Unexplained things in video games

**Valigarmander** · 09-18-2011, 12:59 PM

Every now and then people will come across things in video games that seems out of place, are difficult to understand, or are just plain weird, that manage to capture the imagination and become a fountain of wild mass-guessing and urban legends. Chances are these things are just background objects, leftover beta elements, or something else mundane. But the simple explanations are never as fun, right? Here's a few famous examples I'm familiar with:

"L is Real 2401"

One of the most famous urban legends in video game history suggested that Mario's brother Luigi was somehow unlockable in Super Mario 64. All the rumors turned out to be bogus, but that never seemed to discourage people from trying to look for clues. Perhaps the most notable was the illegible plaque on the statue in the castle courtyard, which many believed read "L is Real 2401". What could that cryptic message mean? What is the significance of the number 2401?

In fact, the plaque probably just reads "Eternal Star". (Oddly enough, this same plaque appears in the Dodongo's Cavern in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.)

The Beta Book

One of the missions in Noki Bay in Super Mario Sunshine has Mario shrinking and diving into a bottle in search of Red Coins. At the bottom of the bottle, you can find a sand castle. On the side of the castle is a half-opened door that Mario can't enter. However, if you maneuver the camera in the right way, you can peek into the interior of the castle, where there is a single brown book lying on the ground. What's that book doing there? There's no way to retrieve it at all, it's just... lying there.

It's believed that originally, the mission was going to be to have Mario retrieve the book from the sand castle, before being changed to a Red Coin search. Still, one wonders what the book could contain. Secrets of the dead? Dirty pictures?

Beyond Hell Valley

In a couple of missions in Shiverburn Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, it's possible to look up at the glacial cliffs in the background and see three shadowy figures gazing at you from the top. What's weirder is that they seem to follow you as you progress through the level. Hacking into the game reveals that the texture for these beings is called "HellValleySkyTree", associated with the sky model "BeyondHellValleySky". It's completely unknown what those guys are doing there, or why they were even put in the game. They just stand there. Watching you.

The Dead Marine

Just outside Kraid's room in Super Metroid, you'll pass the corpse of what appears to be a Galactic Federation Marine crumpled in a corner. The suit is cracked open, and appears to be leaking some kind of yellow liquid. What killed this guy? Kraid? The nearby Gadora (the eye-door creature)? Was it caught by a Metroid, and the yellow liquid is just dust from its lifeless husk? Furthermore, who is this guy? Kreatz? Armstrong Houston? Weavel? What's this body doing here in the first place?

The Moai Heads

The moai are the famous stone heads from Easter Island. They also appear numerous times in the Final Fantasy series. On the moon in FFIV. Under the sea in FFV. On a cliff in the Great Glacier in FFVII. Being abducted by a UFO in FFVIII. In the Evil Forest in FFIX. Who built these? Why do they appear so often? What purpose do they serve?

The boring answer is that they're just easter eggs. But again, who likes the boring answer?

Those are a few I know. Post some of the ones you know about.

**Loot** · 09-18-2011, 01:07 PM

I never cared for "L is Real 2401". Just more fuel for people claiming Luigi is in the game.

The Hell Valley gazers, however, is awesome.

**X-3** · 09-18-2011, 01:13 PM

Click to view video.

There's this strange eye-symbol that occasionally appears on status screens in P4. No one has any idea what it's for or what it means and Atlus apparently hasn't said anything.

***CaptHayfever*** · 09-18-2011, 01:23 PM

^^

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

***Marilink*** · 09-18-2011, 04:07 PM

^I like how the name of the stage is "Eternal Star." Subtle, but powerful.

The Hell Valley Gazers are definitely my favorite. That still creeps me out when I look up there.

I can't come up with any right now, but I'll see if I can remember some other things later.

***CaptHayfever*** · 09-18-2011, 11:53 PM

^Thanks, I try.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-19-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Just outside Kraid's room in Super Metroid, you'll pass the corpse of what appears to be a Galactic Federation Marine crumpled in a corner. The suit is cracked open, and appears to be leaking some kind of yellow liquid. What killed this guy? Kraid? The nearby Gadora (the eye-door creature)? Was it caught by a Metroid, and the yellow liquid is just dust from its lifeless husk? Furthermore, who is this guy? Kreatz? Armstrong Houston? Weavel? What's this body doing here in the first place?

I've always loved this touch in Super Metroid. It's the perfect representation of just how much of the game is stunningly unique, when even the most recent 2D Metroids couldn't be bothered creating so much interesting and unnecessary content.

Ever since the NP, I've always liked to imagine it was Houston. It may very well be one of the bodies of the first teams that the Federation sent in, though!

I'd attribute the yellow goo to the nasty trilobyte-looking critters crawling all over his corpse when you enter, although the more likely excuse is Ki-hunters: they spit yellow acid.

**Valigarmander** · 09-19-2011, 01:24 PM

Another famous one.

The Truck in Vermilion Harbor

In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, as well as the FireRed and LeafGreen remakes, there is a truck placed on a dock by the S.S. Anne. This truck appears nowhere else in the game, and appears to serve no purpose. Given how rare unique scenery such as that is in the game (especially considering the graphical limitations of the time) and the roundabout way a player would have to take to get to the truck, rumors began to spread that the truck might have some kind of hidden purpose. The most popular rumor was that by having a Pokemon use Strength, you could move the truck and uncover a Pokeball containing a Mew.

