Despite being almost a decade old, Splatoon is still one of Nintendo’s newest franchises. Splatoon is where the conservative publisher introduces more experimental and modern game ideas, from streetwear fashion to multiplayer shooter progression. Splatoon 3: Side Order (part of the $24.99 Expansion Pass) is DLC (downloadable content) that adds the trendiest of gaming modes, a roguelike campaign, to the base Nintendo Switch game. From fantastic visuals to creative random elements, Side Order delivers new gameplay that's a fresh fit for Splatoon 3 fans.

Order and Chaos

Splatoon is a creative and fun shooter series, but the individual entries tend to blur together. With Side Order, Nintendo once again saves the series' most substantial, unique, and differentiating elements for a DLC expansion rather than including the content in the base release. Side Order has enough content to have been either part of the main game or spun off into a budget-priced standalone adventure.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Once you purchase Side Order, it shows up as a new, in-game location. Splatoon 3 focuses on chaos, following Team Chaos’ win in the final Splatoon 2 Splatfest. However, you quickly realize that you’re dealing with something different upon visiting the Spire of Order.

On a purely visual level, Side Order puts a hypnotic new spin on Splatoon 3’s already fantastic style. The game celebrates making a colorful mess as teams splash their paint across levels. Side Order, on the other hand, wants you to digitize and drain color from the world. So everything, including the architecture and paint, is stark and monochrome. It’s like an anime set inside an evil Apple Store.

If you're into Splatoon’s surprisingly dense lore, you'll be pleased by what Side Order teases. Like Octo Expansion, Side Order gives starring roles to spunky musicians Marina and Pearl. You’ll learn more about the villainous (or misunderstood) Octoling race and even take the battle into the virtual realm, Matrix-style. Side Order's storytelling and roguelike mechanics don’t reach Hades’ heights, but it ups the character and personality that gives Splatoon so much charm.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Climbing the Tower

Like other recently released, high-profile titles, Side Order adds roguelike gameplay. Your goal is to reach the top of a tower by completing 30 randomized floors. Fail, and you must start again. However, you’ll have opportunities to strengthen your character.

The Splatoon series naturally lends itself to this formula, as its campaigns feature bite-size, disconnected challenges. The tower simply offers an endless amount. Granted, you won’t see the same high-quality, handcrafted platforming sequences. Still, Side Order’s varied generated levels are entertaining. 

Sometimes you must escort a payload to its destination. Other levels require you to blast giant billiard balls. Concepts taken from Splatoon's multiplayer modes, like controlling territory, reappear. Even with the more straightforward objectives (like destroying enemy portals), Splatoon’s unique, ink-based shooter gameplay adds novelty you won’t find elsewhere. Sorry, Foamstars.   

(Credit: Nintendo)

One More Run

Random elements also keep you guessing. Each floor has three user-selectable stages with individual difficulty levels. But you may also encounter modifiers that enable super-aggressive enemies or reduced visibility. The randomness can also work in your favor. Whenever you complete a stage, you gain a bonus perk for the rest of the run. You can see the perks that each stage offers before beginning a run, which may help you decide where to go next. You can also use in-game currency to purchase perks at special vending machine floors.

Perks increase your movement speed, reduce cooldowns for special attacks, or turn your shots into homing missiles. You can stack these powers to create ridiculously strong builds. I had a loadout that made my ink so sticky and damaging to enemies that anything caught in it would slow to a crawl and become a sitting duck. It was perfect for stages with fast, slippery enemies.

(Credit: Nintendo)

A complete run will take about two hours, but your first few runs probably won’t be successful. Just learning the boss fight patterns takes practice. To balance matters, you gain currency after every run that you spend on permanent upgrades, such as extra lives, increased damage, and new features for your drone companion who aids you in battle. Completing runs with different weapons unlocks new bonuses, encouraging you to branch out beyond your most comfortable playstyle.

As a spin-off experience, Side Order has an impressive amount of bespoke content. And each thrilling, action-packed level is so short (usually less than two minutes in length) that it’s incredibly easy to make just one more run. Still, repetition eventually sinks in as it does with any roguelike. If you’re particularly sensitive to that and don’t enjoy Splatoon’s overall gameplay enough to make up the difference, Side Order won’t change your mind. 

Verdict: Side Order Is an Excellent Expansion

After a trilogy of awesome but overly similar games, Side Order is a breath of fresh air. The DLC's successful marriage of Splatoon 3 gameplay and random roguelike progression proves there are still fun and fascinating new places to take the squid kids. Side Order is an inventive expansion for Splatoon 3 fans, and a worthwhile campaign in its own right. For in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel.