A Dive into Nintendo's Best Video Game Easter Eggs

Easter eggs in video games are secret, hidden elements that developers tuck away for the keen-eyed player to discover. These can range from cheeky nods to other games, to secret messages, or even whole hidden levels. Nintendo has mastered the art of the Easter egg, sprinkling their games with these treasures to the delight of fans worldwide.

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Ranking our Top 5 Nintendo Easter Eggs

These hidden gems enrich the gaming experience, adding layers of depth and personality to already beloved titles. Today, we'll go on a treasure hunt to uncover our top 5 Easter eggs within the vast Nintendo universe.

5. Spot a Metroid in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Nintendo's tradition of character cameos extends to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where players can spot an Easter egg for another of the company's revered franchises, Metroid. In certain levels, attentive players can glimpse a Metroid nestled in the background.

4. The Melodic Secret of Animal Crossing

Kazumi Totaka, a composer for Nintendo, has left his auditory signature in many games he's worked on, including the Animal Crossing series. Known as Totaka's Song, this short, simple melody can be heard if players know where and when to listen.

In various titles of the series, this Easter egg requires players to engage in specific actions, such as waiting at a certain screen or clicking on a particular item, to hear Totaka's Song. For example, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, players can hear the tune if they linger in front of K.K. Slider before he starts his performance.

3. Link's Sleepy Cameo in Super Mario RPG

The collaboration between Nintendo and Square Enix on Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars led to a delightful mashup of characters and worlds, including a silent cameo from another of Nintendo's iconic heroes, Link. In a serene inn within the game, players can find the legendary hero of Hyrule fast asleep.

Link does not wake or interact with Mario, but his presence alone is a charming Easter egg that unites two of Nintendo's most storied franchises. To witness this peaceful scene, players must simply enter the inn located in Rose Town and approach the sleeping figure.

2. Retro Mario in Super Mario Odyssey

The Nintendo Switch's Super Mario Odyssey pays homage to the rich history of its character with Easter eggs that transport players back to Mario's pixelated past. Throughout the game, there are specially marked pipes that transition Mario from the 3D world into a 2D platformer, reminiscent of the original NES games.

These 2D sections are not only a visual treat but also combine classic gameplay elements with the newer 3D mechanics. Players can find these Easter eggs scattered throughout the game's various kingdoms, such as in the Metro Kingdom where Mario traverses the skyscraper walls in 8-bit form.

1. Discover the Chris Houlihan Room in Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is home to one of the most intriguing Easter eggs in gaming history: the Chris Houlihan Room. This secret room was named after a fan who won a Nintendo Power magazine contest. Its initial purpose was a technical one—it served as a fail-safe room to catch Link if the game couldn't determine where to send him due to a glitch.

The room is quite simple in appearance, a small space filled with blue rupees and a plaque bearing a message from Chris Houlihan himself, claiming the room as his. To trigger the fail-safe and glitch into this room, players must perform a series of actions, starting from the Sanctuary and dashing with the Pegasus Boots through screens without stopping or encountering any enemies.