With HBO's adaptation of Naughty Dog's survival horror video game The Last of Us set to premiere on Jan. 15, 2023, fans have gone back to the original game and its remaster to reacquaint themselves with Joel, Ellie and the harrowing, Boston-based Quarantine Zone.
Once revisiting The Last of Us universe ahead of the series premiere, players new and old are bound to encounter a bevy of clever Easter eggs that not only make reference to other Naughty Dog titles but also pay homage to many people who inspired or worked on the original game.
Clementine's House From Telltale's The Walking Dead
During the main story in Last of Us Part I, Bill and Ellie happen upon a detailed replica of Clementine's house featured in Telltale's iconic zombie game The Walking Dead released in 2012, one year before The Last Of Us came out. While many of the in-game references pay homage to other Naughty Dog titles, it's very cool to see the studio give a shoutout to its main rival.
At the time, The Walking Dead and The Last of Us were hailed as two of the most immersive, story-driven zombie games on the market. While both games are very similar in terms of story and themes, stumbling upon Clem's moldering abode is an exhilarating crossover Easter egg sure to give gamer's a nightmarish dose of deja vu when spotting it for the first time.
Ellie's T-Shirts
Following the main story in The Last Of Us Part I, several new T-shirts will be unlocked for Ellie to wear. Unlike the obvious Yellow Beatrix Kiddo jumpsuit she wears from Kill Bill earlier in the game, the new T-shirts make coy references to several Sony PlayStation games. This is a fun, interactive reward for those who make it to the end in one piece.
Among Ellie's referential T-shirts is Days Gone, God of War, Ghosts of Tsushima, Horizon, Returnal, Shadow of Colossus, and more. The cheeky in-game references to other popular Sony IP and Naughty Dog games have been reciprocated in the recent release of God of War: Ragnarok, in which several Easter Egg poems from Kvasir's journal in GOW: Ragnarok also allude to the aforementioned games. While not all that vital to the plot of the game, it's hard not to crack a smile when unlocking and wearing the T-shirts.
PlayStation 3 Consoles
When The Last of Us was originally released in 2012, PlayStation 3 was the first console the horror game appeared on. As such, Naughty Dog has dispersed several PS3 consoles throughout The Last Of Us, and spotting them becomes a really fun game-within-the-game that has kept fans amused for hours.
The first PS3 console can be spotted on the shelf in Joel and Sarah's house beneath the TV set. Another can be seen inside Larry's TV & Stereo shop when Ellie passes through during the "Lakeside Resort." As a nostalgic nod to where the game started and how far its come since its inception, the hidden PS3s are a great way of honoring the origins of the game.
Uncharted 13: A Lush Movie
One of Naughty Dog's most popular game franchises includes Uncharted, with several Easter eggs referencing Nathan Drake in The Last Of Us. While many are minor, the hilarity of finding a newspaper advertising the 13th Uncharted movie starring Justin Bieber is too good to pass up.
The Easter Egg can be spotted inside The Daily Metro newspaper during the main campaign in The Last Us. Zooming into the paper, a headline reads: "Uncharted 13: A Lush Movie Starring Justin Bieber as Drake." Both poking fun at Hollywood's incessant sequels and cross-promoting their own brand, Naughty Dog showcases its playful sense of humor with A Lush Movie.
Nathan Drake, Jak And Daxter Plush Toys
Another major Naughty Dog franchise, several references to Jak & Daxter can be found in the beloved zombie survival horror game (Jak Java coffee cart and Jak Company poster, etc.). However, there is one Easter Egg that combines Uncharted with Jak & Daxter that can be found inside the kid's room at the Serenity Apartments after encountering Sam and Henry.
On top of the dresser inside the child's bedroom, two plush toys of Jak and Daxter can be seen. On the bed a few feet away, a plush toy of Nathan Drake can also be spotted, tying together three of Naughty Dog's most celebrated games in one cool find. The Uncharted and Jak & Daxter board games in the ChooChoo Toy Store from The Last of Us have also been moved to the dormitory hallway in The Last of Us Part I.
Naughty Dog References
Aside from the ND Corporate building seen in Chapter 5 and an NDI sticker located in a bus depot bathroom in Chapter 10, The Last Of Us is loaded with constant reminders of who developed the game. There's even a photo of Naughty Dog's development team that can be seen in Sarah's bedroom during the prologue.
Taking their hidden Easter eggs to the next level, players can also find a poster for The Last of Us in Pittsburgh, which provides an address for the Naughty Dog website. There's also a mousepad with the ND logo on it and a pet store called Faithful Dog. But the most hidden ND reference comes from the Chinese Restaurant in Pittsburgh called "Wan Pi Gou," which translates to "Naughty Dog." Together, the collective ND Easter eggs are a brilliant way of promoting the company while self-congratulating their own accomplishments.
Hidden Message In Final Level
Once Joel begins traversing the Firefly Hospital at the end of the acclaimed survival horror game, several eye charts can be spotted throughout the facility. While there isn't much time to decode them, eagle-eyed gamers will be able to spot a motivational message to help them reach the endgame.
Looking closely, the eye charts spell out: "Run You're Nearly There Don't Quit," which should be taken as a literal instruction to beat the game once and for all. The fact Naughty Dog used an eye chart to scramble the message and force players to see it clearly is one of the most playfully meta Easter eggs in the game.
The Parallel Road
In "Lakeside Resort," players can find a book inside Ellie's backpack entitled To Get To The Other Side, written by Kathryn McCormac. This is a brilliant reference to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, a post-apocalyptic novel that inspired The Last Of Us a great deal (per Game Informer). Both stories concern a father and son surviving an epic road journey across the ashen U.S. where zombie-like ghouls run rabid.
More telling yet, the final shot of The Last Of Us is lifted directly from The Road, in which a haunting close-up of the little boy is shown as he utters the same line from the movie, "OK," before the screen goes black. While it's fun to spot references to other video games and consoles, Easter eggs like these give the game an unforgettable thematic weight.
Lev Benioff's City Of Thieves
In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, game director Bruce Straley said The Last of Us draws major inspiration from City of Thieves, a 2008 novel written by screenwriter David Benioff. In The Last of Us, players can find a newspaper in The University chapter that has a headline reading: "U.S. Miltary Recalls Search Effort" written by Lev Benioff, a mashup of writer David Benioff and the protagonist from City of Thieves, Lev.
More interesting yet, the plot of City of Thieves concerns two youths desperately searching for a dozen eggs behind enemy lines in WWII. The irony of this hidden Easter Egg lying in plain sight is not lost on players who find it, adding a profound literary crossover that credits the inspiration for the game.
Daniel Kinnard Poster
When searching for Ellie in the farmhouse sequence, players will come across a poster of a baseball player named Daniel Kinnard. This is actually a touching tribute to Daniel Kinnard, who was part of the Naughty Dog development team that passed away while the game was being created.
Kinnard served as the producer for The Last of Us Part I Visual Arts, and the heartfelt ode to one of the game's most important contributors is a reminder that there are far more important things in life than spotting silly Easter eggs in a video game.