User:Driftin Soul/Sandbox2
- This article is about the Drone form taken on by Pearl in Splatoon 3: Side Order. For her original Inkling form, see Pearl.
Species | Drone |
Age | Likely 26 (from Splatoon 3's start) |
Relations | Unknown parents |
Location | Order Sector |
The Pearl Drone is a form Pearl can change into within the Memverse in Side Order.
Appearance
The Pearl Drone is a small, pale pink flying robot with a round shape and a white crown with pink spikes on top. Her eyes are rendered as a black LCD screen in the shape of an Inkling eye mask, with two white cross shapes representing her pupils. Above them are two pale yellow sliders, giving the impression of eyebrows. The Pearl Drone also has a small hole below her right eye, representing Pearl's beauty mark, and two appendages on the sides that each have a pink gradient and a sucker-like white circle below, resembling tentacles. On the bottom are propeller blades serving to provide lift, circling a hammerspace opening that contains various mechanisms, such as a hook for Eight to hang from while gliding. It also produces a variety of objects such as the 'Order' weapons and some of the Pearl Drone's various attacks.
History
Before Side Order
The drone form was created by Marina while finalizing the concept of the Memverse. Seeking a variety of operators to facilitate smooth performance of the Memverse's memory restoration module, including one responsible for user guidance, she eventually decided on giving this role to Pearl.
Judging by Marina's Dev Diaries, Pearl seems to have been unaware or unable to completely understand what her intended role within the Memverse was to be, but Marina waves this ignorance off, stating that Pearl is "usually down for whatever". On the eve of the first proper test of the Memverse, Pearl was set to enter the Memverse the next day alongside Eight and Marina.
Side Order
Upon being forcibly pulled into the Memverse by Order, Pearl awakens to find herself trapped as a drone, unsure of the reason for her change in form or the nature of her whereabouts. After waking the nearby unconscious Eight, the two enter the Spire of Order, meet Acht, and perform the "first climb". After helping to combat Marina Agitando in the Control Room, Pearl is ejected from the Spire by Order alongside Eight and the freed Marina. Marina proceeds to manipulate the Memverse to the point of allowing Pearl to transition from drone to Inkling form and vice versa at will. After this point, Pearl continues to accompany Eight on their forays up the Spire, voluntarily remaining mainly in drone form.
Abilities
Similar to Smallfry in Return of the Mammalians, Pearl acts as a companion for Agent 8. Unlike Smallfry, she acts mostly independently and will perform her own actions, including attacking enemies alongside the player. She can also point out enemies with a pink laser, which does no damage. She can be upgraded by placing color chips inside a Palette, enhancing her abilities or adding sub or special weapons to her arsenal, such as Splat Bombs or individual Killer Wail 5.1 speakers, all of which have to be charged before use.
Drone Gauge
The majority of the Pearl Drone's abilities require filling the Drone Gauge before Pearl will automatically deploy the ability while engaged in combat. Each ability added by a color chip has a separate gauge akin to the special gauge, requiring a certain number of points to fill per ability, and glowing with an iridescent pattern when filled and ready to be used.
By default, these gauges fill automatically at a rate of 6 points roughly every second. The needed points for charge can be decreased with multiple color chips. A color chip also exists that unlocks drone batteries, which must appear as drops from enemies. Picking up a drone battery automatically gives all gauges 100 points. She is also able to carry the player like a glider. This happens when they are in the air in Octoling form for some time, or by pressing and holding after jumping. If three Disc Pieces are collected, she will perform the Step-Off Song, creating a pink haze around the player's screen, which knocks back nearby Jelletons, stuns bosses, and disables portals or gushers for a limited time.
The abilities of the Pearl drone can be upgraded with color chips and the drone chip selection can expanded with Marina's Hacks, which are unlockable by exchanging Prlz with Marina in the Order Sector. There is a Danger effect, known as "No Drone", in which the player is not allowed to use the Pearl Drone during the level.
Ability | Description | Color chip | Marina's Hacks |
---|---|---|---|
More action slots | The Pearl Drone has one action slot by default, which can hold one ability. The number of abilities can be expanded to a total of five. | Drone Action Slots | |
Splat Bomb | Splat Bombs have to be charged similarly to special weapons and will be thrown at enemies or targets on sight. | Drone Splat Bomb | |
Killer Wail | A Killer Wail 5.1 speaker has to be charged and will be aimed at enemies or targets on sight. It lasts longer and does more damage than a single speaker of its special variant. | Drone Killer Wail | |
Ink Mine | Ink Mines have to be charged similarly to special weapons and will be placed under the Drone's current position if the ground is inkable. | Drone Ink Mine | Drone Ink Mine |
Sprinkler | A Sprinkler-like ability which has to be charged similarly to special weapons at a low cost and will ink around the Drone's position. | Drone Sprinkler | Drone Sprinkler |
Burst Bomb | Burst Bombs have to be charged similarly to special weapons and will be thrown at enemies or targets on sight. | Drone Burst Bomb | Drone Burst Bomb |
Inkstrike | A single, slightly weaker Inkstrike of the Triple Inkstrike special weapon which has to be charged before use and will be deployed at enemies or targets on sight. | Drone Inkstrike | Drone Inkstrike |
Item generation | The creation of items which will appear underneath the Drone's current position. | Drone Items | Drone Items |
Gauge charge | Charging the Drone-Gauge over time. | Drone-Gauge Charge | |
Charging the Drone-Gauge through splatting Jelletons. | Splat Drone Gauge | Drone-Gauge Splat Charge | |
Charging the Drone-Gauge by painting turf. | Turf Drone Gauge | Drone-Gauge Turf Charge | |
Charging the Drone-Gauge by moving around | Mobile Drone Gauge |
Gallery
-
Pearl drone icon
-
Tableturf card icon
-
Agent 8 holding onto the Pearl Drone
-
Close-up of the Pearl Drone
-
Pearl commanding Agent 8
-
3D artwork of the Pearl Drone
-
Pearl Drone asleep
-
Pearl Drone with Agent 8
-
Pearl Drone transforming into Inkling form and back (link to file)
Trivia
- When the player is idle in the Order Sector after saving Marina, Pearl may either sleep in drone form, or switch to Inkling form and sit in one of three locations until the player moves:
- On the large rock to the left of Marina.
- On the right side of the roof of the Spire of Order entrance.
- On top of the telephone pole on the left side of the Order Sector.
- If the player walks in a tight circle repeatedly, the Pearl Drone will twirl around their head and exclaim happily.
- One of the Pearl Drone's blades has a small sticker with a visual warning for rotating machinery.
Names in other languages
- Main article: Pearl#Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Japanese | ヒメドローン himedorōn |
Pearl Drone |
Dutch | Lorelei-drone | Pearl drone |
French | Drone Perle | Pearl drone |
German | Perla-Drohne | Pearl Drone |
Italian | Alga drone | Drone Pearl |
Russian | Жем-дрон Zhem-dron |
Pearl drone |
Spanish | Dron Perla | Pearl Drone |
Chinese (Simplified) | 小姬无人机 xiǎojī wúrénjī (Mandarin) |
Pearl Drone |
Chinese (Traditional) | 小姬無人機 xiǎojī wúrénjī (Mandarin) |
Pearl Drone |
Korean | 히메 드론 hime deuron |
Pearl Drone |
Internal | HimeDroneSdodr[1] |
References
|