The new season redesigns a good chunk of the map, adds a new "chrome" mechanic that allows you to walk through walls, removed the most disliked weapon (charge SMG), and has Gwen from Marvel's Spiderverse as a nice crossover battle pass skin.

New locations on the right side of the map include Lustrous Lagoon, Herald’s Sanctum, Shimmering Shrine, Fort Jonesy, and Cloudy Condos which have mostly been old locations now infected with chrome. You can also find new hot air balloons around the map. Meanwhile on the left side the Reality Tree is dying and the purple tree forest is now a more normal fall colored orange area.

The new chrome mechanic is a interest twist that spices up the gameplay. There are now walls you can pass through by running into them. There's also a new item which can be found at chrome infested locations that allows you to turn yourself into chrome. Doing so let's you turn walls into chrome to be passed through and if you run while in chrome form you'll be turned into a metal pile of goo that can move around faster.

The charge SMG is one of the most disliked weapons so most are happy it is now vaulted. Additionally snipers got a buff that allow you to one shot opponents if you get a headshot.

Out of the new skins Meow Skulls and Marvel's Gwen seem to be the most well recieves. This is the first season in a while where the bonus skin isn't a crossover (previous Marvel's Prowler and Indiana Jones were bonus skins).

Overall this season is a refreshing blend of modifying the map, adding new mechanics, fixing weapon balance, and adds some nice new skins.

Edit written right after the finale event:
The final event was a bit lackluster due to being a fetch quest but I love the setting it's building up to.

If you only play the main lobby mode then Splatoon 3 will seem very similar to 2. There's differences but it's relatively the same. The same goes for Grizzco. The new bosses are nice but it's not that different. If these are the only modes you care about then this game being worth it might be debatable.

The story however is a lot better than base 2's and is about as good as Octo Expansion. The level design is well thought out, the bosses are rememberable, and the ending segments are probably my favorite story parts in any Splatoon game thus far.

I surprisingly found the new card mini game to be fun but I wish it had a online versus option rather than just against AI.

I also have some minor nitpicks like preferring 2's lobby and idles more but it's not a big deal.

Overall I'd say this is the best Splatoon but I wish it stood out just a bit more from 2 with a new majorly different mechanic, a new ranked mode, etc.

It's really cool seeing so many characters interact. The plot seemed more interesting than 1's at first but I feel like they still could've done more with it.

The gameplay of 1 is improved upon with a skill upgrade system and it now encourages you to actually mix up your attacks more. That being said it still got quite repetitive over time which made it hard to focus on playing. After getting halfway through I found myself playing a single chapter at a time because playing more than that at a time was a little boring.

Nice combat and action sequences. The sense of scale feels bigger and more detailed. I like Bayo's new design more than the previous. The costumes are also cool. I really like the references they have. Changing the ship to a Arwing is probably my favorite of the easter eggs although I am a fan of Bowser's fists too. The plot works. It adds new stuff without feeling like it's leaning on the nostalgia. Like it reused stuff but it feels fresh still. I really like endings that change how players see the other games in the series.

The Good:
It doesn't have a calendar system and a lot of social links you have to keep track of constantly. It's very simple, straight forward, and let's you do everything at your own pace. I also like the use of anime cutscenes.

The Bad:
The gameplay aged poorly and I didn't really feel attached to the characters.

The good:
The art style is unique and it has good graphics for what is essential a random side project game. I like how you unlock a Pokémon music level for completing some worlds.

The neutral:
The gameplay is simple and the music is kinda average for rhythm game standards. The story ... exists. It's extremely basic but works. It hits most of the basic necessities. Nothing crazy good but not bad either.

The bad:
The boss cutscenes drag on too long. It's really annoying sometimes. The timing for left/right segments feels a little off IMO but maybe that's just me (thankfully spamming the button works tho). Also the ending is just ... there. I feel like they could've done a lot more with this.

I used to prefer the original more but I decided I'd replay this and I think I now prefer this version. I didn't appreciate all the changes the 1st time I played. Here's a list of everything I prefer about each version.

64 Pros:
• Glitches: Invincible ground pounding and BLJing lead to good fun jank like going through King Thwomp or speedrunning up stairs you shouldn't be able to get. You can also get a star in Thwomp's fortress without using the cannon.
• Controls: Movement and button lay out feel a lot better. You're not locked to 8 directions. Slopes feel less janky and you can go up some using a certain jump kick trick.
• Characters: Mario is playable from the start. You don't have to run to a room every time you want to make progression. Bowser's design looks more unique rather than super generic.
• Power Ups: You don't need to switch characters to complete the game. Mario can do anything and everything including using power ups. Has the metal and invisible power ups.
• Outside Peach's Castle: As soon as you drain the water you'll have access to the invisible power up unlocking level rather than needing to unlock Wario to do so.
• Cool Cool Mountain: The bridge doesn't make you slide.
• Jolly Roger Bay: The mist gives it a much cooler atmosphere.
• Lethal Lava Land: Slopes aren't as janky with the shell. It's easier to kill the bullies with ground pounds
• Tall Tall Mountain: Has a secret 4 corner 1 up. You can skip the slide by doing a precise jump off a ledge. Don't need Wario to get a star at the waterfall.
• Snowman's Land: The ice "sculpture" is easier. It's also easier to kill the bully with a ground pound. Red coins are an easy star.

