5 Splatfests That Need To Be Featured in Splatoon 3
The Splatoon series needs no introduction. Even though it is only 6 years old, the popular FPS platformer has quickly risen to the top of Nintendo’s most iconic franchise, right there next to Mario and Zelda, and is unlikely to stop anytime soon with the upcoming release of Splatoon 3!
There are so many things to look forward to in Splatoon 3, from the new maps, new characters, new and returning weapons, and more! But one thing, in particular, I am looking forward to is the return of Splatfests! To me, these have always been the most fun aspect of Splatoon, and there are so many possibilities for matchups to choose from.
Here are five that, to me, would be the most fun and unique:
1. Rock vs Hip Hop
Apart from the gameplay and worldbuilding, one of the main things that add to Splatoon’s overall aesthetic is definitely its music. The way it is used throughout the games as both a narrative tool and just something awesome to listen to is likely part of what helped make it so popular in the first place, and characters like the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook only accentuate this.
It’s for this reason that I feel Splatoon 3 should have more music-themed Splatfests! In all honestly, the actual genres chosen don’t matter too much, but I’ve chosen rock and hip hop in particular for two reasons. For one, they’re both personal favorite genres of music, and I think it’d be awesome to see them pitted against each other! Pretty straightforward, but the second reason is that I think both these genres fit the aesthetic of Splatoon very well.
2. Physical vs Digital
When it comes to gaming, a lot of things come down to something very simple: a preference. There’s no one right way to play a game. Everyone has their own preference for not only what games they play, but how they play them. Whether you like to play the traditional way, are a completionist, or a speedrunner, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun, and one of the biggest preferences out there is the debate between digital games and physical games.
Whether you like to own physical copies of games and switch between them or download games and play them at any time, is completely up to your own preference. But even if this is not a heated debate, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the potential to make for a fun Splatfest if the aesthetics are done well. Perhaps the Digital team could have a computerized or robotic look to represent digitalization, while the physical team remains normal, or perhaps adopts more “standard” gaming attire.
Digital gaming is perhaps the more popular of the two today, but gamers who stick with physical copies could be seen as staying true to more “traditional” means of gaming (i.e. before the rise of digital games), and thus adopt more stereotypical gaming look. These are just ideas of course and there are a multitude of ways Nintendo could approach a matchup like this, but whatever it may be, it would make for quite the unique Splatfest event.
Boy vs Girl
Admittedly, this is one that might be difficult to implement, but the idea is simple enough on its own. Splatoon, at the end of the day, is a kid’s game, and even today the old-school debate of “girls vs boys” still wears its head in schools all over the place. It’s a rivalry as old as time itself, so it would only make sense for Spaltoon to feature it. The boy’s team could have a “masculine” aesthetic and colors like blue or black or red, while the girl’s team could have a more cutesy, “girly” aesthetic with colors like pink, red, and white. Are these extremely stereotypical examples? Yes, but that’s the point. This is a kid’s game.
But while the idea is simple, implementing it is really the issue. Ideally, each match would just have one team of male Inbkling/Octoling avatars, while the other would have female ones. There may not be a feasible way to program this into the game though unless Nintendo goes out their way to make a system that can somehow tell if a team is all boys or all girls. However, difficult does not mean impossible, and it should prevent Nintendo from diving into this classic matchup.
Boxing vs Wrestling
Splatoon is a sports game when you think about it. Turf War is described as a sport and the esports scene of the game is very much active. The game is no stranger to sports-themed Splatfests either, and what better than a fight between fighting sports?
Boxing and wrestling are probably the most popular fighting sports watched nationally, or at least among them, and the debate about which sport is better would be really fun. We could have Inkling and Octolingsd dressed as boxers or famous wrestlers from around the world, but with their own Spaltoon-y twist. This is just of many sports debates that could work for a Splatfest, but it certainly has some great potential to be the most fun.
Manga vs Anime
The age-old debate of manga vs anime has been going on for years, and there’s really no definitive answer as it is also just up to preference. Both mediums are awesome in their own ways, and one certainly can’t see one is much bigger than the other. They co-exist and influence each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little scuffle about which we love best, right?
This could be a Splatfest that totally leans into weeb and otaku culture, sporting up gear and maps inspired by various manga and anime series. While it may somewhat difficult to distinguish between the Manga team and the Anime team, I doubt Nintendo couldn’t figure out something. Perhaps the manga team has an actual “manga” look to their attire, in traditional black and white, while the anime team is colored? However they approach it, this would be one epic Splatfest to see and experience. Believe it!
Thank you for stopping by Nintendo Link! What do you think of these Splatfest ideas? Are you for them? Against them? Let us know in the comments!
