Easter Eggs and Characters that “Traveled” to Other Games

Before the internet, discovering Easter eggs in games was a different experience. There were no online guides or videos showing all the secrets (and magazines were expensive, so they weren't for everyone). The solution was to exchange information with friends, and it wasn't always possible to know if what they told you was true (like Shenron in Street Fighter II). Sometimes the hints were real; other times, they were completely made up.

Today, special appearances (the famous cameos) are often officially announced, whether as free or paid content. It's common to see characters from different franchises meeting in the same game, like when Terry Bogard appeared in Metro City in Street Fighter VI, and then Ken visited South Town in City of the Wolves.

Some developers prefer to reveal these cameos to everyone, but others like to keep the secret well hidden so players feel the satisfaction of finding them themselves. Depending on the game, the Easter egg can be just a quick joke or even a character who actually appears to help in the adventure.

And it's not just game characters who make these cameos—many celebrities also like to get in on the fun, lending their likeness or working with studios to create something special. So, let's discuss some of these cameos and Easter eggs in games, and if you have any questions, leave a comment.

Samus Aran, protagonist of the Metroid series, is known for fighting monsters in space. But in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, she appears in a very different form. To find her, Mario must first obtain the fifth Star Piece. Then, simply head to the Royal Castle and enter the guest room. There, under a blue blanket, Samus is sleeping, wearing her full armor.

If Mario talks to her, Samus says: "I'm resting up to face Mother Brain." She won't help you with the mission, but at least she found a good place to take a nap. Samus also appears at another point in the game: at the top of Booster's tower, and there's a box full of her toys.

Mr. Game & Watch is a famous character in Japan, the mascot of Nintendo's Game & Watch handhelds, released in the 1980s, which featured simple minigames on LCD screens with quick and straightforward gameplay. But he became better known worldwide after joining the cast of Super Smash Bros. Melee.

He also appears in Donkey Kong Country Returns. In world 7, stage 7-1 Foggy Fumes, both Donkey Kong and the environment appear as silhouettes. In the background, you can see Mr. Game & Watch using his hammer to hit a pipe. You can run past him, but he won't react.

The Revenge of Shinobi was marked by special appearances by characters such as Batman, Terminator, Godzilla and Spider-Man. They all appear as stage bosses, but without the official license. The Terminator was a person who, inside, was a robot, just like the Godzilla who became Mecha Godzilla.

And Spider-Man, according to SEGA, was just an imitation made by a shapeshifter who, after being defeated, became Batman. Years later, in the 1990s, at least one of them was officially licensed by Marvel, and when you encounter him, he's on the side of the enemy, trying to attack you with webs and quick lunges. Defeating him is necessary to continue the mission.

Have you ever stopped to think about who would win in a fight between current MMA fighters against a great fighter like Bruce Lee and his “one-inch punch”? Electronic Arts decided to put an end to that doubt and put the legendary martial arts master in the ring, and he appears as a playable character in the first two games of the EA Sports UFC series.

Bruce Lee never actually competed in MMA, but in the game, he can be used in various weight classes. The easiest way to unlock him is to pre-order him or unlock him in the first game. The most difficult way is to complete Career Mode on the "pro" difficulty setting or higher. It's no easy feat, but it's a source of pride to control the iconic fighter after unlocking it this way.

Shrek, Dreamworks' ogre, is practically unanimous among mods for games of various genres, alongside other major figures like CJ from GTA and Thomas the Train. You can find mods of these three for practically any game released. But in the case of Shrek, he managed to transcend this barrier and officially appear in a licensed game.

Thanks to a partnership between Activision and the film Shrek 2, the ogre appeared as a playable skateboarder in Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Unlocking him is simple: just complete the story mode on easy difficulty. Shrek isn't just a character repurposed from another model; he has his own tricks, like using earwax to grind and burping to mark walls instead of spraying.

Kirby is usually seen as a cute character, but for those who know his story, he's an immensely powerful creature who destroys entire solar systems, with a truly infinite stomach, capable of swallowing and absorbing powers. Look up his story and see how absurd this little pink ball is. Now, imagine a villain with these powers?

