My Top 10 Favourite Creepy Easter
Eggs in Video Games!
It’s been a long time since I made a
Top 10 list, and with Halloween being today, I figured now would be a great
time to make a new one!
I actually have never personally been
a Halloween guy. It mostly stems from my dislike of horror as a genre
altogether. What I do like is when a
developer or artist sneaks something a little unusual or unexpected into a
game. Sometimes you’ll be playing a family-friendly adventure when something
comes out of the blue that makes you just plain uneasy. Because of that, I’ve
made a rule that no straight-up horror games are allowed on the list. I feel
that they’re already trying to creep you out, so an extra hidden detail in an
already scary game doesn’t really match up with finding something unexpectedly
frightening in a non-horror game.
Also remember that this is all for fun
and purely subjective, so if your favourite is missing, it’s either because I
don’t know about it or don’t like it as much. With that said…
10. Disturbing the Remains (Destiny)
Once upon a time, there was a little FPS/MMO
hybrid called Destiny. When it first launched in 2014 a rapid fanbase quickly
latched onto the game, determined to unearth every secret.
One of the things they stumbled upon
became known as the “Loot Cave”. It was basically a place where enemies spawned
infinitely, allowing more experienced players to mow them down, and as a result
gather obscene amounts of treasure.
The developers over at Bungie quickly
learned about this, and the Cave was patched out. In its place, however,
something much more unnerving was created.
If you enter the cave now, all you
find are a pile of black remains, and you are given the option to disturb them.
Upon doing so, garbled and reversed speech begins to play, followed by a voice
clearly saying “A million deaths are not enough for Master Rahool.”
Master Rahool is actually a pretty
common face to see in Destiny. He hangs out in the hub world, and talking to
him allows you to exchange your loot for weapons, armour, and other useful
items. Rahool became infamous in the Destiny fanbase for often handing out
items that were worth less than the loot you traded in. Given that he’s never
shown any sinister behaviour in-game, this is more than likely a nod to the fan
reception of the character. But if you were unaware of that, I imagine this
could be pretty startling.
9. Post-Boss Sounds (Splatoon)
Splatoon is already hiding some pretty
eerie stuff in the form of the Sunken Scrolls, collectable items in the
singleplayer campaign. They detail the lore of the world, giving us context to
the biology of the inklings, the origins of the Squid Sisters, the original
Turf Wars that preface the game by hundreds of years, and much more. Most
frightening, however, are the ones that detail the fall of humanity due to
rising ocean levels, and how one of the final surviving scientists
cryogenically froze his beloved cat as a means to keep him alive.
But today, we’re talking about an even
darker secret you may not have heard about. After beating one of the bosses in
singleplayer, you are rewarded with a zapfish. In the lore of the game, the
zapfish is what powers civilizations and keeps Inkopolis running.
Before you collect the fish, if you
listen closely, you can hear what sounds like something collapsing, as well as
voices moaning and screaming in terror. For a long time, no one was sure what
to think of these. Even the director of the game, Tsubasa Sakaguchi, went on
record to say that he had no idea what they were doing in the game. Listen to them for yourself.
Finally, a theory rolled around that
seemed to explain the noises. The main antagonists in Splatoon are known as the
Octarians, an octopus-like race that act in direct contrast to the playable
squid-like Inklings. They’re the ones who stole the zapfishes in the first
place, as a means to power their own underground world. By taking them back,
you are effectively ending their civilization, as detailed by the sounds of
destruction and screaming.
Then again, considering Sakaguchi had
no idea what they meant, it could be nothing. But hey, someone put them there
for a reason, right?
8. The Hell Valley Sky Trees (Super
Mario Galaxy 2)
Walking through Super Mario Galaxy 2’s
Shiverburn Galaxy, you might never notice that something is amiss. That is,
unless you use the in-game camera function and look to the sky.
