Craftoon: Bringing Splatoon’s Ink-Splatting Action to Minecraft
If you have ever wished to combine the colorful turf wars of Splatoon with the boundless creativity of Minecraft, Craftoon is the map that makes that dream a reality. After months of development and a long hiatus, this ambitious project is back and nearly ready for release. Craftoon is not a simple mod but a fully functional Splatoon experience built using a datapack, resource pack, and command blocks. It transforms your Minecraft world into Inkopolis Square, complete with ink mechanics, weapon loadouts, and competitive 4v4 matches.
What Makes Craftoon Special?
Authentic Inkopolis Hub and Map Selection
The map includes a near 1:1 scale recreation of Inkopolis Square, packed with interactive details. You can sit in chairs, enter clothing shops to choose hats, shirts, and shoes (though some shoe textures are still in progress), and access a music player. The main tower serves as the gateway to game modes. For now, only Turf War is available, but future updates may add Splat Zones. Once inside, you select a map, team, and weapon before waiting in a lobby that counts down to the match start. Four unique maps are available, with a random selection option for variety.
Ink Mechanics That Feel Like the Real Thing
Craftoon replicates nearly every ink mechanic from Splatoon. Ink covers surfaces on contact, and your team’s inked walls become climbable while sneaking. Sneaking also transforms you into squid form, letting you swim through your own ink and refill your tank. You can even pass through grates by sneaking on top of them. Enemy ink slows you down, and falling into water or out-of-bounds areas results in instant death. These mechanics are implemented using clever command block systems, making the gameplay surprisingly smooth.
Weapons and Sub-Weapons
Six main weapons are available, each paired with a unique sub-weapon. The weapon roster includes:
- Splattershot & Splat Bomb – Standard shooter with variable shot power; the Splat Bomb inks walls as it travels and is earned upon a full tank refill.
- Splatterscope & Burst Bomb – A chargeable long-range weapon; the Burst Bomb grants two bombs on a full refill instead of one.
- Splat Roller & Ink Mine – Lays down ink while running and can melee enemies; the Ink Mine is a hidden trap that detonates when stepped on.
- Quad Slosher & Ink Wall – Fires short-range ink projectiles efficiently; the Ink Wall blocks and damages opponents who touch it.
- Longbow & Autobomb – Shoots three ink arrows in a spread; the Autobomb chases the nearest enemy and explodes after a delay.
- Tenta Brella (Gun & Shield) – Functions as a gun that shoots explosive fireworks, and opens a shield to block incoming fire.
Due to technical limitations, only one player per team can use each weapon, but balance adjustments ensure no single loadout dominates. The developer may lift this restriction in the future after bug fixes.
Game Mechanics and Match Flow
Matches last three minutes, with a note block rendition of “Now or Never” kicking in at the one-minute mark. Stage-specific music also plays using note block covers. The scoring system counts inked blocks precisely, and deaths send you into spectator mode before respawning with custom death messages. Maps reset automatically after each round, allowing infinite replayability. Teams support up to 6 players, though 4 per side is recommended for the best experience.
How to Install and Play Craftoon
Getting Craftoon up and running requires a bit of manual setup, but the results are well worth it. For players who enjoy a modern, flexible launcher that simplifies mod and resource pack management, the foxygame.net launcher provides a convenient way to install everything right from its interface, no folder hunting required. However, if you prefer the traditional method, follow these steps:
- Download the map zip file (link provided on the project page).
- Open the zip and locate the world folder and a separate “resources” zip inside.
- Place the world folder into your Minecraft “saves” directory, and put the resources zip into your “resourcepacks” folder.
- Optifine is mandatory for the resource pack to display correctly. Without it, many visual features will break. Download Optifine for Minecraft 1.16.5 G8 from Optifine.net. Run the jar file to install it; you may need Java installed and possibly Jarfix if the jar does not open.
- When playing multiplayer, every player must have the resource pack applied. If hosting on a server, set the Craftoon resource pack as the server’s default so it auto-downloads for joining players.
Future Updates and What’s Next
The developer has outlined an exciting roadmap. Minor updates will finish the weapons testing room (currently disabled due to bugs), add more shoe textures, and introduce configurable match settings like round time and ink refill speed. Major updates aim to bring two new weapons (Dualies and Brush), additional maps, Salmon Run co-op mode, Octo Canyon single-player campaign, Splat Zones, and special attacks unique to each weapon. The creator notes that these will arrive when they feel ready to work on the map again, having spent nearly a year on this version.
Final Thoughts
Craftoon is a staggering achievement in Minecraft map-making. It faithfully recreates Splatoon’s core loop while leveraging vanilla mechanics in inventive ways. The requirement for Optifine is a minor hurdle, but the visual and mechanical payoff is immense. If you encounter any bugs, the creator encourages reporting them so they can be squashed. Whether you are a Splatoon fan or just looking for a fresh multiplayer experience in Minecraft, Craftoon delivers a vibrant, competitive, and endlessly replayable game mode. Dive in, ink some turf, and see if you can claim victory in the square.