Splatoon 3's three-way Splatfests were arguably the game's most anticipated feature, but there are still some notable ways that they could be improved. The game has just finished its first Splatfest, so it is the perfect time for developers to evaluate the Splatfest and seek ways to improve. With a few key improvements, the next Splatfest could be a far better experience.
Splatfests are the most memorable part of every Splatoon game. Each Splatfest lets players a team represented by one of the game's resident idols, as they each represent one side of a debate. For example, 3's first Splatfest asked what players would bring with their team to a Splatoon 3 deserted island. In a new twist, each Splatfest will now have three teams to choose from. These three-way Splatfests are the game's most unique trait, but they are also where the biggest improvements could come.
One issue so far with the Tricolor Battles is how scarce they can be. Even when the player cues up for one, they can easily find themselves being placed into a regular Turf War match instead. One likely reason for this could be to reduce queue times, to make sure that players wouldn't be stuck waiting for too long. This assumes that queues for Tricolor Battles would be long, even considering the short length of Splatoon matches. Since Splatoon 3's Tricolor Turf Wars are one of the game's big new gimmicks, one that only shows up during Splatfests, no less, most players would likely be willing to wait a little longer in order to get into one.
Splatoon 3's Splatfest Proved That Tricolor Battles Need Improvement
Another issue with Tricolor Battles is the maps involved. Almost every map in the game is rather obviously designed to work with two teams, since most of them are two sides mirrored with a large center area. Throwing a third team into these maps can throw off the balance, and the early Splatfest matches have shown that. It's easy for one team to struggle, either due to the middle team getting crushed between the other two, or one of the others getting pushed back into their starting corner. Splatoon 3 already added new weapons and maps, so it may be a bit much to ask for new three-way maps. However, they would make Tricolor Battles much more palatable.
Finally, there is the issue of team balance. Tricolor Battles give the center team four , while the other teams get two apiece. While this does make some sense, since the center team will see opponents coming from both sides, the fact that they have as many as both other teams combined is just odd. Granted, this is largely forced by the map design, but as previously mentioned, maps balanced for Tricolor Battles would have helped this issue. Three teams of three players apiece on a balanced map would make sense for this mode, since it wouldn't demand a larger map size. Battling it out with Splatoon 3's best weapons would be more fun with better designed Tricolor Battles.
Tricolor Battles were one of Splatoon 3's most interesting-sounding ideas, but they have failed to impress so far. The game as only been released recently, so there is still time to improve on initial mistakes. Tricolor Battles in Splatoon 3 still have a chance to be great, but they need improvement first.
