This review contains spoilers
All around, Side Order seems to be a fine enough entry to the Splatoon series as a smaller campaign DLC, but Octo Expansion has left very, very big shoes to fill. So much so, that the main campaign of S3 tried to imitate its gameplay formula in adoration.
In comparison to it, Side Order feels like a half-baked but earnest attempt at something different.
I was excited going into this, as I am a huge fan of the roguelike/roguelite genre, and likewise as a fan of those, Side Order disappointed me.
There is very little variety in the way of gameplay missions, and each run feels mostly the same; it's a problem a lot of games like this struggle with, along with carrying a story, but in recent times we have seen games that break through this barrier and go above and beyond this limiting design.
In more recent memory, Hades has surprised everyone with its brilliant gameplay fused together with its lovingly crafted story flawlessly interwoven into its very core; it's a masterful execution, and one that people will be sure to remember for years to come.
With Side Order, the story here starts out promising and is left being drip-fed throughout the elevator scenes, where characters interact. It's nice, but at the end of the day, nothing substantial. There are very little cutscenes too.
The narrative takes a nose dive once the villain, Smollusk, is introduced masquerading as "Order". He turns out to be nothing more than a nuisance in the end, rather than a real threat, which feels baffling and tone deaf considering how the character was represented earlier before we saw anything of it.
Most of the post-game story (that is, after completing your 1st run) is handed to you in the form of blog entries, including the "true ending" that can be obtained by completing the Spire with all palettes.
I was sad to find out there wasn't even a cutscene or secret boss fight waiting for me.
Side Order is very by-the-book in terms of gameplay, the main appeal here is really the novelty of it being Splatoon-themed.
I do appreciate the inclusion of variables that make the challenges harder or give you a bonus, however.
Although, overall, if you've ever played a roguelike/roguelite before, this will feel very basic.
I do think somewhere in here, there's a good concept that hasn't been properly fleshed out, and kind of feels like it was trimmed down in development to something more "doable".
Despite that, I do commend them for trying something new, and Pearl and Marina are a joy to behold whenever they're on the screen.
The visuals are great, even though the clinical off-white design of the inside of the Spire gets stale after a while. I like the design of the final boss, too.
It's not a bad time, by any means. I just wish it was better.
In comparison to it, Side Order feels like a half-baked but earnest attempt at something different.
I was excited going into this, as I am a huge fan of the roguelike/roguelite genre, and likewise as a fan of those, Side Order disappointed me.
There is very little variety in the way of gameplay missions, and each run feels mostly the same; it's a problem a lot of games like this struggle with, along with carrying a story, but in recent times we have seen games that break through this barrier and go above and beyond this limiting design.
In more recent memory, Hades has surprised everyone with its brilliant gameplay fused together with its lovingly crafted story flawlessly interwoven into its very core; it's a masterful execution, and one that people will be sure to remember for years to come.
With Side Order, the story here starts out promising and is left being drip-fed throughout the elevator scenes, where characters interact. It's nice, but at the end of the day, nothing substantial. There are very little cutscenes too.
The narrative takes a nose dive once the villain, Smollusk, is introduced masquerading as "Order". He turns out to be nothing more than a nuisance in the end, rather than a real threat, which feels baffling and tone deaf considering how the character was represented earlier before we saw anything of it.
Most of the post-game story (that is, after completing your 1st run) is handed to you in the form of blog entries, including the "true ending" that can be obtained by completing the Spire with all palettes.
I was sad to find out there wasn't even a cutscene or secret boss fight waiting for me.
Side Order is very by-the-book in terms of gameplay, the main appeal here is really the novelty of it being Splatoon-themed.
I do appreciate the inclusion of variables that make the challenges harder or give you a bonus, however.
Although, overall, if you've ever played a roguelike/roguelite before, this will feel very basic.
I do think somewhere in here, there's a good concept that hasn't been properly fleshed out, and kind of feels like it was trimmed down in development to something more "doable".
Despite that, I do commend them for trying something new, and Pearl and Marina are a joy to behold whenever they're on the screen.
The visuals are great, even though the clinical off-white design of the inside of the Spire gets stale after a while. I like the design of the final boss, too.
It's not a bad time, by any means. I just wish it was better.