Splatoon 3 trailer shows new gameplay, teases the mystery of the mammals

Last night's Nintendo Direct presentation had a very fun segment about Splatoon 3, which ended with a chat with a "squid researcher" (producer Hisashi Nogami), who, among other things, made the number three with his body. It was very on-brand for Splatoon.

Splatoon 3 retains the original games' 4v4 action, where two teams compete to cover the arena with paint. The game will introduce new main and special weapons, but the real interesting changes come to the single-player campaign.

Dubbed Return of the Mammalians, this mode will explore why all mammals have vanished from the game's world, and let you encounter them for the first time. They're two cats.

Splatoon 3 takes place in Inklings' native Splatlands, where the Splatsville city is located. The Splatlands are also home to other sea creatures, like octopuses, and it's described as a place of rich culture.

Squid researcher Hisashi Nogami ended the segment by promising more updates from now until the game's release sometime in 2022 on Nintendo Switch.