Game

Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass – Side Order

2024

7Score

Low Cash-Grab Risk

The sourced concerns are substantially offset by delivered value.

What counts as a cash grab?

Commercial extraction prioritized over meaningful consumer or creative value. Profit, popularity, adaptations, sequels, remakes, high budgets, and normal marketing do not count by themselves.

Why?

Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass Wave 2 Side Order launched February 22, 2024 as a paid Wave of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass and is not offered as a separate standalone purchase. Official Nintendo pages and multiple reviews describe Side Order as a new single-player roguelike with the Spire of Order, Agent 8, and a Pearl drone companion. Critical response mixed, reviewers praised the gameplay and replayability but several user and press sources criticized the perceived shortness or limited variety relative to its paid Expansion Pass context.

Wave 2 Side Order was released only as part of the paid Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass, per Nintendo product pages and support documentation.
Multiple reviews and user posts criticized Side Order for limited length or variety, raising price versus content concerns.
Press and many players nonetheless praised Side Order’s roguelike design and replayability as substantive new single-player content.

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There is no sourced evidence of predatory microtransactions, loot boxes, or deceptive sale practices for this DLC.

Score factors

Direction	Factor	Evidence	Impact
For	Sold only with Expansion Pass	Nintendo lists Side Order as Wave 2 of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass and the official store presents it as paid DLC within that pass rather than a separate product.[3][1][2]	+20
Against	New roguelike single-player content	Nintendo and reviewers describe Side Order as a fresh roguelike single-player campaign built around the Spire of Order, Agent 8, the Pearl drone companion, and persistent Hacks, indicating substantive new gameplay systems.[2][1][4]	-15
Against	Praise for gameplay and replayability	Several reviews and community posts praised Side Order’s design and replayability, comparing it favorably to prior DLC and noting it as a distinct, enjoyable roguelike experience.[4][5][6]	-14
For	Perceived reuse and hub reskin	Coverage and commentary noted Wave 1’s Inkopolis hub felt like a simple return or reskin and some observers treated that as evidence of minimal additional content around the Expansion Pass structure.[7][8]	+13
For	Criticism of price relative to content	User reviews and several press pieces reported that Side Order felt short or limited for the paid Expansion Pass context, with some players explicitly calling it not worth the asking price.[9][10][11]	+12
Against	No reported predatory monetization	Searching official pages, reviews, and community coverage produced no sourced reports of microtransactions, loot boxes, or deceptive sale mechanics tied to Side Order beyond its paid Expansion Pass sale.[1][3][12]	-9

Confidence: High · Official Nintendo documentation and multiple independent reviews and user reports provide direct evidence about release format, content and reception, though internal sales data and developer intent are not publicly disclosed. · Researched 2026-08-30

Sources reviewed

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