Return of the Mammalians in Splatoon 3 adds a new dimension to the popular Salmon Run mode, which has an effect that needs to be addressed.
In Splatoon 3, a lot of Switch owners are still working hard to improve their ranks in Anarchy Battles, Salmon Run, and Tableturf. Due to events like the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet-themed Splatfest, Splatoon has received some of Nintendo’s most consistent post-launch support.
However, it also has a multimedia presence through hologram concerts like a recent Nintendo Live showing for Deep Cut. The Squid Sisters performed “Calamari Inkantation 3MIX” from Return of the Mammals as part of that live event, bringing to mind how the story mode affected Salmon Run.
Splatoon 2 expanded the scope of the series to include co-op activities, whereas Splatoon presented fans with a fairly straightforward competitive multiplayer shooter that places more of an emphasis on covering the ground with ink. Producer Hisashi Nogami claims that the goal of Salmon Run was to demonstrate the Switch’s portability and potential for local play. However, the story of Splatoon 3 provided an unexpected source of lore by providing a new context for the mode’s in-universe conception. Splatoon 3 spoilers are ahead.
Here’s how Splatoon 3 changes Salmon Run Forever
The basic premise of Salmon Run is: As a variety of “Boss Salmonid” varieties appear and drop Golden Eggs when defeated, teams of four players collaborate to defeat waves of enemies known as Salmonid. It could be compared to Splatoon’s take on the zombie hordes in Left 4 Dead, where Boss Salmonid acts like Special Infected and uses tools that players have access to wreck havoc; Steelheads drop bombs, Flyfish shoot Tenta Missiles, Big Shots send shock waves through the water, and so on.
For each Salmon Run attempt, players must survive three waves and collect enough Golden Eggs to meet the quota. Sometimes, event rounds will involve unique mechanics like playing hide-and-seek to find Goldies. Mr. Grizz sets the structure and quotas. He only talks to the player through a wood-carved radio that shows a grizzly bear eating salmon. Limiting play to a select few hours each week in Splatoon 2 made it seem like this mode was a part-time job for Inklings and Octolings, but Salmon Run: Next Wave is accessible at all times.
King Salmonid is a significant addition to Next Wave. In certain runs, players will be able to fight Cohozuna in a bonus round if they have increased their appearance meter. However, the most significant change comes in Return of the Mammalians, which reveals that fans of Salmon Run have been secretly fueling the climax of the story. Mr. Grizz is revealed to be a real grizzly bear who survived the extinction of mammals, is sentient after living alone for centuries, and can use Golden Eggs to create Fuzzy Ooze that transforms other people into mammals. Inklings, Octolings, and Salmonid team up at the end of the story mode to stop Mr. Grizz from completely eradicating marine life.
Splatoon games in the future will have to deal with the effects of Return of the Mammalians.
After this reveal, which retroactively alters the perception of this part-time job that abuses the Salmonid species, it is difficult to casually enjoy Salmon Run. Even though the wooden radio has been replaced by a salmon eating a bear, Mr. Grizz continues to bark orders between rounds, despite the fact that the players’ unconsenting role in the genocide has been eliminated.
This bit of retroactive worldbuilding in the Splatoon series is a brilliant way for Nintendo to combine gameplay and story, and it will undoubtedly have an impact on the future. Salmonid armies seem to be able to invade regular multiplayer maps from Turf Wars and Anarchy Battles in Splatoon 3’s “Big Run” game mode, which would make a lot of sense given the revelations about Mr. Grizz and the harvesting of Golden Eggs.
In addition, Mr. Grizz’s continued narration of Salmon Run after his defeat in Return of the Mammals raises additional concerns. The radio is either broadcasting pre-recorded messages or there is a new owner of Grizzco Industries, as he was last seen being jettisoned into deep space. The mammalian plot may have been taken over by Li’l Judd, according to fan theories; however, it is unknown whether this will be addressed in the Splatoon 3 DLC or Splatoon 4.
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