There’s a large cliff face to your
immediate left for most of the galaxy. If you zoom into a first person view,
turn towards the cliff, and then look up, you’ll spy what appears to be three shadowy
figures staring down at you with empty eyes. No matter how far you go into the
galaxy, if you look up and to the left, the figures will always be there,
watching you with empty eyes.
The most bizarre part of these guys is
that, to this day, no one’s sure exactly why they’re there or what their
purpose is. You never interact with them, or find them in another galaxy.
They’re separate entities from the skybox, named “HellValleySkyTree” in the
files of the games, so they’re definitely meant
to be there. They just look creepy, follow you through the level, and
that’s it.
One thing’s for sure, though: I’ve
never seen a tree with eyes.
7. Arthas’s Return (World of
Warcraft)
In a game as big as World of Warcraft,
you’re bound to find some creepy stuff hidden away somewhere. A good example
are the Children of Goldshire. At a certain in-game time, you can find a group
of kids walking around the town of Goldshire, forming a pentagram-like shape. You
can also find them inside a house, where it seems they’re performing a ritual
to summon the demonic old god C’Thun.
As creepy as that is, I feel the more
unnerving secret can be found in the ruins of the kingdom of Lordaeron. If you
don’t know the story of the kingdom, let me give you a quick rundown. In
Warcraft III, Lordaeron was ruled by King Terenas Menethil, with his son Arthas
Menethil being next in line for the throne. During a quest to protect his
homeland, Arthas was manipulated into becoming an agent of the evil being known
as the Lich King, a title he took with great honour.
After joining the Lich King’s side,
Arthas returned home to Lordaeron, and this is where the easter egg comes in.
If you visit what’s left of Lordaeron in World of Warcraft, you can hear sound
effects taken straight from Warcraft III, depicting Arthas’s return. First, you
hear the bells ringing and crowd cheering for their noble prince. Then, upon
entering the throne room, you hear the ghostly voices of Arthas and Terenas having
their final conversation before Terenas’s death at the hands of his son.
“What
is this? What are you doing, my son?”
“Succeeding
you…Father.”
6. Elevator Girl (Pokémon X and Y)
The Pokémon games have never shied
away from hiding some creepy stuff in their games, from the denizens in
Lavender Town to the Old Chateau to several downright terrifying Pokedex
entries. Who knew that Kabutops cuts prey open with claws and then sucks out
their bodily fluids? Because I sure didn’t want to know.
My favourite, however, comes from
Pokémon X and Y. In the enormous Lumiose City, there exists an unmarked
building hiding one of the series’ most unnerving secrets. Go into the elevator
and up to the second floor. Upon exiting, the music fades out, the lights will
flash, and a girl using the Hex Maniac character model appears behind you. She
glides away with no walk animation, says “No,
you’re not the one…” and vanishes. Pretty darn creepy, if I do say so
myself.
Somewhat similarly to Splatoon’s case,
the director of Pokémon X and Y, Junichi Masuda, initially didn’t know what people
were talking about, and upon being shown video evidence, refused to talk about
it anymore.
Another thing to add is that what is
assumed to be the same girl appears yet again in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha
Sapphire. Alongside what seems to be several ghosts popping around the home of
Elite Four member and Ghost-type trainer Phoebe, if you visit Mt. Pyre, you can
find a girl using the exact same character model as the ghost from X and Y,
repeating the same dialogue. To this day, Game Freak hasn’t given us any
context for either of these things, but for now, they’re fun to speculate on.
5. The Ghost of Mount Gordo (Grand
Theft Auto V)
The Grand Theft Auto series has always
been known for having loads of supernatural and creepy easter eggs. Remember
back when San Andreas came out and everyone was going crazy searching for
Bigfoot? He’s become a mainstay in the series ever since. Add in UFOs, aliens,
and even a literal Heart of the City, and you’ve got some pretty weird stuff
going on in Rockstar’s wacky world.
