WHY Are Splatoon 3's Maps So AWFUL? 

A few things in this video I wanted to add that I didn't get the chance/forgot to talk about: -Sorry about the awful audio quality, I didn't really have a good recording space at the time I was doing voiceover; I tried to fix this as best as I could in post but there's still echo in there, I will make sure this is fixed in any future scripted content I do -This video started production back in late October; college and a Christmas vacation kept me very occupied as I worked on this video off and on over the coming months (and probably also just laziness) -Musselforge is a bad map because it heavily favors short-range weapons while also suffering from many problems that plague Mincemeat, like only having one real Rainmaker route -Fun fact about Mahi, before the water level drops, it is the SMALLEST map in Splatoon history with roughly 1360p of turf; for reference, the previous smallest map was Splatoon 1 Blackbelly Skatepark at 1528p (just in case you thought the map couldn't get any worse!) -Nintendo has since released a patch where... they reduced the points for special required on short-range shooters like .52 Gal and Splattershot while also giving paint buffs AND a pfs buff to Nova, therefore INCREASING special spam. (It's both hilarious and sad that Carbon Roller, a weapon that cannot paint, has a 200p Trizooka while Splattershot is now 190p.) Also Crab Tank got a minor slap on the wrist and Splash is still untouched. We have remained in crab meta since LATE OCTOBER. Who knows what Nintendo wants for this game anymore? (I could probably do a whole video on why the Splatoon 3 team's balance approach sucks but that'll be for another time) -I am by no means a competitive player; did this video make it obvious? DATAMINE SPOILERS: -Mincemeat Tricolor was datamined to have an object that blocks charger sightlines from the perch and it's hilarious, it's a car on a stick; they should really add that to the normal map

This is what I’m saying, the hate towards chargers SHOULD be redirected to the map design. E-Liters shouldn’t be controlling all routes into mid which is a problem in Mahi and Mincemeat, it has gotten to the point where I just log in for my daily level-up and do some Salmon Run before leaving, I get more enjoyment playing Splat 1 on my Wii U. (Along with the fact they have completely neutered the Brella class and have left it suffering for years now)

As a backline player, I can say wholeheartedly that I love flank routes. It feels super satisfying to catch a glimpse of enemy ink on the map or in the corner of my eye and predict them coming. Way more fun than torpedo number 75 and splat bomb number 120

What I don’t understand with the new spawn system is why they don’t give you exclusive flanks/highground… Eeltail literally shows what they could be doing with the elevated grate to the left of your spawn drone, but they never use it to it’s full potential :(

It’s Hilarious that while most weapons in this game paint more and can do more in big areas, mahi shrunk. I really hope they redesign mahi and a lot of other maps. Also, bring back Blackbelly.

I love that they decided to bring back Flounder and Museum, but I really wish that other fan favourite maps like Mahi and Hammerhead got into Splat 3, such a shame they were completely left behind, it would have been so much fun to play on them again after 6 years

That's why when i play Splatoon 3 i feel like i play same 3 maps!! It's because they are basically the same, they all push you in the middle and make you fight. Now i see it thanks to this video

If I could give the developers one piece of advice for future maps, just please make sure there's lots of paths and not just have everything lead directly into mid.

16:00 Original Hammerhead was actually one of my favorite maps when I was younger because of how cool it was. Now it's not even the same map...

Really solid video on map design. It wasn’t perfect in 2 but it certainly was much better than currently. Maps didn’t favor chargers in 2 much but they went too far in the opposite direction by having straight line maps with no flanks. These maps aren’t unfixable I think. Mostly because they seemed to be better in pre-release footage and heavily altered for the game we have now. Why they did this I don’t know but clearly most of us don’t like it and I hope they take our criticism into account.

You know the game is wonk when the second you have to defend, it feels like such an impossible feat to contest it cause the other team cycled their crabs, the e liter laser is tickling you and the only option you have available is to take the L

Everything just gets funnelled into a corridor. You have to sneak past the enemy’s front line to even have chance to kill the charger.

You know what also adds to this. Brellas sucking. If Tenta Brella was good, Chargers on Mincemeat/Hammerhead would be less used. If Splat Brella was better, Shooters would be nerfed.

