With the release of the trailer last month, fans are already hyped for the upcoming The Last of Us HBO series and that's thanks in part to the sheer amount of easter eggs and references to the game it contained. There's not much that gamers love more than subtle nods and secret messages that only the most dedicated or eagle-eyed fans can uncover, which is why using them was a smart move.
The gamers of Reddit agree, which is why they came together to discuss which video game easter eggs deserve to be considered the very best of all time. From The Dog Ending of Silent Hill 2 to a dead Tyrion Lannister in The Witcher 3, there are some great ones.
The Skeleton In The Fridge - Fallout: New Vegas
The Fallout games are widely regarded as classics and one of the things that make the series so iconic is its more humorous side which includes no shortage of easter eggs. Redditor Morotstomten thinks the best of the series is "a busted fridge with a skeleton wearing a fedora inside" in Fallout: New Vegas.
It's a reference to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in which the fedora-wearing protagonist infamously survives a nuclear test explosion by shutting himself inside a fridge. As another series that features a nuclear blast and its aftermath, there's no better game to call out the ridiculousness of the scene by subtly portraying what the actual outcome would be.
The Dog Ending - Silent Hill 2
Few things can pique a player's interest more than the prospect of a secret ending to a game, especially one that seems to reveal the truth behind the entire plot, but Silent Hill 2's attempt at one is a little different. Redditor HansLackenbacher is one player that puts forward the game's "dog ending" as one of the best easter eggs ever.
Only accessible once the player has completed all three normal endings, it features a cutscene where the player discovers a dog wearing headphones operating the observation room in the Lakeview Hotel and realizes it was the true culprit behind everything. With a unique closing credits scene and a new bark-infused ending song, they put in an impressive amount of effort for this silly easter egg.
Kryptonian Message - Superman Returns
Leaving secret messages in alien scripts is nothing new in video games and not necessarily a particularly interesting easter egg on its own. However, the one found by Redditor Spyker0013 written in Kryptonian writing on a monolith in Superman Returns for the Xbox 360 is a little different.
They explain the twist which is that "after painstakingly translating" the message, it appeared to say "this is not a cheat code -EA." Considering someone who took the time to translate such a message would likely want something as a reward for their efforts, it might be a disappointing result but it's certainly a funny one too.
The Scarab Gun - Halo 2
Hidden items can make for some of the most fun video game easter eggs, especially when they're uniquely strong or interesting. That's the case with the Scarab Gun in Halo 2, a weapon that the player was able to obtain from on top of a remote bridge if they pulled off a precise sequence of moves with a Banshee.
Redditor HydraTower thinks the easter egg "takes the cake" and many fans who managed to get their hands on the Scarab Gun would agree. That's because it's by far the most powerful weapon in the game, a plasma rifle with the power of a Scarab Cannon that's so strong the hardest part of using it is that the player can easily end up killing themselves with the splash damage.
The Cow Level - Diablo 2
Although Diablo Immortal may have been a controversial chapter in the franchise's history, becoming a game that many fans love to hate, the Diablo series is still renowned for dark and compelling dungeon-crawling. On the other hand, it hasn't been afraid to depart from that dark tone to deliver some hilariously out-there easter eggs either.
Redditor FuzzyTop75 considers the "cow level in Diablo 2" to be the best in the series. Also known as the Moo Moo Farm, the secret level can be accessed by players who already beat the campaign by creating a portal using specific ingredients. Though it's simply a small area full of Hell Bovines, including The Cow King, it's still an absurd addition to a dark fantasy masterpiece.
A Hidden Assassin - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Some of the most satisfying easter eggs for video game fans can be small nods of acknowledgment between rival franchises and that's especially true when they're done with a sense of humor. Redditor Ian_A17 thinks one of the best of all time is in The Witcher 2 when the player finds a "dead assassin from assassin's Creed lying in a pile of straw."
Whilst some might take it as an insult to kill off the central character of another franchise, the fact that he's found in a pile of straw and the remains of a broken cart when one of the trademarks of the Assassin's Creed games is using straw carts as landing pads shows a level of knowledge that fans can appreciate. On top of that, it's just an extremely well-executed crossover between the two massive fantasy series.
Chapter Names - Dead Space
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The well-received Dead Space is known for its strong sense of atmosphere and fascinating narrative so it's no surprise that its easter eggs only add to that. Redditor Sweepy_time thinks the game has one of the best easter eggs ever because the "first letter of each chapter name spells out the twist."
This might have been dismissed as some clever foreshadowing for extremely analytical players but it's even more significant for Dead Space because of how just how much the twist at the heart of it changes the game. Finding out that the truth was right there the entire time only adds to the ominous tone of the game.
The Statue Of Happiness' Heart - Grand Theft Auto IV
The more realistic a game, the more entertaining it is when the easter eggs are downright ridiculous and that helped make Grand Theft Auto IV's Statue of Happiness easter egg all the more iconic. Redditor OhhJukes is one of many who say they're "a big fan of the beating heart inside of the statue of happiness in GTA 4."
If the player gets inside the statue, which is only accessible by helicopter, they're greeted by a "No Hidden Content This Way" sign before finding the statue's large beating heart. Considering it's meant to be a reflection of the Statue of Liberty in real life, it only adds to the absurdity of the easter egg.
A Dead Tyrion - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Tyrion Lannister is one of the more divisive Game of Thrones' characters but no one can deny that Peter Dinklage's character isn't one of the series' most interesting figures. That's why it's not surprising so many Game of Thrones fans like Redditor Jorask noticed "a dead Tyrion Lannister in a sky cell [...] located on an island in Skellige."
It's not the only reference to HBO's massive fantasy series either but it's certainly the one that stuck out to most fans. Tyrion is such a larger-than-life figure in the world of Game of Thrones so recreating his sky cell confinement is the perfect crossover between the series, even if he happens to already be dead by the time the player finds him.
A Missing Orc Army - Gothic II
Gothic II is a classic of the RPG genre and though many may have forgotten just how good the sequel is nearly two decades on from its original release, the game's best easter egg deserves to be remembered. Redditor Tadas32 is a player who rates it as one of the best ever.
They explain that "behind the great wall, where an Orc Army should be," there is instead a hilarious sign that confirms the entire thing is a hoax and encourages the player to always stay wary of lies. Serving as both a hilarious misdirection and a clever fourth-wall break, it's still a favorite easter egg for many.