Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion Reviews
The Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is a unique DLC package. Nintendo could easily have extended its existing single-player experience by tacking on a few new worlds and adding an extra narrative strand there. Instead, it has produced something quite a bit more hardcore. Mileage will vary from player to player, since certain challenges can be unbelievably frustrating and the difficulty never really relents; however, this is tempered by the ability to skip scenarios after registering enough attempts. While that might seem like cheating to some, it is the correct decision. There are so many thoughtful stages, highlighting Splatoon's unique make-up of shooting and platforming mechanics that it is well-worth seeing them all rather than being halted by one specific task. While the fact that it's a modular design could be equated with laziness for some, Nintendo deserves credit for producing something robust and unforgiving that will test even the most dedicated of fans.
Octo Expansion uses every mechanism and every weapon of the base game. There are more experiments, but there is more frustration as well.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
This is not the average campaign add-on you might legitimately expect: Octo Expansion offers a far more demanding (and not always 100% fair) experience. A series of 80 levels that will definitely engage hardcore veterans, but that at the same time might turn off players not too fond of game over screens.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Challenging and well designed, Octo Expansion is a nice add-on for the players that are looking for something new in Splatoon 2. And you can play it while offline, so it's perfect to take with you on the go. Just keep in mind that you can't throw your Joy-Cons away while trying to complete a stage for the tenth time.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A nice improvement over the single player part of the game, but this DLC doesn't does enought in every other part of the game to be really important.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As cool as the "agent" and underground concept is, a lot of the aesthetic shift feels like a re-skin of sorts.
One year after its original release, Splatoon 2 finally gets the one-player mode it deserves. With 80 brand new challenges, the Octo Expansion bring some fresh air and almost transforms the franchise into a solo adventure. Its tough difficulty may sometimes seem too much, but its bribe system will forbid anyone to be stuck forever. Get ready to build up your skill, but only when a sale period might make this DLC more affordable.
Review in French | Read full review
Nintendo's trickiest game in years is also one of its most joyful.
There are moments of greatness in this campaign, but I'd still only recommend it to the biggest Splatoon fans—the ones who play it on a nightly basis like me, itching for an Octoling to join Inkopolis in Turf War and Ranked battles. Otherwise, more casual fans might find Octo Expansion to be a touch too grueling to love.
While it's wonderfully experimental, Octo Expansion isn't an essential purchase, but will give diehard Splatoon fans hours of often rock hard challenges to overcome.