Dying Light has undoubtedly received a lot of inspiration from many other games and genres. There is no argument there; in fact, many games are inspired and molded by games that came before it. Sometimes it’s a matter of a game doing something better, or maybe developers were just huge fans of experiences they’ve had in the past. Usually this is a given, but sometimes devs go the extra mile to put a little something special in their games to show their appreciation.
These come in the form of sweet easter eggs scattered throughout game worlds for players to find. Sometimes they’re soundbites, pictures, or just an oddly named NPC, but Dying Light went the extra mile to provide some truly satisfying secrets for anyone willing to seek them out. From nods to classic games to references a bit fresher, Dying Light provides elements to satiate everyone’s hunger for secrets.
Of course, with the territory of easter eggs comes the fact that they can be quite difficult to find. Yes, occasionally they’re placed in the middle of the road clear as day and it’s up to you to recognize them. But, more often than not you have to put in a bit of leg work in order to find the true gems. Lucky for you, all of the leg work has already been put in for you. So sit back, relax, and see how some genius easter eggs made their way into Dying Light.
The Legend of Zelda (Master Sword)
Those of you playing Dying Light are already quite familiar with its emphasis on melee combat. Tons of knives, axes, pipes, swords and a slew of other close range weapons are scattered throughout the city of Harran. Even so you would think you would recognize one of the most legendary weapons in gaming if it appeared on the screen, right? Probably not if it were in the hands of, let’s say: a child.
A child’s hand is exactly where you will find this particular easter egg. During one of the side quests in Dying Light you will find yourself helping a man named Dawud who has a son. Later on in the quest you will encounter Dawud in the sewers with his son, if you take the time to look at his son you will see him playing with something that looks oddly familiar.
That familiar item is a toy sword with a rather striking resemblance to the one Link has gotten his hands on in more than one occasion. He is playing with the Master Sword and it is a thing of beauty. The only thing that would make this easter egg even better would be if you could get your hands on your own Master Sword in order to strike down the zombies roaming the city.
The Last of Us (Clicker)
The Last of Us was released in 2013 and showed us that games with zombie like enemies can be so much more than just that. Its take on infected and focus on a deep narrative earned it a ton of well-deserved praise. With that being said, it is absolutely no surprise that Techland would throw a nod towards one of last generation’s best games. Dying Light brings one of The Last of Us‘s most frightening enemies into the city of Harran: the clicker.
What you’ll need to do is begin the side quest “The Bunker” in Old Town and start following all of the objectives. It’s a rather long side quest, especially when compared to some story missions and most other quests so this will take a bit of time. Towards the end of this drawn out quest you’ll have to access the bunker of Town Hall. Instead of heading to said bunker, head to Floor 1 instead. There will be a few infected to deal with but once you do turn to the elevator and behold your easter egg.
If you’re a bit worried about how you’re going to take down an enemy that insta-kills you and can take a boatload of damage don’t. The actual clicker isn’t in Dying Light because firstly this game is multi-platform, and secondly that would just be super unfair to unknowing survivors. What you have instead is a zombie with a deformed skull that kind of resembles that of a clicker from The Last of Us. You might be saying “maybe that’s just a coincidence”, and normally I’d probably agree.
But, in order to seal the deal and really let you know that the clicker easter egg is real, you get a Clicker named upgrade that increases the all three statistics on your weapon. That is a pretty sweet deal considering weapon upgrades as potent as this one are very rare. This isn’t the only easter egg for a recent game though. Dying Light seems to have a sense of humor about a certain space game as well.
Destiny (Loot Cave)
If you play video games there’s a chance that you’ve heard of a big budget game known as Destiny. Love it or hate it, nothing can change the fact that this game led to an abundance of headlines. There is also no denying is popularity and it comes as no surprise that this game has an easter egg in Dying Light.
In the slums if you go to your map you will notice a series of small islands all the way to the upper right hand side. Set a waypoint and start making your way towards this mysterious, uninhabited area. Once there you’ll notice a small stream with some overturned boats. Head towards these and continue down the path, jump over the one barricade that’s there and swim through the following underwater passage.
You’ll find yourself in a cave with seemingly endlessly spawning enemies. Break out your favorite weapon and go to town on all the zombies. They’ll continue to spawn for a few minutes so pick a safe corner and let them slowly make their way to you if you don’t want to die. After you’ve killed enough zombies to fill a couple of professional sports teams you’ll be treated to an on screen message poking fun at the exploited Destiny loot caves and the patch that put an end to them.
Super Mario (World 1-1)
So far the easter eggs have been interesting ways of including elements from other games in the world of Dying Light. But how cool would it be if you could actually be transported to another world? We’re not talking about aliens and spaceships or anything like that. We’re talking about being transplanted into another video game altogether.
The team over at Techland must have had the same thought in mind when they created the Super Mario easter egg. Once you’ve advance far enough in the main story (around halfway) you’ll gain access to an entire new area known as Sector 0. What you’ll want to do is set a waypoint to southeast of the map to a building that looks like an upside-down L. Once there climb up and search the chimneys on this building. You’ll find that one of them is housing a plugged up green pipe that should look familiar.
Interact and a new option will appear: World 1-1. It is now time to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes. When you use this green pipe you will be transported to a level that can only exist in Super Mario games in hell. Zombies have been shrunk down and adorned with goomba shaped costumes. Tons of blocks float above your head and the walls are painted and decorated with a blue sky and fluffy clouds. The stage is even complete with a flag pole at the end that grants you Survivor EXP depending on how high you manage to grab it.
It’s hard to do a classic game proper justice in the form of an easter egg, but the effort in Dying Light is more than admirable.
Plants vs. Zombies
What better easter egg to include in Dying Light than a reference to yet another zombie focused game? Plants vs. Zombies has been referenced in its fair share of games but the easter egg in Dying Light takes the cake. Next to the Super Mario easter egg this one presents the biggest spectacle for your eyes to enjoy. This one can’t be accessed until very late in the main storyline but it is well worth the wait.
Close to the end of the game you’ll have to complete a mission titled “Broadcast”. You’ll be tasked with climbing one of the highest structures in Dying Light in order to regain contact with the outside world. Towards the very end of “Broadcast” you will have to take a zip-line back to the sewer entrance. What you will want to do here is ignore your objective and go the other way. Now you’re on your way to another zip-line that will take you to a cliff. If you carefully make your way around the edge of the cliff you’ll find a special surprise.
Dying Light contains a flower here that you can’t find anywhere else in the game. Try to pick it and you’re transported to a farm populated with, well….look for yourself:
What makes this even better is the fact that it isn’t just for show. If you sit back and watch you will see an entire game of Plants vs. Zombies play out in front of you. Those watermelons in the picture actually catapult smaller watermelons that freeze zombies solid. Dying Light‘s varies zombies don traffic cones, hardhats, buckets, and even animal-decorated lifesavers. Such a nod to a small game is really cool, especially when found in such a big budget project.
Are there any Dying Light easter eggs you know about that aren’t on this list? If so feel free to share!
Published: Feb 6, 2015 01:36 pm