Splatoon 3 got its own special Nintendo Direct broadcast and brought with it a bunch of fresh news. To get you all started, here’s the broadcast itself—give it a watch and then we’ll launch into specifics down below:
All right, now to the nuts and bolts:
- SplatNet3 Connected App Inbound: Included as part of the Nintendo Switch App available on smart devices, SplatNet3 Connected will allow players to check battle records, order gear, and much more in Splatoon 3. There’s also something new called Crusty Sean’s Wandercrust, a mode where you can support his journey utilizing something called Inked Points which are earned in battles.
- New amiibo Are Coming: Three new figurines are inbound—Inkling (Yellow), Octoling (Blue) and Smallfry amiibo will all be available this winter for $15.99 each. There will also be a restock of the Callie & Marie 2-Pack and the Pearl & Marina 2-Pack. These packs will sell for $24.99 apiece.
- Salmon Run is Available All the Time Now: No more waiting for Salmon Run, as the popular mode has become an on-demand feature. Big Runs are coming in a later update. They’re an event when Salmonids invade the city where Inklings and Octolings live.
- The Deep Cut Trio: These three (Frye, Shiver, and Big Man) host the Anarchy Splatcast which will broadcast as you boot up the game. It sounds like players will be able to get these news updates passively as opposed to being forced to watch them.
- Splatfests Are Back: The first half of the battles will be 4-v-4 Turf War battles, with the second half featuring the new Tricolor Turf War battles, a mode where three teams battle simultaneously.
- Post-Launch Updates: Nintendo is promising two years of new content rotating in every three months. New weapons will be part of these updates. This content will be free to all players.
- Paid DLC: No word yet on what this entails, but Nintendo promises it will be a sizable addition to the game.
- Return of the Mammalians: This is the new story mode for Splatoon 3. It promises to pit players against the Octarian Army as Agent 3, the latest recruit of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. This mode should also serve to help teach players the basics of Splatoon 3’s gameplay.
- Tableturf Battle: A new card game mode where players ink spaces on the playing field using over 150 different cards.
- Splatfest World Premiere Demo: On August 27, anyone with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership can download the Splatoon 3 demo and participate in a special Splatfest. Choose either Team Rock, Team Paper, of Team Scissors to fight alongside.Players will get a shot to try out the new Tricolor Turf War battles as part of this global event. The demo goes live on August 18.
There’s also a ton of new weapons and stages coming, along with tweaked and enhanced mechanics, additional modes, and more. Splatoon 3 is shaping up to be an enormous evolution of the series when it launches on September 9. Remember that on August 26, a special Splatoon 3-themed Nintendo Switch OLED console will be coming to retailers. What did you think of the Direct? Talk to us down in the comments!
Source: Splatoon 3 Direct 08.10.22