Splatoon 3 brings us back to a colourful post-apocalyptic world where sea creatures have reclaimed the Earth, and it's time to get splattin'. The popularity of this wacky series has only grown through the years, amassing more and more players. This might be your first Splatoon, or you might have been here since the start. Your experience level doesn't matter when exploring everything Splatoon 3 offers.
Whether you're familiar with the weird world of Inklings and Octolings or you're a newcomer, there are certain things you'll do. Some will have tangible gameplay benefits. Some will just be goofy fun. Either way, you're not alone.
9 This Eyebrow? No, This One
Even the most Spartan of character creators can trick us into spending much longer than we intended, carefully cycling through every option.
It's not as if Splatoon 3 allows you to micromanage the distance between your character's eyes or the exact shape of their mouth. Yet, you'll likely still find yourself taking your sweet, sweet time trying to figure out how, exactly, you want your dear Inkling or Octoling to look.
Hey, if Nintendo didn't want you to spend time in the character creator, they wouldn't have given you options.
8 Staring At Everyone's Banners
There's a beauty in multiplayer, team-focused games - emotes, outfits, picking out your unique nickname, all cool and fun. Yet, who among us can deny the innate joy of seeing people's interesting player art or messages above their character's head?
Whether the banners are declarations of fandom love, meticulously drawn art, or apologies for their internet connection, these unique messages are worth the extra time spent gawking at them. It's part of the charm.
7 Stressing About Your Own Banner
The bad thing about the ability to create a custom message for other players to see is stressing about what, exactly, you should say. Or draw. There are so many options to choose from; you can make a joke, a heartfelt message to anyone who may see it, or a piece of art; nothing can inhibit your creativity.
The decision can weigh so heavily on you that you end up completely neglecting to make a banner message at all. There is nothing as intimidating as a blank canvas, after all. Especially once you've already seen what your fellow players cooked up. One day you'll get it. One day.
6 A Leisurely Swim
For whatever reason, the characters of Splatoon, despite their origins as creatures of the sea, cannot swim. Unless they're in colorful ink, that is, in which case they are Olympic-level athletes, taking to the vibrant ink like fish to water, pun somewhat intended.
More than anything else, swimming through the ink is fun - it's a quicker way to move about, the squid or octopus forms are cute, and it's convenient. What more could you possibly want?
5 Paint It… Blue?
Sometimes, you'll have a lot of time waiting for matchmaking to bring you to your next multiplayer experience. Or, perhaps, you're just a fan of interior decorating. Either case, there's no denying how entertaining it can be to completely immerse a room (read: make a massive mess) in whatever color your ink happens to be at the time.
What, you don't think the folks working in the kiosks want bright blue floors? They love it, don't worry about it. You don't even need to color in the lines. You just have to have ink and the can-do attitude of a mid-tier contractor.
4 What Campaign?
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If there's one thing a multiplayer game will do, it's to make you forget about its campaign. It's easy to forget about the story content when you're neck deep in multiplayer matches, grinding your way through levels so you can buy some sick fits.
This isn't to say that the campaign isn't worth your time; it's more that it doesn't feel like the selling point of the game. It will be there when you've had your fill of multiplayer. If you ever do.
3 Falling Off The World
It would be one thing to fall from the boundaries of the level in your humanoid form. It's another to fall off the world's edges while trying to be slick and ink your way around treacherous corners. But, listen, if they didn't want you to eat it at least a few times, they wouldn't have made swimming around so dang enjoyable in the first place.
You don't have to admit that your clumsiness brought your squid kid or Octoling to a crashing close. You can just pretend you absolutely meant to do that. You know, for the sick flips and all. If anyone is going to approve of doing it because it looks cool, it's the characters of Splatoon.
2 Touching the Fuzz
The tutorial area for Splatoon 3's campaign is covered with strange, fuzzy growths that block your path, like the campaign hub itself. They're like if a teddy bear got tie-dyed, pulsing with purples and pinks. You're warned immediately not to touch them, and that if you do, you'll get all fluffy and respawn.
So, of course, you touch them. It's for science. And your own curiosity. You won't be disappointed. You become a hilariously fuzzy creature for a few brief seconds, knocked flat on the ground before you respawn. It's totally worth it.
1 Copying Lobby People
After a match, you'll be placed in the lobby with holograms of fellow players as you wait. While you may choose to use the lobby as a place to practice your inking techniques, you could also just…hang out with the surrounding holograms. Or, more accurately, copy one of them until you have an entire group rapidly transforming into cephalopods, jumping up and down, or emoting. It's one of the joys of multiplayer, team-based experiences.
You can be as ruthless in the matches (within reason, of course) as you feel necessary, but once you get into that lobby, it's all chill vibes and cool squids.