Anti-Kirby is an aggressive enemy that appears as a boss in Link's Awakening. He resides in the seventh dungeon, Eagle's Tower, and tries to swallow Link before spitting him out and dealing damage. You can't defeat him with just a sword—you'll need to use stronger weapons, like the Magic Rod or bombs, or trick Anti-Kirby into swallowing a bomb himself.

Duke Nukem 3D loves to make fun of other games (of course, this was before he himself became a joke due to his game that took more than 10 years to be released and still flopped badly), and one example is the reference to the protagonist of Doom (which is still there, strong and steady in the hands of Bethesda).

In the Death Row level, pressing a secret button on the altar transforms the church, revealing a satanic setting. There, you'll find the destroyed body of the Space Marine, indicating that the game's aliens were too much for the Doom Slayer. Duke even comments, "That's one doomed Marine." Players of the Megaton Edition also earn the "Doomed Marine" achievement.

The partnership between the superstar and King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and SEGA is widely known. The "urban legend" that he composed the soundtrack for Sonic 3 but removed his name from the credits due to dissatisfaction with the Genesis' sound chip has been refuted and refuted so many times that it's easier to choose what to believe than to wait for the official version.

Michael also starred in games like Moonwalker, based on his film, which was released for home consoles and arcades. He appeared as Space Michael in Space Channel 5 and in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, on the Dreamcast version, as a secret fighter with his signature look and moves. So, if you want to see the King of Pop again, just turn on a SEGA console, and you'll have plenty of him there.

Fighting games are the champions of cameos; we even have an article that talks about all the cameos that appeared in the series Mortal Kombat. Now, fighting game characters in games of other styles are not the most common thing to see out there. But did you know that our muse and the 'strongest woman in the world', Chun Li, was even at a JRPG?

In the RPG Breath of Fire, in Bleak City, there's a trick that makes Chun-Li from Street Fighter appear practicing her special Lightning Kick. To do so, you have to accept a "magic" from an NPC who promises to make your money disappear, following a sequence of responses. Chun-Li doesn't interact, but it's a fun cameo for fans.

In Shadow Warrior, in the Dark Woods of the Snake level, there's a secret cave where Lara Croft from Tomb Raider appears pinned to a wall. It's not a character resembling her. It's Lara herself with her PlayStation 1-era look. There's no record of any legal action by Eidos Core over the provocation made by 3D Realms, the same creators of Duke Nukem 3D.

Unfortunately, there's no way to save her. The protagonist just laughs and comments, "She's already explored her last tomb." But then again, if it were possible to get her out, she'd probably be angry and would most likely end Lo Wang's game in a few shots and a lot of jumping.

The Assassin's Creed series is famous for the Leap of Faith. A leap from impossible heights onto a patch of hay that has become a trademark of assassins who defy logic and physics. After all, they're supposed to be dead as soon as they hit the ground if they fall from absurd heights like those in a hay wagon. It's not uncommon for the player to mistime the command, causing the assassin to jump and land on something hard, causing them to "desync."

This absurdity didn't go unnoticed by the devs at CD Projekt Red, who decided to take a dig at their competitor with a play on Assassin's Creed. In The Witcher 2, walking through the city, you find a body lying on the ground that shows Altaïr, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed 1, dead near a haystack, suggesting he missed the famous Leap of Faith. It's a quick but very humorous Easter egg.

In addition to special appearances such as Robin Williams, honored by Blizzard for being an avid World of Warcraft fan with three characters, and Harrison Jones, a parody of Indiana Jones, with several archaeological adventures, some MMO cameos attract a lot of attention, such as Mario and Luigi, from Nintendo.

In WoW, in the Un'Goro Crater region, two NPCs named Larion and Muigin make direct reference to Mario and Luigi. They argue with each other, and one of them asks for help collecting items, including plants reminiscent of Piranha Plants. It's one of the rare situations where the famous brothers need your help, rather than the other way around.