Trailer Review - Splatoon 3 Announce Trailer
To be honest, Splatoon 3's trailer didn't make much of an impression on me because I've never played much more than a demo for the first game. The positive reception to Splatoon 3's announcement got me interested in how this trailer was constructed to cater to the fans, and intrigue non-fans (if you're a Splatoon fan, please excuse any inaccuracies as this is just based off of a little bit of research.) The trailer was the last one in the first Nintendo Direct livestream in a long while. Nintendo usually finishes with the biggest announcement so expectations were high.
The first shot is a mountainous desert landscape with the disclaimer "Not actual gameplay footage." Already expectations are tempered a bit by the disclaimer and the setting has no markers of anything recognizable as any particular Nintendo game (if any). Nintendo's game worlds have such distinct looks to them this ambiguous setting is a nice way to toy with the audience's expectations.
The second shot shows ruins with abandoned train cars and other signs of a former civilization. The third shot reveals an Inkling character sitting with some sort of fish-like pet. Confirmed, this is SOMETHING involving Splatoon. You might think this is confirmation of a 3rd Splatoon game, but due to the ways Nintendo's characters frequently crossover, this could still be another game or a DLC for Splatoon.
The character moves their hood to the side, and we see customization options for both Inklings and Octolings' style, eyes, hair, leg wear and the style of the pet. During this moment they also stand up to reveal a new bow-like weapon. This scene is a nice way to both tease while giving fans what they want. Splatoon games are known for having a great sense of fashion. The customization and fashion are something fans really enjoy about the game, so this is giving them more of that while still drawing out tension by not getting into story or gameplay details.
This opening shot is simple in execution, but it teases, shows new stuff, and also caters to the core fan base.
After the customization is complete, the Inkling walks out and reveals ruins of an upside-down Eiffel Tower. For non-fans this is pretty interesting because nothing we've seen from Splatoon has ever looked like this before. Footage has all been in a modern city, so this contrast definitely draws attention. However, to huge Splatoon fans this setting indicates there were real changes in the Splatoon universe after the real life Final Fest: Splatocalypse 3-day multiplayer event of Chaos vs. Order where players had to choose one over the other. It seems that Chaos won, and this post-apocalyptic world is the result.
Now, it is perfectly possible that Nintendo always intended to go this route, but I'm sure to Splatoon fans this feels like Nintendo responded to the community and decided how to make Splatoon 3 accordingly. Regardless, this reads like the whole design of the game saying to fans: "We see you, and you are part of this." Any trailer which can speak to its audience this way is doing the right thing.
The trailer continues drawing out the tension with a shot of the Inkling getting onto a train, in a very Spirited Away inspired scene. It fades to white, and feels like it could be ending in an incredibly teaser-y way, but on a sound effect of the train stopping we see the Inkling in a massive cityscape very different from the modern Inkopolis, and something more run down and overdeveloped like something from a cyberpunk story like Ghost in the Shell.
Again, this is in sharp contrast to the previous Splatoon games. For a second sequel, this trailer is hitting all the right notes by focusing on the new and different while also pressing just enough familiar buttons to not alienate the fans. The music reaches a fever pitch and there's crash cut to the title: SPLATOON 3.
Full sequel confirmed!
This rotating shot intercut with quick closeups of the world shows off the new city and builds suspense.
The trailer probably could've ended right there, but rather than be too coy, the trailer cuts to a gameplay montage showing the bread and butter core gameplay of Splatoon complete with new animations, new weapons, and new looks. This is the stuff recognizable to both fans and non-fans with a basic familiarity with the game.
While this gameplay essentially looks exactly like the first games, the context of everything new from the first 3/4ths of the trailer makes it exciting, because that is the lens we're looking at this footage through. Had the trailer started with this familiar footage I think it would've been far less exciting, but knowing the vastly different world this exists in changes everything.
According to this tweet thread, the last shot isn't just an epic last weapon shot, it's also another signal to the sharp eyed fans that things in this world are different. I'm sure there is rampant speculation going on about the whole Splatoon universe going on right now. Nintendo released some supplementary marketing materials to provide details to the world shown in the trailer to help players further imagine how these changes will affect the game.
No doubt there will be more trailers for Splatoon 3 before its release in 2022, but this trailer is a great way to kick things off. It gives a lot of material for the fans to chew on, makes them feel seen, and gives them the confidence that the game they know and love is coming back with more of the same in a fresh new setting.
