Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion brings a darker, more demanding single-player experience to the Nintendo Switch.
Developed and published by Nintendo, the paid DLC was announced during a Nintendo Direct in March 2018 and launched on June 13, 2018 on the Nintendo eShop.
Priced at £17.99 / $19.99 at release, Octo Expansion expands Splatoon 2’s single-player offering with 80 crafted stations and a storyline that unlocks Octoling as a playable online character upon completion.
The expansion places players in the role of Agent 8, an amnesiac Octoling navigating the subterranean Deepsea Metro Station.
Along the way Agent 8 encounters familiar and new faces: Cap’n Cuttlefish appears in the depths, Metro conductor C.Q. Cumber grants access to the CQ-80 network of stations, and Iso Padre acts as the vendor who trades memory fragments for gear.
The DLC’s narrative revolves around locating four mysterious “thangs” across ten interconnecting lines while enduring a gauntlet of tests.
Octo Expansion shifts the single-player formula toward risk-versus-reward gameplay.
Players pay a test fee—ranging from modest amounts up to several thousand points—to attempt individual stations, and can select between one and three weapon loadouts before each attempt.
Choosing a harder weapon increases potential point payouts but also raises the stakes: higher-cost attempts can cost more points than they return if too many lives are lost.
The expansion therefore appeals to skilled third-person shooter players who enjoy high-stakes challenges.
Level design is the pack’s standout feature.
The 80 stations mix platforming, timed crate-smashing, balloon-popping, sniping, and multi-phase boss encounters.
The Inkjet special returns in inventive scenarios, and the variety ensures there are sequences to suit different playstyles.
If a particular station proves insurmountable, the game includes a system that lets players bypass a level after repeated failures for an extra point fee; this preserves progress but can impact the quality of memory rewards.
Successful completion of stations awards Mem Cakes—fragments of Agent 8’s memory—which Iso Padre accepts in exchange for gear usable in Splatoon 2’s multiplayer.
Skipping stations still yields Mem Cakes but without memory value, which affects post-completion rewards.
Completion time varies by player skill: the storyline can be finished in roughly four to ten hours for many players; in this review we reached 53 stations and spent approximately 12 hours before attempting the final boss sequence.
Octo Expansion is a substantial piece of paid DLC that delivers depth and challenge to Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch.
Its combination of inventive level design, difficulty tuning, and meaningful multiplayer unlocks make it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the franchise.
This review rated the Octo Expansion 9/10.
A review copy was provided by Nintendo UK.
Developed and published by Nintendo, the paid DLC was announced during a Nintendo Direct in March 2018 and launched on June 13, 2018 on the Nintendo eShop.
Priced at £17.99 / $19.99 at release, Octo Expansion expands Splatoon 2’s single-player offering with 80 crafted stations and a storyline that unlocks Octoling as a playable online character upon completion.
The expansion places players in the role of Agent 8, an amnesiac Octoling navigating the subterranean Deepsea Metro Station.
Along the way Agent 8 encounters familiar and new faces: Cap’n Cuttlefish appears in the depths, Metro conductor C.Q. Cumber grants access to the CQ-80 network of stations, and Iso Padre acts as the vendor who trades memory fragments for gear.
The DLC’s narrative revolves around locating four mysterious “thangs” across ten interconnecting lines while enduring a gauntlet of tests.
Octo Expansion shifts the single-player formula toward risk-versus-reward gameplay.
Players pay a test fee—ranging from modest amounts up to several thousand points—to attempt individual stations, and can select between one and three weapon loadouts before each attempt.
Choosing a harder weapon increases potential point payouts but also raises the stakes: higher-cost attempts can cost more points than they return if too many lives are lost.
The expansion therefore appeals to skilled third-person shooter players who enjoy high-stakes challenges.
Level design is the pack’s standout feature.
The 80 stations mix platforming, timed crate-smashing, balloon-popping, sniping, and multi-phase boss encounters.
The Inkjet special returns in inventive scenarios, and the variety ensures there are sequences to suit different playstyles.
If a particular station proves insurmountable, the game includes a system that lets players bypass a level after repeated failures for an extra point fee; this preserves progress but can impact the quality of memory rewards.
Successful completion of stations awards Mem Cakes—fragments of Agent 8’s memory—which Iso Padre accepts in exchange for gear usable in Splatoon 2’s multiplayer.
Skipping stations still yields Mem Cakes but without memory value, which affects post-completion rewards.
Completion time varies by player skill: the storyline can be finished in roughly four to ten hours for many players; in this review we reached 53 stations and spent approximately 12 hours before attempting the final boss sequence.
Octo Expansion is a substantial piece of paid DLC that delivers depth and challenge to Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch.
Its combination of inventive level design, difficulty tuning, and meaningful multiplayer unlocks make it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the franchise.
This review rated the Octo Expansion 9/10.
A review copy was provided by Nintendo UK.
