The lead up to Splatoon 3’s release was full of buzz, and the release itself didn’t disappoint. Players have been treated to excellent new maps, new features, new weapons, and a freshness that’s brought some fervor back to the franchise. It might not be the most ambitious sequel I’ve ever seen, but it’s an extremely well-executed one. And while people have been praising all kinds of things about the long-awaited third installment, I can’t help but focus on one aspect of it: Salmon Run Next Wave.
To be clear, this isn’t just a Splatoon 3 mode for me. This is Splatoon 3 for me – the very basis of my relationship with the game. Turf War and the main campaign might as well be little side modes. Maybe I’ll get around to the main campaign when my internet is out and I’m desperate for content, but for now I’m all in on the Salmon Run.
If you’re unfamiliar, Salmon Run was introduced in Splatoon 2 with great success. It’s a four-player co-op survival mode where the objective is to gather as many golden eggs as possible during your three-wave run. In Splatoon 3, Nintendo has lifted the arbitrary time restrictions, allowing people to enjoy the mode every hour of every day.
Salmon Run is one of the best horde modes I’ve ever played. Waiting to be extracted as Salmonids come around every corner reminds me of some of my favorite nights playing Left 4 Dead (a game that our resident zombie-slayer Varnell recently lauded). I’m watching the clock, I’m watching my team’s egg count, all while trying to keep the swarm from overwhelming the crew. As each victory raises your Grizzco employee rank, you’ll find the difficulty of your next outing increases as well. All of this is packed into an experience that takes less than seven minutes to enjoy – perfect for squeezing in a quick round.
Unlike Turf War where you have twelve maps, Salmon Run currently has three, but they’re three of the most varied maps in the whole game. Each map has three possible layouts that can change between each wave.
High Tide is probably the toughest and most demanding layout. Surrounded by water, you’ll need to watch your step and hope that some random Salmonid doesn’t shove you into the abyss. Medium Tide gives you room to run around the map without getting swarmed or overrun. If you get into a tight spot, your teammates should be close by to help you out. Low Tide usually comes with the extra complication of a new basket for your golden eggs. There’s also the danger of your teammates spreading themselves too thin and getting into trouble.
All of this is before you even get into enemy variety. Salmon Run Next Wave has eleven main bosses that will crawl out of the sea to make your life difficult. The Steel Eel is, without a doubt, my favorite nemesis. With an oversized metal head and a long, deadly tail, they’re a definite problem for the whole team. When I take one out, I know I’ve made everyone’s lives a little easier. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been running from one Steel Eel only to see a second one round nearest corner. Spatial awareness is everything, and you want to keep the map as clear as possible. Not only will this grant you the most eggs, but you’ll actually be more likely to survive all three (but potentially four) of the Salmon Run waves.
In addition to Salmon Run’s standard bosses, there are also special waves that take place during foggy and nighttime conditions. When that environment shift happens, you know the proverbial ink is about to hit the fan. During these special phases, you won’t see any of the usual bosses spawn. Instead, you’ll be facing off against something like a mothership invasion sending Salmonids after you to try and steal your eggs. You might even deal with a tornado that throws the pesky creatures everywhere, causing absolute chaos.
Occasionally – very occasionally – a fourth wave pops up during a Salmon Run. As you play, you’ll notice a little meter begin to fill after each Salmon Run. When it’s full and looks like a steaming chunky Salmonid, your next run is most likely going to have a fourth wave with the boss encounter to end all boss encounters. This, my friends, is the King Salmonid – brand new to Salmon Run Next Wave.
The King Salmonid, Cohozuna, is my current videogame obsession. He’s an absolute unit, and I’ve only ever encountered him during High Tide where he is very large and the map is at its smallest. When this beast appears, you just have to let fly. Use your specials, fire your weapon as fast as possible, and desperately try to balance killing and avoiding the other bosses.
That’s right. I said other bosses. The vile reptile doesn’t turn up alone, and while all your attention is focused on him, his backup begins to swarm in. If you kill them, you can use their golden eggs to deal some serious hurt to Cohozuna. Unfortunately, it also takes time and attention to eliminate these other bosses while trying not to get squashed by the King Salmonid himself. It’s a delicate dance.
My last encounter with the beast was one that seemingly even the Splatoon servers couldn’t handle. My team and I brought his health down to nothing just as the clock hit zero. Did we do it? No. He didn’t splat or pop or anything. When the scorecard popped up, it said that we hadn’t beaten the kaiju-sized fiend, but were rewarded with some bronze and silver fish scales anyway. But then when I looked back on my record, it said our group had won against the creature, possibly explaining why our reward was better than other times.
And yet, the tenuous nature of the victory means that my hunt continues until I can take down the beast properly. I will take down that beast. Until then, I hope to see you all out there enjoying Salmon Run Next Wave… and the other modes too, I guess.