As a Charger main, I can confirm that it really isn’t that much fun to play on these maps. I literally stand completely still staring at my static screen for almost 5 minutes straight. I don’t know about you, but staring at almost nothing for 5 minutes straight is not what I would consider “fun”

This is my first splat game and it's been very fun so far. Got into S rank and would carry games every couple games or so and sometimes go off and get 20+ kills. But these maps some times just feel so bad with it feels like 3 lanes that even worse 2 or 3 can be covered by a single person. Flounder heights is probs my fav map so far cause it's so big and different from the rest. This game would feel so great if the maps are more varied but we will have to see ig

So that explains why it feels more immensely tilting when the other team is controlling mid with long range weapons and chargers. As a short range frontliner there are literally no flank routes to safely take them out you have to run straight at them and die. why did they think making the maps into hallways was a good idea.

Every time I've been spawncamped real bad it was on scorch gorge, Mahi Mahi, eeltail ally, or mincemeat metalworks I wonder why

A map that might make it back into the game is bluefin depot. I really hope they don't mess it up terribly if they decide to add it in. It was one of my personal favs in splat1 and i'd hate to see it get ruined by the new map developers. It was already a kinda charger friendly map, but there was cover. I hope they don't remove that is they add it in.

I think the devs have been hesitant to alter the maps because they've been waiting for the meta to calm down, but it's been pretty much set in stone for a few months now. Adding flank routes would not make the game any less fun, and even if it did introduce a new flank based meta, atleast it would be more fun the the extreme range, sub spam, and special spam meta we have now.

this makes me so sad. i've been waiting for splatoon 3 to come out since the first trailer and now that i've played it just sucks. the number weapon kits feels too short, the maps are sh1t and so on... idk why the devs are so scared of making the maps bigger, implementing sneaky routes, flanks into mid and so on. in splatoon 3 there are so many things that i don't understand and with this update schedule it feels like first they are going to implement content and then fix those things. idk, i'll be only playing salmon run except when marooner's bay is in rotation

If they added flank routes, the game would be much better because eliters and hydras would have to watch for enemies trying to flank them, allowing for close range weapons to shine. Also shooter bias needs to go.

It baffles me how they butchered scorch gorge

You know it’s bad when it makes Nuketown look competitive

Here are some of my ideas for improving the Splatoon 3 maps, I hope it's not too hard to understand with just descriptions. Scorch Gorge: Just use the beta version, I think maybe the devs were worried about the map being too big but I'd rather have a too big map than a too small map. Eeltail Alley: Just use the beta version, with some adjustments like more cover on the bridge and some bumpers in mid. Mincemeat Metalworks: Raise the slightly lower platform to the right of the trucks to be level (I don't know why it's slightly lower anyway) then add some full and partial cover to the ends of the trucks to allow players to stand there and not get instantly sniped, remove all the scrap metal piles on the left and right sides to make the rightmost path in front of the grated walkway connect to the truck section by a grate with a path underneath allowing players to walk completely around the truck area in a circle, also add that bumper into the centre of the map. Undertow Spillway: Remove the big glass wall near the sniper perch and lower the uninkable wall on the jutting out glass to make it easier to throw bombs up to it also make it transparent to see through it, with the big glass wall gone add an uninkable ramp to walk up to flank the sniper perch, on a side note that little ink able alcove just past the trench where this proposed ramp is going to be is practically useless so nothing of value is lost. Hammerhead Bridge: Extend the useless right path from spawn all the way to the right side of mid with a drop down to right mid and behind the pillar, this would also give a vantage to see if enemies pushed in and help fight them, also extend the left ramp just after dropping from spawn left and then forwards to allow dropping down to the area left of the uninkable box along with a high vantage point, also make the right ramp down from spawn uninkable to slow down enemies getting into spawn as with the middle path and the two other paths I've suggested you wont need the direct slope path to approach mid whereas the enemy team NEEDS to walk over a sizeable uninkable section to reach the enemy spawn. Mahi-Mahi Resort: Honestly this map has way too many issues to think of how to fix it, so instead the devs should scrap all of New Mahi and go back to Old Mahi and work from there instead of trying to make anything good with this mess.

