5 of the Best Gaming Easter Eggs in Recent Years

Portal 2

[Spoiler Alert for Portal 2] Like The Talos Principle, Portal is a very abstract first-person puzzle game that challenges other video games released alongside it with its dry wit, unique strategy and unconventional gameplay.  The sequel gave us even more of this, including a darker expansion of its own storyline, part of which is considered to be a giant easter egg of it’s own.

1. Whilst the main concept of the game is to get the protagonist, Chell, out of the Aperture Science test chambers and away from the evil GLaDOS, the side story of Doug Rattman, a mysterious assumed survivor is thought to be lurking around. Easter eggs scatter the different test chambers and corridors, with many clues to his whereabouts hidden within them if you stray from the beaten track. The story is expanded further through the short comic ‘Lab Rat’, which goes into much more detail.  But be warned, you may be researching for a very long time…
2. Valve fans will already know that the Half Life and Portal universes are intertwined through the competitive science companies Black Mesa and Aperture Science.  But the rivalry could be a lot deeper and detailed than we originally thought.  The Borealis is a vessel said to hold a potentially dark secret and is rumored to have been stolen from Aperture by Black Mesa.  Interestingly, a secret corridor in Portal 2 will lead you to a large and empty dock, where a life preserver sits, the word ‘BOREALIS’ written across it.
3. Turrets feature heavily in the game, especially during the closing sequence where they sing you farewell.  However, quite early on in the game, you can find one that sweetly tells you ‘I’m different’.  If you rescue it from a conveyer belt, it will thank you and should you continue to hold it, it will give you clues such as ‘the answer is beneath us’ and interestingly, ‘her name is Caroline’.
4. It’s not all mystery and puzzles though, some of the easter eggs are light-hearted and humorous such as prior to your battle with Wheatley. If you come back when he asks you to, he will speak for a good couple of minutes about the wonderful things that he promises you’ll find if you jump into the abyss below