Splatoon 3 preview: Big dollops of family fun

To start with, we sat down with a docked Nintendo Switch and a medium-sized monitor for some solo play. We got to try three of the single-player campaign levels, and we had a good time with each of them. The graphics looked great from the off, it's worth saying.

The basic setup here is pretty simple. In each level, there are keys to find. These will unlock doors and eventually let you move on to the next level. But getting those keys isn’t easy! You’ll need to use an array of paint-based weaponry, along with your puzzle-solving skills, to progress each time.

• Read more: Splatoon 3 weapons - the full list, and our top picks

There’s a good amount of challenge and verticality in these levels, which introduce you neatly to all of the core mechanics in the game. There’s not much story to speak of, but that’s to be expected, and these levels do exactly what you need them to do. They get you into the game without wasting any time.

One of the levels we played introduced the new Tri-Stringer weapon, a bow that fires three shots at a time. This weapon was fun to play with, especially after someone explained that it has a charged shot that will administer a hefty paint explosion shortly after arriving at its destination. Drop this behind an enemy and they’ll be splatted seconds later. Great fun, that is, and a handy route out of tricky situations.

After finishing the three levels on offer (we did get stuck on one for a while), it was time to link up with a local LAN server for some multiplayer mayhem with the other journalists present. The first multiplayer mode we got to try is Turf War, where two rival teams duke it out in a big map.

The aim in this mode is to paint the floor in your team’s colour. Sounds simple, right? Well, at its core, it very much is. Anyone of any skill level can take part in the floor-painting part and feeling like they’re helping out, but you’ll want to watch out for rival players that will be looking to take you down.

After a few hotly-contested rounds of Turf War, we’re confident in saying that lots of players will enjoy this returning mode which feels smooth as you like on sticks and can lead to some very close competitions.

Next up, we tried out the new version of Salmon Run, another returning mode that we think fans of the franchise will love. In this mode, you work in a team with other players to fight off invading NPC monsters, trying to collect golden eggs while wave after wave of foes try to stop you.

We very much enjoyed this mode, too. The first few rounds went relatively smoothly, until the difficulty started increasing and the wins became less frequent. There was a sweet, collaborative feel to the whole thing which made us want to play more, despite the growing challenge.

Between each match, we got to hang out in the lobby, a playable area with a Test Range where you can try out each weapon in turn. This is a neat addition that will keep you entertained between rounds (don’t forget to press the button on the screen to confirm that you’re ready for action, though, or you could end up staying in the lobby forever).

Finally, we moved into handheld mode to see how the game looked on the Nintendo Switch OLED screen. And guess what? It looked great! The colours really popped and it was still easy to follow the action as we went for a couple more rounds of family-friendly fun. And with that, our preview session was over. We’ve got no complaints so far and we’re looking forward to learning more.

Splatoon 3 launches Friday 9th September on Nintendo Switch.

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