Splatoon 3: Side Order review – An excellent entree good enough to be a main

Nintendo has finally released the Splatoon 3: Side Order DLC and this single-player expansion takes some cues from Hades, Dead Cells, and more, to offer a sizzling side that's seriously fun. Splatoon works best as a multiplayer game. Nintendo's take on the competitive shooter has grown astronomically in popularity since its Wii U debut, and while each entry offered some sort of single-player story, the multiplayer is the best - and busiest - mode by far. That's not to say anything disparaging about the often-overlooked single-player elements of Splatoon, as Splatoon 3's main campaign is fantastic, and Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion is relatively tough but is the most satisfying Splatoon you can play on Nintendo Switch. Nevertheless, multiplayer is the heart of the series for good reason. However, in comes the recent Splatoon 3: Side Order, a single-player DLC that just might be the most fun I've ever had with Splatoon, and is a mode I sincerely hope is included in any future entry. Splatoon 3: Side Order - Key Details Price: $24.99 / £22.49 (Part of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass) Developer: Nintendo Release Date: 22 February 2024 Platforms: Nintendo Switch Get Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass on Amazon A rogue departure for the series is a prize catch The second part of Splatoon 3's Expansion Pass DLC - called Side Order - comes coupled with Inkopolis, allowing players to change the Splatoon 3 hub to match the one from the original Splatoon. Thankfully, while one-half of the DLC still has a tentacle firmly placed in the past, the Side Order DLC feels like a delicious taste of Splatoon's future, and I am already ravenous for more. Side Order is a completely separate mode that takes place in a strange new world, which also includes some fun appearances from characters introduced in previous games. What separates it however is new gameplay, your character is trying to restore free will to this world where a mysterious villain known as Order attempts to infest every corner of the land with a uniform power, denying people of their personality or choices. Order is situated at the top of a very tall tower called The Spire, and it's up to Agent 8 to try and scale it, through multiple attempts. Each attempt offers a selection of randomly generated incremental upgrades and rewards for each floor, and it's up to you to earn currency to purchase permanent powers for your continued climb up the tower. Yes, this is a rogue-like, and I'm over the moon. While Hades has you plumbing the depths of hell, here Splatoon 3 tasks you and Agent 8 with a brutal ascension up this towering skyscraper, like the video game version of Judge Dredd the world was sadly denied. Although your character looks nothing like Karl Urban. Slay the Spire Each run players choose a weapon, alongside its sub-weapons and powers, in something called a palette. Then, each floor gives you the option to choose between three different tasks out of a limited pool, separated by difficulty and their rewards. The pool of challenges is pretty slim, but with enough variety to keep things interesting. Pulling from the Splatoon 3 game modes, the tasks include defending a base for a set amount of time, moving two giant balls into specific goals, or even the occasional boss. I will say, that it feels as though there should have been a bit more variety, as on your third or fourth run up The Spire, it began to feel repetitive. Something like a quick horde mode, or even having to paint all of a level Super Mario Sunshine-style. Whether you choose Easy, Normal, Hard, or Rigorous, you're confronted with a new type of enemy called the Jelleton, a particularly silly foe that looks like a fish skeleton encased in a layer of black slime. While silly, they aren't mindless, and the amount of Jelleton as well as their different abilities can quickly overwhelm you. Different enemies like the Marching Andante or the Gushing Trionfale all pose a unique threat, with some simply swarming you much like the Salmonids in Salmon Run, while others bounce around the stage, chase you like a homing missile, or fly across the stage spouting their crude oil-like slime. This is just pure, fun, Splatoon action, presented in an almost endless fashion and with some series-best music to help keep the adrenaline pumping through your veins. The roguelike thrill of trying desperately to hold onto the powers of a lucky run is just incredible, and thankfully, even in death your prize money gets converted to currency to spend on permanent powers when you return. Now, this all sounds like a roguelike so far, and a lot like Splatoon. But while I appreciate this is a departure from Splatoon and I like this mode, perhaps its biggest flaw is the fact this isn't its own game. There is quite a lot of nuance to be found, especially as you ascend the tower and combine your color chips to fill out your palette. But there just isn't that much content here, and anyone hoping for the sort of endlessly fulfilling roguelike content of something like Dead Cells is going to be disappointed. Unfortunately, this first foray into the murky waters of a roguelike for Nintendo does ultimately feel a bit shallow. Thankfully, what is here is engaging, addictive, and presented with a level of polish that's impressive even for Splatoon. A dish best served alone Considering the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass costs just over $20, and includes some other content alongside the Side Order mode, this is a pretty impressive addition to Splatoon 3 that pads out the package to deliver what is the best entry yet. The quick-fire nature of the missions on each floor of The Spire works so well for Splatoon, better speeding up the process than the occasionally cumbersome trek through an overworld that defined past single-player modes. Jumping quickly from floor to floor, making decisions to better power up your character, and working to create a specific build, this is everything I wanted Splatoon single-player to be. Especially with such tight action, pulling from Salmon Run, but with just you in charge. The powers offered by the color chips on each floor are also fascinating enhancements, with different variables such as allowing your shots to pierce through enemies, increasing the area of your blasts, making enemies take more damage when traveling through your ink, and even allowing normal movement to fill up your special gauge. Plus, as you continue your ascent, you can even earn bonuses for using color chips of one particular hue, as the different tones point towards their effects. Orange chips increase something surrounding your weapon damage, so chain them together to ignore other boosts, but gain certain advantages. While most players will likely have ascended The Spire after a few hours, you can also fill out each of the 12 palettes, with each of these offering a different weapon, sub-weapon, and special. This is where the real challenge sets in, forcing players to move away from their comfort weapon. Finally, this never-ending climb up the tower would be much more arduous if it wasn't for some fantastic music and visuals, with the clean, clinical, nature of the 'Order" threat allowing for some great new level design and ideas. The music especially is some of my favorite ever used in Splatoon, with some tracks swapping out the normal calamari-themed cacophony for some more somber, even sparse tracks, occasionally broken with a Thundercat-esque baseline or a rambunctious burst of energy coinciding with a new wave of enemies. A different side to Splatoon The Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC might be a touch too small for me, leaving me hungry for more of this dangerously addictive new mode. But, Nintendo's foray into the roguelike genre works brilliantly alongside Splatoon, making for a winning formula that almost feels like it should have been here all along. While the story itself isn't quite the grand adventure of previous Splatoon DLC, what is here is fantastic. Splatoon always feels good to play, and you can almost do so endlessly thanks to this mode. Nintendo seems to have taken some of the best lessons from recent roguelike games and made Side Order mercifully quick to navigate, a thrill to play, and also made every run count thanks to permanent powers fuelled by your winnings. My biggest criticism of Side Order is that I wish there was more, but considering the chunky price of the DLC, it's also a fair ask. With any luck, either Side Order gets padded out with an additional bit of garnish, or we're looking at the birth of Splatoon's first spin-off, and a whole new game in the future. Verdict - 4/5 Offering an impressive amount of replayability, alongside the already high-quality action that Splatoon does so well, Side Order is my favorite addition to the franchise since the beginning, and a mode I hope returns in every entry, or becomes a fleshed-out game in its own right. While lacking in the story implications of previous DLC, and perhaps a bit too shallow, the roguelike spin on Splatoon is a perfect fit for the franchise and the best single-player mode yet. If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.