Imo 3’s maps lack variety and any fun-factor. Splatoon’s maps should be much wider than 3’s. As for encouraging player confrontation jus have multiple spawn points for each team like Tri-colour Also more “gimmicks” that involve sandbox gameplay like Splatoon 1. The ink mechanic has slowly been wasting and been used to its minimum potential for unique opportunities. 2 kinda started this but 3 is almost the nail in the coffin. Splatoon should be a casual shooter first and a comp shooter second. Sandbox gameplay is much more accessible to the casual crowd and stages with varying sandbox gameplay would help break the tedious map and mode rotations. Including fun objects and obstacles from the campaign like shifty stations would also help. Oh and more elevations in maps design. Splatoon 2 started this problem but 3 has the most flat and basic maps ever. Remember swimming up walls? Not as frequent as it used to be. Urchin underpass is a great example of having varying elevation.

Good breakdown, you did a good job covering a lot of the maps

hot take from a back liner, maps are still bad. because the snipe positions are so good, i.e safe, it make you very predictable. and outside of the very few 'god spots' there's goddamn nothing. there are very few interesting angles and what not especially as you push into enemy territory. i also feel bad for every tetra i kill going a predictable flank route if there is one available. for me a flaw in a map is lack of flank routes, lack of perches at various safeties, and how well those perches flow together. a good map is one with variety and challenge for all classes. more flank routes and less open outlooks for all! i hate eeltail with a passion

Excellent video, Hammerhead Bridge could've kept the grates even though it was completed.

The biggest issue with this game is the lack of flanks like wtf were they thinking

As a charger main I also agree about flank routes. It’s way more satisfying to splat someone because you were rewarded for checking the map. Now the game is just specials and subs being spammed at me so I can’t do anything because there is no other options for the enemy team. The fun parts of the games are the options you have and they kinda take some away in this game

I knew something felt off with the new maps and the redesigned ones, but I didn't expected to be that bad. I'm a charger main and I don't even enjoy the majority of the maps. I'll rather go and play salmon run and try to finish my catalog. I really hope they fix these issues with each update.

I used to be a splat roller main, but not being able to flank and shooters being better in terms of balance make the weapon a lot less fun :/

Hey, us chargers don't like the glass on undertow spillway either. It also limits our ability to snipe under us in that upper position and recover our ink. The jankiness goes both ways.

Nintendo really needs to listen to the community and rework mahi and hammerhead, poor map design and shooter privilege is bringing down the games, you made a good point at the end of the video, I’m hoping Nintendo did learn there mistake and is aiming towards better map design

As a casual Splatoon player... I'll be honest, I don't notice any of these issues individually. However, even I could tell that the maps in 3 feel a lot more same-y than those of the previous games. They're all just so... flat and boring. I know that Splatoon 1's maps could be a little messy, but they were all memorable. Many of them demanded unique strategies and approaches; Moray Towers played differently from Mahi Mahi, Walleye played differently from Flounder Heights, Kelp Dome played differently from Piranha Pit, etc. Even for the more same-y maps like Urchin and Ancho-V Games, they at least looked really distinct and had some memorable routes and strategies. In Splatoon 3, I run forward. Map strategy basically over. The only two maps that stand out to me are Flounder Heights and Hagglefish, although that's probably just because one's a decent redesign of a Splatoon 1 map and the other looks cool and has some side routes. Needless to say, it was interesting to hear you break down the issues in more detail! Here's hoping we can get some current map redesigns like they did in 1 and 2.

being a Liter main myself I can 100% attest to the fact that these maps get broken wide open by the weapon. The other thing is though that the limited options on the Splat 3 maps (as well as some positions just being completely broken) makes positioning a lot less interesting. Especially on the maps in this video you end up using the exact same two or three perches every time and rarely if ever have to watch for flanks because the spots usually give you almost complete vision of enemies' routes towards you anyway. Having to care about flanks definitely made the game harder for backlines but it also kept you on your toes and combined with more varied map design in general made gameplay more dynamic.

I'm scared that nintendo is afraid to make much needed but very big changes to these maps. The design is atrocious and completely throws off the balance of the weapons

I’ve been an Octobrush main for all 3 games, but 3 seriously is making me re consider, it’s so bad

Brightwater Spring: the flank is a lie. I play Hydra a lot. But even I’m completely useless on this map when the Eliter can HIT ME FROM THEIR PERCH. Also all it takes is a bomb in those side routes and you’re dead.

It’s funny because I literally had this big field day with Flounder when they released for 3. It felt like an open world game with how many ways I could go with relative safety. You’re only ever exposed for so long but the ways to circumnavigate around the open section on the right side drop whether it be a brute force sub like splat or torpedo, or just going the normal way. You always gotta watch yourself as the defender as well because of those various angles you were going through. They could be above you, beneath you, behind you, or right in front of you AHH IT’S SO GOOD!

