Splatoon 3 Reviews
All in all, putting the online infrastructure disaster aside, Splatoon 3 is a lot of fun, but I can't help but feel like it could have been an update to Splatoon 2 rather than a new game. I enjoyed the new story mode, the new weapons are great, and the lobby changes are fantastic, but everything else just feels like too little to warrant $60. I generally don't like to evaluate games on price point, but it needs to be said this is more like Splatoon 2.25 than a full jump in number or even just half. Once you take into account the awful connection it definitely doesn't feel worth it. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good game and a great entry for new fans, but I'd get basically the same experience and probably slightly more stable in Splatoon 2 and that's still right there on my home screen. Nintendo really needs to step their game up in terms of updates, and for God's sake invest in some servers or better netcode.
Never mind the spectacularly colourful paint battles, this is quietly one of the best and most inventive action-puzzle games around
Splatoon 3 won't change anyone's mind on the series, but several smart changes to the formula make it unarguably the best game in the trilogy.
Splatoon 3 is one of the most enjoyable and accessible multiplayer experiences currently available on the Switch. By sticking to its guns (or paint rollers), Nintendo has crafted a competitive shooter with near-universal appeal in both its presentation and simplistic take on team-based deathmatches. It’s strong competitive offering is only improved by the addition of its capable single-player and cooperative game modes, which means there is a well-served rotation of different options to try out. Fans of previous Splatoon games will enjoy the continuity this third instalment serves and newcomers looking for an online game with a twist will find plenty to wrap their tentacles around.
When Nintendo's unique Splatoon series reaches its third installment, the addictive online mode is joined by a single-player mode that's at least as high-class. With single-player courses filled with clever and varied ideas, this is Nintendo at its best. In online mode, a lot is like it used to be – but why complain about something that's still fun?
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Expanding the amount of content available (including the incredibly smart decision to open the horde-mode like Salmon Run game mode up at all times) makes this game the best one yet and one of the most enjoyable multi-player shooters on the market. If you have been a fan of the series in the past, Splatoon 3 is a must purchase.
Taken as a whole, Splatoon 3 is an engaging, exciting experience. You can cycle between weapon load-outs, game modes, and gear to keep things fresh. The solo campaign is always there if you ever get truly stuck, though it does nothing for your overall progression. The Anarchy Battles are a massive boost, with enough game types to keep you hooked for ages. The battles themselves are slick and speedy, with a host of potential strategies to help you eke out a win. I’d love more customization, and I’ve no patience for motion controls, but these are minor troubles. While it doesn’t re-invent the wheel, Splatoon 3 is a lot more of an already great idea.
Splatoon 3 is a rock solid and greatly entertaining "more of the same" that lives up to expectations and spice up the multiplayer formula with an original and engaging single-player slice.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Alterna campaign is only a slice of the Splatoon 3 pie. As such, my final score comes with some caveats. Though the mechanical elements are rock solid, the look and feel of the game is still off. At least for me, this campaign content feels subdued and a little lonely. Taken as part of the complete experience, the single-player content is something of a safe house. A quiet space where you can sharpen your skills and experiment with new weapons. Even so, the solo campaign for Splatoon 3 had me longing for the chaos of the online arena.
Splatoon 3 may be the series’ best entry yet, featuring some nice gameplay tweaks and new weaponry, an expanded and polished story mode, and more launch content than its predecessors. That said, it’s very much an evolutionary sequel, every bit as iterative as many of the shooter franchises it’s meant to be an alternative to. After a five-year absence, that may not be enough for some. Splatoon 3 is still fun and funky, but Nintendo’s squid shooter series can’t get by on freshness alone forever.
Splatoon 3 is another great entry in the series that takes the best elements from its predecessors and greatly enhances them.
If you're looking for a multiplayer shooter to fill your days with color this winter, then Splatoon 3 will keep you octopied (sorry). Its changes are small and easy to miss, but there really is nothing like it at all. A lot of the game's continued success will come down to Nintendo's own support of the game and its community, but after seeing the support for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the recent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, Splatoon 3 is swimming in the right direction.
But even that remains a step down from the obsessively fun vertical scrolling platform game you could play while waiting for a full game of eight players in the original Splatoon. It feels strange to complain about simply getting more of a good thing, but Splatoon is still a young and creatively fertile series that can do even more, and should. At present, Splatoon 3 is a good game that could very easily evolve into a great one. The single-player campaign is, largely, proof of that. But it’s far too soon for a series this unique to feel like it’s already in “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mode. Splatoon is one of the coolest things to happen on Nintendo’s platforms in the 21st century. The least it could do is follow its own advice and try to stay fresh.
Splatoon 3 builds upon the excellent foundation that was previously laid out by the prior two games, now offering the most balanced experience between its multiplayer and single-player content. Even though it may not be groundbreaking, the numerous improvements and extra content in the game make Splatoon 3 the best entry in the series to date.
Splatoon 3 might not reinvent the wheel, but it more than makes up for it with the most fully-featured and polished entry in the series to date.
The first Splatoon game was a wonderfully novel experience and Splatoon 2 also managed to build on its framework while still feeling new. In comparison, Splatoon 3 doesn’t feel quite as fresh as those two initial games even with its new additions, opting instead to polish and refine the franchise’s tried-and-true formula. That being said, Splatoon 3 represents the pinnacle of the series’ shooting mechanics, which are further fine-tuned into splatting perfection. Add a campaign with fun and creative bosses as well as engaging multiplayer options and you have another colorful and addicting addition to the franchise.
Splatoon 3 is the successful crowning glory of the colorful trilogy with original gameplay and more scope than ever before.
Review in German | Read full review
More than innovating, Splatoon 3 is in charge of polishing each of its elements to offer one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Splatoon 3 feels like a fresh coat of paint for the series, with a new story mode as well as additional weapons, stages and enemies. With the main multiplayer modes largely unchanged compared to Splatoon 2, series veterans may feel aggrieved that there aren’t any substantial upgrades or new game modes. But Splatoon 3 still offers spades of fun and will no doubt be one of the leading multiplayer titles on the Nintendo Switch.