Splatoon 3 Reviews

Splatoon 3 is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10
Sep 7, 2022

While I wouldn't call Splatoon 2 old and busted by any means, there's no denying that Splatoon 3 does feel like the new hotness.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 delivers the best solo campaign of the series so far and it’s a whole lot of fun. With a wide variety of challenges that make you use all of the many weapons of the game; you will want more and more. On the competitive side, it's unfortunate that Nintendo doesn't introduce new modes, but the variety of maps and weapons should satisfy the fans. On my end, I plan to spend a lot of time in the new and better Salmon Run which will now be active 24/7. Overall, Splatoon 3 still shines with its unique approach, but we expect Nintendo to deliver multiple free updates to keep us inked in.

Review in French | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 is one of the most enjoyable and accessible multiplayer experiences currently available on the Switch. By sticking to its guns (or paint rollers), Nintendo has crafted a competitive shooter with near-universal appeal in both its presentation and simplistic take on team-based deathmatches. It’s strong competitive offering is only improved by the addition of its capable single-player and cooperative game modes, which means there is a well-served rotation of different options to try out. Fans of previous Splatoon games will enjoy the continuity this third instalment serves and newcomers looking for an online game with a twist will find plenty to wrap their tentacles around.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 isn't the most exciting release on the calendar, but it is the best the game has been. As a standalone game it's a rip-roaring success, and perhaps the game that fans wanted all along.

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9 / 10
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 is more of the same, but refined to borderline mechanical perfection. It's the most fun we've had with an online shooter in years, and for series veterans it makes Splatoon 2 feel entirely redundant for all but its unique single-player content. It feels like the development team has solved every problem the Splatoon community was bleating on about, and then fixed some more that we didn't even realise were problems until they were fixed. There's nothing revolutionary about it compared to its predecessors, and it's perhaps missing a Big New Idea™ that you might expect after five years, but Splatoon 3 is the pinnacle of the series, and the pinnacle of shooters on Switch.

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Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 exudes polish, but lacks ambition

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4 / 5.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 is the same reliable fun the franchise has always been, and it has the much-needed improvements that fans clamored for, but players should just be aware of how much new content there actually is before committing to purchasing.

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Unscored
Sep 7, 2022

If you’re in it purely for the single player content, you’ll find a lot to love in Splatoon 3.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

If you're looking for a multiplayer shooter to fill your days with color this winter, then Splatoon 3 will keep you octopied (sorry). Its changes are small and easy to miss, but there really is nothing like it at all. A lot of the game's continued success will come down to Nintendo's own support of the game and its community, but after seeing the support for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the recent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, Splatoon 3 is swimming in the right direction.

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Jay Ball
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 adds nothing of significance to the series, which is quite disappointing considering that it, as a whole, was bursting with originality when it first launched.

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8 / 10
Sep 7, 2022

Technically this is the best Splatoon ever, but the complete lack of anything approaching a new idea is profoundly disappointing.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon is back with its colorful and fun action gameplay. In addition, it is now richer in content than ever before. The problem with the game is that it doesn't bring any real new mechanics or features.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Recommended
Sep 7, 2022

Will you have what it takes to beat the Fuzzy Ooze and solve Alterna's puzzles? Remember, you have to know how to learn to swim before doing the Squid Roll!

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9 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Given that Splatoon 3 shores up nearly everything already present in the series and adds a few extras like Tableturf Battle, it’s safe to say that the magic of the series is still alive.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, nor does it need to. Instead, it improves nearly every franchise element in sometimes small but meaningful ways. With an already-robust set of content available at launch and at least two years of free and premium content on the horizon, Splatoon 3 is simultaneously the series’ best entry to date and its most promising.

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Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 won't change anyone's mind on the series, but several smart changes to the formula make it unarguably the best game in the trilogy.

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Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 delivers a breed of content-rich multiplayer fun that's refreshing to see in the age of shaky free-to-play promises.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2022

Splatoon 3 confirms that this is one of the freshest and funniest franchises in Nintendo's portfolio.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Sep 7, 2022

There's excellence in Splatoon 3 – it just doesn't quite hold for the campaign.

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Recommended
Sep 7, 2022

There are few surprises to be found in Splatoon 3's multiplayer or campaign, but it is the best Nintendo's spectacular series has been to date.

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