{"id":68896,"date":"2022-09-07T16:05:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T16:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-review-nintendos-well-of-squid-ink-has-run-dry\/"},"modified":"2022-09-07T16:05:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T16:05:11","slug":"splatoon-3-review-nintendos-well-of-squid-ink-has-run-dry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-review-nintendos-well-of-squid-ink-has-run-dry\/","title":{"rendered":"Splatoon 3 review: Nintendo&#8217;s well of squid ink has run dry"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<figure class=\"intro-image intro-left\">\n  Splatoon<\/em> faces show up to usher players through a confusing, unsatisfying campaign.&#8221;\/><figcaption class=\"caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-text\">enlarge <span class=\"sep\">\/<\/span> family <em>Splatoon<\/em> faces show up to usher players through a confusing, unsatisfying campaign.<\/div>\n<p>Nintendo<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside id=\"social-left\" class=\"social-left\" aria-label=\"Read the comments or share this article\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><!-- cache hit 76:single\/related:be8c3eccb3d2d45686c08458af4f5eff --><!-- empty --><\/p>\n<p>In the crustacean-filled universe of Nintendo shooter series <em>Splatoon<\/em> (sorry for the impending pun), something fishy is going on.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not sure what Nintendo was thinking with its push of <em>Splatoon 3<\/em>this week&#8217;s brand-new sequel, as a replacement for 2017&#8217;s <em>Splatoon 2<\/em>.  Where the last game added meaningful new weapons and modes to the series&#8217; quirky online modes, this year&#8217;s new model adds a sprinkling of online-only content, which at best leaves the formula unperturbed and at worst is in dire need of rebalancing.  and while <em>Splatoon 2<\/em> and its 2018 expansion pack delivered some of the best solo campaign content of the Switch&#8217;s generation, <em>Splatoon 3<\/em>&#8216;s equivalent is a slapdash mess.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to limited pre-release online testing, I can&#8217;t definitively review that half of the game, and I&#8217;m wondering how much of it can be redeemed with post-launch support.  But I&#8217;m comfortable enough to say that Nintendo has dropped the ball for series fans <em>and<\/em> created an unwelcoming mess for newcomers.<\/p>\n<h2>A bad case of the crab (tank)s<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image shortcode-img full-width\" style=\"width:980px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"In online matches, lay down ink of your team's color to claim &quot;turf.&quot; This color is doubly useful because you can transform into a squid at any time, then swim through your color of ink to both refill ammo and move faster.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-05-980x551.jpg?resize=980%2C551&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"980\" height=\"551\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-text\">enlarge <span class=\"sep\">\/<\/span> In online matches, lay down ink of your team&#8217;s color to claim &#8220;turf.&#8221;  This color is doubly useful because you can transform into a squid at any time, then swim through your color of ink to both refill ammo and move faster.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To explain how the series works, allow me to adapt the phrasing I used in 2017:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Splatoon<\/em> has a few disparate parts: an eight-hour single-player campaign;  a range of ranked and unranked multiplayer combat modes;  and a &#8220;Horde&#8221;-styled multiplayer challenge mode, in which you and up to three others team up to take out waves of enemies.  The game continues to operate in a universe dominated by Japanese-hipster &#8220;squid kids&#8221; who dress in &#8220;fresh&#8221; outfits and shoot paintball guns all of the danged time.<\/p>\n<p>The series&#8217; default multiplayer mode, the &#8220;Turf War&#8221; team battle, returns as the touchstone <em>Splatoon<\/em> experience.  Your team has three minutes to cover an arena&#8217;s floor with more of your paint color than the opponent&#8217;s, and any ground smothered in your color becomes &#8220;swimmable.&#8221;  Every player can tap a button to switch between a gun-toting teenager or a fast-swimming squid.  Squids can hide or swim through their corresponding color of ink.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Splatoon 3<\/em> is so similar to its forebear that I didn&#8217;t have to modify any of that text;  all I did was remove a redundant reference to the series&#8217; first game on Wii U in 2015. My <em>Splatoon 2<\/em> review went on to document smart changes to its online systems, which included a hearty expansion of available weapons, significantly improved level designs that emphasized verticality and sneaky tactics, and that quirky waves-of-enemies mode (known as &#8220;Salmon Run&#8221;), which turned out to be a pretty fun, kid-friendly version of a mode made famous by the likes of <em>Gears of War<\/em> and <em>halo<\/em>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad_wrapper\" aria-label=\"In Content advertisement\">\n    <span class=\"ad_notice\">Advertisement <\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"gallery shortcode-gallery gallery-wide\">\n<ul>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-06-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-06.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-06-980x551.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-06.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1878705\">\n<figure style=\"height:551px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1878705\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      Trying (and failing) to kill the crab tank with a giant paintbrush.                    <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-03-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-03.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-03-980x551.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon-online-03.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1878706\">\n<figure style=\"height:551px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1878706\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      Trying (and failing) to kill the crab tank with a pair of pistols.                    <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>What does <em>Splatoon 3<\/em> add to online play?  