At Easter, children get on the traditional hunt for hidden eggs across the yard. This tradition happens across the globe, not just in the homes of some nations but in pretty much every country where Easter is celebrated. Although nobody knows where this comes from, as the Easter Bunny can’t lay eggs, the matter of fact is, easter egg hunts are among the favourite traditions for kids from around the planet.
A fun and interactive way to spend Easter morning, egg hunting has become much more than just something kids do for the spring holidays. It’s not gotten so big, Easter eggs are to be found literally everywhere. You can find them in books, movies, and even descriptions of products. And, of course, you can find many, crazy Easter eggs in video games. Both old and new, the video gaming easter eggs are worthy of an article of their own.
What Is An Easter Egg?
We know what an Easter egg looks like, laying in the grass behind the leg of a chair for Mary and Denis to go and look for it. But what is a game Easter egg, more precisely? To put it simply, a gaming Easter egg is a hidden object, message or even mission that you can find in the course of a game, one that’s usually hidden from the masses of regular players. Just like an actual egg you’d search for during Easter, you need to dig deep for these!
Easter eggs are extremely popular in video games and have been so since the ages of Mario, Pokemon and Legend of Zelda. They do not have any purpose per se, yet some eggs do provide gamers with extra items, often hidden in the regular gameplay, or some spare parts of the story you wouldn’t otherwise find within the typical storyline. An Easter Egg is usually an addon that developers added just for the heck of it. Because why not?
Top Ten Gaming Easter Eggs
Now that you have a better idea of what an Easter Egg is in a video game, let’s jump right into it. Below is a list of ten games with their best adjacent hidden eggs scattered in them. Yes, video games usually have more than one Easter Egg in them. It’s just impossible to add one hidden message in a game as huge as Grand Theft Auto 5, for example. So they added an alien and a bigfoot creature. Wait, what?! Yes, this is what this article is about.
Beating Heart of Liberty in GTA IV - Although rooted in realism, probably the top quality of Grand Theft Auto 4 is its NYC Liberty City interpretation. This is true all the way until you get into the Statue of Happiness, the remake of the famous Lady Liberty. You can take a helicopter there, and then look for the door from between the two signs that read "NO HIDDEN CONTENT THIS WAY". You guessed it, there's some hidden content that way! Inside is a huge, beating statue, all red and bloody. Nobody knows why.
Jack's picture in BioShock - You can't really see your own face when you're looking at something from your perspective. First-person games are usually reluctant in showing you what the main character of the title looks like, without revealing their mugs ever in some games. One of the titles in accord with this practice is the first BioShock. So how do you get to see what Jack looks like? When you get into the office of Andrew Ryan, there are a few surveillance photos of your face on the boards. Look for the "Would you kindly" phrase on the walls and follow the string diagram. They're big and red!
Fight with Reptile fight in Mortal Kombat - Reptile is one of the most special Mortal Kombat characters and the longest-serving of its stars. It came right from the original game, as a secret opponent even back then, and continues to fight even in the modern world. Unlocking a chance to defeat Reptile, or Syzoth, was the sole way of getting to fight in the spike pit arena. For meeting Reptile in a fight, players have to fight against anyone else in a bridge arena. After getting two flawless victories one after the other, they have to "finish him" with a Fatality at the end of the second win. The next fight will be against Reptile in the Spike Pit!
Quelana's Body in Dark Souls 3 - Dark Souls is unique in terms of time. It passes on an infinite loop, a doomed-to-repeat situation. If still alive Stephen Hawking would be baffled by the kinks in the timeline of this series. Firelink Shrine, for example, comes out in both the original and the third instalment, as well as the mighty Demon Ruins. Here is where you will find a mummified Quelana, trapped in a wall right in the heart of the lava lairs. A sight to see, indeed.
Photo of Rebecca Chambers in Resident Evil 2 - Most Easter Eggs come as lessons in disguise. The same happens with the Resident Evil 2 egg about Rebecca Chambers. When you check a desk that belongs to Albert Wesker, right in the STARS office of the RPD headquarters, you will see something. Well, you need to do that 50 times in order to see that something. Take the undeveloped film to the darkroom at the back and unveil a photo of none other than Rebecca Chambers. The word "Recruit" will be written across the top of it.
Signs of Gordon Freeman in GTA: San Andreas - One of the most notorious missions in San Andreas is the "Black Project". The task will have you enter Area 69, the reinterpreted virtual version of the legendary but real Area 51. The zone is to be found in the Senora Desert, and your motive for being there is so that you can steal a backpack. The mission is basically part of the top 10 most memorable ones in the entire Grand Theft Auto lore. And surely, there cannot be such a mission without an Easter Egg in it. When you go through the rooms of the compound, pay attention to the tables in what looks like a Black Mesa facility, on your way to the jetpack. You will discover a crowbar, looking very familiar to the one held by Gordon Freeman. What's the protagonist of Half-Life doing in a secret government facility? Yeah...
