The Splatoon series is Nintendo’s version of a shooting game. While that first sentence might seem strange it is also the best way to describe the main focus of the game.

Players are given a weapon, oftentimes they look like a water gun or objects you use for painting like a paint brush, that is filled with paint and you are tasked to work with your teammates to paint the field in your team’s color before the time runs out. The game is fast paced and colorful. You are in and out of matches super quickly because games are usually just over three minutes long. While this is the 3rd entry in the series you can start here without any issues.

One of my favorite features of this game is how many options of game modes there are. The main game is “turf war” where you paint the ground with your team to cover the field with your paint color. But, I spent most of my time playing the other options. “Salmon Run” is the non competitive option to play with friends and others online. In “Salmon Run,” you are working with 3 others to fight off waves of monsters to collect golden eggs. Each wave gets harder and they change up the rules of how to win with each round. It is stressful because often my games would come down to the last seconds before knowing if we won or lost and I could not get enough of it.

There is also a mode for just one player which really focuses on puzzles. The single player option has you learn every weapon of the game and try to race, solve, and sneak to complete each level. I found some levels way too challenging but, you have the freedom to pick and choose which ones you want to play and which to skip.

Overall Splatoon 3 is unlike any other shooter I have played. The music and visuals are exciting. The gameplay is super unique for the genre of a shooting game and there are options of game modes for all kinds of players. Splatoon 3 is rated E 10+