Splatoon 3 Map & Mode Selection Should Mimic Other Online Games
When it originally released on Wii U, Splatoon showed Nintendo could do something entirely new with the competitive shooter genre, but it included some poorly designed online features. While fans handled these fine in the original game, it was expected that Splatoon 2 would patch things up where the original went wrong. The sequel ultimately did nothing to change the online systems that arbitrarily limited what modes were available at any given time, so it’s imperative that Splatoon 3 finally fixes the series' multiplayer mode issues.
Splatoon was one of the best-selling games on Wii U, being one of the few Nintendo releases at the time that offered a brand-new experience. The ink-spreading mechanic was far more than a clever way for the studio to shy away from realistic weaponry; it was a fresh idea that changed traditional competitive shooter gameplay. Inking not only pushes players' teams closer to victory but grants them significant stealth and mobility and creates an ever-changing dynamic in each battle.
Splatoon 2 was one of the best games of 2017 because of its plethora of content and refined core gameplay, but it did nothing to fix the original's biggest issue. In Splatoon and Splatoon 2, every mode and map is restricted to a real-time schedule, like TV shows airing on cable. It’s a dated system that has no place in a competitive shooter released in 2017 - and certainly not in 2022's Splatoon 3.
Nintendo often avoids replicating systems created by other development studios in favor of making something new, even if it’s for the worse. Splatoon’s current online system is the perfect example of this. Countless other multiplayer shooters have better mode and map selection systems that allow players to play how they want. Even in 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, players can choose any mode they wish at any time, then vote between two randomly chosen maps. Splatoon released six years later (and Splatoon 2 eight years later), and it’s one of the few major shooters on the market to have this problem.
Nintendo frequently innovates its gameplay to great effect. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made open-world developers take notes, and Super Smash Bros. ditched traditional fighting game rules to become a phenomenon in its own right. The Splatoon games are as innovative as the company gets, but there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel on everything. It’s great to see Splatoon 3 is pushing the series forward from a lore and gameplay perspective, but it’s time the series pays attention to the rest of the industry when it comes to its online multiplayer mode and map selection.