Nintendo’s biggest titles tend to strike an interesting balance between gameplay and narrative. Shigeru Miyamoto is often cited as a proponent of fun mechanics over story, leading to contentious entries in theSuper Mariofranchise. However,The Legend of Zeldais full of iconic stories and characters, andMercurySteam’sMetroid Dreadbrought an end to the series' narrativethat had been building since 1986. TheSplatoonfranchise is more about gameplay as Nintendo’s answer to live-service shooters, butSplatoon 3could have the most narrative impact yet.
While the legacy of names likeSuper MarioandThe Legend of Zeldaspeak for themselves,Splatoonis a more recent venture. It debuted in 2015 and quickly became a powerhouse, standing as the sixth best-selling Wii U game (as of June 12, 2025) according to Nintendo’s Investor Relations financial data. That success resulted in a sequel just two years later on Switch, which received a massive DLC expansion in 2018.Splatoon 3isn’t waiting for a new console, but it could make up for that with an impactful story followingSplatoon 2’s Octo Expansion based on comments prior to launch this Friday.
RELATED:What the Next Horizon Game Could Learn From Splatoon
Splatoon’s Story So Far
As mentioned,Splatoonis a kid-friendly shooter series centered aroundonline multiplayer matches akin toCall of DutyorHalo. Multiplayer is where fans will spend most of their time, but like in those other franchises there are single-player activities that help people learn the ropes before facing one another. The main story content inSplatoonandSplatoon 2, called “Octo Valley” and “Octo Canyon,” respectively, are as straightforward as it gets.
In Octo Valley, the players' Inkling becomes Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon and helps undercover idols Callie and Marie (the Squid Sisters) free the Great Zapfish that powers Inkopolis from Octarian leader DJ Octavio. Octo Canyon is similar, with players acting as Agent 4 and having to face off against a brainwashed Callie too. However, the Octo Expansion is where things got deep. This DLC let players choose Octoling characters for the first time, freed from Octarian control thanks to the Squid Sisters' “Calamari Inkantation,” performed during the first game. The newly dubbed Agent 8 works withSplatoon 2’s idol band Off the Hookto stop a darker plot: AI Commander Tartar trying to wipe out Inkling society.
Much ofSplatoon’s narrative strengths have always been a result of its environmental storytelling, with players able to learn about this post-apocalyptic society of evolved marine life through its cities and sparse documentation about the collapse of humanity.Octo Expansion took this a step furtherby not only giving the original game’s story more weight, including a boss battle with Agent 3 “sanitized” by Commander Tartar, but also using that as a way to present worldbuilding details.Splatoon 3promises to pull on this thread more.
RELATED:Where Splatoon 3: Return of the Mammalians Can Go After Octo Expansion
Splatoon 3 is Smart to Make Room for More
Fans who partook inSplatoon 3’s Splatfest World Premiereknow the game is moving away from Inkopolis, instead based in the Splatlands where a city named Splatsville appears outside the ruins of Paris, France. Early marketing revealed the game’s story mode is called “Return of the Mammalians,” which carries the Octo Expansion’s torch by putting Agent 3 in charge of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. The player’s custom character will become a new Agent 3 in their place, sent to a rocket launch site in an icy region called Alterna to investigate bizarre goop that turns Octarians fuzzy.
TheSplatoon 3Direct on August 10 didn’t provide many new details on what to expect from Return of the Mammalians, but it promised fans they will “experience the epic finale of this Splat-tastic saga.” This won’t be the end of content overall givenSplatoon 3has about a two-year shelf lifeand “large-scale paid DLC” on the way, according to the Direct. However, with snippets of story footage showing DJ Octario and captured Zapfish, this points to the end ofSplatoon’s “Octarian war” storyline.
As Inklings and Octolings live peacefully in Splatsville, it makes sense for Nintendo to finish the aggressive sect of opponents led by DJ Octario. Doing so gives the franchise a new lease on life, and room to hopefully explore more complex ideas like the threat of remainingold-world technology as seen inSplatoon 2’s Octo Expansion. Hopefully Return of the Mammalians at least ends things on a high note, that way fans will be interested to see what comes in the inevitableSplatoon 4and beyond.
