Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass (DLC)

Let me be straight with you: if you bought this pass on day one expecting both waves to land at once, Wave 1 was basically a pre-order bonus dressed as DLC. Inkopolis Plaza is a returning hub from the original Splatoon, brought back with updated shopkeepers and Squid Sisters Splatfest performances. It is fine nostalgia. It is not worth $25 on its own. The real reason to own this pass is Side Order, which dropped as Wave 2 in February 2024 and completely changes the energy. Side Order is a roguelite single-player campaign where you play as Agent 8, an Octoling who wakes up in a drained, greyscale version of Inkopolis Square with Pearl - now a drone, because apparently that is a thing - guiding you up the Spire of Order. The tower randomizes its floor layout on every attempt, so each run feels structurally different even if the individual challenge types can start to blur after a while. The progression hook is solid: you collect color chips per run to stack abilities and modify your weapon palette, then spend Prlz (yes, pronounced "pearlz") on permanent upgrades that carry forward and make future runs more manageable. It is the kind of loop that pulls you back for "one more run" more than you expect. The shooter feel carries over cleanly from the base game. You are still working with Splatoon's core ink mechanics, but the monochrome, almost dystopian environment strips away the visual noise and actually makes you think more tactically about coverage and positioning. The Pearl Drone adds an assist layer in combat that is well-integrated rather than feeling like a tutorial crutch. Weapon variety, however, is a real limitation: Side Order locks you to vanilla versions of each weapon class, so if you came from the Octo Expansion hoping to experiment across sub-weapons and specials the way that DLC let you, this is a step back. Boss fights also got flagged by reviewers as repetitive, and the difficulty curve front-loads the easier runs in a way that can make the experience feel inconsistent - it gets properly hard toward the top floors, but the early climbs feel almost too forgiving. For the online-first crowd, both Inkopolis and the gear unlocked through Side Order carry back into Turf War and Anarchy Battle, so there is a tangible multiplayer payoff if you grind through the Spire. The Tableturf Battle Dojo also gains new rivals from both waves, including Pearl, Marina, and Acht. Small additions, but they add up. If Splatoon 3's online is still your main thing, this pass gives your loadout some fresh cosmetic and gear options while the roguelite side scratches a different itch entirely. Bottom line: Wave 1 is filler, Wave 2 is the actual product. Side Order is a genuinely interesting experiment - Splatoon mechanics inside a roguelite wrapper, with a darker visual identity and a story that rewards series veterans. It does not replace ranked. It will not fix your aim. But for a shooter DLC aimed at solo players, it holds up better than most.

Fred · Scout Team

Shooters

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