As Splatoon 3's release date approaches, Nintendo gave fans of the ink-based shooter series a chance to try out the game via an inaugural Splatfest event. During Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere, players could try out a tutorial, explore the city of Splatsville, and participate in a twelve-hour Splatfest event that served as the debut of the game's Tricolor Turf War mode. Some players found this three-sided Splatfest - the first such event in the series' history - unique and fun, while others were frustrated with a perceived lack of balance compared to previous two-team battles.
Splatoon 3 takes players to Splatsville, a brand-new location known as the "City of Chaos." Players once again take on the role of an Inkling or Octoling as they battle each other in paint-based combat. In addition to the aforementioned Tricolor Turf Wars, the game will feature both new and classic ink-dispensing weapons, a return of the Salmon Run mode, appearances from popular characters including Splatoon 2's Pearl and Marina, and a new idol group known as Deep Cut. Despite all these new features, though, the mixed Splatfest reception may mean that Nintendo should prioritize rebalancing Tricolor Turf Wars.
How Did The First Tricolor Turf War Work?
Players participating in the Splatfest event could choose one of three teams to support: Team Rock, Team Paper, and Team Scissors, led by Deep Cut members Shiver, Fry, and Big Man respectively. Teams were selected at the T-shirt shop in Splatsville, which also provided temporary T-shirts for the event. Tricolor Turf War battles took place in Sturgeon Shipyard, a returning stage from Splatoon 2. Members of all three teams fought to cover as much of the arena as possible in their team's color before time ran out. The team in first place at the time of the match had four members competing, while the other two teams had two members each.
Team Rock emerged victorious in all three regions -- Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas -- with Team Paper taking second place in Europe and the Americas and Team Scissors placing second in the Asia-Pacific region. Many players and fans found this result to be surprising, as Team Scissors was the early favorite to win due to Big Man's immediate popularity following the release of Deep Cut's reveal trailer. However, it is possible this somewhat shocking result came about due to unbalanced dynamics making it difficult for the defending team to gain ground.
Team Scissors Was Stuck On Defense
Team Scissors, which began the event with the highest amount of Clout, was put in the defensive position, with four team members protecting the center of the arena from two members each of Rock and Paper. The members of Team Scissors quickly found that this was the least advantageous position, as it was difficult to both defend territory and expand outward to cover more areas of the Splatoon 3 arena with ink. There were entire parts of the stage that were difficult to reach or even inaccessible for the members of the defending team, allowing Rock and Paper to rack up the points. Ultimately, Team Scissors finished the event with zero points in all regions except for Asia.
Another element negatively affecting the balance of the event was the Ultra Signal, a brand-new item. Ultra Signals are hidden on the battlefield, and the team that is able to gain possession of one and activate it can summon their respective Deep Cut member to turn on sprinklers of ink. The effect of the Ultra Signal was noted to be dramatic, often making it impossible for the other teams to catch up once the Signal had been activated. It was also more difficult for members of the defending team to find and activate the Signal because they had to dedicate so many resources to holding the middle.
How Can Tricolor Turf War Find Its Balance?
Nintendo Life hosted a poll in which players could express their concerns regarding Tricolor Turf War. Nintendo has reportedly acknowledged fans' feedback and is actively working to update future Tricolor Turf Wars to make the mode more balanced for all teams. Some suggestions put forward for changing the mode included weakening the Ultra Signal, providing some sort of boost for the defending team, creating new maps or weapons more closely geared towards Tricolor Turf War, and updating the event results more frequently so that one team is not always stuck on defense.
It is currently unknown whether these changes will be implemented in time for Splatoon 3's official release in September. However, it is likely that significant fan complaints regarding Tricolor Turf War will result in Nintendo reworking the mode for future Splatfest events. So far, Nintendo has banned a number of Splatoon 3 cheaters that used a patch to unlock features not planned for inclusion in the demo, so the developer does seem committed to addressing fan concerns regarding the game. With more three-team Splatfest events on the horizon, players hope to see a more balanced version of the mode debuting in the future.
Splatoon 3 will release for the Nintendo Switch on September 9, 2022.
