Review: Splatoon 3 offers a fun, albeit familiar, paintball-inspired experience

As you run through a pigment-splattered abandoned warehouse, you turn to see a stylishly dressed octopus-like humanoid rising from the paint behind you with a massive paint roller.

You try to splatter your opponent with your paint gun but you are hopelessly outmatched, covered in ink and sent back to your home base.

This surreal scene, or something similar, might await players in their first turf war in Splatoon 3, the latest installment in Nintendo’s paintball-inspired third-person shooter. And as unique as the scenario might sound, those who’ve played previous games in the series might find it oddly familiar.

The series debuted on Nintendo’s Wii U console in May 2015. Praised for its fun, kid-friendly, competitive gameplay and unique post-apocalyptic setting, Splatoon is quickly joining the ranks of Nintendo’s other heavyweight intellectual property franchise. Its main characters, the part human, part mollusk Inklings, have crossed over to appear in Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros: Ultimate.

While Splatoon caused a stir due to its originality, Splatoon 2, released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, tweaked the concepts introduced in the original and added some small tweaks. The recently released Splatoon 3 follows the same trend. Despite being the most complete and polished version of Splatoon, it eschews bold choices in favor of small upgrades of what already exists.

The main attraction of Splatoon 3 is its multiplayer element. Standard battles are called “Turf Battles” and are fought in teams of four on one of several available battlefields. The goal is to cover the playing surface with as much ink color as possible from your team in a three minute time limit.

It’s a simple but well-executed concept and can lead to some chaotic skirmishes if players bring a variety of paint-spraying guns to the party. Winter sports enthusiasts will appreciate the “Curling Bomb”, which leaves a trail of color as it races through the arena.

While Splatoon 3 includes some new weapons and arenas, turf wars have remained essentially the same since the series began. There are four more battle modes to add some variety, but they are not available until the player can access the ranked “Anarchy Battles” later in the game.

Multiplayer can seem unforgiving at first, especially for those new to Splatoon. Players must first attack their enemies with a bare-bones loadout, and expect to fall prey to better-armed (and better-dressed) opponents in the first few matches.

The playing field levels out once your character gains a few levels and gains access to the shops in the capital, Splatsville. There you can equip your avatar with new weapons and clothes. The shirts, sunglasses, kicks and hats on offer offer function in the form of fighting skills to match fashion.

Like previous installments in the series, Splatoon 3 has a single player campaign that can be played offline. The solo experience in Splatoon 3 is a bit juicier than its predecessors and can take several hours to complete. Instead of the random battles of multiplayer, the single player experience consists of platforming stages, some of which are quite cleverly designed and require some puzzle-solving acumen to accompany quick reflexes.

Another concept carried over from a previous title and given a fresh coat of paint is the Salmon Run Next Wave cooperative mode, in which four players team up to fight hideous creatures called “salmonids” and seal their eggs steal.

Splatoon 3 doesn’t have a built-in chat feature, which is understandable as the game aims to be accessible to young players. While the lack of chat eliminates the possibility of online interactions exposing players to potential bullying or toxic behavior, it can also be difficult to coordinate tactics with teammates. Nintendo offers a separate app for voice chat called SplatNet 3.

For those interested in getting into the series, Splatoon 3 is a great place to start. Even series veterans will appreciate the fine tuning that has gone into one of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises. Still, for a series that caused such a stir with its debut, it would be nice if the next Splatoon game took a few more risks.

Splatoon 3 has an ESRB rating of E10+, meaning content is suitable for players ages 10+, and has a suggested retail price of around $80.

A digital copy of Splatoon 3 was provided for this review.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 23, 2022.

Curtis Withers, The Canadian Press