Although there’s still a couple of months before 2022, it already looks like a strong year for Nintendo.Pokemon Legends: ArceusandThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2are on the way, andSplatoon 3is set to release next year.Splatoon’s success as a younger Nintendo franchise is well represented by how it stands alongsidePokemonandThe Legend of Zelda.Although it has only existed since the Wii U era,Splatoonlooks like it’ll have a solid third entry on its hands thanks toSplatoon 3,which introduces all kinds of new weapons that should result in a fresh take on the experience.
Splatoonalways features a story mode, and the story ofSplatoon 3is particularly remarkable because it suggests big changes are coming to the world of the Inklings and Octolings. Nintendo refers toSplatoon 3’s story mode as “Return of the Mammalians;” in other words, it sounds like large numbers of mammals will reappear in this cephalopod-centric world. There’s still a lot of questions left unanswered about the Mammalians, but it’s clear thatSplatoonwill never be the same.
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Examining Splatoon 3’s Mysterious Mammalians
TechnicallySplatoon 3’s Mammalians aren’t the first mammals in the series. That credit goes to Judd, the cat who acts as a judge forallSplatoonPvP matches, as well as his clone Li’l Judd. Certain pieces ofSplatoonlore indicate that Judd was cryogenically frozen during the time of humans and eventually woke up in the times of Inklings, long after humanity disappeared. He later used that machine to clone himself, creating Li’l Judd. To date, Judd and his younger self are the only mammals in theSplatoonworld.
That seems set to change inSplatoon 3.The Octarians will return as major antagonists,but as Nintendo has highlighted, they seem to be growing fur. It appears the new Agent 3,Splatoon 3’s playable protagonist, will have to get to the bottom of this mysterious mutation while thwarting another one of the Octarian Army’s invasions. A substance called Fuzzy Ink or Fuzzy Ooze has something to do with the mutation; if an Inkling touches this strange goop, they’ll instantly be covered in brown fur, laying helpless on the ground. However,Splatoon 3’s new Smallfry companioncan helpfully destroy Fuzzy Ooze, perhaps suggesting it will play a part in the Mammalian mystery.
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Splatoon 3’s story mode takes place in a new part of the world called Alterna, and it’s likely the reason for the Mammalians' return lies at Alterna’s heart. A series of strange structures within Alterna, such as a rocket ship poised for launch, suggest it was once an important part of human civilization. If Alterna was a final bastion of human civilization, then that could explainwhy the Mammalians are spilling forthfrom there. Maybe ancient human science has preserved certain mammals or their DNA, and after centuries of containment, mutated Mammalians have finally escaped captivity.
Expanding the World of Splatoon
While the main draw ofSplatoonhas always been its multiplayer, story modes like Return of the Mammalians are great fun too. They go a long way to explainSplatoon’s lore while offering players another way to enjoySplatoon’s arsenal of ink-blasting weapons. One wonders if the lore ofSplatoon 3’s plot will affect the gameplay in the long run, as inSplatoon 2,theOcto ExpansionDLCallowed players to control Octolings once they were freed from the evil DJ Octavio’s control. Maybe the Mammalians aren’t as nefarious asSplatoon 3trailers make them seem. They could just be the next race of playable characters in theSplatoonworld.
Splatoon 3releases in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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