Every game has some form of reference to one thing or another, and Stray is no different. There are plenty of Easter Eggs in Stray, with some really obvious ones, and some not so obvious. Here are some of the Stay Easter Eggs we found along our journeys and some that the internet has connected the dots on.
Stray Easter Eggs we have seen (so far)¶
Below are the easter eggs we have come across in Stray and verified ourselves. There are plenty through the various levels in the game, so keep your eyes peeled. By no means have we spotted them all. If you do find an easter egg in Stray we have not, feel free to let us know in the comments.
Skyrim references¶
The arrow in the knee joke strikes again.
As it stands, it appears there are two Stray easter eggs referencing Skyrim. The first is a Slums easter egg, with one of the robots digging through the piles of trash near the marketplace. One robot called Jenkins will say the line “Some may call this junk. Me, I call them treasures.”. The line is a reference to the Whiterun merchant called Belathor. Belathor says this line when you begin a dialogue with the NPC.
The second Skyrim reference is the most famous of them all, the arrow to the knee. As you get into Midtown, you can explore the town and see the stores. A food stall in an alleyway near the club serves robot food. At the stall is a rather sad customer sitting at the bar. If you speak to him, he reminisces of the days he used to do stuff, that is, until he took a Screwdriver to the knee.
Half-Life references¶
Crowbar on a carriage of sorts? Gordon?
There is one easter egg that seems to reference Half-Life. At the beginning of Half-Life 2, you enter City 17 on some form of monorail car, and of course, the crowbar is an iconic weapon of the Half-Life series. If you turn your torch on in the subway cart atthe beginning of the Midtown chapter, you will find a crowbar on a seat, which we believe to be a reference to the Half-Life franchise.
There is also a very similar naming convention in Stray to that of Half-Life. Various parts of Stray’s city have City followed by a number. This is like Half-Life with City 17, but there is no direct reference to the series, just a similarity.
Lastly, there is a rather large similarity between the Head Crabs and the Zurks. The Zurks behave more like fleas rather than Head Crabs, but, the visual similarity between Head Crabs and the Zurks are there.
Back to the Future¶
At least Doc didn’t need a nuclear reaction for the UV light.
We have only found one easter egg referencing Back to the Future, but it is in the Stray. As you meet Doc in the Dead End chapter, you will enter the house he is hunkered down in. As you jump on the bench and try to knock off the Defluxer, the Doc goes on a verbal rampage about science stuff. One line he mentions is that the Defluxer needs 1.12 gigawatts of power, which is a reference to the scene Doctor Emmet Power tells Marty Mcfly about the time travelling car and the power it needs.
The Simpsons¶
It’s not quite Moe’s Tavern, but it will do.
There is a reference to one of the most recognizable parts of The Simpsons, Duff beer. If you head inside the pub inside the Slums, you will come across a sign hanging above the bar on the left wall that says Dufer bar. Duff beer is a made-up beer brand that originated in the Simpsons. Its not quite a 1-for-1, but the nod is right there.
Criminal Easter Eggs¶
Pablo and Capone are in the Jail chapter. But is it who we think they are?
Two of the world’s most recognizable names of crime lords are Al Capone and Pablo Escobar. And, it seems they are referenced in the Jail chapter of the game. You will come across a yard part of the level when you make your way through the Jail chapter. There are a few robots knocking around, each with their own name. Two of them are named Pablo and another Capone. Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but two famous crime lord names on the same crime-related level seem more likely they are a reference.
Morusque songs¶
Many on the internet believe the cooldown song is a cover.
While we didn’t connect the dots, it appears that the Cooldown song Morusque plays is a reference to a song called Counting Stars by the Nujabes. The chords and the melody of the song sound remarkably similar to the cool-down song, which is the sixth music sheet. There certainly are similarities there.
It makes us wonder if any of the other songs are obvious references to other songs or perhaps covers of others?
Tell Tale’s Clementine¶
The sticker on the wall is marked blue.
The little girl called Clementine in Tell Tale’s The Walking Dead appears to have made an appeareance in the game. As posted by one of our readers in the comments section, unchartedmike, it looks like there is a very tiny sticker of her on the wall in Clementine’s office. It appears that the name Clementine is not so much of a coincidence after all.
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"The notebooks" is a cover of "Coming Home" by Sylar Grey
When you interact with Jenkins he quotes Belethor from Belethor’s General Goods store in Skyrim,, “Some may call this junk. Me, I call them treasures”
That’s awesome, thank you guys for taking the time to read my comment and posting the easter egg ????????????
I have another easter egg im not quite sure if anyones caught it yet. Im watching part 8 of theradbrads stray play through, and when he finally meets the robot clementine theres a little easter egg on the wall. It appears when they enter a room at 8:31 in the video, theres a little face with a crown that resembles clementine from telltales twd game.
Awesome spot, Mike! I will add your post to our article and give you credit