This is a five-page black and white comic review of Splatoon 3 Side Order.

Page 1

Panel 1: An octoling from Splatoon wearing a pale jumpsuit stands before a darkened shop. The surroundings are overgrown with a mysterious substance reminiscent of deep-sea organisms. Creatures resembling amorphous blobs wander about. Narration reads: “Review: Splatoon 3: Side Order by Dan Mcalister”

Panel 2: The octoling looks at his own hand, puzzled. Narration reads: ”Side Order is a Splatoon 3 expansion that takes place in a colorless version of Inkopolis Square. It’s a roguelike; it takes Splatoon’s typical shooting and inking…”

Panel 3: The octoling turns to look at the entrance to a nearby building. The narration continues: “…and remixes it into something else.”

Page 2

Panel 1: A pale tower with blocky features takes up most of the left half of the page. An dark, amorphous blob with an angry face covers the top of the tower. Narration reads: “New Inkopolis square is now dominated by the Spire of Order, which you must ascend.”

Panel 2: Narration reads: ”Ever floor presents you with a choice of challenge.“ Art shows two challenges. The first is a ball and a hole emitting light, labelled “Move ball to hole, or”. The second image shows a dark portal with two fish-like beings emerging from it, labelled “Destroy Portal.”

Panel 3: Two fish skeletons are encased in a black, goopy substance. One slides along the ground, while another floats in the air while spewing ink from its top. Narration reads: “Enemy Jelletons are always present. And while eliminating them isn’t the objective…”

Panel 4: The Octoling is backed into a corder, spraying ink at a swarm of Jelletons advancing on him. Narration continues: “…getting surrounded was, by far, my most common cause of failure.”

Panel 5: This panel stretches horizontally along the bottom of the page, showing the bottom of the tower and the octoling being ejected from its entrance and landing on his back. Narration reads: “Every loss ejects you from the tower and forces you to start over. Further, the challenges scramble themselves each time.”

Page 3

Panel 1: The octoling looks at a pair of square computer chips he is holding in his hand. Narration reads: “Aiding your ascent are chips, augments to your abilities you gain as you clear each floor.”

Panel 2: Narration reads: “The bonuses from these chips tend to be small.” Two chips are depicted side by side. One chip is labeled “Ink damage increases by 5%.” The other chip is labelled “Ink range increases by 25%.”

Panel 3: A hand grips a supersoaker-like weapon that is spraying ink. A thought bubble reads “Has my range really increased?” Narration reads: “So small, in fact, that their effects can be difficult to discern. No one chip makes or breaks a loadout. You have to evaluate compliments for a good build.”

Panel 4: The octoling considers three different challenge choices, presented as boxes with text and icons. Narration reads: “And on each floor, you balance chip rewards against potential challenge threats.” The first box has a portal icon and the words: “Easy. Destroy Portals. Reward: Increased Ink Efficiency.” The second box has a fish-on-a-wheel icon and the words: “Normal. Hunt fleeing enemy. Reward: Increased movement.” The third box has an icon depecting a rectangular area and the words: “Hard. Defend Turf. Reward: Increased Explosion Radius.”

Page 4

Panel 1: The octoling is thrown out of the tower again. This time Marina, a dark skinned octoling in suit with a dark bikini top, is standing nearby and laughing. She holds a laptop under her arm. Narration reads: “It’s a difficult, rewarding system, and one that benefits from careful study. Thought there is an alternative.”

Panel 2: Marina is sitting with her laptop open, and gesturing to the octoling who watches her. Narration reads: “While chips are reset between runs, that’s not true of “hacks,”: earnable, permanent upgrades.

Panel 3: The octoling is now shooting a Jelleton with ink. Narration reads: “These hacks provide more substantial bonuses, such as extra lives and increased armor.”

Panel 4: The octoling stands at the top of the tower next to a defeated Jelleton. The Octoling says “Oh.” Narration reads: They can be so consequential, in fact, that I cleared the whole spire on my sixth attempt.”

Panel 5: The octoling looks down skeptically. Narration reads: “Of course I want to succeed, but some of the hacks made that process too easy for me by reducing variability and providing too-strong buffs.”

Page 5

Panel 1: The octoling and Marina are in conversation. Marina’s hand is over her mouth and her expression is attentive. Narration reads: “Now, hacks can be deactivated, but doing so doesn’t feel great since you already worked to earn them.

Panel 2: The octoling looks over his shoulder at a large metal locker with multiple compartments, each compartment door labelled with an unintelligible number. Narration reads: “Further, successful runs net you rewards from a mysterious locker. Don’t you want those?”

Panel 4: The octoling stands between Marina and the locker, deep in thought. Narration reads: “Some of those rewards change the game in interesting ways…but they’re not worth giving up a fun challenge to get them sooner.

Panel 5: The octoling stands atop a platform, fending off Jelletons streaming out of a portal below the platform. Marina sits in a circular sub-panel, laptop open and giving a thumbs-up. Narration reads: “Side Order is a valuable iteration on the Splatoon formula, so long as you can figure out your own best level of challenge.