The first Nintendo Direct in 18 months ended with the announcement of Splatoon 3, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to return to the colorful world of the Inklings and the Octolings for the third time.
Splatoon is Nintendo’s wonderfully wacky online shooter that pits players against each other in a battle for inky supremacy. The franchise has quickly become one of Nintendo’s flagship series after its debut in 2015 on the Wii U.
Splatoon 2 was one of the first big exclusives on the Nintendo Switch, so there has been speculation that Splatoon 3 could be used as a potential system seller for the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro. Though this could just be wishful thinking.
Regardless, Splatoon 3 is shaping up to be the biggest entry in the franchise to date. For starters, The series will be moving away from the main location of the first two games, Inkopolis, and instead will feature a new city known as Splatville that looks a little more dilapidated than the hubs we’re used to.
That’s not the only bit of information we’ve got either, below you’ll find everything we currently know about Splatoon 3.
Splatoon 3 release date
When Nintendo first announced Splatoon 3 they also gave us a release window of 2022.
We haven’t been given anything more specific than just a release year, however, looking at the franchise’s past entries we can make a reasonable guess as to when the game will drop.
The first Splatoon released on the Wii U in May 2015, and Splatoon 2 released on the Nintendo Switch in July 2017, so it seems likely that Splatoon 3 will fall somewhere between May-July 2022.
Plus, the franchise’s aesthetic lends itself extremely well to a summer launch date, so we’d be very surprised to see a fall or winter launch.
Splatoon 3 trailer
During the February Direct, Nintendo dropped the first trailer for Splatoon 3, which gives us our best look yet at the upcoming game so far.
The trailer sees an Inkling journey from a desert area, known as the Splatlands, to the sprawling city of Splatville. We also got a sneak peek at character customization and the bizarre sight of the Eiffel Tower ripped from the ground and lying upside in a giant sand crater.
So, does Splatoon 3 takes place in France?
Splatoon 3 character customization
Customizing your character with ridiculously funky designs has always been a core part of the Splatoon experience, and that looks to be the case again in this third entry.
Splatoon 3’s debut trailer included a brief section in which we got to see some of the new customization options. These included brand new hairstyles such braids and one hairdo that looks almost like the Splatoon version of a bowl cut.
We also got to see some customization options for your smallfry companion, who has already won our hearts.
It looks like Splatoon 3 will allow you select to play as an Octoling from the start, in Splatoon 2 doing so required you to buy the Octo Expansion DLC.
Splatoon 3 weapons
It may be brightly colored but Splatoon is a shooter at its core, so the weapons really matter and Splatoon 3 looks like it will include some familiar and new ink-firing options.
The trailer reveals that favorites like the .96 Gal and Range Blaster will be returning. The key new weapon appears to be a bow-like device that allows you to shoot three arrows of ink at once, this weapon will probably be tricky to use at first but very satisfying once you master it.
Special weapons including a modified Tenta Missile and a deployable crab-bot also featured in the trailer. It seems creativity has not faltered at Nintendo, especially in regards to weapon variety in Splatoon 3. We can’t wait to blast opponents with brightly-colored acrylic ammunition sometime next year.
Splatoon 3 game modes
News on what game modes will be returning is currently thin, however, the game’s announcement trailer does give us some clues.
We see gameplay from an online match that is almost certainly Turf War. This mode, which sees players compete to cover as much of the map as possible with ink, is the series’ flagship game mode so its return comes as little surprise.
A Splatoon game without Turf War would be like a Call of Duty game without Team Deathmatch. Just unthinkable.
Splatoon 2 (and its wonderful Octo Expansion DLC) made great strides in the single-player department, giving players a series of solo missions to tackle that were a genuine delight. If this trailer is anything to go off, Splatoon 3 could be taking this aspect of the franchise even further.
We expect the game will have an expanded story mode, maybe we’ll even learn how the Effiel Tower ended up stuck in the middle of the Splatlands?
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