Splatoon 3 (OmegaFire)

Splatoon 3 (スプラトゥーン3 Supuratūn 3) is a third-person shooter developed by OmegaFire and published by Nintendo. It the sequel to Splatoon 2 and the third installment in the Splatoon series. The game builds heavily upon the first two games' ink-based shooting mechanics. While the basic gameplay is similar, the changes are far bigger than that of the previous installment. The game introduces several more new mechanics and modes, including a much larger single-player campaign.
== Gameplay ==
Like its predecessors, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter game. It's primary game mode, Turf War, is focused on online multiplayer battles, in which eight players are divided into two teams of four. Players have two main forms and may switch between the two at will: their humanoid form, in which they can use weapons to spread ink and "splat" opponents, and their squid form, which they can use to swim through ink at greater speed than walking and swim up walls. Squid form also lets the player recharge their ink tank faster (while in their own ink), hide in their team's ink, and pass through grates. When a player is splatted, they are temporarily "out" until they respawn at the Spawn Point. Players can also utilize Sub Weapons and Special Weapons to help turn the tide of battle.
Players can use the "X" button to open a map of the area, showing the current ground ink coverage and the locations of teammates and team items such as Squid Beakons. Opposing team members are hidden from the map view until they take damage. Other items, such as objectives in Ranked Battles, as also shown on the map. Player information, including weapons and gear abilities, as also present for both teams. From here, players can Super Jump to other teammates' locations including beakons and the Spawn Point.
Ink is extremely important in the game as it is not only the primary projectile but also determines territory. Players can not enter squid form in enemy ink and will slowly start to take damage from stepping and staying in enemy ink. Unlike previous installments, staying in enemy ink for too long (about 10 seconds) will splat the player, returning them to the Spawn Point.
Splatoon 3 introduces some new mechanics to change up gameplay. One of these is that players can now sprint, letting them to to move at a faster speed in humanoid form but not as quickly as in squid form and allowing them to move faster over un-inkable surfaces such as glass. This also allows for new moves such as skidding and slides that can allow players to pass through small areas without squid form and perform sneak attacks.
For the first time, Splatoon 3 now supports split-screen local multiplayer with up to four players. This can be applied in both Multiplayer and Exhibition. Players can still battle full-screen with their own Switch consoles as in Splatoon 2 as well if such is desired. Thanks to the new split-screen, up to eight players can locally play Splatoon 3 with just two Switch consoles, and an entire Salmon Run team can locally assemble to play Salmon Run with just one Switch.
The game features a plethora of artists for its soundtrack including the returning Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii from the previous games, and Keiichi Obake from NeiR: Automata. In some cases, music from various artists is also used as trailer themes, character themes, and stage music for special occasions.
Playable Octolings, a long-requested feature, are available in Splatoon 3 after completing Hero Mode.
More new mechanics are set to be revealed in the future.
CPU players have also been confirmed to be in the game to fill in slots in Private Battles and modes of the like.
Free weapon and stage updates also return from the predecessors.
Salmon Run is also confirmed to return.
=== Single-Player: Hero Mode ===
The game's Hero Mode is perhaps the most overhauled mode in the game, as it is almost completely redesigned from the ground up. Players still take the role of an Agent, this case Agent 5, who is their Inkling character. However, players can now take control of other characters as well. These include Callie, Marie, Agent 3, and even Octoling characters.
There is a single hub world where levels, now called missions, can be accessed. Missions are set in semi-open areas similarly to Super Mario Odyssey, and have objectives that must be followed (though some are optional). Collectibles such as the Sunken Scrolls and Sardinium return as well, the former revealing even more insight on the Splatoon world and lore while the latter aids in upgrading weapons. Certain missions require the player to play as certain characters. After all missions in a particular area is complete, the player can enter a "free play mission" where they can visit the area after the missions' events and explore with no true objective.
The new Hero Mode takes new RPG-like elements and a far more open world to explore for the player. The mode has two primary settings - the Octarian underground domes as in the first two games, and ancient ruins of human settlements from 12000 years ago. From the hub world, players can select missions from each area of the two settings. After completing all missions from a certain area, the player is also given the option to explore them freely without any objective.
