Dive into Splatoon 3 with Nintendo’s Bill Trinen

In a year that has been full of great Nintendo titles, Splatoon 3 – that is Available now for $59.99 – can only be The best transformation game of 2022. The third installment of Nintendo’s beloved online shooter series continues to offer a fresh look at the genre dominated by real-life violence, trading fierce gunfights for battles. Colorful competition which team can cause the biggest mess in the entire arena. From its bright, fancy aesthetic to its uniquely versatile combat that lets you shoot and swim your way through every battle, there’s simply nothing like Splatoon.

But Splatoon 3 isn’t just that – with an exciting new single-player campaign and some very clever tweaks to the gameplay and online experience, Nintendo’s newest family-friendly shooter is just a step away. Remarkable progress is both a great jump point for beginners. For a deeper dive into all the ink-intensive action, we spoke with Bill Trinen, VP of Product & Player Experience at Nintendo, about the new story mode, real-life changes quality for hardcore players and why even 6 year olds can have fun with Splatoon.

Splatoon’s frenetic and fun multiplayer battles have always been the main attraction of the series. It’s fun to have in the first two games’ single-player modes, but they’re largely a collection of simple challenges meant to prepare you for the endless Turf War battles that await. A lot of players – myself included – have skipped this content to go online, but Nintendo hopes that will change with Splatoon 3.

“I feel like singleplayer in Splatoon is probably one of the most often overlooked parts of the game,” says Trinen. “Many people would just describe it as, ‘Oh, that’s a glorified guide,’ which… I get that point. But when you play through the story mode and you start to see all the different levels and things go into what, I think, some of the classic single player platformer style game design of Nintendo… I feel like it’s a rich piece of the game.”

Splatoon 3 features the most ambitious and expansive solo the series has ever seen, casting you as an agent tasked with destroying the Octarians, a nefarious group of octopuses that can’t seem to stop spreading dangerous rust throughout place. There are some really creative level designs here that wouldn’t happen in a Mario or Sonic game, with clever, puzzle-filled levels that keep you swimming, sliding and shooting your way.

With a slick, confusing sci-fi aesthetic and plenty of lore to uncover as you explore Alterna’s hidden worlds and encounter familiar faces from previous games, Splatoon’s story mode 3 is more of a single-player game than a guide to multiplayer action. That said, it’s still a great way to learn how to play, offering courses that do a good job of introducing the game’s various weapons – with plenty of secrets and optional objectives for Those who want a real challenge.

“Play the first island of the story mode campaign, [I] like, ‘Oh, that’s the first island. This is going to be easy,” says Trinen. “And [I] quickly found a few levels that really gave me a hard time because I couldn’t complete them. I said, ‘Oh, wait a minute. I really need to think about this. ‘”

As great as Splatoon 3’s single-player experience, nothing can beat the primordial, messy fun of racing to splash colorful ink over the arena – all while engaging in gunfights Flirting with enemy players – in the game’s four-on-four online turf wars. And while Splatoon’s core multiplayer experience hasn’t changed much from the most recent game, there are plenty of small gameplay improvements and quality of life upgrades to add layers of unique strategy at the same time. makes it easy for you to join the competition right away.

I love that I can now practice different weapons and moves in the game’s lobbies while waiting for a new round to begin, especially since there are so many extra tools to master. . New weapons like the Tri-Stringer bow and sword-like Splatana are fun to wield and the game’s increased mobility – giving you even more ways to swing around the arena – will likely lead competitive players to devise incremental strategies for the month. But most importantly, Splatoon 3 solved my biggest frustration with previous releases: It’s finally easy to team up with your friends in quick online matches.

“Previously in Turf War, you could enter a room with your friends, but it was random about whether you could play in the same team or not,” says Trinen. “You’ll now be able to actually form teams with friends and go into Turf War and compete against each other, whether it’s other teams or random groups of players. It just ensures that everyone who can play can do it the way they like. ”

This online rationalization also extends to the cooperative (and super fun) Salmon Run mode, which features four players teaming up to take on Octarian’s increasingly difficult waves of enemies while still defending. Get the precious golden eggs. This mode was previously only available at specific times of the day, but in Splatoon 3 you can do it whenever you want.

