In its first three days Splatoon 3 sold a reported 3.45 million physical copies in Japan, making it one of the biggest Switch releases to date. With its ridiculous charm and extremely competitive gameplay, it's no wonder. This was my first Splatoon so I was a little skeptical about giving it a shot. With more than 100 hours and a few particularly brutal Splatfests under my belt, I only regret not giving Splatoon a chance sooner.

 

The Splatoon universe is one where humans are extinct due to climate change causing the entire world to flood. After a long period of time, water levels returned to normal and sea creatures, now the dominant life forms of the world, began to evolve and adapt. This is how the series' famous Octolings came to be. When sea levels began to rise again, turf wars broke out to control any remaining land. Those turf wars are what we now throw our controllers at the tv over while screaming for someone to please "nerf the paintbrush".

 

I am completely invested in the Splatoon 3 universe. I think this series offers some of the most entertaining and creative worldbuilding in gaming right now. My biggest obsession is the diegetic pop bangers provided by the in-universe idol groups, like Off The Hook. The in-game music being produced by bands and DJs that also exist in the game is so fun!

 

If you decide to jump straight into story mode, you'll get to practice with Splatoon 3’s vast arsenal of mass splat-struction. There is a good balance of difficulty in the array of stages, with the exception of a certain few. I am well at peace knowing I will never get that cosmetic item for completing every stage. Yep, completely at peace...

 

If you head into the lobby you can meet your online friends to queue for Turf Wars and Anarchy matches. Turf wars are low stakes battles where the team that has covered most of the map in their ink within the time limit wins. Anarchy Matches are the competitive circuit for players looking for a challenge. To keep things fresh, the maps available for each mode change hourly. There's a free battlepass each season that offers plenty of incentive to queue up over and over again too!

 

Around the corner from the lobby is the Tableturf station where you can get a starter deck and a rundown on the new card-battle mini game. You can also challenge other players in the square. I had fun with this. There is cool cosmetic stuff you can unlock from grinding Tableturf matches out if you want to stand out from other players.

 

Now for what might be my favorite PvE mode I’ve played in recent memory: Salmon Run! Inside the very reputable and totally legit Grizzco building you can queue alone or with up to three friends for a game of Salmon Run. Salmon Runners are flown to one of several spawning grounds to secure three loads of Salmonid eggs. Sounds easy right? After hopping out of the chopper, you’re given a randomized weapon load out to fend off the different challenges of each wave. Good luck!  You’ll need it.

 

Splatoon 3 is charming, immersive, stylish, and difficult as shell to master. Without a doubt, this is my ♔Game of the Year♔. I’m seriously looking forward to the next Splatfest, starting 11/11, where the teams will be based on Pokémon starters to celebrate Scarlet and Violet’s release the following week!