The gaming industry dances to the tune of customization these days, with many franchises providing previously unseen aesthetic options for gamers.Splatoon 3is already at the forefront of this progressive train. For instance, the game removed the gender lines of hairstyles and allowed players to express themselves in a gender-fluid environment. Now more than ever, customization options hold sway in the gaming industry, and franchises must update these options frequently to satisfy their fans.Splatoon 3is heeding the call, with Nintendo intending to add a catalog of new cosmetic items every three months for the next two years, and the franchise could benefit from implementing weapon skins similar toCall of Duty’s Prestige Weapons.
Call of Dutyis one of the pioneers of the customization movement in weaponry, underscored by its recent development of theGunsmith inModern Warfare 2.Splatoon 3, on the other hand, while making decent moves to stay ahead of the modern-day customization battle, seems to be lagging on the weapons front. Currently, gamers cannot change the color of their weapons or add attachments, a feature that sticks out like a sore thumb for a shooter.Call of Dutyhas an intriguing systemSplatoon 3could draw inspiration from to answer calls for more personalized features.
RELATED:Splatoon Needs More Special Weapons with ‘Class’ Distinctions
Prestige Weapon Camos Could Be The Answer to Splatoon’s Lack of Weapon Customization
Call of Duty 4introduced gamers to a key customization component that some may take for granted: weapon camos. There were three options on offer, and each required players to meet a goal of 150 headshots to upgrade their weapon skins. Over time and in later editions, unlocking camos became cumbersome, but the franchise has corrected theseflaws inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. InModern Warfare 2, there are five camos available; Base, Gold, Platinum, Polyatomic, and Orion. Base camos are universal, meaning they can be used on all weapons once unlocked.
The other four camos are Completionist types and are only available for the specific weapons players use to unlock them.Base camos inModern Warfare 2are unlocked when a player completes a set of challenges upon leveling up a weapon. Gold camo challenges become available once the base camo challenges and require the player to make a certain number of kills without dying a specified number of times. Platinum camo challenges can only be accessed when players unlock the Gold camo for all weapons in a weapon class. ForCall of Dutyenthusiasts, these should be relatively easy to accomplish, but it gets significantly harder from the Polyatomic camos.
These camos require the player to have the Platinum Weapon Camo on 51 different weapons as a starter, and then a challenge is unlocked for all 51 weapons to gain Polyatomic camos.Modern Warfare 2gives players a break on completion of the Polyatomic camos tasks by gifting them the Orion camo without any extra challenge since they have displayed adequate mastery of the game. Despite the innovation in weapon camo progression, some players have been left dissatisfied with the ultimate reward due to its slow animation speed and have called for achange in the Orion camo.
Weapon camos serve as a badge of distinction and prestige, visually conveying the message of a player’s competence and skill.Splatoon 3could take the idea of a weapon progression system and make specific weapon skins available when players accomplish a set of tasks. Taking a leaf fromCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, these tasks can get progressively more difficult for players to attain – the rarer the weapon skin, the more elite the player should be. Adding a challenge-based customization feature would enhance thecompetitive nature ofSplatoon 3, as gamers have more motivation to become known as elite players. An Orion camo can strike fear into the hearts ofModern Warfare 2players in the multiplayer mode, andSplatoon 3could harness this in its signature Squid-like fashion.
Splatoon 3is available now on Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Splatoon 3’s Mission Structure Could Anchor a Great Custom Level Editor
