With Splatoon 3's Fresh Season comes another attempt at hosting Big Run. The first Big Run event took place in December 2022 alongside the launch of Chill Season, well after being teased in the game's original marketing. In essence, Big Run is the equivalent of a Splatfest for the PvE mode Salmon Run, bringing Salmonid invasions to typical multiplayer maps where players compete to win statues based on the headlining King Salmonid. Fresh Season introduces a new King, Horrorboros, which continues a long-standing pattern of Splatoon bosses turning mechanics against the player.
Until now the only King Salmonid in Splatoon 3 has been Cohozuna, the Godzilla-esque iteration of Cohock enemies that appears in promotional material for Salmon Run Next Wave. While Cohozuna always has a chance to appear in Salmon Run's Xtrawave for players who fill their Salmometer by playing enough matches, the giveaway statue for Wahoo World's Big Run suggested it was the main draw. Now a Horrorboros statue is being provided to those who take part in this weekend's event on Inkblot Art Academy, suggesting a new boss may headline all Big Runs from here on out. If so, Nintendo has a lot of mechanics to keep designing antagonists around.
Splatoon's Salmon Run Bosses Pull From Players' Arsenal
Salmon Run matches revolve around collecting Golden Eggs by defeating various Boss Salmonid that appear with increasing frequency. Each boss has its own gimmick that can lead to chaotic rounds when combined, especially as teams of four have to deal with waves of "basic" Salmonid like Smallfry, Chum, and Cohocks. The Boss Salmonid (not counting those from special waves) can be split into two categories: those based on general mechanics, and those based on Special Weapons.
In terms of general mechanics, Boss Salmonid like Maws, Scrapper, Fish Stick, and Flipper-Flopper cover basic maneuvers that players learn through story mode and Turf War matches. Maws can travel through the floor like an Inkling or Octoling, for example, and is easily defeated with a well-placed bomb akin to The Legend of Zelda's Dodongo. Meanwhile, Scrapper can only be killed from behind thanks to its shielded car, Fish Stick requires players to climb a wall, and Flipper-Flopper has a zone to cover like the King of the Hill-styled Splat Zones mode.
Just about every other Boss Salmonid mimics a Special Weapon. Steelheads launch Booyah Bomb projectiles, Flyfish shoot Tenta Missiles, Stingers act like a single-segment Killer Wail (or Splatoon 2's Sting Ray), Drizzler puts out a raining Ink Storm, and Big Shot's cannonballs emit Wave Breaker attacks. Steel Eel is more based on the Splash Wall sub-weapon that creates impassible barriers, but in concept better fits with this second category.
The King Salmonid Pattern Fits Splatoon 3 Perfectly
Both King Salmonid released thus far similarly turn Splatoon 3's mechanics against the player, making them easier to understand in practice. Cohozuna is a lumbering target, one that can simply lay flat on its belly to defeat someone. However, its signature move is to leap in the air and target a larger zone across the map; mimicking the Splashdown. Horrorboros is more of a serpentine dragon that rises from the water and circles around the stage, charging Booyah Bomb projectiles in its gaping maw. Like with Steelheads, players can pop this bomb to deal extra damage.
Even though Horrorboros copies the Special Weapon gimmick of a lesser Boss Salmonid, there are plenty of unique weapons across all three Splatoon installments that could inspire equally impressive King Salmonid. Fresh Season in Splatoon 3 introduces two that are rife for iteration: Super Chump, which launches a barrage of explosive decoys that copy the Super Jump interface; and Kraken Royale, a returning special from the original Splatoon that breaches out of the ink like a whale. Between these mechanics and more, Splatoon 3 can introduce new King Salmonid well into its DLC lifespan.
Splatoon 3 is available now for Nintendo Switch.