Review of Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC: Oh Squid
Our Verdict
The Side Order expansion adds a hefty challenge with plenty of replayability, thanks to different weapons, buffs, and randomized item drops. There's also a good amount of lore to uncover as you defeat bosses and fight through floor after floor of mayhem in a roguelike setting.
We're heading to Inkopolis Square to face the Spire of Order. Since the Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC released, I've been having a great time exploring the levels and experimenting with different weapon combinations.
I should start by saying that this isn't your typical Splatoon single-player location. Since this is a roguelike, you enter, give it your all, and if you die, you have to start again from the beginning. A roguelike is not my thing. I'm not skilled at them. Though I have had my a** handed to me more than once, I am really enjoying myself while playing Side Order.
However, you may purchase hacks from Marina to somewhat lessen the challenge, and as you get used to the functions of each level, weapon, and kind of chip, ascending the Spire will become simpler. But I'll talk about it more later.
You are Agent 8, that is, the same Agent 8 that battled through the Octo Expansion of Splatoon 2, and you most certainly deserve a vacation by now. You board the train to Inkopolis Square as this new October arrives, where odd things are happening—or should we say, a-fin?
Everything has been bleached. White sand covers the land, and creatures that resemble creatures in the deep water may be seen everywhere. When you awaken, Pearl is chatting to you, but she's really a drone. She informs you that Marina has left and that you must locate her. We discover that in the Memverse, a virtual reality replica of the square where fragments of our companions are trapped, "order" has indeed taken over. We must assist.
This is where the struggle begins: you board the elevator that takes you floor by floor to the top, and you go inside what was once the Deca Tower but is now experiencing some kind of architectural disaster. However, as soon as you enter, you recognize Acht, better known online as Dedf1ish, a musician who was part of the Octo Expansion. It turns out that they are also attempting to locate Marina and resolve the issue, but they fled to the elevator when things became too intense.
Acht explains everything with Pearl in tow. Every level has three challenge choices that you may choose from to accomplish. Once you finish them, you can use the Membux you earn for upgrades and a color chip that matches the color scheme of your current weapon. Don't become too attached since you only retain things for the run you're presently on. But at the end, everything is transformed into Prlz that you can spend with Marina to purchase new equipment hacks.
What then is the difficulty in the Spire? Alright. There is a wide variety of obstacles that vary in complexity from simple to hard, such as single-player splat zones, pursuing adversaries on wheels, destroying several portals, and directing a tower to its intended location.There are many various maps available, some of which are more difficult than others. I'm referring to the difficult splat zones that are located on two impassable platforms, with adversaries spawning in between and the only way to go around them is by utilizing short ink rails. I died at least twice on this level.You encounter a boss every nine levels. A boss that completely doesn't rinse your armor and lives who is also pleasant to look at and listen to. If you're a good player, it probably doesn't, but my goal is to have fun here, not stay long. A collection of robotic octolings challenge you to a game of turf war; however, you're alone, so good luck. Another one is formed like a massive metal spinning top that shoots you if you get caught in the searchlight and shouts at you.After defeating these monsters, you'll get a key that you may use to open the lockers in front of the Spire and take advantage of some great items like more palettes, or new weapons to test. There are a total of 12 to find, and to get one, you must complete the other 11 first. Although I doubt I'll ever get there, knowing that is still helpful.I've only climbed level 24 of the tower so far, and that was on my very first attempt. Since then, I've been unable to reach anywhere close to that point. Why? Since everything depends on the chips you get and the stages that are available to you. Even before I reach level 10, I often find myself having to choose between three difficult levels at once, and none of them seem very good. However, some of the simple levels seem tougher than their name implies, and I've cleared challenging stages quickly because they're not as hard as I thought they would be—or maybe I was just fortunate.Whether roguelike or not, this DLC offers a lot of obstacles that you may tailor to your preferences, although it's not nearly as brutal as the Octo Expansion. Because you can access Marina's development journals, it also includes a wonderful bit of backstory. Although I haven't personally visited the location, I've been told that the last boss battle is satisfyingly challenging. Maybe I'll reach the top of the tower someday.It may not be for you if you're not like roguelikes, but it's still a lot of fun to give anything else than multiplayer ink-slinging a go. The Side Order DLC offers endless replayability, or you may use it as a one-time challenge for your Agent 8.Not sure which palette to use for the Side Order? If you'd like, we have a guide with all the important details as well as a summary of all the Side Order rewards.