The creepiest is, without a doubt, the
ghost featured in Grand Theft Auto 5. Visiting Mount Gordo between 11:00 PM and
midnight triggers her to appear. The closer you get to her, the more she fades
away, although you can always see her clearly through the scope of your rifle.
She’s…not exactly a pretty face.
It’s necessary to get close to her to
understand the creepiest part of this whole thing. At her feet, the word “Jock” is written in what looks like
blood. Coincidentally, there’s a character named Jock Cranley running for mayor
during the events of GTA V. Or is it a coincidence?
Upon looking through some information,
you’ll stumble upon the fact that Jock once had a wife named Jolene. The two
were going through some marital strife, which ended in Jock pushing her off the
edge of Mount Gordo. Her death was ruled an accident, but her spirit still
roams the mountain spelling out the truth.
4. W.D. Gaster (Undertale)
Undertale is already filled to the
brim with secrets and easter eggs, but what if I told you there was an entire
subplot hidden away in the game’s code?
If you venture into Undertale’s
coding, you’ll stumble across something called “Fun Value”. Changing the number
of the value causes different scripted events. The most common of these is the
Wrong Number Song that plays in northern Snowdin Town, but you can make other
things trigger as well, such as bonus phone calls from characters like Sans or
Alphys.
But as the numbers go higher, things
start to get weird. New NPCs begin to
pop up across Waterfall and Hotland, many of them grayed out versions of
existing characters. They speak cryptically of a being named Doctor W.D.
Gaster. According to them, Gaster was the previous Royal Scientist who
constructed the Underground’s core. However, something happened to him some
time before your character arrives, but exactly what destroyed him varies
depending on which character you speak to.
You can even encounter what appears to
be Gaster himself if you set the values right. Travel through Waterfall to the
room with the crystallized cheese and Save Point. On a normal playthrough, the
next room would contain Sans and a telescope. However, if the values are
entered correctly, you will find a hallway, empty aside from a gray door.
Entering the door presents you with an empty room, and a shadowy smiling figure
with a white face. He has no collision detection, meaning you can walk right
through him. Attempting to interact with him seems to startle him, and he
vanishes instantly.
It doesn’t stop there, either. Further
changing the values can give you a Sound Test room in Snowdin, where you can
listen to “Gaster’s Theme”, an eerie composition of repeating notes. Continuing
on gives you a cryptic message written entirely in Wingdings font, perhaps
referencing the “W.D.” in his name. The doctor even pops up in the canon game,
with the Riverperson urging you to “beware
the man who speaks in hands”, referring to the Wingdings font Gaster speaks
in, and the skull-like cannons Sans uses in his boss battle are canonically
called “Gaster Blasters”.
Whatever the case, the legacy of Dr.
Gaster is a secret not many have stumbled upon, but incredibly intriguing to
those who have.
3. The Ghost of Rattmann (Portal 2)
Okay, I promise that this is the last
ghost on this list.
Doug Rattmann is an obscure but
incredibly significant character in the Portal games. A schizophrenic scientist
working for Aperture, he was one of the few to doubt the idea of the GLaDOS
project. Upon her awakening and subsequent reign over the facility, Rattmann
fled into the bowels of Aperture, attempting to control as much as he could
from the shadows. He was the one who, in the original Portal, infamously warned
players “The cake is a lie” as
written on the walls.
Rattmann’s story continued in the
companion comic for Portal 2, “Lab Rat”. After your character, Chell, was
dragged back into the facility at the conclusion of the original game, Rattmann
and his faithful Companion Cube restored power to the relaxation chamber you
find yourself in at the start of Portal 2, leaving you primed and ready for
Wheatley to find you in the opening of the sequel.
In Portal 2, Rattmann’s scribblings
are still around, albeit a little less frequent. They hold a frightening new
secret, however. Upon entering any room with graffiti, move as close to a wall
as you can. Upon listening closely, you hear what is unmistakeably a human voice
moaning and mumbling from beyond the wall.