As someone who had the (dis)pleasure of playing on Hammerhead Bridge back in S1 it was NOT fun to play on at all then and still isn't now if weren't a charger, slosher, or any other long range weapon especially since the bridge just went right up to your spawn point so you couldn't even leave the shield to get to the two routes out of spawn. Other then that, this video hit every single problem with these maps, especially with Scorch, Eeltail, and Mahi, what did the new designer DO to them between Feb 2021-Sep 2022

They should've added Snapper Canal, The Reef, and all the old versions of the Splatoon 1 maps that weren't added to 2 besides Saltspray.

This game is a tragedy. Even if the devs realise their mistake and put out better maps in the future, the damage has already be done with all the garbage 1.1.0 maps. S1 Mahi and old Gorge are dead, and we aren't ever getting those back because its astronomically unlikely that the devs are going to make massive sweeping changes to all the current maps.

I always felt my score was also higher in splatoon 2. It gets frustrating when you’re trapped in your side and can’t move anywhere cause at that point the other team is literally hunting everyone down which gets annoying they don’t even let you ink your own side they move to your side so quickly in the game

This was a great video, you have done an excellent job laying out all the reasons why the majority of stages in this game just aren't that fun to play on. Really, it's enough of an issue to where a lot of the time when I feel like playing, I just choose not to after seeing that all current rotations look unappealing. Obviously the game is still a lot of fun usually, but it's disappointing that there's just so much room for improvement, so here's hoping that future patches help with that Another thing I really don't like about the new maps is it feels like there's just too many uninkable surfaces which just makes it more of a hassle to traverse through the stage. I feel like it goes against the whole idea of the game, especially with the new movement options like squid surging. Like you were saying, it just doesn't really have much of a use since if a wall is tall enough to make use of it, chances are you're only getting any use out of it if you use a zipcaster or something. I have a similar gripe with the grates such as scorch gorge's, nobody likes to slowly walk through them to get anywhere, although I understand the point of them is to keep you vulnerable so it's not as free to get through them I'm glad you were able to finally get this video out, I've been following along the entire process and enjoyed getting to participate in obtaining footage and all that. You did great with this video and the effort and research put into it really shows. Keep up the good work!

Now I understand why the maps feel the same while also getting sniped every 2 seconds after getting out of spawn. :)

Mahi Mahi in Splatoon 3 is barely reminiscent of the og Mahi Mahi since the map was changed so much (and for the worst).

As a hydra main, when I think of special spam it makes me think of tenta missles shooting every 6to 8 seconds and that was the case in 2 also.

i’m not that good at the game (s+, too scared to try x rank) and i was honestly wondering if i just sucked after getting spawncamped so often on maps like hammerhead and mahi so i’m happy to learn it’s not my fault and sad that we are stuck with this until they decide to do anything (which will probably be to make them smaller and then also buff all the shooters 😂) also great video! only suggestion would be to nix the reverb on your voice 🙃

I thought I'm the only one who don't have fun in Splatoon anymore. In Splatoon 1 it was more about aim and accuracy than specials. They charged slower and it was more about luck to hit someone with them (yes even Kraken was easy to avoid). 10 to 20 kills every match was average score for me (until cheaters started to ruin game). Splatoon 2 was little more chaotic and hectic. Specials charged little faster but still manageable and aim and accuracy was still a thing but it was more and more about luck than anything else. Splatoon 3 is pure chaos. Ignoring connection issues every second match, maps are narrowed to the point that win or lose many times depend on who got sniper in their team. And it's not about aim an accuracy anymore, but your ability to avoid specials every 5 seconds. PvP mode without specials would be cool. Focusing only on aim, accuracy and skills could bring back that missing fun factor. But I'm sure that actual map designs isn't favorable for this idea. Only fun thing in Splatoon 3 for me is Salmon Run. PvP is not fun anymore and Splatfests loses their charm already. (Nintendo should bring back Shifty Stations to make Splatfests little more interesting.)

