5 April Fools Jokes That We Desperately Wish Were Real

Yakuza Goes Turn-Based JRPG

5 April Fools Day Jokes That Made Us Want to Believe

While some may already consider Yakuza to be a JRPG, most see it as an action adventure game. Its gameplay and combat are streamlined for fast, fluid gameplay, and its generally more grounded than the more fantastical JRPG fare.

The Yakuza development team flipped this notion on its head, however, with their April Fools joke: A mock recording of the team working on the next game, which had fully embraced turn-based JRPG gameplay.

Gone were the fast, frantic fist fights, replaced by turn-based battles between the player’s party of thugs and enemy characters.

Likewise, the new main character Kasuga Ichiban summons a magical barbed baseball bat from the sky, ripping it from the ground like King Arthur to lay waste to enemies.

It’s totally nonsensical and a far cry from the usual Yakuza games, but it also looks like a blast to play. In addition to flipping the series on its head, it could also have a lot of fun messing around with classic JRPG conventions.

Kazuga’s magic weapon being a magic barbed bat is funny enough, so imagining what else the team would put their twist on only had us all the more hopeful to hear that this wasn’t a joke.

Sonic Joins the Battle Royale Craze

5 April Fools Day Jokes That Made Us Want to Believe

Given the Sonic series’ tendency to chase trends and the popularity of the Battle Royale genre, one wouldn’t be blamed for believing this joke was real at first glance.

Released by the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter, the mock teaser image advertises Sonic Royale, the ultimate cash-in game courtesy of the Blue Blur.

Not only would it boast 1,000 player battles, but it would also include millions of characters, VR, Cryptocurrency DLC and much more.

This is on top of the “game” utilizing gameplay from a number of different genres, from battle royale and PVP to MMOs and dating sims.

In all honesty, this was one of the more obviously fake announcements that would never actually see the light of day. And yet, if it were real, it would be one of the most spectacular train wrecks in the history of gaming.

Who among us wouldn’t be captivated by seeing the terrible gameplay of 3D sonic games taken to the multiplayer sphere?

Who could resist watching as the game’s bugs ate up players whole after they meticulously survived frantic encounters with other players, dashing across the map in nigh imperceptible speeds?

Alas, the world may never know the glory that would have been this disaster.

Ask Omega

5 April Fools Day Jokes That Made Us Want to Believe

In a shout-out to anyone who thinks Alexa is too friendly, Square Enix’s April Fools joke this year was the announcement of Omega, a smart speaker with the personality of an ancient superweapon that detests organic life.

Though it may have all the answers to any question someone could ask it, Omega would always mix them in with a shot or two at the weakness of fleshier beings.

Sure, it’ll tell a kid why humans have muscles, but not without framing it as the reason mechanical life is superior to them.

To be fair, it wouldn’t be the best business model. After all, most normal people wouldn’t want to face verbal abuse from an ancient being every time they ask for the score from last night’s sports game.

On the other hand, it was an oddly accurate nod to the recurring boss from the Final Fantasy series, and as such many fans would jump at the chance to bring the surly superweapon into their homes.

Harada Enters the Fray in Tekken

5 April Fools Day Jokes That Made Us Want to Believe

Given the variety of characters added to Tekken 7 in recent months, most fans were ready for anything. Or at least, they thought they were before they saw this gag announcement.

Whereas other fighting game franchises have teased characters who could feasibly be included in their games, Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada took it a step further by announcing himself as the game’s next combatant.

His character model looks pretty snazzy too, sporting a black suit and shades in a mock teaser image showing him facing off against series mainstay Kazuya.

It’s a funny enough joke, but in reality, it’s a perfect addition to the franchise. Sure, it would be a bit self-aggrandizing, but given the fact that Negan from The Walking Dead has fit into the series well enough, it’s far from impossible for Harada to do the same.

There’s also the fact that the Tekken fanbase has rallied around the joke with genuine excitement, surprising Harada’s interpreter and others close to him with how popular the idea has become.

Everything is Coming to Nintendo Switch

5 April Fools Day Jokes That Made Us Want to Believe

Let’s be real: Gamers can be needy and demanding sometimes, especially when it comes to asking for releases on a certain console.

This is something Nintendo knows all too well, regularly inundated with requests for remakes, ports and the like. No matter how many great, new games they may release, someone is always there to ask them for something more.

As such, their joint April Fools joke with IGN this year must have been incredibly cathartic. Presented as an impromptu Nintendo Direct, the company announced that everything ever would be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Players want every Legend of Zelda game ever? They got it. They want Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V too? Sure, why not.

Everything means everything though, so infamous disasters like Bubsy II and Fallout 76 would also come to the portable console.

It was a biting jab at greedy fans, and most anyone couldn’t help but laugh at the company giving us exactly what we wanted.

On the other hand, some of the titles mentioned like the Metroid Prime Collection and Twilight Princess would be pretty great fits for the Switch’s library. No rush or anything Nintendo, but you know, just saying.