New Splatoon 3 trailer heralds the return of fan-favorite Salmon Run mode

Other than its undoubtedly amazing sense of fashion, the Splatoon series is best known for its PvP multiplayer. Splatoon 2 brought a wave-based Salmon Run mode, and luckily for enthusiasts of that PvE playstyle, Splatoon 3 will once again feature the mode. In today’s Nintendo Direct, a trailer showcased the “New Wave” of Salmonids to fight.

The core gameplay of four players (freelancer workers for Grizzco Industries, more like) appears to be intact. Players will have to collect Golden Eggs and fight off several variants of slimy Salmonids. New to Splatoon 3 are some mini-bosses representing a new threat to your work — the Fish Stick towers over you, requiring you to swim up to dispatch them. Meanwhile, the Flipper-Flopper resembles a giant fish, jumping high above you and shooting rings of slime.

To expedite the process of collecting eggs, and to add some cooperation, players can now toss eggs to each other — plenty of opportunities to alley-oop. The last moments of the trailer gave a peek at a much larger Salmonid — perhaps a boss for the last wave.

Salmon Run was only available to play during intervals in Splatoon 2, and there is no word on whether Splatoon 3 will handle the game mode similarly. And while there is no exact release date for Splatoon 3, the trailer offered a general summer 2022 window.