I don't know what it is but playing backline is just so much more dull in this game. You're just battling with the enemy charger to see who gets to rule mid for a few seconds, -except for the splatlings they don't get to win-

Weirdly enough I do not enjoy playing chargers in splatoon 3s small and cramped maps, beside that I just miss the bigger maps. Brinewater springs is my least favorite to play on

Mahi Mahi, my beloved... what have they done to you? In all seriousness though, it feels like they wanted to do a lot more with some of the maps, but majorly backtracked on the concepts late into development. Prime examples are (as mentioned in the video) Scorch and Eeltail. Of course then you have Mahi Mahi which looks like the map designers were given a week to make the map without testing it at all. At least Hammerhead's redo has a proper inspiration as to why it is the way it is, but Mahi doesn't.

I've played this game a long time and only now am I learning that people actually liked Mahi in 1 (I absolutely HATED it) and hated Walleye (this map was great to me, idk why people hated it apart from it being hard to approach spawn.) I never really payed much attention to any maps but Moray, Mahi (in 1,) and Shellendorf. Those were the only maps I recall ever disliking on any of the games apart from maybe saltspray rig (which was bad but I didn't mind.) The maps in this game I pretty much agree with every take apart from Flounder which I think is a bit too op for rollers and is a bit too tiny. Inkraiks would be really nice on flounder

Honestly I agree EVERY single thing you said. Splatoon 3 is fun BUT, It’s not the same. In Splatoon 2, (despite the broken stuff which I never minded because of Splatoon3 rn) to me it was so good. Even the Rank was so fun. But when I played Splatoon3, the rank is just HORRIBLE now. The maps (Mahi the worst imo) are so bad Nerfing E-liter is not an option. They must redesign maps

You may have apologized for the audio quality, but I appreciate it. It sounds like you’re my conscious, telling me about map design for some reason.

Without Strong Brellas you can't approach safely. Without side routes you can't approach safely. Without Specials you can't approach safely. Without a charger to bully other chargers you can't approach safely. See the issue here?

By Splatoon 4 we’ll have maps that are under 1000p total 💀

scorch gorge could be better with two zones, more cover in spawn. i would specifically change the middle rock to be much taller with no reachable top, like the masts of manta maria and have a ring of grates all around, this locks down long range sightlines. finally add an enemy spunge on the right side of snipe for a flank that can be closed through map control.

I remember when playing the splatfest world premiere, the final match I played just as the time was ending was on Mahi Mahi resort, we got team wiped 30 seconds into the match and I’m not kidding when I say we spent the entire 2 and a half remaining minutes just getting killed in spawn over and over and over again. Of course I was still going to get the game because I love Splatoon but I wouldn’t be surprised if first time players were completely turned away by this sort of stuff, because the maps are absolutely horrible to play on :(

One of the best videos I've seen talking about the maps, you hit the nail on the Hammerhead.

I think the biggest problem they did in Splatoon 3 was played it too safe, but perhaps this was a way for if they so change it in the future they will have a simple base to come back too. My reason they might have done this is if they had made the maps more chaotic(even though this is the theme) then it could have been harder to correct that makes everyone happy. These aren't a good excuse in my opinion, honestly Splatoon 3 feels very rushed in several areas besides the campaign and animations. A good example is having ALL hairstyles available instead of making new and equivalent hairstyles. It's completely lazy to just unlock hair and I don't care what anyone says. I have full confidence in the devs but the reasons for playing it safe is ridiculous when they have two games under their belt. The maps need to be larger and have more fun routes, especially have obstacles and fun tools like we see in the storymodes. Too add, funny enough the worst thing I have been coming across isn't snipers or Crab Tanks with Splash-O(which isn't that hard to beat, still annoying), it has been Booyah Bomb teams and Inkstrike teams that CONSTANTLY bombard the map in every mode so badly(in solo because atm i only have one person that likes to play consistently with me, and we don't vocal communicate yet) that you can't even breath before you basically lose unless you go in with an Inc Vac or better plan. I get better every month and week but it has been getting less fun due to more realization of how bad the maps are designed and how badly specials have become a roadblock. I am gonna throw matchmaking in with it too because I swear I get paired with just AWFUL players compared to my opposing team which nearly always seem to be people actually in a party. Nothing is more frustrating than putting faith in your random teammates that they know how to approach a situation then all choke at the worst times and you are left with them splatted or you abandoned as you are trying to capture the objective. I'm not saying Im the best, but I barely ever blame the enemy team for my loses and look towards my teammates more. I love Splat 3 and the series, I started playing 2022 with beating all of Splat 2 and then Splat 3, but I have followed the series since 2015. But more recently it has becoming very frustrating, especially with February(which i am glad it ending, an awful month like January). Like i said before, I have confidence in the devteam but these major issues with the game need to be fixed. I myself love the story and campaigns more but I absolutely love the multiplayer and I have similar issues with Salmon Run where matchmaking and levels need an overhaul.

