However, pitting players against Salmonids once again raises some questions about a central concept in Splatoon 3. Ever since the game was first revealed, players have known that they’ll be accompanied by a Smallfry Salmonid whose talents will be crucial in Splatoon 3’s story mode. Fighting Salmonids while traveling with a Smallfry seems strange, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Splatoon turned enemies into friends. Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion DLC turned the tables on Octolings in the Splatoon world, so it’s possible that Salmonids will get the same treatment by the end of Splatoon 3.
RELATED: Splatoon 3 Bosses Revealed for Salmon Run: Next Wave in February 2022’s Nintendo Direct
Splatoon 2’s Octoling Change
While Nintendo often emphasizes the PvP side of Splatoon, the franchise has always held story campaigns for players to progress through. As a general rule, Splatoon’s central antagonists are the Octarians, a group of tentacle-like cephalopods who try to conquer the Inklings’ territory. They’ve also been assisted by Octolings over the years, who resemble Inklings more than Octarians do. While they seem wholly villainous in the original Splatoon, Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion reveals the majority of Octolings have been brainwashed into servitude by DJ Octavio.
After players beat the Octo Expansion, many Octolings escape the Octarian army and join Inkling society, but Octolings get more positive representation in Splatoon 2 well before that. An Octoling called Agent 8 serves as the main protagonist of Octo Expansion, and Splatoon 2’s Inkopolis News is presented in-part by an Octoling named Marina who also goes on to play a major part in Octo Expansion. Splatoon 2 thoroughly flipped the notion of evil Octolings on its head. With that in mind, it’s entirely plausible that Nintendo wants to put Salmonids in a different light throughoutSplatoon 3 just like it did for Octolings.
RELATED: Splatoon 3 is Smart to Bring Back Salmon Run
Salmonids in Splatoon 3’s Story
While Nintendo hasn’t gone into specifics yet, it’s possible that Splatoon 3’s plot will give Salmonids a central role rather than relegating them entirely to Salmon Run. Splatoon 3 is all about Mammalians, but because the Splatoon 3 protagonist’s Smallfry can safely eat fuzz-inducing ooze, players might end up working together with other Salmonid characters to learn more about the rising Mammalians. Splatoon 3 story trailers certainly suggest that Inklings and Octolings might struggle to deal with Mammalians without the Salmonids’ unique skills.
With Salmon Run: Next Wave confirmed as a part of Splatoon 3, it’s clear Salmonids won’t all become allies to Inklings, but that wasn’t to be expected. Not every Octoling decided to leave the Octarians after Octo Expansion; just like the Octoling loyalists, Splatoon 3 will feature plenty of Salmonids who would rather fight Inklings than work together with them. Still, by the end of Splatoon 3, some Salmonids might find their way into Inkling and Octoling society. Odds are low that Salmonids will become playable since they’re far less humanoid than Octolings, but Splatoon 3 players might still get some memorable Salmonid NPCs to interact with.
Splatoon 3 releases in summer 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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