REACTION - Splatoon 3 gives us hope for Switch’s online future

Common sense activated.

By Jonathan Garrett
17/10/22

Having spent several weeks diving headfirst into what is essentially an iterative sequel that plays it safe, we can’t help but be impressed by Splatoon 3’s simplification of its online infrastructure. This kind of “well duh?!” approach is hardly revolutionary, and in fact has been something Nintendo fans have been screaming about ever since Smash Bros. Ultimate forgot that competitive fighting games are supposed to have vaguely stable servers.

But the fact remains that it has never been easier to sync up with your friends and jump into punchy, “just one more go” splat filled matches of jolliness. It’s far from perfect; host migration is still entirely absent, and there are more random disconnects after an extended session than is widely acceptable.

Nevertheless, the removal of arbitrary barriers shows that Nintendo is capable of absorbing feedback and eventually taking action. There’s a long way to go, but if Splatoon 3 and the N64 Switch Online library is any indication, we’re slowly creeping in the right direction.