Splatoon 3 will arrive on the Nintendo Switch in the next couple of months, and to make sure players are prepared for its arrival, Nintendo is giving away the Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion DLC to all Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers “at no additional cost.”
If you’re signed up for the Expansion Pack, not only will you get access to a bunch of new Mario Kart 8 levels and Nintendo’s back catalog of emulated games for the N64 and Sega Genesis (among other consoles), but you’ll also get Splatoon 2’s fantastic expansion. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to own the base game in order to take advantage of this sweet deal.
Octo Expansion tells an entirely new story from the perspective of the Octolings. You play as Agent 8, an Octoling that wakes up in a subway system with no memory of who you are or why you’re there. Agent 8 has to explore the subway, recover physical manifestations of her own past, and escape to the surface of Inkopolis. Of course, that’s easier said than done, as Agent 8 will have to successfully complete 80 missions to make her escape.
This added benefit of the Expansion Pack comes on the same day that Nintendo finally announces the release date for Splatoon 3. Coincidence? Not according to Nintendo, which writes on the Octo Expansion’s store page: "With the Splatoon 3 game on the horizon, this DLC is the perfect way to get in some practice before you take on the Splatlands!"
As for Splatoon 3, that’ll arrive on September 9. A new trailer was recently posted showcasing some of the new features coming in Splatoon 3, such as new weapons, a rolling-slash-crawling tank, and new movement abilities for the Inklings and Octolings that involves using a tentacle as a sort of grappling hook.