Splatoon Island is a Nintendo mobile game that, were it real, would eat up pretty much all of our free time. Taking place on a sunny beach resort, the trailer depicts players taking part in mini-games, customizing the swimwear worn by their Inklings, and even forming relationships with one another.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a real game. With this being April Fool’s Day, Splatoon Island is instead an impressive mock-up of what a Splatoon life simulator could look like on mobile. Posted by YouTuber Mike Inel, the trailer is purpose-built to break the hearts of Splatoon fans the world over: “This looks so legit it makes me wanna cry,” one commenter wrote. “Why must you make such an amazing idea AS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE,” another added.
The description for the video reads: “Inklings are bringing their ink to the next level. Now with the dangers of water! Splatoon Island is a mobile game full of mini-games set on a vacation island. Who says adult Inklings can’t have extreme fun?”
The full “trailer” for Splatoon Island can be viewed below:
This isn’t the first time that a Splatoon April Fool’s joke has (nearly) fooled the internet. Back in 2016, Nintendo released an image of a physical arcade machine for the original Splatoon. Calling it the ‘Squid Booth,’ the official Japanese Splatoon Twitter account posted an image of the machine, claiming that up to four players could experience the multiplayer game in arcades.
Much like Splatoon Island, this joke was actually something that many players actually wanted to experience, though it unfortunately never saw the light of day:
Given that Nintendo has released a number of mobile hits over the past few years including Pokemon Go and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, a Splatoon life simulator game isn’t exactly that far-fetched. While Splatoon Island‘s “adult” theme likely wouldn’t sit well with Nintendo’s higher-ups, we can’t imagine many fans would be complaining if this game were to be released. Alas, that won’t be the case, and Splatoon Island will just have to remain one of this year’s most impressive April Fool’s Day jokes.