Considering that Portal 2 takes place
an undisclosed but lengthy amount of time after the original game (Wheatley: “Now you’ve been under…for quite a lot
longer.”), it’s not unreasonable to think that Doug Rattmann has passed
away since the events of Portal, but his ghost still walks the facility,
schizophrenically mumbling nonsense. The track that plays over him talking is
even called “Ghost of Rattmann”.
While Rattmann’s story may have ended,
he remains a creepy easter egg for those who know where to listen.
2. 4:44 AM (Harvest Moon: More
Friends of Mineral Town
This one is simple, yet terrifying.
The Harvest Moon series has never really been one for creepy secrets. When a
ghost does appear in the series, he looks
more like Charlie Brown with a sheet over his head than anything else.
However, there is one hidden easter
egg that had the potential to unnerve anyone who knew the implications behind
it.
On any day of any month, wait until
4:44 AM, and then turn your TV on. If done correctly, a dialogue box will open,
filling with the number 4 repeatedly. The entire game locks up, and the only
way to fix it is to either restart or rotate the directional pad for a bit. A
little creepy, yes, but why’s it so high up on the list when compared to some
of the other entries?
In Japan, the number 4 is considered
very unlucky. 4 and the word death have the same pronunciation in Japanese,
that being “shi”. Imagine playing Harvest Moon, booting up your TV in the
middle of the night in-game, and seeing “666” flash across the screen
repeatedly. That’s the equivalent of what this was for Japanese players.
That, plus the fact that it crashes
the game, makes this an incredibly unnerving addition to a cutesy game. It
seems that cutesy games always hold the scariest secrets, however, because this
one is trumped only by…
1. Gyroid Face (Animal Crossing)
As much as I adore the charming,
happy-go-lucky and relaxed nature of the Animal Crossing games, they’re holding
a fair share of dark secrets. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you can use the
Dream Suite to visit Aika Village, a town seemingly overrun with creepy red
dolls and featuring an up-to-interpretation story.
But considering Aika seems to be a
fanmade creation, I decided to go with what I consider to be the creepiest
video game easter egg, one found in the original Animal Crossing for the
GameCube.
Before we get into the easter egg,
however, it’s integral to know some background. One of the recurring items in
the Animal Crossing series is known as a gyroid. Gyroids are small clay golems
with dark, circular holes for eyes and a mouth. They can be dug up in your
town, and when placed in your house, all they do is sit there and play a
musical note repeatedly. They don’t sell for very much, and sure don’t look
pretty, so most players just ignore them.
What’s interesting about them is that
they’re based on haniwa, Japanese clay figures that were ritually buried with
the dead between the 3rd and 6th century. I’ll ignore the
implication that your town is situated on an ancient Japanese burial ground,
but remember that. It’s important.
In the original Animal Crossing, there
was no Wi-Fi connectivity yet, so to visit a friend’s town you had to put the
memory card with their town on it into the GameCube’s second memory card slot,
and use the train station to get there. However, if you power your console down
on the way to the other town, things start to get more than a little messed up.
Upon restarting the game, your
character returns, except with a slight difference: your face is gone. It
almost looks like you’re made of clay and someone bore 3 holes into your face
for eyes and a mouth…exactly like a gyroid. Your inventory is completely empty
as well, with anything you had on you before that fateful train ride being
wiped from existence completely.
Considering your character’s face
returns to normal the next time you return to the game after saving and
quitting, most wrote this off as a way for Nintendo to say “hey, don’t do
that”. But after knowing what the gyroids were originally based on, this takes
a bit of a darker turn. Could you shutting off the power when going to that
other town indirectly have killed your character, with the gyroid face
representing their death?
Well, those are my favourite creepy
gaming easter eggs. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!
Song of the Week
In the spirit of the holiday as well
as the game I chose as my #1 pick, I felt it only necessary to go with the
Halloween theme from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. This song is both creepy and
whimsical, fitting the theme of Animal Crossing’s take on the holiday
perfectly.
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