By Zachary Bayers
And just like that, an unforgettable trilogy ends. Recently Splatoon 3 wrapped up its final Splatfest – properly named the Grand Festival – and ended all regular updates for the game. If you’re unaware what a “Splatfest” is, essentially, they’re large in-game events that happen within the world of Splatoon. They’re scarce, last briefly, and are Friday through Sunday every month. The players select one of three teams that represent a certain belief or statement. This can be anything silly, such as “What’s your favorite icecream flavor?” You select one of the three, then battle against opposing players to earn points and make your team victorious. They’re fun and shake-up the game by bringing the community together, hence why I adore them.
However, this is intriguing. Every Splatfest for each game heavily influences the story and aesthetics of the following game. After Splatoon’s Callie VS. Marie, because of Callie’s loss, the story in Splatoon 2 shifted where she became one of the main villains. With Splatoon 2’s Chaos VS. Order, Chaos being victorious, the environment of Splatoon 3 turned into a barren, apocalyptic wasteland where everyone fights for themselves. This correlation means that in every final Splatfest, your opinion can influence which direction the franchise will take, meaning there’s an extra incentive towards participating in these last events.
Recently, the Grand Fest occurred: a massive celebration that included the idols from previous games all on one stage. The category for this was “Past, Present, or Future,” foreshadowing that whichever choice wins gets to direct the franchise’s timeline. With Nintendo’s statements about how Splatoon 3 is the end of the trilogy and that they will be moving on from the cast of characters we’ve loved throughout the decade, it’s safe to say that this marks a true end of an era. Since I’d love to learn about the lore and have been a fan of the series since the first game, I chose to support Team Past in hopes of receiving a future prequel trilogy. I’d lost both previous final Splatfests, so I worked extra hard in each match in hopes of changing the future outcome of this series.
Low and behold, Team Past ended up winning! I’m excited to see how far back in the past we’ll really go, and what direction Splatoon takes as Splatoon 3 takes its final bow. I’ll miss it and the trilogy dearly, however I’m curious to see what awaits the inklings and octolings within the next couple of years. Happy Grand Fest!