I love chargers, every charger that is, but do you know why I am using splat charger and e-liter way more than the rest? because the lack of cover and flanks makes the others, more mobile alternatives less viable. I am a fan of the bamboozler (without damage up) because in the second game it was so much fun to fight other more skirmish oriented weapons as a quick sniper that can tap and keep tabs on damaged enemies, on top of that my purpose was to approach slow chargers and splatlings and punish them with my faster charge, in a sense the down time for charging a shot was also balancing in terms of reactiveness to a quick threat, in the new game, despite the bamboozler having a way better kit, there's much less fun to be had as both sides, because you can't challenge each other anymore in these ways. I hope they will redesign some of the worse maps or at least add so many new and improved ones that this problem becomes less impactful on the experience.

I’m glad I was able to help my friend a tiny bit with this video! Your style of making videos has certainly improved over the years and I’m proud of you for making a video of this quality. You know I don’t play splatoon much anymore but I enjoyed this video very much Ryan good fuckin job mate!

Great video! Subscribed. Definitely share the same opinions as you. Small tweaks could make these maps great. Flanks on undertow, adding more rafts on Mahi and that iconic flank with the grate on top, side routes on like every other map, etc. It’s incredible how Flounder is the best stage in the game, DESPITE BEING STREAMLINED, AND having that right flank tampered with to make it only semi accessible. That’s how bad of a state these maps are in :/

Splatoon then: unique maps with fun design. Splatoon now: TETRIS BLOCK IS FUN

For most part Splatoon 3 maps are okay, the biggest problems are the newer maps, but since theres so much chaos most of the time bcs of how fast pace the game is right now, e-liters have an impact for sure, but its nowhere near what this video says, its a bit of a exaggeration. The only truly terrible maps that need a rework soon is scorch, mincemeat and undertow because the rest is at least fun to play in some way.

Comment. Nah, but for real, said this already but this really opened my eyes to design gripes I didn’t even know I had. Well done man.

When there are no chargers I actually quite like metalworks zones, but Undertow is by far my least favorite new map in 3 easily, heck even just in general I think it might be my least favorite.

as a splat charger and e-liter main, I gotta agree that the current maps are making chargers way too op

mans was recording the intro in snapper canal 💀💀💀

Is it bad that I look at new Mahi and just can’t see old Mahi anywhere?

My beloved map of Museum D'Alphonsino was saved from the map slander.

What I find really funny is that the Tricolor versions of Hammerhead, Undertow and Mincemeat are all better than the regular ones. Hammerhead made mid bigger and moved the ramp into the enemy base to the left-hand side, they also added a sponge to retreat out of mid and you can't access most of the enemy spawn. Undertow got rid of the glass and made the sides slightly bigger, not much of an improvement but is still better. From the looks of Mincemeat datamines, you can go straight to the enemy spawn without having to pass over the grates, there's an escape sponge to retreat over the walls in mid, and there's a car in front of the sniper perch that completely obscures the entire left side of the map. It's unfortunate that they actually put so much effort into these versions of the stages, considering they're only playable for a limited time and have a completely different playstyle than any other mode.

Still upset at how they changed Mahi-Mahi. It was my favorite map, but then they made it smaller :/

Been finding it funny that even though the map design philosophy is significantly worse in this game, there are still more stages I actually want to play on within the 14 of 3 than the 23 of 2* (Mako, Sturgeon, Reef, Ancho-V v. Museum, Flounder, Mako, Sturgeon, Hagglefish) Only by a slim margin of course, but man does having at least some of the competently designed Splatoon 1 stages return mostly in tact help a lot. Hopefully we see Urchin and Bluefin make the jump intact as well... Would also like to see some of the more competently designed Splatoon 2 stages, namely Snapper, come in as well. Did not like that stage in 2 thanks to ray and armor's constant presence, but hoping the specials in 3 make things feel a bit better. (Even crab in its current state would be better than ray >_>) *In general, mostly regardless of map/mode. However, there are still a few stages I enjoy specifically on certain map modes, Brinewater Clam Blitz, for instance. **I dont think Sturgeon is actually all that well designed of a stage--it has a myriad of problems--starting from forced mid fights onto the fact that if you let the enemy liter onto your snipe in 3 they get full jurisdiction over the entire spawn ares. Just have a soft spot for it.

