Sometimes you forget just how many good games Nintendo Switch has. And, more to the point, just how polished the best first-party Nintendo titles can be. That is, until a new piece of DLC lands, throwing the spotlight back on to one of those S-Tier Switch titles once again. This time, it’s the roguelike Splatoon 3: Side Order, a bit of a left turn for the franchise.

The second part of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass (priced at €24.99/£22.49/US$24.99), Splatoon 3: Side Order, picks up story threads last seen in the series some five years ago in the Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion.

Art of Splat

In Splatoon 3: Side Order, you play as Agent 8, who wakes up in a virtual world called the Memverse. Which, if you are up to date on you Splatoon lore, is what the Splatlands would have looked like if Team Order had won a universe-changing Splatfest.

You traipse procedurally generated and mostly monochrome areas, bringing colour back, one splash at a time.

Before you are transported there, you hear of a strange phenomenon occurring in Inkopolis Square, with some inhabitants losing energy and appearing to stand around mindlessly.

But it turns out its all linked and you along with a few old friends have to team up to get to the bottom of what’s going on in this monochromatic almost haunting world.

Gameplay sees an interesting switch from the action-packed thrills of the series multiplayer roots, to a single-player offering. Side Order is basically roguelite Splatoon, but done extremely well.

In Splatoon 3: Side Order, you battle through a number of semi-random levels, with a limited pool of lives. And if you lose all of your lives, you head back to the beginning to do it all over again.

Colour Chip Upgrades

Each run also grants you ‘Colour Chips’. Colour Chips unlock new skills, powers and goodies to make the next attempt that little bit easier going.

It’s a well-used genre and actually a surprisingly good fit to Splatoon’s unique brand of ink-based combat. Side Order starts out easy going and somewhat basic, but within a few floors the game will ramp things up BIG time. By the time you’ve learned the ropes, you’ll be faced with a real challenge.

Loop Evolution

You may find your first run is quick to complete, but that’s likely because you picked a weapon you are used to using. Splatoon 3: Side Order really wants you to complete the tower run with all twelve weapons, or as the game calls them ‘palettes’, in your arsenal.

Splatoon 3: Side Order offers a fun and solid gameplay loop. One that becomes rewarding once you start playing with your loadouts and skills – which adds a wild number of options to how you can and will complete a run.

However, Splatoon 3: Side Order features limited number of objectives to tackle on each floor as there are only 5 types which will see floor layouts reused as well at times, with some objectives only being playable on set layouts it seems.

Though you’ll get to battle a boss every ten floors with the big bad being on the 30th floor. Splatoon 3: Side Order‘s boss battles hold some of the best combat in the game, but there are only three in the game. You’ll likely grow tired of whomping the three after a few goes, which limits the replayability.

Danger Worlds

There are also danger floors that add a bit of spice to things. And you’ll have to face these enhanced hazards at some point during each playthrough.

Splatoon 1 2 3 Side Order Expansion Pass

These levels tack on modifiers, like the level being covered in enemy ink, or steeped in darkness. They force you out of your comfort zone, and can require some thought to escape. You can also end up with more than one modifying effect active at the same time, which makes for some challenging scenarios.

Badges of Quality

Visually, Splatoon 3: Side Order is striking departure from the colourful and joyful base game. The world you visit is monochromatic, bar a few red highlights to pick out detail on enemies. It’s up to you to bring the colour back in the most glorious of ways.

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The muted monochrome and the clean futuristic look of the levels are quite striking, as well as thematic. When you enter a so-far-unsplatted area, the black, grey and white offer a beautiful contrast to the barrage of colour when it inevitably begins.

The audio of Splatoon 3: Side Order is also outstanding. The soundtrack delivers more upbeat, and sometimes anxiety-filled themes, across its light-hearted and squidgy soundscape.

Splatoon 3: Side Order is an excellent addition to an already brilliant title to make it an even more complete package. As well as offering something totally different to the main game, Side Order is an addictive mode. It’s a little light on variety, but Side Order has that ‘just one more go’ hook that makes roguelite titles so compelling.

And then there’s the price. The Expansion Pass costs €24.99/£22.49/US$24.99, and Splatoon 3: Side Order covers this cost alone, never mind the rest of the Pass’s content.