Weapons and outfits are now customizable with a large array to choose from. Certain suits have special attributes such as increased damage or speed with certain weapons equipped. Some of these outfits can be bought and unlocked for the primary online modes, though they will not have these extra effects outside of Hero Mode.
This mode features a soundtrack unique from the rest of the game. Alongside tracks similar to those of the previous two Hero Modes, Splatoon 3's Hero Mode also has exclusive soundtracks composed by Keiichi Okabe, who is known primarily for composing the soundtrack of NeiR: Automata, primarily for more serious scenes and boss battles.
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== Story ==
Main article: Splatoon 3 (Omegafire)/Hero Mode
== Multiplayer Modes ==
=== Turf War ===
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=== Ranked Battles ===
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==== Splat Zones ====
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==== Tower Control ====
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==== Rainmaker ====
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==== Clam Blitz ====
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===Salmon Run===
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== Single Player: HERO MODE ==
Main article: Splatoon 3 (Omegafire)/Hero Mode
Splatoon 3's massively overhauled single player campaign is simply called Hero Mode, though it is also named Octo Inkursion. It has a far more fleshed-out story than its predecessors, complete with a bigger and more open world, larger areas, and more secrets to be revealed. This mode features full cutscenes complete with voice acting (which the language of which can be changed similarly to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild). Certain dialogue in-game also features voice acting, but not most.
Various weapons and outfits are available to the player, with more being unlocked as they make progress.
=== Weapons ===
As with Splatoon 2, there are multiple weapons available to the player to use. Unlike 2 however, only some of these weapons are provided and the rest must be purchased for low costs of Power Eggs at Sheldon's Hero Shop in the hub world. As with both previous games, these weapons can optionally be upgraded with Power Eggs and Sardinium. These weapons can also be customized with decals and paint jobs.
After the game's completion, one can use their Cash earned from multiplayer to purchase the weapons for use in Multiplayer.
=== Outfits ===
Outfits are a brand new addition to Hero Mode. While many of these outfits simply change the player's suit without any effects, some have special effects and abilities to aid the player. This can be increasing a stat, such as attack power, resistance to enemy attack, or the run/swim speed. Some outfits have exclusive effects, such as increasing the speed of a specific weapon, like the Roller.
After the game's completion, one can use their Cash earned from multiplayer to purchase some outfits for use in Multiplayer. However, they will not have their respective effects.
=== Hard Mode ===
After beating Hero Mode once, the player can use a second manhole in the hub world to enter a second playthrough in Hard Mode. In this mode, the player can replay the story with harder settings. Enemies are now replaced with stronger variations of themselves, which deal and take more damage. Sunken Scrolls are replaced with new collectables such as exclusive decals and customizations. Level design can also differ slightly on some missions to make them more challenging. Some special outfits can be unlocked by completing Hard Mode missions and by finding them throughout the world.
== Exhibition Mode ==
The new Exhibition Mode is a single-player version of Multiplayer modes for offline play, located in the New Shoal. Here, players can battle AI opponents and/or local opponents.
== Soundtrack ==
The game features a plethora of artists for its soundtrack including the returning Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii from the previous games, and Keiichi Obake from NeiR: Automata for several of Hero Mode's tracks. In some cases, music from various artists is also used as trailer themes, character themes, and stage music for special occasions.
== Achievements ==
Main article: Splatoon 3 (Omegafire)/Achievements
Unlike the previous games, Splatoon 3 has its own in-game achievement system that rewards players for completing goals and milestones, such as reaching a certain rank or winning a certain amount of times with a specific weapon class. There are three categories of achievements: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
Rewards for earning achievements are provided by Judd, and can be obtained by talking to him. Not all achievements have rewards, however.
== Trivia ==
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Category:Splatoon (series)
Category:Splatoon 3 (OmegaFire)
Category:OmegaFire
Category:Nintendo Switch Games
Category:Third-Person Shooters
Category:Multiplayer Games
Category:Online Games