Splatoon 3

Splatoon 3
Logo
Developer(s)	Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Producer(s)	Hisashi Nogami
Series	Splatoon
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release	2022
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Splatoon 3^[a] is an upcoming third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. Like its predecessors in the Splatoon series, the game consists of competitive online multiplayer matches alongside a story-driven single-player mode. It was announced via Nintendo Direct on 17 February 2021,^[1] and more details were shared on 24 September 2021. Splatoon 3 is currently set to be released in 2022.

Gameplay[]

Pre-release screenshot of an Inkling in Turf War.

Splatoon 3 has similar gameplay to the previous entries in the series, which have all been third-person shooters. Returning from the previous game is the ability for players to choose between "Inklings" and "Octolings" as their player character. They wield weaponry that shoots colored ink. Each weapon type has different abilities: regular pistol-like weapons have a medium-range for attacking but are less effective at painting the ground; other weapons such as large paint rollers, known as Rollers, can cover large amounts of area in ink default to close-range combat for defense. Splatoon 3 expands upon this by adding new main and special weapons to the game.^[2] Inklings also have the ability to morph into squid creatures, referred to in-game as the "Squid Form" which can be used to climb ink-covered walls or swim through ink faster than the humanoid forms can walk.^[3] Weapons have a finite amount of ink ammunition, and going into squid form replenishes it quicker than in humanoid form.

Confirmed by Nintendo to be returning as a playable online multiplayer game mode is "Turf War"; in Turf War, two teams of four players compete to cover the most amount of the map's area in their respective ink color.^[4] Each team can cover over an area covered by the opponents with their color in return, and the opposing team's ink slows movement, gradually deals damage and prevents the use of the player's squid form. Each player is equipped with a weapon set, chosen prior to each match, and each set comes with additional secondary and special weapons in addition to its main weapon. Secondary weapons are other forms of covering the field in ink; for example, bombs that explode ink on impact with the ground. When a player covers enough of the ground in ink, they may use their special weapon, which are powerful forms of covering the area in ink. Weapons and other forms of attack can deal damage to opposing players; when enough damage is given, they will "splat" their opponent, forcing them to restart from their starting location. Turf War matches last three minutes, and whichever team covers a higher percentage of the field at the end of the match is declared the winner.

The main hub of Splatoon 3 will be called "Splatsville", nicknamed "the city of chaos", which will be located outside the usual location of "Inkopolis" in a place called the "Splatlands".^[2] Similar to the previous games in the series, this game will have a single-player campaign. It was revealed that the story for Splatoon 3 will be titled "Return of the Mammalians" and one of the locations will be called Alterna.^[5] The single-player campaign is going to focus on the reappearance of mammals.^[6]

Development[]

Splatoon 3 was first announced with a teaser trailer in a Nintendo Direct on 17 February 2021.^[7] The teaser trailer revealed gameplay similar to Splatoon 2, and revealed new items, weapons, and abilities, including an Ink Bow and a new apocalyptic design.^[8] More details were revealed later that year in September, including the name of Splatoon 3's single-player mode, "Return of the Mammalians." The game is planned to release on the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022.^[9]

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Section on the game on www.nintendo.com