Opinions on the new maps in Splatoon 3?

[DualBlade25]

I'm curious what people think about each of the maps in the game. What's good about them, what's bad, and possible improvements some could use. Me personally doesn't have a problem with any of them really

 

[Forma]

They're mostly good! All the new ones are generally good on every game mode.

Mahi-Mahi, though... what happened here? It's not too bad for Rainmaker, Tower Control and Clam Blitz but it's one big awful choke point in Turf War and Splat Zones.

 

[Award]

I have only one major map complaint. I don't remember which map it actually is, but there's one with a left path out of spawn that has no warning or barricade, it just drops off a cliff where the upper level looks like it drops to a lower level until you drop down and realize it drops off the map. They just need to add one of those little barriers to warn you the path ends, because the perspective as you're coming down always looks like you're going to drop to a lower level. I end up taking the left path 60% of the time, and I drop off that edge 90% of the time when I do...

And yeah, Mahi Mahi is a mess and no longer resmbles what was fun about Mahi Mahi. But look on the bright side. Moray Towers is gone!

 

[DualBlade25]

I have only one major map complaint. I don't remember which map it actually is, but there's one with a left path out of spawn that has no warning or barricade, it just drops off a cliff where the upper level looks like it drops to a lower level until you drop down and realize it drops off the map. They just need to add one of those little barriers to warn you the path ends, because the perspective as you're coming down always looks like you're going to drop to a lower level. I end up taking the left path 60% of the time, and I drop off that edge 90% of the time when I do...

And yeah, Mahi Mahi is a mess and no longer resmbles what was fun about Mahi Mahi. But look on the bright side. Moray Towers is gone!

I think I fell off that exact ledge come to think of it. I'm thinking it's Mincemeat Metalworks or Scorch Gorge

 

[Elbowtross]

I like all of the maps so far. Not having moray is a huge plus over previous games. However I'm kinda sad to see what they did to hammerhead. Now I understand that hammerhead as it was in splat1 wouldn't translate too well over to 3. It just sucks that the defining feature of the stage, the long grate path covering the stage, is gone and now it's got nothing going for it. It feels very generic and boring now.

 

[banyochan]

So long as Moray Towers is not in the game, everything's perfect. That map is one of the worst things that has happened to multiplayer games, because a match is effectively over in 20 seconds, and then you have awkwardly wait for the objective to be hit.

 

[Award]

I like all of the maps so far. Not having moray is a huge plus over previous games. However I'm kinda sad to see what they did to hammerhead. Now I understand that hammerhead as it was in splat1 wouldn't translate too well over to 3. It just sucks that the defining feature of the stage, the long grate path covering the stage, is gone and now it's got nothing going for it. It feels very generic and boring now.

It does feel kind of generic and empty. OTOH I don't miss that grate. I have some traumatizing memories of that grate involving holding an RM and incoming inkzooka whirlwinds....

 

[Cephalobro]

I like most of them, though, I do think Mincemeant Metalworks look a little bland, but it's a good stage gameplay-wise. Honestly, I'm glad the grate from Hammerhead Bridge is gone, it made anyone who wasn't using a Roller or Brush basically prey for someone under it and I hated that a lot. Although I wish Blue Fin Depot would come back, I just really like the idea of a stage that's really spooky being used for PVP battles in general.

 

[Ac℮]

I've taken a shine to them, due to the sheer sizes of them. I like bigger maps, if only because it opens the game up to more kinds of strategies depending on the mode.

 

[Forma]

Some deeper thoughts now that we've had a while with these maps:
- Scorch Gorge, Eeltail Alley and Hagglefish Market are all pretty solid on any mode. Scorch could use some more approach options on most modes, but Eeltail and Hagglefish are more or less fine as it is.
- Undertow Spillway really needs flank routes. The middle being weirdly shaped kind of helps, but it's still pretty bad since everyone will inevitably be funneled through it.
- Mincemeat Metalworks is great for most modes, but really awkward for Clam Blitz because of how its goal is placed - I've seen a lot of stalemates on it.
- Museum d'Alfonsino is the only returning Splatoon 1 stage that is nearly identical - it's a very solid map.
- Mahi-Mahi Resort and Hammerhead Bridge are their Splatoon 1 counterparts in name and theme only. Mahi is the smallest map and is basically one big chokepoint, and the tide lowering doesn't change much.
- Hammerhead Bridge has the same problem to a slightly lesser extent due to the path on the left and could really use a way to get to the middle-right.
- The Splatoon 2 stages are basically all identical to the originals, so they're all pretty good. I get why people don't like Wahoo World, though.

 

[Award]

Maybe it's me, but are the "new" maps really just remixes or combinations of old maps? I keep getting flashbacks as I play them and I realize it's because they're structurally modified and re-textured variations on familiar maps.

Scorch Gorge: Functionally and structurally similar to Piranha Pit but seemingly smaller. Very similar features (minus conveyors.)

Eeltail Alley: Urchin Underpass + Arowanna Mall Long center chokepoint with overhead flank routes, but the base structure is similar to Urchin.

Hagglefish Market: Starfish Mainstage, the structure is extremely similar but much bigger with much larger mult-tiered base area.

Undertow Spillway: Kind of combination of Walleye Warehouse + Port Mackerel- long narrow funnel meeting in almost unskippable chokepoints, upper sniping perches in the bases, no real flank routes except ones that lead right into the center choke.

Mincemeat Metalworks: Musselforge Fitness + AnchoV which were already similar in structure, everything revolves around a small center connection between two relatively small base areas

Mahi-Mahi Resort seems to be the new Moray Towers. Nobody likes it, it has design problems, but it's in the rotation no matter when you play the game. IDK how that big map from S1 could be turned into such a tiny little chokepoint.

I generally like the new maps, and it's nice to see otherwise functional designs like Arowanna, Piranha, and AnchoV reworked without the conveyor/fanlift/curved wall gimmicks that never really worked right.

 

[Slushious]

I have only one major map complaint. I don't remember which map it actually is, but there's one with a left path out of spawn that has no warning or barricade, it just drops off a cliff where the upper level looks like it drops to a lower level until you drop down and realize it drops off the map. They just need to add one of those little barriers to warn you the path ends, because the perspective as you're coming down always looks like you're going to drop to a lower level. I end up taking the left path 60% of the time, and I drop off that edge 90% of the time when I do...

And yeah, Mahi Mahi is a mess and no longer resmbles what was fun about Mahi Mahi. But look on the bright side. Moray Towers is gone!

It's Scorch; I vividly remember doing that exact thing three times in a row in one match. In my defense beer was involved, though.