With the announcement that the zany Nintendo territory shooter Splatoon would be getting another entry, many fans are wondering what it could hold. For a game so focused on multiplayer, it feels like new gameplay elements are limited, but a closer look at the trailer for Splatoon 3 reveals a bevy of exciting information.
With new locations, new gear, and outfits, and a new “little buddy” for the player, there are lots of exciting new aspects to explore. While Splatoon 2 was maybe a half-step, it still sold incredibly well. It looks like its sequel will continue that trend with a bigger leap forward for the series.
8 New Outfits
There is a wonderful atmosphere in the Splatoon community, but one of the best aspects is the obsession with fashion. The player has limited options to style their inkling (only being able to change what goes on their head, feet, and torso), but it doesn’t stop fans of the series from grinding for specific looks. Not surprisingly then, there were a host of new outfits on show in the trailer. They showed Viking-horned hats, pixelated glasses, and what definitely looked like a life jacket. It sure looks like the zaniness of Splatoon is still intact.
7 Bow-Shaped Weapon
This new weapon, wielded by the inkling shown in the introduction, was one of the more obvious additions for the long-time fans. Used to sling ink for the player to mark their territory, it will be interesting to see how it works in-game.
Alongside some of the stranger additions to Splatoon 2 over the years, like the Bloblobber and the Squeezer, Splatoon 3’s arsenal is going to be even more varied. According to Nintendo, this bow-shaped weapon will come alongside “dynamic new moves [that] help these fighters dodge attacks and cover more ground”. What this actually entails will be interesting to see.
6 No Binary Gender Options
In previous Splatoon games, the player would choose a gender for their inkling, either Boy or Girl. Here, however, it looks like players won’t be locked into choosing. At the beginning of the new trailer, we see the character customization screen, where the player chooses whether to be a standard Inkling or an Octoling, a hairstyle, and some legwear. None of these options have any gender attached to them. Just by removing gendered titles, Splatoon is immediately more inclusive, which is great to see.
5 Fresh New Hairstyles
Another way that players can show off their style in Splatoon is with their hair. Previous games have had decent options, but they haven’t been that varied. That’s why it’s great to see some new looks coming to the squid kids. We got to see some slight variations on old styles (like shorter, curlier bangs) but the most out-there look was the quiff. They showed us a proud pair of inklings with floppy quiffs and big, flame decals on their weapons, looking like they worked on hot-rods in their spare time.
4 The “Little Buddy”
Quite prominent at the beginning of the trailer is this strange little fish, described as the player’s “little buddy”. The player can pick out a hairstyle for them, and then the little thing follows the squid kid around. While the little buddy was hard to miss in the desert area, they are nowhere to be seen in the multiplayer clips at the end of the trailer. This fish creature seems to be a companion for some sort of single-player component, but how they will affect the gameplay is still yet to be seen. For now, all we know is that they are incredibly cute.
3 The Splatlands
The new area the player will explore has a fitting name: the Splatlands. Not only is it visually reminiscent of Borderlands, but the name is too. It would seem that this is the area where any single-player would take place, with the giant upside-down Eiffel Tower and tumbleweeds for company.
The multiplayer is shown after a short train ride into the city (which you can see in the distance through the train window). This city has a fitting name too: Splatsville. Two suitably silly names for a world many are bound to spend many hours in.
2 Revamped Spawning
There’s a new way to spawn in the multiplayer mode, too. In previous Splatoon games, all players would be lined up next to their teammates at a fixed spawn point, with each team in opposite corners of the map. Here, it looks like the players will launch themselves from some strange contraption, aiming at the ground where they want to land. It looks pretty similar to the Super Jump, where the player could launch themselves to another player’s location, but with a bit more flexibility. There are many things that Splatoon 3 should fix, and the Super Jump always felt a bit broken, so hopefully, this is the remedy.
1 The Crab
The biggest mystery in the trailer was one we only saw for a split second. In the midst of the multiplayer section, they showed us a yellow and white mechanical crab, unlocking itself from a ball into a scuttling creature with pincers. This strange crab could have any number of uses, but it will probably be a secondary weapon, like a bomb. It is easy to imagine it working like the Autobomb (a bomb with legs that would follow the opponent and explode) but Splatoon always surprises with inventive new weaponry, so it could be any number of things.
NEXT: 10 Games To Play If You Love Splatoon
