This is a weird case. I wouldn’t fault anyone for saying they didn’t like this DLC. Its rooms/floors can feel repetitive, the final boss is anticlimactic and, even if it does serve the narrative, the almost completely white color scheme can feel overbearing and downright boring after a while. I also have personal issues with it, namely I think there are just a few less floors than I would like, and there should maybe be an option for playing runs that last longer than 30 floors, maybe even 50. But even acknowledging all that, this DLC is such a cool concept and the gameplay itself is so well-designed and simply enjoyable, that those issues barely matter.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure this is the first roguelike Nintendo themselves have made. And it sticks the landing quite well! The feedback loop of upgrading your gear, losing and getting permanent upgrades is a familiar but powerful formula that hasn’t lost its efficacy in Nintendo’s hands. A big issue that people also thought the DLC would have is that it looked really easy in the trailers, but that was probably just because the developers chose to mostly highlight the Easy or Normal floors. There are also Hard and Rigorous floors, as well as bonus challenges that potentially net you doubled rewards, and Danger-modified floors, which have a forced secondary challenge.

While I otherwise feel like this system of choosing your difficulty based on the current situation is quite genius, I don’t think the Danger modifier is properly implemented. It’s introduced as something that you have to tackle at least a few times per run, unless you want every selectable floor to become a Danger floor, but that never happened to me even when I purposely avoided them. Not sure if I somehow outsmarted the game, but that risk-reward system never opened up to me.

However, outside of that one small hiccup, the DLC is really fascinating, and honestly might be my favorite over Octo Expansion. Although Octo Expansion was not a bad experience by any means and it still is the best Splatoon’s story mode has been in its traditional style, I somehow enjoyed Side Order much more, and can imagine myself enjoying it for upwards of 50 hours in the future.

That’s another interesting aspect; although I recognise Octo Expansion is probably the superior overall experience, with less obvious issues and more interesting level design, Side Order’s replayability, simple fun and sheer compatibility with what the Switch is supposed to stand for might make it my favorite Splatoon mode yet. It could well be the Prime 3 of the Splatoon series: very different from what came before, clearly trying something new by focusing on a style the franchise hasn’t generally tried up to that point (for Prime 3 it was a story-heavy cinematic shooter, departing from the earlier metroidvania-y feel, and for Side Order it’s making the DLC story mode a pretty extensively replayable roguelike), and ultimately it’s my favorite in the series despite the second game’s offerings probably being objectively better.

Maybe I’m easy to please. Or maybe it’s just good game design.

i love how well this game advertises it's intentions; to be a little idle game that sits on maybe a side monitor and doesn't require all your attention, a little digital ant farm where you get to watch your little lemmings go!
although, for someone like me you literally never take your eye off your little guys and your productivity goes down the drain. terrible in that sense, but such a vibe otherwise. beautiful music, aesthetics and world.
i quite like the progression and how it ramps up, however theres not much past maybe the 10-15 hour mark, it's already been 2 days and i've already seen everything i need to see with this game, but perhaps just having a little farm on your screen is enticing enough to some people, and perhaps future updates may add more fun stuff to play with.
personally, i think what this game does wrong is the early game. you are kind of forced to interact with the game, rather than just letting the world "live" and i believe its opposes my vision for the game, which is for the world to live on without the need for my interaction (how else am i gonna be productive if im thinking about min-maxing my little farm lol). you actually do get this option later into the game where you have a little guy that plants for you, so then why not have that at the start? perhaps it's to get people to play and interact with the game, but as said earlier it opposes how i want to interact with the game.

regardless, i had a lot of fun. it's a fun concept that i feel like hasn't been touched on in a while, so it's a nice change of pace. always support small devs!

One of the most artistically meritful video games I've ever experienced during my mortal lifetime. The graphics are cutting-edge, the gameplay is riveting and the voice acting is impeccable. Truly, no game will ever reach the height of J3SS1C4 again, I'm afraid. This title instantly improved my life in every measurable and immeasurable way, including curing my cat, paying for my uncle's medical expenses and doubling my student debt and giving it to the next person.

I promise you, if you ever decide to play through this masterpiece of a game, you will have the time of your life, and an experience you'll never forget, rivalling the feeling you get from a blind first playthrough of Breath of the Wild as a 13-year old in 2017. J3SS1C4 really can't properly be described, it's an event that you have to go through in your life to really absorb its deep meaning. It's short but extremely sweet, just like how mama used to make.