The Splatoon series has always incorporated creative level design into its single-player campaigns. Splatoon 3 is no different offering players a variety of puzzle-platformer challenges that take advantage of the various weapons and abilities within the game. Some of the most unique levels in Splatoon 3 are those that take advantage of the Zipcaster and challenge the player to zip from wall to wall in order to reach the goal. Making the player feel like Spider-Man, these levels offer a fun twist on the typical inking gameplay of Splatoon and set a series high for creativity in their design.
The Zipcaster is a Special Weapon in Splatoon 3, but makes its appearance in the single-player campaign with unlimited uses for the levels it's featured in. The Zipcaster functions similarly to the Double Clawshot from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in that it allows one to grapple to a surface and hang there while aiming a second shot at another surface. It can be a tough Special Weapon for players to master, so getting an opportunity to use it outside online multiplayer is a great way to get accustomed to it. Players will find these levels scattered throughout Alterna, with each offering its own variation on the use of the Zipcaster.
The Zipcaster Levels Demonstrate the Series' Creativity in its Level Design
The first level utilizing the Zipcaster players will encounter is "Zip, Splat, and Jump" found on Site 1: Future Utopia Island of Alterna. This level has players use the Zipcaster—along with the Splattershot—to make their way over a series of walls and past groups of enemies, culminating in a climb from pillar to pillar that gives Spider-Man's web-slinging a run for its money. This level is a great introduction to the Zipcaster because it establishes what surfaces the player can and can't grapple to while showing off its Double Clawshot-like capabilities.
Players won't encounter a Zipcaster level again until they reach Site 5: Eco-Forest Treehills where there are two levels featuring the Special Weapon. The first—entitled "Zipping over the Neighborhood"—has players zipping past enemies and using the Octobrush Main Weapon to take them out. This level helps demonstrate how Zipcasters can be used in online play to eliminate enemies. Later on, "Simply Zipcastic" gives players the opportunity for the ultimate Spider-Man speedrun fantasy as they use the Zipcaster in conjunction with speed boost ramps to make their way up a giant tower. This level acts as a test for players' Zipcasting skills before the Zipcaster is used during the campaign's climax to climb the rocket during "The Spirit Lifter: First Class".
How an Octo Expansion-like DLC Could Build Upon these Levels
Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC was an excellent addition to the base game that added loads of new levels within a brand new single-player campaign. Fans of the series are hoping Splatoon 3 receives the same type of DLC and the host of new and challenging levels that would come with it. If Splatoon 3 does receive an expansion of the same caliber as the Octo Expansion, it would be a great opportunity to build upon the Zipcaster levels introduced in the base game. Having conquered those levels in Alterna, adding new, more challenging variations to a DLC expansion would give fans the chance to further test their Zipcaster skills.
One way a DLC could expand upon Splatoon 3's level design would be to add a time limit to a level where player must use the Zipcaster to traverse the level before time runs out. Other levels in the base game had time limits, but none ever involving the Zipcaster had such constraints. Another option would be to challenge the player's knowledge of surfaces the Zipcaster can grapple to by creating a maze of surfaces with only some being usable with the Zipcaster. There is a lot of potential for innovative ways to iterate upon the fundamentals of using the Zipcaster established in the base game that would add to the interesting designs these types of levels create.
Splatoon 3 is available now for Nintendo Switch.