Third-person shooters have enjoyed great popularity for decades, and the genre is considered overcrowded by some. Splatoon has managed to differentiate itself from the masses by featuring cutesy characters and tons of ink for players to make a mess. The silly gameplay that can get surprisingly intense has gripped gamers, with the franchise's popularity growing even more with the release of Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch. Splatoon's story will be continuing with Splatoon 3 which promises to expand on the foundation established by its predecessors.
With a recent Nintendo Direct event, gamers got a long look at Splatoon 3, and it appears that developers have taken care to improve the competitive side of things. Not only will gamers have new moves to incorporate into their strategies, but the game's social features have also improved, making it easier than ever to link up with friends. With these features, Splatoon 3 has the opportunity to be a must-play title for fans of competitive multiplayer games.
Splatoon 3's Focus on Competitive Gaming
Past Splatoon titles have had single-player and player versus environment modes, but the best fun is always had when players go up against each other. With Splatoon 3, players will have many more moves and features available to ink their foes. One of the improvements that have come concerns traversal. In past Splatoon games, inking up the playing field aided the player with getting around, sneaking up on opponents, and traveling up walls. Splatoon 3 will introduce two new moves called Squid Surge and Squid Roll, which will give players even more advantages and help them get the best of their opponents. With Squid Surge, players will be able to zoom up inked walls in a single move, while Squid Roll allows players sneaking in ink to jump out while simultaneously turning around. Used in conjunction, these moves will make players more agile while giving opponents something extra to consider.
Some new weapons have also been added, a few of which have been revealed already. At Splatoon 3's Nintendo Direct event, players got a glimpse of the Stringer which is said to be a particularly destructive weapon, and they were also introduced to a new weapon type called Splatanas. As the name suggests, they function similarly to katanas, except they send out blades of ink which are useful for long-ranged attacks. When players have filled up their gauge, they will also be able to use special weapons, and a few more have been added to Splatoon 3, including the Tacticooler which dispenses beverages that provide useful effects. Players will also be able to share these beverages with teammates. Other special weapons revealed include the Reefslider and the Wave Breaker.
Splatoon 3 Makes Competitive Play More Convenient
Players can head to Splatoon 3's Lobby to find some competitive content and battle it out against other players and teams. Gamers looking to improve their skills will be able to make use of a Memory Player, which recreates recent battles, allowing players to fast-forward, rewind, and even see the battle from a different player's perspective. This feature will be useful for learning from past victories and mistakes. Getting friends together is also easier than ever. Players will see their online friends appear as 3D hologram ghosts in the lobby and check what they are up to, and it will also be possible to invite friends in the Lobby to battles. For gamers who prefer playing with friends, this may be one of Splatoon 3's best new features.
Splatoon 3 is one of the most anticipated games of the second half of 2022, and gamers cannot wait to go wild with ink. The host of new features ensures that the upcoming game will be more of a blast for players looking for a competitive experience. For gamers who prefer some solo play, the game also has plenty of surprises, and it will continue the franchise's story.
Splatoon 3 is scheduled to release on September 9 for Nintendo Switch.
