Splatoon 3 looks like a lot more of a good thing

polygon.com:

Splatoon 3 will pack in more of what fans have loved about Nintendo’s ink-’em-up series since its debut on Wii U seven years ago: more weapons, more stages, more stylish gear, more Splatfests, and more cooperative action in the game’s Salmon Run mode. Beyond the opportunity to once again splatter Inklings and Octolings (and stages) with goo in multiplayer modes, Splatoon3 will bring with a robust new story mode, where players will unravel the mystery behind the Fuzzy Ooze.

But will that be enough to bring back the Splatoon faithful? Nintendo certainly seems to think so, and is banking on years’ worth of extra content and an already announced “large-scale paid DLC” offering to keep things fresh in the months to come.

Even the new and improved Salmon Run, which I played for a few rounds at a hands-on event in New York City last week, is a “mountain of content,” Nintendo’s Nate Bihldorff told me in a Zoom call.

“I sometimes need a break from from going at it with other live players,” Bihldorff said when asked about his favorite new addition in Splatoon 3. “I really love teaming up with my friends and taking on waves and waves of AI. I loved Salmon Run in Splatoon 2 and the way that they’ve beefed it up in Splatoon 3, just I’m just looking up this this giant mountain of content that I know I’m going to be climbing for the next couple of years.”

My time with Splatoon 3’s enhanced Salmon Run mode was chaotic and fun, even at a modest level of intensity. Bumping up that intensity showed just how unprepared I was for Splatoon 3’s take on Horde Mode mechanics, which Bihldorff said even veteran players will face some challenges in.

“They’ve added a whole bunch of new boss Salmonids that all need to be learned,” he said. “I feel