Ciri talks about Cyberpunk 2077 in The Witcher 3 - Coming about years before the notoriously... modest, let's call it modest, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 predicted the phenomenon. Ciri, one of the central characters of the game, mentions the game directly. Cyberpunk was announced in 2012 for the very first time, and the game is made by CD Projekt Red, the same company behind The Witcher 3. Ciri can travel through time and space, so it is no wonder that she can know things we can't in the present time. While talking about how to evade The Wild Hunt, Ciri speaks about this realm, where people "have metal on their heads, can go to war from a distance, and are using megascope-like things. No, there are no horses, there are only flying ships instead. Personal flying ships." Cyberpunk 2077 marks a tribute to Ciri by putting her on a magazine cover, so this Easter Egg has come full circle, a true rarity even among hidden video gaming eggs.
Secret room with a secret map in Batman Arkham Asylum - Here's an Easter Egg fit for a superhero. It's not just that the map is there, in a secret room but the object is only making an appearance in the next instalment of the series. In order to find the innocuous map, you need to head to the office of the warden inside Arkham Mansion. Blow up the wall to the left of the fireplace, and behind it, you will discover the room. While inside, you will soon spot the blueprint for the Arkham City map, a reconstructed version of it. Rocksteady had to unveil their own Easter Egg 6 months after launching the game, so well it was hidden...
Evil bunny in Silent Hill 4: The Room - There's a famous appearance of Heather Manson in the third instalment of the game, as chased by some evil bunnies. It is extremely terrifying, yes. Henry Townshend gets locked in his apartment in "The Room", and can spy through a crack on his neighbour. On her bed, there is a small version of the scary bunny mascot, all pink of course. On a random look though, the bunny can be seen facing Henry, finger extended towards the crack and all. Terrifying.
Minecraft caves in Borderlands 2 - Minecraft is in a lot of games as a reference, but there are very few who've gone the length Borderlands 2 did. Going into the Caustic Caverns, a few dust blocks will be in your way. In classic Minecraft fashion, you will bust through them with the melee attack. On the other side? A cave filled with Creepers, if you couldn't tell by now. This is not even a classic Easter Egg but a whole minigame inside of another game. You even get a Minecraft helmet if you go through the whole army of Creeps.
Precursor Orbs from lands afar in The Last of Us 2 - Prosecutor Orbs is a "strange relic". It can be found in Hostile territory in Chinatown, in one of the upstairs rooms. The unusual artefact is a collectable, coming out of the famous Jak and Daxter games, Naughty Dog for example. The relic came out with every single Uncharted game as of now. This one is however a first, and maybe a unique piece, when talking about the Last of Us titles.
Become an Illuminati member in GTA Online - How many times does it take to become an Illuminati member by tipping a toilet attendant? 575 if you're in GTA Online. Go to the Los Santos nightclub and visit the toilet. If the attendant is on shift, you will become part of the Illuminati if you tip him that many times. The message "Seeking the Truth" appears after just 10 tips. "Chasing the Truth" pops up at tip number 155. When you hit the magic number of 575, "Bearing the Truth" is shown, along with you receiving the Elipson Program robes, the official dress for the secret society in GTA 5.
The psychic who literally reads your mind in Metal Gear Solid - How weird would it be for a game to go through your laptop and then tell you stuff about yourself? That's exactly what happens when you meet Psycho Mantis, one of the most powerful characters in terms of mental abilities in any game. Mantis starts telling you about what games you are playing besides Metal Gear. If the games are Konami-made, he will even go into details. Not that impressive now but back in 1987? Creepy as a memory card!
The Purpose Of Easter Eggs
So what is the purpose behind your regular Easter Egg? Why is it those game developers decide to include these hidden objects, messages, or characters in their creations? For one, there is the idea of why not? If the game is well made, why not add a little quirk that will most likely get the conversation going? Who’s capable of not talking about an alien under the ice at the beginning of one of the most expected games of the century? Exactly.
There is also the idea of achievement. Gamers love playing games not just for the main storyline. They also love to explore and touch the untouchable. Give gamers a great storyline and they’re happy with it. Give them an Easter Egg hunt based on secret spots and unreachable destinations on the map and they are ecstatic. Easter Eggs have the purpose of fascination. They are there to amaze, start conversations, and inspire gamers for more.