Going into sequels without playing previous games can be daunting for new players. For anyone who enjoys a good story in their games, going into a game blind without knowing the lore and background information for what is happening can ruin the experience. Is this the case with Splatoon 3? Do you need to play Splatoon 1 and 2 to understand the Return of the Mammalians story?
Related: When does Splatoon 3 take place? Timeline explained
Should you play Splatoon 1 and 2 before playing Splatoon 3 Return of the Mammalians?
There is not a lot of information you need to know to understand Splatoon 3 because it is taking place in a new location against a new threat, and most of the important things to know are introduced in the game here. There are returning characters that you can learn about more in Agents 1, 2, 3, and Cuttlefish, but if you really want to. There is not much to Agents 1, 2, 3, and Cuttlefish stories in the previous games. They are just side characters there to lead you through the game.
If you haven’t played any of the previous Splatoon games and want to know what happens, we recommend taking a quick internet search for either the cutscenes or a breakdown of everything. None of these games have a dense narrative, so we wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to get a Wii U to play the first game, and putting the money down for the sequel on Switch is not really worth it either since Splatoon 3 essentially makes it a pointless purchase with so much carrying over into the new game.
If you want to, you can play the previous Splatoon games, but neither experience is needed to enjoy Splatoon 3. Don’t waste your time or money trying to learn about a story that is not much to write home about, to begin with.