That’s not to say Splatoon 3 won’t have any limited-time special events. You can look forward to the occasional Big Run (basically a bigger, wilder Salmon run) and beloved Splatfests: Splatoon’s global, weekend-long competitions featuring tournament players. settle classic debates (like Cake vs. Ice Cream) by picking a side and earning points on behalf of their team in matches.

Splatfests is Splatoon at its dumbest and funniest, as players litter the in-game squares with graffiti to support their team before spraying each other with specially themed ink (just imagine what the fight between Ketchup and Mayo looks like – it happened). And they get even better for Splatoon 3, with new three-team Splatfests that culminate in “crazy free for all”, as Trinen describes it. I got a taste of the new Splatfest during the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” global online event Nintendo recently hosted (the Scissors team was robbed) and I can’t wait for more of its unique chaos.

Another great thing about Splatoon 3 is that it honors the time you’ve spent in the previous game – for some, it’s a thousand-hour competition. You can transfer your Splatoon 2 savings to the new game, which will earn you some special in-game gadgets. But more importantly, you’ll keep your player level from the previous game, which means you’ll be competing against opponents closer to your skill level than being forced to kill ghosts. The poor soul jumped into the series for the first time. It is a win-win for both sides.

“In the beginning, you’ll be playing against people who are ostensibly the same level as you, while for those from Splatoon 2, they’ll immediately be able to take on more challenging and leveled matches. than Trinen said.

Like Splatoon 2 before it, Nintendo is planning to support Splatoon 3 with at least two years’ worth of new content, including limited-time unlockable new suits each season. Best of all, most of it will be free. Factor in the regular cadence of Splatfests (sequel begins September 23; you’ll choose between Team Gear, Grub, or Fun), Big Runs, new maps and weapons, and you’ll have plenty to spare. Something to keep me busy for quite some time.

“I think it’s a combination of the changes to the mechanics, those new actions, the new weapons, the way those changes make up the strategy. Honestly, I think part of it is just that, especially the launch, this festive atmosphere, there’s going to be a huge amount of new players that want to go there to see that happen,” said Trinen. on why strong Splatoon 2 fans might want to switch to the new game. “The fact that there’s so much new content in Splatoon 3 is, I think, really what’s going to appeal to all those Splatoon 2 players.”

And don’t worry – Trinen says Nintendo isn’t planning on shutting down Splatoon 2 anytime soon, so you can still hone your skills in online battles until you decide you’re done. ready to continue.

Although the series has had a rabid fan base since its debut in 2015, Splatoon 3 will probably be multiplayer’s first Splatoon game. So I can’t leave Trinen – who has spent hundreds of hours on Splatoon 2, his most played player Nintendo Switch game – without asking for some advice for those entering the game’s colorful chaotic arena for the first time.

“I mean, the first thing I want to say explicitly is the story mode, [which is] a great place to go and get acquainted with the weapons, but Turf War is where you need to play to really get a feel for the multiplayer,” said Trinen. “The great thing about Turf War is that even if you’ve never played Splatoon before, even if you’re the type of person that doesn’t normally play traditional shooters, you can go into Turf War and you can spend the whole thing. his time. Avoid other players and just hit the ground as much as you can. ”

Turf War isn’t just a great experience for people who don’t normally play shooters online – as Nintendo witnessed at a recent gaming conference, it can be the perfect starting point for games. young player in your life.

“There was a guy who took his 6-year-old daughter to PAX West,” says Trinen. “She was playing Splatoon and she was running around with a roller, just sweeping the grass. When her team won, it was a moment of overwhelming joy for this little girl. It’s heartwarming. ”

Based on my time with the game so far, I’m really impressed with how much Splatoon 3 has to offer for all types of players, whether you’re looking for a fun Mario-style solo adventure , a super competitive multiplayer experience or just a way to relax with friends as you spray colorful ink everywhere. Just a warning that its bite-sized matches can be very addictive – something I’ve learned from hours of experience.

“What I like about Splatoon is it’s all just such a crazy paced game,” says Trinen. “The matches are super short. They are really intense, super fun. They end and you’re immediately like, ‘Oh my gosh. I just want one more round. ‘”