puts forward a style that is as fast as it is satisfying. You will propel ink at breakneck speed regardless of your weapon of choice, and this in very fast games. Both the single-player levels and the multiplayer games are a few minutes long, allowing you to enjoy them even if you don’t have a lot of free time. The fact of being able to move very quickly while swimming as efficiently as in the past in the ink that we throw accentuates this impression of playing in a game whose speed is matched only by the satisfaction that we derive from it.

Too conservative?

Despite this good old recipe still working, Nintendo has been very careful with Splatoon 3. Too much ? In my opinion, yes.

So, even though the game offers a selection of items, options, levels and weapons unrivaled so far in the series, I didn’t feel like I was playing a new game. In fact, I rather felt like I was playing an enhanced edition of Splatoon 2 rather than a new opus per se. With the same presentation, the same style and similar modes, it’s hard not to have a feeling of déjà vu. As a result, the gap between Splatoon 2 And 3 is not as obvious as that of the time between Splatoon 1 And 2.

Another disappointment: the single player mode. Yes, Splatoon 3 offers the franchise’s best campaign to date, but it leaves the same conclusion as the solo adventure of Splatoon 2. In fact, the solo adventure of this third part is, in the end, only a big training mode to familiarize us with the weapons in preparation for playing in multiplayer. If you plan to play Splatoon 3 in solo, you will only have a campaign of around five hours to sink your teeth into with the impression that you are only training for other modes. Unfortunately, Nintendo has not yet succeeded in developing a single-player mode that really stands out from the multiplayer portion so that we cannot recommend Splatoon 3 for a player who does not want to dive into its online modes.

Should you play it?

Splatoon 3 is undoubtedly the best game in the series to date. Its speed, its improvements and its array of weapons make it a game of undeniable appeal and guaranteed fun. On the other hand, we must admit that Nintendo is starting to lack originality. Rather than innovate, developers have improved the offer of Splatoon 2. Fans will be won over, but will still not have the feeling of playing a real new opus. Who knows, maybe three parts in seven years is a bit too much and a break could help nurture the designers’ creativity.