Nintendo is betting a lot on its team shooter and plans to make this episode the best version of its recipe. Here is our opinion after an hour of testing. Example.
The cephalopods of splatoon are about to make their big return to Nintendo Switch in an ambitious third installment. Octopuses and other squid can fight on a battlefield while painting September 9, 2022. For the more impatient among you, a worldwide Splatfest will take place next week to get the servers running and players to discover this new version. The demo to participate in the free online test is already available on Nintendo eShop to prepare you for the big day.
While you wait to start the adventure, how about learning more about how to get started Splatoon 3 ? We were lucky enough to be invited to the heart of the Contrée Clabousse for a taste of these new lands.. Solo mode, Territory War, and even Salmon Run, we could see some highly effective recipe enhancements from splatoon. The title will have to prove itself over time, but this first session turned out to be absolutely convincing.
An extended single player mode
To put ourselves in the bathtub and brush up on our talents as an octopus painter, the first phase of this test took place in the solo mode of this new work. After a brief visit to the fascinating Cité-Clabousse, we’re ready to dive into the manhole that leads to the hub of the story mode, just like in previous games. But once we have crossed it, a very different world awaits us. In splatoon And splatoon 2, the missions were concentrated in a simple hub that offered equally basic challenges, focused on training in managing the game. But Splatoon 3’s single player mode takes on a new dimension with a much larger overworld for better storytelling.
This area called Alterna is covered with a strange substance that prevents free exploration. It is therefore necessary to carry out missions to gradually progress in this world and discover its secrets. This time it’s Ayo, Oli and agent number 2 (listen to player character from Splatoon 2) that instruct us for the different levels we need to explore.
The missions of are far from easy as in previous games Splatoon 3 remember the complexity ofOcto expansion from Splatoon 2 but without the complete challenge of this. A small salmon-like companion named Salmioche comes to spice up the gameplay by replacing the classic grenade. The game guides us to take control of new weapons such as the bow or the katana. Very pleasant to handle in this mode, these weapons are likely to balance a bit in multiplayer as they are far below the classic options that have already proven themselves valid.
Splatoon-style games 2.5
After a nice walk through Alterna and its missions, we were able to see the wars for the territory of. to discover Splatoon 3. From this point of view Nintendo seems to rest on its laurels, but after all the recipe was already very effective, it must be admitted. Our games took place on two new maps that immediately showed their originality thanks to a well thought out structure.
The new octopus-shaped jumps and dodges came in very handy there, which brings a very pleasant freshness effect to the gameplay we know well. One of the main innovations for this mode remain the new weapons, and it has not received unanimous approval. While it was a lot of fun, it wasn’t easy to deal with these well-trained little weapons. Lack of training or balance care, we will have to wait for the final version to find out what’s wrong.
Anyway, the complete overhaul of the multiplayer lobby and the organization of the matchmaking of Splatoon 3 make it the best iteration. The room is no longer a simple menu, but a building made up of several fully explorable spaces with many essential features. Game Finder runs in the background leaving players behind the ability to gear up, switch weapons between games, and even practice.
There really is a firing range in this area so you can get your hands on your new weapons while you wait to find teammates. Small added bonus, although anecdotally, if you form a group with friends, a hologram of their character will appear if they train at the same time as you.
How Tasty Salmon Is?
The overall improvement of the multiplayer experience also helps build the Salmon Run mode. This mode is offered sporadically in Splatoon 2 with certain time slots it returns into force in this work. In fact, it seems that the date and time restrictions on its activation are now only ancient history (we will have to wait for the final version to know for sure). The matchmaking interface is the same as the other modes. Because this is much more modern Splatoon 3, the user experience in navigating the menus has been significantly improved.
Recall that in this PvE mode a team of 4 players must face a horde of angry Salmonoids of which we must collect the eggs. Reaching a certain number of golden eggs dropped by the Salmonobos grants access to the next round for a total of 3 waves of enemies. As for the game, we didn’t see any significant changes other than the ability to throw eggs to mates near the basket, with a large amount of ink, so be careful when surrounded! None of our games led to the release of the new Salmonarch, these extra bosses, but we can’t wait to see how they affect gameplay in the final version.
If you want to get your hands on it Splatoon 3 to form an opinion, do not forget the Splatfest world premiere which will take place on August 27 from 10:00 to 22:00 ! The Tridenfer (the new trio of idols) offer us the choice between rock, paper and scissors for the teams of this first festival. Which one will you join?