They completely massacred Hammerhead Bridge. It's now Hammerhead Hallway

Small albacore hotel is very bad in s3, I hope they add mahi into the game (The joke is Small albacore is mahi for those who don’t get it 🙃)

i hope these new devs are fired

The mic echo makes everything sound way more powerful

Why did they not just look at the most popular Shifty Stations from 2 and make them actual stages

what ive learned: splatoon 3 maps have no flank routes and are dominated by e litres

I remember me and friend were playing anarchy (I’m a splatling main) and it got to splat zones on scorch gorge. I had never played scorch gorge anarchy before but was pretty proficient at splat zones. It was a VERY painful experience.

i love how as the video goes on u sound less and less sane

gosh this made me realize how much i miss the old maps :( you literally took all my frustrations and feelings i have towards the current maps and put them into words and made it make sense, great job edit: also describing flounder heights as a breath of fresh air is so spot on and accurate, i remember playing it for the first time again and going ohmy god!!! there's alternate routes!! and cover!! and inkable walls! insane!! i really hope they'll realize what makes the current maps so bad, because holy crap, i feel like it makes some maps near unplayable

really nice video. agreed with most points. I have some gripes however. Undertow is not that bad tbh. the spawn is by far the best in the game. I do wish mid was wider and the glass to the left of perch was gone with a grate drop down with extended cover to block a charger or perch's sight line but other than that the map is primed to be top tier with some changes. Splat 3 hammerhead is a sidegrade to splat 1's as both had a really bad lockout issue. Splat 1 hammerhead was also a pain to traverse. I also have a theory as to why the maps got slowly dumbed down over time. During development, the devs might have had a demo to show to the execs of the current progress of the game. The execs were probably not fans of the complex map designs that made them good. Since the execs think the only people who play the game are younger people, they wanted the dev team to make them really simple, which in turn ruined them. This is just a theory though so take it with a grain of salt.

I played on the original hammerhead- it was my favourite map back in the day. I was so excited to see it again in splat3 and then..... it was quite literally a completely different map with the same name

Dont even get me started on TURF WARS in these maps, Enemies can literally just run into your base and block you from making ANY progress and its not even fun anymore, everytime I see mahi mahi as a map option I die a little bit inside cause I know how its gonna be, one charger just camping the center platforms and being an overall nuisance

