Prerelease:Splatoon 3/Return of the Mammalians Trailer

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:Splatoon 3.

23rd September, 2021 - Story Mode Trailer

Trailer Details

The second trailer was suddenly dropped on the 23rd of September, 2021. It featured looks at some new and returning stages, alongside a massive preview of the game's story mode, known as Return of the Mammalians. This trailer shows some of the largest differences from the final game, due to it being released nearly a year before the final game's launch. Multiple things were revealed, such as:

• The new stage Eeltail Alley, and the returning stage Museum d'Alfonsino from Splatoon.
• The reveal of the Fuzzy Octarians found in the Return of the Mammalians campaign.
• The hub world for Return of the Mammalians known as Alterna in the final game, alongside many previews of the game's story mode levels, including the sneakily disguised final Rocket Mission levels.
• New designs for the Splat Roller and Splat Charger, alongside the return of the Clash Blaster, Glooga Dualies, Undercover Brella, and Splash-o-matic.
• Additional previews of new specials such as the Crab Tank (which is now controlled by a player and is using the final design), the Zipcaster, and the Big Bubbler.
• Callie, Marie, and Agent 3 (now Captain 3)'s new looks in Alterna.

Differences and Oddities

• The shading shown matches the reveal trailer, being flatter and overall less detailed and light compared to the final.
• Both Eeltail Alley and Museum d'Alfonsino seem to be unfinished visually, due to the fact that there are multiple flat textures which would end up having more detail in the final game.
• Both of the stages shown in the trailer have an incredibly different layout in comparison to the final game.
  • Eeltail Alley was significantly more open in the original trailer, having a massive left and right route that were entirely scrapped from the final. Both of these routes were accessible via the spawn, with various chunks of each path being taken out of the final game or blockaded off. Additional ramps that allowed you to get across the map were also there, alongside a smaller bridge between the left and right flanks. Many of these paths in the final game were blocked off and replaced with blocks or other removed things in order to restrict the player from taking those ways and to funnel them into the center routes and middle ground.
  • Museum d'Alfonsino seems to resemble its incarnation in Splatoon 1, most notably holding a third spawner in the player's spawns like in the previous game. The map also seemed to be slightly wider, with the lowered parts on the edge of the map being overall longer.
• Various weapons were shown with subweapons and special weapons that they do not have in the final game.
  • The Clash Blaster was shown with the Crab Tank in the early Eeltail Alley footage, but the weapon ended up with the Trizooka in the final game.
  • The Undercover Brella player's ink tank has a subweapon line at 70%, implying that the weapon may have had a Splat Bomb, Suction Bomb, or Curling Bomb at one point before Ink Mine.
  • The Splash-o-matic had the Zipcaster, despite having the Crab Tank in the final game. This may have had lasting effects on the game, as no shooter's first or second kit ended up with the Zipcaster special.
• The Big Bubbler special seems to have had a slightly different function in the early footage, as it is missing the Squid Beakon that comes with it in the final game. This difference can be seen in the early special badges in Version 1.0.0, implying that these early special icons may have been from that time period of the game.
• Alterna's lighting was significantly different from the final game, having a significantly darker blue tone instead of the lighter blue seen in the final game.

Promotional Screenshots

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Twitter Quotes

Squid Research Laboratory here! New #Splatoon3 details were just announced via video transmission. In addition to some exciting Turf War footage, we also got our first look at the single-player story mode. Check it out!

The theme of the #Splatoon3 story mode appears to be "Return of the Mammalians." Wha?! As far as we know, mammals have disappeared from the surface of the planet (minus a couple cool cats, of course). What does it mean for these Inklings?

This Splatsville youth and trusty little Smallfry buddy are scrap hunters who search for junk gems by day and splat it up in Turf Wars on the side. It seems this Inkling met the New Squidbeak Splatoon and is now their new Agent 3 in the continued fight against the evil Octarians!

In the new video transmission, an Inkling is seen accompanied by a juvenile Salmonid called a Smallfry. Our studies have long shown the Salmonids to be a dangerous species. How this seemingly symbiotic relationship evolved is a thrilling mystery. Further research is required!

This is the Hero Suit worn by the new Agent 3. It's flexible enough to bust sweet moves in, yet it can withstand the harsh conditions of the Splatlands. Little buddy even fits in the pack! We noticed two styles in the video. Perhaps they're each suited to different situations?

This is a soldier in the evil Octarian Army that is planning an invasion of the squid world. That said, this one isn’t like those we’ve observed before… It appears to be growing furry hair! Why would a marine creature grow stuff like this? We must investigate further!

This intriguing structure appeared at the end of the video. It's quite different from what we've seen of the Splatlands so far. All we know is that it's located somewhere within "Alterna," where this story mode takes place. Its purpose remains unknown, for now...

This mysterious substance found in Alterna is called Fuzzy Ink. It pulsates like a life-form, but it doesn't actually seem to be a living creature. It appears to be partially covered with brown furry stuff, leading us to suspect some kind of connection with that hairy Octarian...

We have learned a terrible truth. If an Inkling comes into contact with Fuzzy Ooze, some manner of brown hairy fur-like substance grows all over their body, and they lose their sense of self. In this state, they're unable to do much but hopelessly roll around...

