Best Hidden Easter Eggs From 'The Last of Us' for All the Video Game Purists Out There (SPOILER WARNING)

Anyone who's ever been depressed about either a book or video game adaptation knows the pure sorrow of watching your favorite story in the world get ruined by Hollywood. Well, for fans of 'The Last of Us', many gamers were horrified to hear that Joel and Ellie were going to be making an appearance on HBO. However, as production details were leaked and we learned that our favorite masochistic storytelling Daddy, Neil Druckman, was going to be writing the show as well (with Craig Mazin of course), there was hope in all of our hearts. That is, until we realized we might be destroyed again like we were when we played the game, getting our souls ripped out by the most amazing characters in the most epic story.

With the conclusion of the season finale, a lot of gamers are pretty pleased with how the show handled the adaptation. This could be largely because there are so many hidden easter eggs within the show that wink at the folks who played the game. So if you've ever been hiding in a cubicle with nothing but a brick or bottle in your hand with a clicker on the loose, these references probably didn't go unnoticed. With all the backlash Naughty Dog received from TLOU part 2, it's only fair that they attempted to appease their feral audience in some way by referencing gameplay in the show. To be honest, even if you didn't like everything HBO did, the easter eggs are something we can all get behind.

There's nothing gamers love more than a hidden secret.

01

When they made the games, Naughty Dog didn't have the rights to Mortal Kombat, so they created an MK-style game for Ellie to play in game, but by the time Sony was ready to make the show, they bought the rights to the real Mortal Kombat so they could show Ellie and Riley playing the game of their dreams.

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02

In the show, there are constant references to gameplay, which is really satisfying for viewers. In the game, you have to solve puzzles, climb unreachable ladders, constantly search for new weapons (with ammo), and try your best to keep track of Ellie, so they do an amazing job of making that pretty clear to show-watchers as well.

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03

Troy Baker, the voice of Joel from the video game, plays one of the raiders who capture Ellie in episode 8 of TLOU. When Troy speaks, it's clear that he is the voice actor of our beloved protagonist from the game and we love to see him in the show, throwing a wink to all of the video game experts out there.

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04

Similarly, Ashley Johnson, who plays the voice of Ellie in the game, makes a cameo appearance as 'Anna', Ellie's mother in the show. Anyone who played the game would know those grunts and screams anywhere.

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05

The TV show also drops some hints to what may happen in next season, by referencing some key moments from the video game's part II. In episode 7, they show Ellie in her room at FEDRA and there are tons of posters on the wall, the biggest being a moon phase map. In the game, Ellie is obsessed with space and there's even a compelling scene where she sits in the real Apollo 13, imagining what it'd be like out of orbit.
Fun fact, the reason the writers of the game made Ellie dream about space is because Ashley Johnson, the voice of Ellie, always wanted to be an astronaut.

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06

In episode 5 of the show, there's a moment where Joel looks at a child's drawing on the wall of characters called "Ish and Danny". In the game, if you're a thorough looter, you can find evidence of the horrific events that occurred with Ish and Danny. Basically the peace keepers that were supposed to protect all of the children in the underground bunker ended up taking them all out. Some protectors you guys are.

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07

Okay, so to hardcore fans of the game, the giraffe scene was a must addition to the show. Hinted in one of the earlier episodes (with a giraffe poster on the wall), the finale dives deep into the lore of TLOU, sharing a scene from one of the most heartwarming moments in the game.

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08

Laura Bailey, the voice actress who plays Abbey from part II of the game (iykyk), makes a cameo appearance in the finale as well, as one of the nurses who are attempting to perform brain surgery on Ellie. Anyone who's played both games knows that there's ANOTHER wink in this scene, because Abbey's father is actually the doctor that gets smoked right before Joel steals away Ellie's unconscious body. What could possibly go wrong?

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09

Clickers are played by all of the same actors who played them in the game. Epically this creates a creepy, eerie atmosphere that keeps anyone who played the game sitting on the edge of their seats.

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10

COMICS! Yes, in the game and in the show, Ellie loves comic books. In the game, they're a looting prize that can be found throughout the gameplay, so it's cool they made their way into the show also.

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