Oh my god goby arena

During Splatoon 1, Mahi-Mahi & Hammerhead were two of my favorite maps, the difference on Hammerhead now is vast, they're two completely different maps. I was crazy, I'd happily run down those grates, not recommended but it was FUN! There's this spot in the middle that has cover, there's one for either end so it was common place to exchange bombs there or if you're like me & had a sprinkler (played the N-Zap 89), you'd make them think you're hiding there when really, you sneaked away to build up your ink strike, fire it in the spot where the enemies are ducking for cover, then you make your way through & trip the enemy team on the other side. I was not kind on that map, typically I was a very passive player but something about old Hammerhead pushed a more aggressive side for me. As for mentioning the narrow halls in Walleye, I did not like that map in Splatoon 2 but I enjoyed it in 1, those narrow halls were life savers when I was spawn trapped & yeah, they usually had eyes on those halls but I always ran a weapon with seekers when Walleye was in rotation, I was that one crazy person you never see that loves the Carbon Roller Deco for its Seeker rush. If the other team gets too cocky, I'd toss a seeker at them down that little hall, it either got them out of the way or splatted them. It didn't always work but when it did, gave me a good laugh. Without Seekers, Walleye became more difficult & not as fun, I always had fun on that map in the first game. They murdered Mahi-Mahi Resort, trying to explain how amazing it was in the first game to my friends, I can't simply do it justice, I wish I could just screenshare gameplay on my Wii U or something for my friends so they can see it for themselves. If the Splatoon 1 servers are still live if any of them visit me in the future, I could show them in person, my Wii U is still in great shape. I wish we could of gotten the Mahi-Mahi from the first game in 3. Like I was totally on board with old maps being revived because when it happened in 2, they actually improved upon them. I like 2's Camp Triggerfish more than 1. I use to hate Moray Towers because it was a sniper's paradise but with some changes they did in 2, it was like a playground using an N-Zap. They ruined the returning stages, even Flounder Heights got hit, much smaller but they took away that path to the right of spawn & I use to really like that thing. Mahi-Mahi Resort was fun, just pure fun. I loved jumping onto the islands, I learned better movement in the game due to this. This map came out when I was still new to Splatoon, I bought the Black Friday Wii U that came with Splatoon & Smash already installed back in November 2015. Mahi-Mahi Resort released shortly after I started playing so it's got some sentimental value to me, people weren't use to playing on that map & with the weird gimmick of it being surrounded by water & then the water level dropping, it caused for many funny missteps & while I was still learning it too, it ended up putting people all on a similar level, giving me an easier time to learn the game better. I remember loving to get the islands covered in turf war like it was super exciting for me to hop around, getting the islands & I was always thrilled for the water level dropping, more turf to ink, AHH! I wanted to be the first to ink some fresh new turf in the late game. It was just such a fun map & with different routes to move, I'm weird, I like taking different routes, I have my preferred ways of travel but I like moving in different ways too, it keeps my mind entertained. It was so nice that map provided that. Overall, the maps are my favorite part, that & trying out different weapon kits. In 3, they are so boring!!! I love exploring new maps, sucks 3 ruined that. My favorite part about Splatoon 2 splatfest was shifty station since we got different ones to check out within the different turf wars. I personally love Bunker Games, how about instead of forcing us into mid, we just block it off near the end of the match? I thought the concept of it was hilarious & it freaked me out at first but when I got into it, I really got into it. I'd make sure to clear out mid when it got close to time & served as a jumping point for my teammates if they had sting ray or something else they could hit from the inside, I served mainly as a gateway. We'd never see that in 3 with how much they love forcing us into mid, imagine them denying us mid lol.

The maps are quite bad rn, barely playable but god I see mahi and metalworks in rotation and I just play a different game

splatoon 3 feels SO exhausting because you can generally only go forward and you dont have any other option to the side because its either a death pit or makes you an easy target :l in splatoon 2 it feels a lot more fun because you have many options to get to the enemys side and do some silly stuff!! not to mention you have cover in those maps . but in sp3........ it is so hard to comeback when the enemy team has already inked all of mid and is heading to your spawn. the only way you can push is if you go insane and get 3 people or a wipeout 💔 like i gotta fight tooth and nail just to touch a shred of mid

I find it funny that he main dish of multiplayer stages are awful but meanwhile Salmon Run has amazing maps like Sockeye and Hydroplant with the worst maps being Grounds (Really just hightide is awful, shout out to the flyfish that spawns over on the grates over there every time) and Marooners (I honestly don't find this stage to be that terrible, real hot take I know).

You know it’s bad game design when the community tells you not to use Inkbrush in Mahi Mahi Resort

Minecmeat Rainmaker has two good push options since you can jump from the checkpoint to near the goal so you don't have to walk up the grate EDIT: On Hagglefish you can also just swim straight up to the charger perch on Rainmaker, not just Clam Blitz

I agree of this SO MUCH! GREAT video sir.

A lot of my problems with Splatoon 3 reminds me of my problems with Halo infinite. Namely that both are mechanically well designed games with two very specific issues that consistently annoy me; the the map layouts are too simple and similar (outside of bg mode in Halo Infinite), and that the map designs largley benefit players with long distance weapons (or chargers in the case of splatoon). I think the lack of side routes really undersells Splatoon's best selling points, which is the ability to make snap creatively solutions to dynamic problems. There doesn't seem to be enough verity of surfaces to swim around in. Similar to Halo Infinite, It seems like the dev's heavy emphasis on balance for tournament viability really stifled any kind of creative potential in the map design. I hadn't played Splatoon 2 for a long while before 3 came out, but I feel like I didn't run into this problem as much in the second game, and I'm certainly better now then I was before the third game came out.

im going to work as a map designer at nintendo because apparently they let just about anybody do that

how do you feel now with the update where they added stuff to fix the eliter/crab tank spam?

trying to play dynamo on turf war mahi in s3 is like going through the femur breaker as revenge for dynamo being so good in s1