This past weekend saw the first Splatfest event for Splatoon 3, occurring prelaunch. Veteran players, newcomers, and Splatoon curious folks all were welcomed to try out the new game, for free, in advance of the actual release of the game.  While Splatoon 2 has been out for over five years now, and there are new mechanics, minigames, and improvements to the newest title, the basic gameplay is still the same.  For some there may not be enough reasons to buy a new iteration, and for some this may be their chance to get in for the first time, while it’s hot.  What about you?  Are you going to buy Splatoon 3 at launch?

Splatoon is one of Nintendo’s newest, and most successful, franchises.  In 2015 the first game released on the Wii U.  A little over two years later, the sequel, Splatoon 2, came out on the Nintendo Switch. The sequel sold well over 10 million copies. The newest entry, coming September 9, 2022, brings some new improvements and features, but is it enough to convince you to come back for more?

For people who loved Splatoon and Splatoon 2, there may be enough small changes and updates to make buying the third installment an easy choice.  Joining up with friends has been streamlined in Splatoon 3, where it was clunky at best in previous iterations.  Salmon Run, a previously time-locked mode, is now available at all times.  A brand new card collecting mini-game has been added.  All of this in addition to new weapons, new stages, some other quality of life fixes, and more.

But despite all of those improvements, the base game is still the same, and that may lead some gamers to pass.  There are new no ranked modes or completely new game modes like Salmon Run was for Splatoon 2.  The single-player campaign, while it may appear robust, does not seem to be some large-scale addition, but instead seems very comparable to the single-player mode in Splatoon 2.  For someone who was lukewarm on the previous entries, or hoping for brand new modes or gameplay, Splatoon 3 may not deliver.

Personally, I’m excited to dive into Splatoon 3 right away.  I spent several hours playing the Splatfest this past weekend, and I’m convinced I’ll more than get my money’s worth out of Splatoon 3.  I was able to squad up with my son, and with various friends during the pre-release Splatfest, and I’m particularly excited about Salmon Run being constantly available.  

How about you, reader?  Are you excited to get splatting in this newest version?  Or are you burnt out on Splatoon and wanting something new or different?  Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.

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