Not a ton.  The biggest change is a new selection of &#8220;special attacks,&#8221; which can be activated in an online game after laying down enough ink or doing enough damage to foes in a single life.  In my limited online testing, these abilities immediately felt unbalanced\u2014though their tide-turning powers don&#8217;t figure as frequently in combat, thanks to how long they take to charge, so that impression is hard to quantify.  One example is easy to point to, however.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;crab tank&#8221; lets players temporarily turn into a slow, super-armored crab with unlimited ammo that shoots at a high rate of speed.  I&#8217;ve already found that this tank is all but unstoppable when it faces off against one foe at a time;  it&#8217;s impossible to use the series&#8217; strongest up-close attacks and take the crab down before it can blot out any up-close combatant with its stream of paint.  The best a team can hope for is that its opponent triggers the crab tank mode while surrounded by opponents.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Splatoon faces show up to usher players through a confusing, unsatisfying campaign.&#8221;\/> enlarge \/ family Splatoon faces show up to usher players through a confusing, unsatisfying campaign. Nintendo In the crustacean-filled universe of Nintendo shooter series Splatoon (sorry for the impending pun), something fishy is going on. I&#8217;m not sure what Nintendo was thinking with &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-review-nintendos-well-of-squid-ink-has-run-dry\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Splatoon 3 review: Nintendo&#8217;s well of squid ink has run dry<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7392,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/where-to-buy-the-splatoon-3-nintendo-switch-oled-model-console-and-pro-controller\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":0},"title":"Where To Buy The Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED Model Console And Pro Controller","date":"July 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Nintendo has unveiled a special Splatoon 3-themed Switch OLED console that looks perfect for fans of the series \u2013 and anyone who just wants to add a seriously cool Switch to their collection. The special edition console launches on August 26th 2022, with a gorgeous new Splatoon 3 Pro Controller\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Nintendo Switch OLED Splatoon 3 Special Edition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/images.nintendolife.com\/fed41c6194978\/nintendo-switch-oled-splatoon-3-special-edition.900x.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44074,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-will-offer-bonuses-to-players-who-import-their-splatoon-2-saves\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":1},"title":"Splatoon 3 Will Offer Bonuses To Players Who Import Their Splatoon 2 Saves","date":"August 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Splatoon 2 players eagerly awaiting the release of Splatoon 3 on Nintendo Switch will be rewarded with a ton of bonuses to speed up their gameplay progression.A blog post on Nintendo's website revealed that players who have save data for Splatoon 2 stored on their Nintendo Switch will be given\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61176,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nintendo-bans-splatoon-3-cheaters-before-the-game-is-even-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":2},"title":"Nintendo Bans Splatoon 3 Cheaters Before The Game Is Even Out","date":"August 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Nintendo summoning the almighty ban hammer.screenshot: Nintendo \/ KotakuSplatoon 3 fans were treated to a nice surprise this past weekend when Nintendo staged a special Splatfest event before the game's official release. This gave folks a chance to download and play a demo of the colorful shooter ahead of its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Humble Bundle's Summer Sale","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_180,q_80,w_320\/679a6f1eacbae3285cf9105ce190cadd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":71673,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-amiibo-unlocks-and-rewards-full-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":3},"title":"Splatoon 3 amiibo Unlocks And Rewards &#8211; Full List","date":"September 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Image: Nintendo Life \/ Alex Olney If you've got your hands on a copy of the excellent Splatoon 3, you might be aware that there's a whole host of previously released amiibo that are compatible with the game. This includes the original amiibo released with the Wii U original Splatoonas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Splatoon amiibo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/images.nintendolife.com\/3a2998c0cb39b\/splatoon-amiibo.900x.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39266,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/next-nintendo-direct-is-a-splatoon-3-deep-dive-and-its-soon\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":4},"title":"Next Nintendo Direct Is A Splatoon 3 Deep Dive, And It&#8217;s Soon","date":"August 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Image: NintendoThe summer of Nintendo Directs continues with a blowout front Splatoon 3 on August 10, the Switch-maker announced Monday morning. Fans will be looking for a fresh-look at some of the game's new weapons, modes, and secrets about its single-player campaign.\u201cJoin us in the Splatlands for roughly 30 minutes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42588,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/splatoon-3-rewards-splatoon-2-players-for-transferring-saves\/","url_meta":{"origin":68896,"position":5},"title":"Splatoon 3 Rewards Splatoon 2 Players For Transferring Saves","date":"August 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Image: NintendoSome players have poured hundreds of hours into Splatoon 2. Thankfully, Nintendo recently revealed that all of that hard work won't be wasted when fans boot up Splatoon 3. Instead, they'll be able to transfer their save data and reap big rewards in the process.Nintendo unleashed a torrent of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/splatoon3listing-760x380.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68896"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68896\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}