In less terrifying news, we've learned that Smallfry aren't affected by Fuzzy Ooze. In fact, they can eat it and clean it up! Seems like these little buddies might just be the key to solving the mysteries of Alterna.

Apparently Smallfry will bite at Octarians to attack them, activate helpful contraptions, and assist Inklings in various other ways. They may be small, but they're seeming more and more like a brave and reliable sidekick!

This is the New Squidbeak Splatoon who work together undercover to defeat the evil Octarian Army. On the left is Agent 1, on the right is Agent 2, and in the middle is their captain. Their true identities are a secret, and they'll do whatever it takes to support the new Agent 3.

Psst... Just between us, when Agents 1 and 2 aren't saving the squid world, they're Callie and Marie of the ever-popular musical group, the Squid Sisters! Take a look at one of their fresh live concerts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkKUbNnXKE

This elderly Inkling is Craig Cuttlefish. He was once captain of the Squidbeak Splatoon and is a true hero of his day. He recently retired from active duty and passed on his captain's hat to a brave new leader. No slouch, he's still patrolling the squid world though. What a guy!

24th September - 8th October, 2021 - Various Previews

Nintendo showed off various pieces of info about the game after the trailer was revealed regarding specials and stages.

Twitter Quotes

This is the Crab Tank! When piloting this multi-legged vehicle, you can attack with a powerful rapid-fire gun and a cannon with a wide blast area. You can also turn into a ball to move around faster than crab walking.

This special weapon turns an Inkling into a shadowy warrior called a Zipcaster. With tentacles that stretch way out and stick to walls, you can zoom around and cause mad chaos! To conceal your identity, when the ink runs out, you'll be returned to where you first transformed.

The Killer Wail 5.1 looks like a modified version of an Inkopolis special weapon. The 6 floating megaphones move on their own & attack with lasers that chase enemies. For such a dusty place, the Splatlands are brimming with shiny tech!

This is the Big Bubbler. It's also a modified version of a special weapon from Inkopolis. By making it fixed, the size has been greatly increased! It seems Inklings in the Splatlands think bigger is better. Well, this certainly does look useful for protecting one's allies!

Unfortunately, Nintendo of America never posted teasers for Eeltail Alley and Museum d'Alfonsino like SplatoonJP did, so there is no official English source to go off of here.

The hot new Scorch Gorge stage is coming to #Splatoon3!

We hear the odd rocks that rise up like chimneys were once undersea hydrothermal vents that now appear on land due to changes in the planet's surface. This area is also designated as a national park and is quite popular.

Original Tweet
今回発見された新たなバトルのステージ「ゴンズイ地区」。 バンカラ街の中心部に位置する古くからの居住区で、バンカラな若者たちのたまり場となっているようだ。 広場の上を歩道橋が縦断する立体的なステージで、3次元のナワバリバトルを体感せよ！ ハイカラ地方から「キンメダイ美術館」がバトルのステージとして登場する。 交通網の発達により、地方を超えてナワバリバトルに参加することが可能になったようだ。現代美術を中心に数多くの展示品を集めた大規模な美術館で、現在は「先住民族とモダンアート展」が開催中らしい。
Translation
A new battle stage has been discovered: the Gonzui District [Eeltail Alley]. It is an old residential area located in the center of Bankara Town [Splatsville], and seems to be a hangout spot for rowdy young people. Experience a 3-D Turf War on a 3-D stage with a footbridge running across the map! The Kinmedai Museum [Museum d' Alfonsino] from the Haikara Region [Inkopolis] will appear as a battle stage. With the development of the transportation network, it seems that it is now possible to participate in Turf Wars across regions. It is a large museum with a large collection of exhibits, mainly contemporary art, and is currently hosting the "Indigenous Peoples and Modern Art Exhibition."

Promotional Screenshots

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29th October, 2021 - Halloween Celebration

On the 29th of October, Nintendo tweeted out a new piece of art on all platforms, featuring multiple Inklings staring at the camera. While not all of them are identifiable, the one in the middle seems to be the promotional character VeronIKA. Interestingly, VeronIKA's shirt, while likely being a Toni Kensa piece of gear (identifiable by the iconic red alongside the black-and-white color scheme), does not have any equivalent in the final game.

An artistic member of the Squid Research Lab has sent over this new image to celebrate Halloween! If only our lab coats were this stylish… #Splatoon3

21st December, 2021 - Holiday Celebration

Nintendo sent out a new piece of artwork, depicting the New Squidbeak Splatoon on a yellow background, which would later go on to be used as a major piece of promotional artwork later on in the game's lifetime.

Wishing all the Inklings and Octolings out there happy holidays from the #Splatoon3 team!

1st January, 2022 - 2022 New Year's

Nintendo posted a video showing a player using the Cornrows hairstyle spinning an Inkbrush around while a previously unheard of version of Now or Never! plays in the background. The animation used for the Inkbrush player would later be revealed as the "Flip Out" animation when using the Brush class.

New year's resolution idea: brush up on your inking skills in preparation for #Splatoon3!