If you’ve done all there is to do in the multiplayer part of Splatoon 3, have gotten bored of it, or just fancy partaking in some singleplayer content, Side Order has you covered. It packs brilliant story content, stunning visuals and gameplay that’ll keep you hungry for more even when you’ve rolled the credits.
Side Order is an expansion than Splatoon 3 fans shouldn't overlook: the roguelite format drastically improves how to enjoy Splatoon's single player content. Well balanced, progression is satisfactory without being frustrating, although you'll have to adapt to the change. Lots of replay value, even if it feels a bit short.
Splatoon 3: Side Order is a worthwhile DLC complementing excellently the main game. It could include a bit more variety in its objectives and levels, nevertheless, its great visuals and fun gameplay will surely be appreciated by fans of the game.
With already excellent weapon variety and intense combat, Splatoon 3 is a perfect fit for a roguelite game mode. Side Order’s outstanding new enemies and powerful set of abilities result in the craziest combat power trips Splatoon has ever seen. It does occasionally stumble when implementing its roguelite elements, leading to some repetitive boss fights and poor pacing. But even with those issues, this DLC is still a blast. Add in another stellar soundtrack and a distinct style that sets it apart from the rest of the series, and Side Order is a worthwhile stop at the Splatoon 3 buffet.
This expansion successfully blends the fun of synergy through enhancements of the roguelite genre with the unique action of the Splatoon series. It does lack volume, and it doesn’t offer the player enough opportunities to show off the enhancements they made. The art and sound design are stellar as always, but its presentation falls short and the story is not much more than a sequel to the events of Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion.
Another fun piece of Splatoon single-player DLC, with an interesting mix of third person shooter and roguelike that would’ve been much better as the main story mode from the start.
A bold, solid attempt at twisting up the basic Splatoon concept that falls short of Nintendo's previous efforts. The first run or two up are fun, but get repetitive very quickly. Nintendo repeats the annoying trick of forcing the player to prove mastery with multiple weapons to progress. However, once you've pushed through this valley, the campaign oddly starts to get fun again, only now the fun comes from coming up with your own challenge runs/weapon builds.
The story is lacklustre, especially compared to 2's DLC. The bosses are the worst we've seen in Splatoon so far: too easy to pose a genuine threat but frustratingly time-consuming. The difficulty is not well-calibrated and the incentive to voluntarily take on more challenge is not tantalising enough (at least until the stage where you've exhausted the in-game rewards and are just messing around).
This review reads more negatively than my actual experience - although there are a lot of problems, I still had a great time overall, which goes to show the quality of Splatoon's core experience.
Spoiler Free TL:DR is I like it, but I feel it's **** you want my full thoughts they are below but be warned.
Side Order, or as Nintendo creatively calls it in their credits "Expansion Pass" , is a first in the Splatoon series, a Rouge Like DLC, with a tower that is 30 levels deep. Where as are you climb, you'll get random power ups and buffs, upgrading yourself and the Pearl Drone (best feature in the whole DLC) as you climb.
The way the game is laid out is exactly like Octo Expansion, but gone are the tailored made levels. And in are a gauntlet of battle arena's and challenge missions, usually culminating in a handful of repeating mission types of your choice.
As a game mode it's a perfect mix of challenge and randomness that makes each climb fun. It fits perfectly into Splatoon's post-apocalyptic and dystopian aesthetic. And with the weapon variety and unlocks, there's a lot of replay value. A Lot more than Octo Expansion.
But if I am perfectly honest, while I do like Side Order and the content it has on offer. And I personally feel it's well worth the price. For some reason it feel unfinished.
I don't know if it's how often the same 2 or 3 levels get repeated. The fact that there is only a handful of game modes. Or the lack of enemy and boss variety. It just feels like the devs made a good first part ****, and said that's good enough, and shipped it.
After my 3rd or 5th run on the tower I was actively looking for the ??? levels since it was something new. But even then what I did was the same across the board. And it made me think back to Octo Expansion, from the creative level designs, grind rail challenges, 3D Picross levels, that made me yearn for something a little more.
I don't think it's fair to judge Side Order to Octo Expansion, they are two completely different beast. And with Splatoon 3's signal player campaign I can see why Nintendo felt they needed to do something different.
I just feel that this game at a bare minimum needs some extra enemies, bosses and floors, especially on the lower levels, to make it feel a little more complete.
As it is I feel it's like 85% done, and it needs a little more to go from being a fun experience to an excellent one. This is defiantly worth getting if you already have Splatoon 3, but unlike Octo, I don't think it's worth getting Splatoon 3 for this expansion.
Somewhat disappointed with this DLC. The objectives quickly become very repetitive, and identical stages started appearing a couple runs in. As a roguelite, the length is supposed to come from dying and repetition but frankly the game is so easy that beating it won't take long. You can easily beat this on your first attempt if you get lucky with your choices which is very uncharacteristic for a roguelite.
The story, without spoiling too much, sadly was also a letdown. The initial trailer was so mysterious and intriguing, but the actual plot ended up being extremely generic and safe. I was expecting a twist or something, but even after beating the campaign with every weapon - nothing. Not even a secret ultra hard final boss or anything.
There are still positives. The style, presentation and music are all top notch as you'd expect from Splatoon. I find the act of moving around and using different weapons just intrinsically fun so I can't say I hated it. There is an addicting quality to trying to complete everything after the credits roll so getting your money's worth is possible. I must also applaud the devs for wanting to try something new and different.
But in the end, for $25, this is a little hard to recommend. There are much better roguelites out there for less. Octo Expansion costs less too despite obviously being better.
The Story of the splatoon 3 side order dlc is just too short. You can just climb up the tower two times and thats it, you beated it. It has that reply value, but that is not an excuse to make it so short. Honestly, when u die at like floor 26 you just dont want to keep playing. Its just frustrating. And the Difficulty is increased by SPAMING ENEMYS. Ist just spaming. That could also be a Hack of a fan
SummaryChallenge yourself to a new single-player campaign, Side Order! As Agent 8, you wake up to discover Inkopolis Square has been drained of color and its residents have gone missing. Looming over the city is the ominous Spire of Order. Alongside a drone who claims to be Off the Hook member Pearl, Agent 8 must fight off waves of enemies in f...