The truck does just seem to be scenery, however. The remakes do hide a Lava Cookie next to the truck, however.

**X-3** · 09-19-2011, 10:51 PM

But why is the Lava Cookie there? Did Mew drop it!?

09-18-2011, 12:59 PM	#1
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Unexplained things in video games Every now and then people will come across things in video games that seems out of place, are difficult to understand, or are just plain weird, that manage to capture the imagination and become a fountain of wild mass-guessing and urban legends. Chances are these things are just background objects, leftover beta elements, or something else mundane. But the simple explanations are never as fun, right? Here's a few famous examples I'm familiar with: "L is Real 2401" One of the most famous urban legends in video game history suggested that Mario's brother Luigi was somehow unlockable in Super Mario 64. All the rumors turned out to be bogus, but that never seemed to discourage people from trying to look for clues. Perhaps the most notable was the illegible plaque on the statue in the castle courtyard, which many believed read "L is Real 2401". What could that cryptic message mean? What is the significance of the number 2401? In fact, the plaque probably just reads "Eternal Star". (Oddly enough, this same plaque appears in the Dodongo's Cavern in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.) The Beta Book One of the missions in Noki Bay in Super Mario Sunshine has Mario shrinking and diving into a bottle in search of Red Coins. At the bottom of the bottle, you can find a sand castle. On the side of the castle is a half-opened door that Mario can't enter. However, if you maneuver the camera in the right way, you can peek into the interior of the castle, where there is a single brown book lying on the ground. What's that book doing there? There's no way to retrieve it at all, it's just... lying there. It's believed that originally, the mission was going to be to have Mario retrieve the book from the sand castle, before being changed to a Red Coin search. Still, one wonders what the book could contain. Secrets of the dead? Dirty pictures? Beyond Hell Valley In a couple of missions in Shiverburn Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, it's possible to look up at the glacial cliffs in the background and see three shadowy figures gazing at you from the top. What's weirder is that they seem to follow you as you progress through the level. Hacking into the game reveals that the texture for these beings is called "HellValleySkyTree", associated with the sky model "BeyondHellValleySky". It's completely unknown what those guys are doing there, or why they were even put in the game. They just stand there. Watching you. The Dead Marine Just outside Kraid's room in Super Metroid, you'll pass the corpse of what appears to be a Galactic Federation Marine crumpled in a corner. The suit is cracked open, and appears to be leaking some kind of yellow liquid. What killed this guy? Kraid? The nearby Gadora (the eye-door creature)? Was it caught by a Metroid, and the yellow liquid is just dust from its lifeless husk? Furthermore, who is this guy? Kreatz? Armstrong Houston? Weavel? What's this body doing here in the first place? The Moai Heads The moai are the famous stone heads from Easter Island. They also appear numerous times in the Final Fantasy series. On the moon in FFIV. Under the sea in FFV. On a cliff in the Great Glacier in FFVII. Being abducted by a UFO in FFVIII. In the Evil Forest in FFIX. Who built these? Why do they appear so often? What purpose do they serve? The boring answer is that they're just easter eggs. But again, who likes the boring answer? Those are a few I know. Post some of the ones you know about.

09-18-2011, 01:07 PM	#2
Loot Apparently I'm a mod? Join Date: May 2001 Location: LEGITIMATE BUSINESS Gender: Posts: 13,208 Thanks: 236 Thanked 1,237 Times in 659 Posts	I never cared for "L is Real 2401". Just more fuel for people claiming Luigi is in the game. The Hell Valley gazers, however, is awesome.

09-18-2011, 01:23 PM	#4
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,659 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	^^ And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

09-18-2011, 04:07 PM	#5
*Marilink* Gotta catch 'em all! Supermod! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Location, Location. Gender: Posts: 29,118 Thanks: 2,535 Thanked 1,822 Times in 1,007 Posts	^I like how the name of the stage is "Eternal Star." Subtle, but powerful. The Hell Valley Gazers are definitely my favorite. That still creeps me out when I look up there. I can't come up with any right now, but I'll see if I can remember some other things later.

09-18-2011, 11:53 PM	#6
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,659 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	^Thanks, I try. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

09-19-2011, 01:24 PM	#8
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Another famous one. The Truck in Vermilion Harbor In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, as well as the FireRed and LeafGreen remakes, there is a truck placed on a dock by the S.S. Anne. This truck appears nowhere else in the game, and appears to serve no purpose. Given how rare unique scenery such as that is in the game (especially considering the graphical limitations of the time) and the roundabout way a player would have to take to get to the truck, rumors began to spread that the truck might have some kind of hidden purpose. The most popular rumor was that by having a Pokemon use Strength, you could move the truck and uncover a Pokeball containing a Mew. The truck does just seem to be scenery, however. The remakes do hide a Lava Cookie next to the truck, however.

09-19-2011, 10:51 PM	#9
X-3 Useful as an Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Gender: Posts: 15,943 Thanks: 753 Thanked 1,213 Times in 790 Posts Blog Entries: 10	But why is the Lava Cookie there? Did Mew drop it!?