DS Pros:
• QoL: Map on the bottom screen and visually looks better. Red Bobombs were placed around the map that'll show U where red coins are at if U talk to them. You can fast climb poles now.
• Characters: Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario have new unique movesets which spice things up. I find Yoshi and Luigi fun to play.
• Power Ups: New floating flower power ups lets Mario float around which is very helpful in some levels.
• Outside Peach's Castle: Added details like a garden gives the castle a better vibe. Also after draining the water there's now a new slope to help U get back up rather than needing to run all the way to one side to get up.
• Bobomb Battlefield: The star in the island is replaced with find multiple silver stars around the map star and a 2nd King Bobomb fight. The new fighter actually makes more sense than the original did.
• Whomp's Fortress: New land area that doesn't get in the way of the old layout at all, makes 1 jump more forgiving, and adds a new gotta go fast star. King Whomp's redesign looks good.
• Cool Cool Mountain: The baby penguin won't walk up slopes Mario can't climb so it's less annoying and a gust of wind can save you from dying at the bridge if U fall off.
• Jolly Roger Bay: New float power up makes getting the star on the cliffsides easier and less jank. You only need to open 1 chest in the ship so less risk of dying to a random guessing game after trying to get the eal out of the ship which is seemingly easier now. The eal's tail doesn't hurt you so it's easier to get the come out and play star. The cave feels more cavey and has a new star.
• Peach's room: Looks more interesting than other rooms which makes the castle feel more liveky. Also it contains a new 1 star world that plays Sunshine music. It feels like a great addition that doesn't take away from anything. It also contains a cool new spooky poison forest world with a few new stars and a completely new unique boss which you can beat to unlock Mario (who I do feel should be the default character but whatever).
• Mini Games: These are all really fun and are great collectable rewards.
• Bowser Dark World: The new power up is a alternate way to get the 2 earliest red coins but they can still be gotten the normal way. It also let's U skip a large portion of the world however not the hardest part which in my experience is the final stretch especially now that there's a new star here which involves quickly going backwards.
• Garden: There's a new 1 star world in the corner which feels like a nice extra. Also the Boo won't hit U every time U get out of Big Boo's Haunt.
• Big Boo's Haunt: 1 red coins is in a new area that requires using the new power up which makes it more diverse. The new power up can also help U get up to the 3rd floor easier which was annoying before. There's a entire new segment where you have to follow the sound of Big Boo's laugh to find a mirror where you fight him using Luigi who is stuck as your reflection. This is a super cool way to unlock Luigi. The new power up once again helps you get to the top of the roof.
• Lethal Lava Land: New power up can help traverse the map. It adds yet another way to cheese the rolling log star if you want to. The camera and platforms work much better in the volcano. The new silver star locations give U a real reason to use the shell which feels less likely to break now.
• Shifting Sand Land: The outside ledges of the pyramid are wider making them more forgiving.
• Hazy Maze Cave: You no longer need to jump off the lock ness monster's head to get to the center island. It was lowered so U can just get there by swimming through the water.
• Dire Dire Docks: The 1st segment has a small beach area and new enemies making it just slightly more interesting. The whirlpool is less annoying. There's bullet bills in the 2nd half which kinda add to the idea that it's a base for Bowser's ship.
• Wet Dry World: The new power up helps get around the top and over gate to the city area. It's easier to tell the sky box is a city.
• Tall Tall Mountain: New wind that'll help you get up faster and also a new wood path to help U get to the waterfall star area more easily.
• Tiny Huge Island: Wind is less jank. The tiny version of the island has new platforms and a tree that helps you get around a lot faster. Wiggler is 3D now and the roof of the boss room reminds me of Maple Tree way.
• Snowman's Land: Part of the map was altered slightly which I think makes it more interesting. The snowman's wind is less jank. Luigi makes getting past the water area way easier.
• Tick Tock Clock: The new platforms make it sooo much more forgiving and actually fun to play. It also feels a little more aesthetically pleasing.
• Mini Games: These are all really fun and are great collectable rewards.

A solid sequel.

Pros:
It adds more color, visual effects, has a 5 more levels than the original, levels vary a lot more, adds a new playable character, new platforms, and some bosses use unique mechanics well.

Cons:
Enemy placement still isn't the best for speedrunning and some levels are kinda annoying.