The Splatoon Easter Egg You May Have Missed In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons features several Easter eggs to amuse players, but one of them references another major Nintendo property in the most delightful way. Splatoon 2 remains one of the most popular PvP games on the Nintendo Switch, with a devoted fanbase and a lot of love from the gaming community. New Horizons has also become a fan favorite on the Switch by maintaining elements of the series players love while adding new content to surprise fans. The game updates with each season, sometimes more than once a season, adding events, weather, and animals to the game.

One of those animals holds a surprise for Splatoon fans. Splatoon News posted a screenshot of a villager holding a fresh squid and declaring, "It's off the hook!" Off the Hook is a pop group in Splatoon, composed of Marina and Pearl. When players catch a squid, there's also a chance for the villager to say, "I caught a squid! I had an inkling I might." The connection between squids in Splatoon and the squid in Animal Crossing: New Horizon seems clear, but there's another Easter egg waiting for careful fans.

Players can find another Splatoon reference when donating a certain fossil to Blathers, the curator of the island's museum. Villagers who give Blathers a Eusthenopteron fossil receive a long speech that concludes with, "How would we resolve differences? Perhaps some sort of ink-squirting contest of champions?" Of course, Blathers' statement is correct. Fans can squirt ink with the best of them in Splatoon.

New Horizons isn't the first Animal Crossing game to reference Splatoon. Beginning with Happy Home Academy, the series has referenced Splatoon through special furniture, events, and dialogue. In 2018 the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp featured an entire Splatoon crossover event where players could earn special clothing and furniture.

Nintendo loves to reference its games as much as possible, it seems. Splatoon references appear in a variety of games like Super Smash Brothers, Ring Fit Adventure, and Yoshi's Woolly World. It seems that the Inklings just can't stay put in their own game.