Right as we just got a Splatfest announcement, Nintendo and Splatoon 3 have revealed the latest and biggest Splatfest to date: The Grand Festival.
Do note that while it is called the Grand Festival, it is not known at the moment if this is the final Splatfest for Splatoon 3. However, it is safe to assume that it is as it would fall on the 2nd anniversary of Splatoon 3. In Splatoon 2, the final Splatfest was labeled clearly as the Final fest for Chaos Vs. Order.
As the trailer begins, we see the wasteland station and crater. The area in which players start in Splatoon 3 for the tutorial. We see the area and station set up like Coachella with the tents and tour bus of all the idols in Splatoon. We see all of the music groups get a highlight with remixes of their songs. Callie and Marie of the Squid Sisters, Pearl and Marina of Off the Hook, and Shiver, Frye, and Big Man of Deep Cut. We see them have a set stage for their own group’s performance. Then we see the main stage where all the idols have new looks and perform together. This will likely be on the final day of the splatfest. The amount of star power and the crowd’s excitement is just beyond here.
It then reveals the topic of the Grand Festival Splatfest. Which is the most important to you? The Past? The Present? Or the Future?
This Splatfest will take place from 9/12 Thursday 5 PM PT to 9/15 Sunday 5 PM PT. That is a 72-hour duration. Note that the eyes of each idol are on each of the choices. Squid Sisters for the Past, Off the Hook for the Present, and Deep Cut for the Future. Some can perceive this as the battle of the idols.
This topic holds great significance as the winner will influence the direction of the next Splatoon. In the first Splatoon, the final topic was Callie Vs. Marie, with Marie being the victor and influencing the storyline of Splatoon 2. For Splatoon 2, it was Chaos Vs. Order, with Chaos winning and set the premise of Splatoon 3 and the wastelands. Players will influence the direction again and choose how the story will progress. Will it be based on something in themes of the Past like a prequel/origin story? Will it remain in the Present theme and continue with how Splatoon is proceeding? Or will it become Future-based and Splatoon will make a time jump or change significantly in setting and gameplay? You decide on what this means.
With a new Splatfest, Nintendo has also revealed two new sets of amiibos to commemorate the Grand Festival. Featuring the Alterna version of the Squid Sisters, and the Side Order version of Off the Hook. Yes, Amiibos isn’t dead yet.
It is detailed that scanning these amiibos will have special costumes unlocked and will allow players to take screenshots with the idols of this variation. The amiibos will be on sale on September 5th, right before the Grand Festival. You can take a 360 look at the amiibos on Nintendo’s Twitter here.
Lastly, for apparel lovers, Nintendo has also unveiled the new Splatoon 3 T-shirts to commemorate the Grand Festival
Simple but efficient designs. We have a Black shirt with a Red & Pink font for Team Past. A White shirt with a Blue & Purple font for Team Present, and a Gray shirt and Green & White font for Team Future. They have done special event shirts previously when The Legend of Zelda collaborated with Splatoon with the Splatfest of Power Vs. Wisdom Vs. Courage. There is also a festival wristband that My Nintendo account holders can redeem with Platinum points Nintendo store. Details for ordering the wristband will be revealed at a later date. You can preorder the shirts now on the Nintendo Store Website for $24.99 each.
What a way to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of Splatoon 3! The Splatfest, the Amiibos, and the Apparels. It has been a long time since the original Splatoon was released on May 28, 2015, for Wii U. For it to have evolved to this is nothing short of spectacular and it is due to the community of Splatoon. So this festival is truly for the fans. But first, we must eat our carbs before the Grand Festival. So in the words of the Idols of Splatoon: “Stay Fresh!” “Don’t get cooked…Stay off the Hook!” and “Catch Ya Later!”
