Inkopolis Plaza

Lore & Background

Inkopolis Plaza is the setting for news reports hosted by Callie and Marie of the Squid Sisters, who cover major events like the sudden vanishing of the Great Zapfish. The plaza acts as a gateway to Octo Valley, where Cap'n Cuttlefish recruits players to rescue the Zapfish from the Octarians. Within this hub, players encounter other Inklings in the plaza, allowing them to order items another player is wearing and purchase them later from Spyke, a dealer located in the back alley. The plaza also supports Miiverse community posts that appear as graffiti on buildings, blending social interaction with the game's narrative of the century-old territorial conflict known as the Great Turf War.

In Their Own Story

The sun dipped below the horizon over Inkopolis Plaza as an Inkling teenager spotted an elderly man scanning the vicinity from a manhole cover. Nearby, Callie and Marie broadcasted news of the missing Great Zapfish to the gathered crowd. A player approached Spyke in the back alley to purchase a rare headgear item they had seen on another Inkling earlier that day. After customizing their loadout with new gear from the shops, the player stepped onto the stage, ready to join a four-on-four Turf War or climb the tower in a ranked match. As the clock ticked down on the next Splatfest event, the plaza buzzed with anticipation for the final showdown.

Reader's Guide

Inkopolis Plaza allows players to switch between online multiplayer modes and the single-player campaign. In multiplayer, it serves as the staging area where you select primary weapons, secondary tools like ink balloons or sprinklers, and special attacks charged by covering ground in ink. Players can use the Wii U GamePad to view a map of surroundings and instantly launch toward teammates. To customize gear, visit neighboring shops; items unlock new abilities based on experience levels. For the single-player campaign, head to Octo Valley to fight Octoweapons and collect Power Eggs. Note that as of April 8, 2024, online play in this area has been discontinued due to the shutdown of Nintendo Network services.

Did You Know?

• The original concept for the player characters involved anthropomorphic rabbits, but developers pivoted to squid-human hybrids because shooting ink did not make sense for rabbits.
• Super Sea Snails were originally earned exclusively by participating in and winning Splatfest events in Splatoon 1; they were not obtainable through leveling up in that game.
• Players can order items seen on other Inklings in the plaza and purchase them the next day from Spyke for a higher price.
• Miiverse posts made by players appear as graffiti on various buildings within Inkopolis Plaza.

Narrative Premise and Antagonistic Threat

Side Order introduces a high-stakes narrative where Agent 8, the Octoling hero from previous entries, becomes trapped within the Memverse. This featureless virtual reality was constructed by Marina of the pop duo Off the Hook but has been corrupted by Order, a rogue artificial intelligence. The central conflict arises as Order seeks to forcibly abduct souls from the outside world to eliminate free will and enforce a universe of absolute orderliness. To counter this existential threat, Agent 8 teams up with Marina, her partner Pearl—who manifests as a combat drone—and Acht, another victim of the digital realm. Their mission involves ascending a thirty-floor vertical structure known as the Spire of Order. The journey is not merely physical but ideological, pitting the chaotic freedom of the Splatoon universe against the sterile perfection Order desires. As they climb, the team must dismantle the AI's influence floor by floor, culminating in a final confrontation on the thirtieth level where they aim to destroy Order and restore agency to the trapped souls.

Roguelite Mechanics and Vertical Progression

Departing from traditional linear campaigns, this expansion reimagines the Splatoon single-player experience as a roguelite centered around vertical traversal. Players navigate the Spire of Order, which begins with ten tutorial floors before expanding to a daunting thirty-level gauntlet. Each attempt requires selecting one of twelve weapon loadouts, called Palettes, and choosing from three difficulty scenarios ranging from easy to rigorous. Every floor presents specific objectives involving Jelletons, such as destroying spawn portals, guiding mobile towers, or controlling Splat Zones. The stakes are heightened by a permadeath system; losing all lives resets the player to the base of the Spire. However, failure is not futile. Collected currency and perks convert into Prlz, a persistent resource used outside the run to purchase Hacks. These upgrades permanently enhance future attempts by increasing weapon damage or life capacity, creating a loop of risk and reward that defines the gameplay structure.

Strategic Depth via Modifiers and Boss Encounters

The challenge of the Spire is dynamically altered through a system of random modifiers attached to floor scenarios. Bonus floors offer secondary objectives for extra currency or temporary Palette enhancements, while Danger floors introduce debilitating effects like opponent ink coverage or blackouts that test player adaptability. Progression is punctuated by mandatory boss battles occurring every ten floors. Defeating these bosses yields keys to unlock lockers containing new Palettes and narrative diaries written by Marina. The final boss on floor thirty is Order itself, requiring mastery of all mechanics acquired during the climb. This structure ensures that no two ascents feel identical, demanding constant strategic adjustment from the player.

Artistic Vision and Critical Reception

The development team conceived Side Order shortly after Splatoon 3's release with a deliberate artistic goal: to contrast the base game's celebration of chaos with a visual theme of rigid order. This direction influenced both the aesthetic of the Memverse and the structural design of the campaign, particularly the punishing reset mechanic intended to reinvent the series' single-player formula. Critics largely responded favorably, praising how seamlessly the expansion integrated Splatoon's core ink-based shooting mechanics into the roguelite genre. The art direction received specific acclaim for its unique atmosphere that distinguishes it from previous entries. However, some reviewers noted a perceived lack of level diversity as players repeated runs through similar environments over time. Despite this criticism, the title is recognized for successfully expanding the lore and offering a fresh, challenging experience that complements the established world of Inkopolis and Splatsville.