February has been a month dominated by Splatoon 3 news and events. For example, we had a Splatfest earlier in the month that somehow ended with White Chocolate being called the best chocolate out there. Of course, that’s wrong, but we’ll move on. Then, during the Nintendo Direct earlier this month, we got news about the Expansion Pass for the game. The first wave will take you back to Inkopolis from the first title. That content will arrive on February 28th. Then, without waiting for room to breathe, Nintendo announced the “Fresh Season” content that will debut starting on March 1st.
Since then, the good people at Squid Research Labs have been doing their best to highlight the content in the Fresh Season. Yesterday we had the announcement of a new stage, and today we got an announcement of a familiar one! The Manta Maria, a unique and fan-favorite stage from the second title, is returning via the Fresh Season update.
The entire map is set upon a boat that is docked at a marina. You’ll get to wander its decks and use its various extensions to get the advantage over foes. One of the ironies of this level is that it’s a ship on the water, yet the Inklings and Octarians can’t swim! So you’ll want to make sure you don’t go overboard.
As noted, we also got a new stage announcement via the Um’ami Ruins. These ruins have relics and items that seem to tie back to the earliest days of the Inkling civilization. Something we learned about through the story mode of the game!
More stages will likely be announced as the season goes on, but that’s not the only thing you’ll get access to. We’ll also get brand-new weapons to try out. Some of them are variations on ones you know well, and then some, like the Kraken Royale, are returning to the series.
Furthermore, you’ll get more gear to wear through the season with appropriately themed attires created to ensure you look “fresh” in the fresh season.
As if all that wasn’t enough, we got confirmation that the Big Run will return next month, and a new King Salmonid will appear to put your skills to the test! So what’s s special about this one? It looks like a flying snake!
Splatoon 3 is not skimping on giving its players more, so you’ll have plenty to look forward to within the next week.
