The third entry in the Splatoon series and yeah it's more of the same and you know what? That's ok. Especially for a series that is just over 7 years old. The time will come when it will need to reinvent itself but for now a few tweaks here and there along with another banging story mode is enough to elevate this to the best Splatoon game.
Multiplayer is still as great as ever with Turf War still being addictive, the more competitive modes like Tower Control and Rainmaker offering challenging and engaging battles while Salmon Run is now open 24/7 from the get go. I'm not super deep into the competitive side of things and bounced off Splatoon 2 early so I can't really tell you all the tweaks they've made to existing weapons and stuff but the new weapons like the bow are cool and multiplayer matches are still as fun as ever and that's all you really need for this type of game. I do wish the stages in circulation every two hours was bumped up to three stages instead of two but oh well.
I still have one major gripe with the controls and that's gyro aiming STILL LOCKS THE RIGHT CONTROL STICK TO LEFT/RIGHT ONLY. That's not how I use gyro controls and that's now how it works in literally every other Nintendo game. I like having full stick movement PLUS gyro aiming so I have full control of the camera at all times and can adjust my aim quickly. I dunno why that's still a thing 3 games in.
Anyways, as someone who isn't great at shooters, the story mode is the main draw for me here and I am grateful this is where they freshened things up most. It borrows a similar level design structure to what the Octo Expansion DLC had in Splatoon 2 where levels are mostly challenges to text your skills with a variety of weapons and you learn and develop as you go. Completing every level unlocks a full page of the crazy Splatoon lore to read while bosses are something a little different from the Octolings we saw in the previous games. It all culminates in one of the most "holy shit what are they smoking over there?" final bosses I've ever seen. Even after all that the devs took a little inspiration from the recent 3D Mario games gauntlet style levels for a post game level that will truly test everything you've learned. It's a fantastic single player experience and something that the Splatoon team keep bettering every game.
There's other tweaks here and there throughout the game like making your own tag, decorating your own locker and a full blown card game for those that want something a little different.
Yes it's more of the same, but when it's something that was already so good and made even better, does that really matter? Splatoon 3 is another fantastic entry in the series and one that still feels pretty fresh
Multiplayer is still as great as ever with Turf War still being addictive, the more competitive modes like Tower Control and Rainmaker offering challenging and engaging battles while Salmon Run is now open 24/7 from the get go. I'm not super deep into the competitive side of things and bounced off Splatoon 2 early so I can't really tell you all the tweaks they've made to existing weapons and stuff but the new weapons like the bow are cool and multiplayer matches are still as fun as ever and that's all you really need for this type of game. I do wish the stages in circulation every two hours was bumped up to three stages instead of two but oh well.
I still have one major gripe with the controls and that's gyro aiming STILL LOCKS THE RIGHT CONTROL STICK TO LEFT/RIGHT ONLY. That's not how I use gyro controls and that's now how it works in literally every other Nintendo game. I like having full stick movement PLUS gyro aiming so I have full control of the camera at all times and can adjust my aim quickly. I dunno why that's still a thing 3 games in.
Anyways, as someone who isn't great at shooters, the story mode is the main draw for me here and I am grateful this is where they freshened things up most. It borrows a similar level design structure to what the Octo Expansion DLC had in Splatoon 2 where levels are mostly challenges to text your skills with a variety of weapons and you learn and develop as you go. Completing every level unlocks a full page of the crazy Splatoon lore to read while bosses are something a little different from the Octolings we saw in the previous games. It all culminates in one of the most "holy shit what are they smoking over there?" final bosses I've ever seen. Even after all that the devs took a little inspiration from the recent 3D Mario games gauntlet style levels for a post game level that will truly test everything you've learned. It's a fantastic single player experience and something that the Splatoon team keep bettering every game.
There's other tweaks here and there throughout the game like making your own tag, decorating your own locker and a full blown card game for those that want something a little different.
Yes it's more of the same, but when it's something that was already so good and made even better, does that really matter? Splatoon 3 is another fantastic entry in the series and one that still feels pretty fresh