Today saw the multiplayer team shooter Splatoon 3 unleash a giant info dump in its own Nintendo Direct video showcase, which offered up 30 minutes’ worth of new information about the game’s multiplayer and single-player modes and announced the arrival of its first playable demo ahead of the game’s September 9th launch.
In terms of multiplayer content, the game will naturally bring on the classic 4v4 Turf War with new and returning maps, Anarchy Battle ranked fights that feature familiar modes for players to take on, the co-op Salmon Run that introduces boss fights to the wave survival mode’s mix, and the return of Splatfests – themed competitions that see players choosing sides and duking it out in Turf Wars to earn points for their allegiance; this time around, players will get to choose from one of three sides instead of two.
On the subject of Splatfests, a playable demo will be available for free for Nintendo Switch owners on Tuesday, August 25th, granting fans the chance to get their hands on the shooter for the first time since its initial announcement. This demo can be downloaded on August 18th, will feature limited playability on August 25th, and will launch a Splatfest on August 27th that will ask players to join Team Rock, Team Paper, and Team Scissors. The Splatfest will run from 12:00 p.m. EDT to 12:00 a.m. EDT.
The Direct showcase also talked up Splatoon 3’s single-player mode, new weapons and maneuvers, the Splatlands Battle 1v1 in-game card game, and post-launch updates like season catalogs, new weapons, and additional higher-tier ranked battle modes known as X Battle and League Battle. The game’s site has the breakdown of the Direct, while the full broadcast can be seen below.
