Share This Article
Splatoon 3 was the first game in the series that I truly connected with. With Splatoon 2, I was a bit stubborn with not wanting to play with the motion controls and tried everything I could to make a mouse work with that game.
This resulted in me purchasing a GameSir VX, which did not emulate the feeling of using a mouse at all. It did improve my aiming, though, and I had fun with it for a few hours, but I eventually dropped it.
Fast forward to the release of Splatoon 3; I was now adamant about making the motion controls work, and this time it did. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but when I did, I just realized how much fun I was missing out on.
Even though Splatoon as a whole has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay, Splatoon 3 in particular takes the cake. It has a great online ranked mode, challenging single-player content, Salmon Run, Tableturf Battle, good DLC, and of course, the Splatfests.
It was a great game when it launched in 2022, and it’s still a wonderful game to play today. It’s also the one you should consider playing if you want something that resembles Splatoon Raiders.
And that’s precisely where we will begin today, with a mode called Salmon Run
1. Salmon Run is pure chaos
Salmon Run is essentially a horde mode, and unlike Splatoon 2, you can play it at any given time with a group of players.
Here you will be facing waves of enemies with predetermined weapons, and while things start easy, it takes just one small distraction to get overrun and die.
The goal here is simple: our boss, Grizzco, wants some Golden Eggs, and you need to retrieve them, but only Boss Salmonids carry them. They all come in different shapes and forms and with different ways to take down.
Succeed in providing the correct amount in each wave, and you move to the next one.
Usually you need to do this 3 times, but sometimes, there’s an additional 4th Wave, where a King Salmonid, which resembles a Kaiju, appears, and you’ll have to defeat it. Easier said than done, though; these kings are huge and can kill you super fast.
Succeed in a mission, and you’ll rank up and are now free to spend your hard-earned eggs on several items that Grizco has for sale.
In a nutshell, this mode is pure mayhem. I don’t even play it for the rewards or even the collectibles; I play it just to have pure and chaotic fun!
2. The Single Player Mode + DLC
I’m going to be 100% honest; I never bought the DLC for Splatoon 3. Not because it’s not great, but because by the time it was released, I had already moved on to another game.
But the original Story Mode in Alterna is fantastic.
You play as the new Agent 3, and your goal is to fight off the Fuzzy Octarians. They are the same group of enemies from Splatoon 1 and 2, but this time they have mutated to have hair around their bodies.
There are several locations in Alterna that are covered with this fuzzy ooze that needs to be cleared to progress and even unlock new levels.
Each level has a challenge you must complete that ranges from going from Point A to Point B while shooting enemies to save the Zapfish at the end to hitting a set number of boxes that are thrown in your way without missing a single one. If the latter sounds oddly specific, it’s because I replayed this mission dozens of times until I got it done…
These challenges are a great job in teaching you how the game works. They do this by having you play with different weapons and placing you in situations that will force you to utilize your entire kit of abilities.
Story-wise, Splatoon 3 continues to invoke that “WTF is going on here” vibe, and it’s so alluring, creepy, and mysterious that you’ll want to keep playing and see its conclusion.
In conclusion, for someone who wants a great single-player and also something akin to Splatoon Raiders, then this mode and Salmon Run are more than enough.
Although, once you’re ready, you might want to play TurfWars.
3. Turf War and Anarchy Battles
We’ve now reached the mode in which I’ve spent the most time on, Competitive Multiplayer.
I’ll say upfront that Anarchy Battles, or ranked mode, are not for everyone since. In lower ranks, things start off exactly as a casual TurfWar game, but as you progress, you will get put in your place.
This means you’ll need to do things outside this mode to get better too, like labbing in the practice range, making sure you know all the maps like the back of your hand, how to position yourself, what the meta weapons are, and making sure you have the correct skills equipped for the role you’re aiming for.
If you think this is not for you, then you can just have some stupid fun in TurfWar. It’s just 3 minutes long; you go in, splat as much ink as you can, and if you lose, there’s no consequences.
Although there are no actual life-altering consequences in ranked either, you’ll drop a rank if you lose. I like this mode a lot because matches don’t take only 5 minutes, which is great for busy dads like myself.
Also, there are several types of battles in ranked that keep rotating, and things never get stale this way.
The main takeaway here is, play Turf War if you want to have fun, or play Anarchy Battles if you intend to be challenged!
4. Splatfest
Next up we have something that any Splatoon 3 player has to try before they stop happening entirely, the Splatfest.
This is basically an in-game event that occurs from time to time. While it’s happening, the player base is split into 3 different teams based on the themed question of the Splatfest, such as “Rock, Paper, or Scissors?”
Then players can participate in several Splatfest Battles to lead their team to victory. In the end, everyone is awarded Super Sea Snails, with the winning team receiving more.
When I was super into competitive, this was an event that I could not miss since Super Sea Snails are crucial to re-rolling your Skills.
Even if you’re a casual player, you should give a Splatfest a try, though. The city changes entirely to fit the theme; there’s a concert going on in the Plaza, and you’ll be able to participate in triple TurfBattles!
But the biggest reward of them all is showing how right you were when your team takes that number 1 spot.
5. TableTurf Battles
To close things off, we have TableTurf Battles, which is probably the most disappointing part of Splatoon 3 for me.
But still a mode I think I can recommend since it takes the frenetic TurfBattles into something more calculated and strategic.
Splatoon 3 has a catalog for each season that functions like a free battle pass. While completing it, you’ll notice that occasionally a pack of cards appears, and the cards inside aren’t just for show.
You can go to the TableTurf Dojo and battle it out with NPCs. This mode is actually super fun, and I played it a lot, even though you could only battle NPCs at launch.
Eventually they added the option to play games with real people online, but for some reason they never created a dedicated matchmaking system like their other modes or even a ranked system.
You can create a lobby with strangers and hope that someone joins to play a couple of matches, but it’s not the most satisfying way to play for sure.
Still, they didn’t have to add multiplayer or even include this game mode in the first place, but it’s there. I think they’ve managed to translate the spirit of Turf War into a TCG format quite well.
With this said, definitely give it a go too!
Is Splatoon 3 worth it in 2026?
Splatoon 3 is worth it, even if Splatoon 4 releases in the near future. It’s a game packed with fun modes, and the player base is super active, and you can find matches in any online mode super fast, even in Salmon Run, the closest you’ll get to having a Splatoon Raiders inside Splatoon 3.
But if you’re looking for a pure single-player experience, then focusing on the story mode and even investing in the DLC for additional content is probably the right option for you.
Nintendo really hit the mark with this sequel, and I can’t wait to see how they will outdo themselves with the next instalment.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll be seeing you again next time with brand-new content.
