Splatoon 3 was released on September 9th, 2022, much anticipated by the game’s fanbase. Splatoon is a third-person video game made by Hisashi Nogami and owned by the popular company, Nintendo. The game consists of humanoid squids who shoot ink out of various types of weapons and can hide in their ink in their cephalopod forms. The first installment of the series was originally made for the WiiU in 2015, plainly named “Splatoon”. The game had all of the main mechanics but lacked the “Octoling” avatar choice (there are two main species, octopus-based creatures and squid-based creatures). The 2nd game was released in 2017 on the Nintendo Switch, along with a DLC that came out about a year later. For years, the fans waited with bated breath for the next game. And luckily, that game finally was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2022.

Now what does this all have to do with the topic at hand? Well, reader, who so conveniently thought what was typed, the 3rd installment was recently given more details about the DLC. Since the 3rd game was released, many rumors about a DLC had surfaced, as well as containing fan favorite band members Pearl and Marina. On February 9th, the “Nintendo of America” YouTube channel live streamed the latest news on what the company was working on. In the stream, the DLC was shown to come out to the public in 2 different waves.

Wave 1: Inkopolis Returns!

In the first game of Splatoon, the main hub of the game was given a name and atmosphere. The city was called Inkopolis, and the most popular idol group was called the “Squid Sisters,” consisting of 2 idols, Callie and Marie. These idols are so popular in fact, they host the news in the city. There were shops in the city as well, such as Ammo Knights (weapon shop), Cooler Heads (headgear), Jelly Fresh (shirts and T-shirts), and Shrimp Kicks (shoe store). The reason this was brought up is because all of these shops and the news are going to become a visitable area if you purchase the Expansion Pass! Nintendo has said that this wave will come out during Spring of 2023.

Wave 2: Side Order.

Side Order originates from the Final Splatfest of Splatoon 2, which you could either choose 2 sides, Team Chaos (if you live life on edge) and Team Order (if you prefer to keep things in line). In the end, Team Chaos won, and Nintendo used the word chaos as base for Splatoon 3. The fact that Nintendo is going to dive deeper into the idea of a orderly Splatoon environment is what is currently captivating fans, especially those who were on Team Order in the fest. Now, in the Nintendo Direct, there was very little shown about this wave of the DLC. The main visual was that of an octoling girl with dusty red hair and dressed in a white outfit. The environment was that of a city but covered in blank white and small schools of fish quickly swimming around. During the visual, many pieces of art were flashed on screen, including art of Pearl and Marina (exciting the people who hoped they were in the DLC). Fans were and are ecstatic for another DLC to flesh out the lore of the series, and as well for more content for the game. There is no set date for when this wave for release (as of 2/13/2023).

Splatoon is a game full of interesting stories, interesting game mechanics, and music. So, if you ever have 60 bucks you’re dying to spend (or would like a new game to pick up), pick up Splatoon 3 for the Nintendo Switch! And while you’re at it, consider buying the DLC, you won’t want to miss this Splat-tacular action!