Despite drawing middling reviews from critics upon its release on October 18, 2022, casual gamers and fans of the Ghostbusters movie franchise have been impressed by the nostalgic gameplay design of Ghostbusters: Spirit Unleashed, which pays homage to the past and pushes the mythology of beloved horror-comedy forward in exhilarating ways.
Set after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Spirits Unleashed does a great job of recreating the iconography of the past franchise film entries, allowing fans to comb through the game and discover a host of hidden Easter eggs and subtle references to what has made Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston such a popular paranormal-hunting foursome over the past 40 years.
Yellow Hardhat With Headlamp
When touring the iconic Ghostbusters firehouse in the beloved movie-based horror game, one of the easiest Easter eggs to miss is the yellow hardhat with a headlamp. It is a clear reference to Ghostbusters II, in which Ray, Egon, and Winston feigned to be construction workers as a way of shutting down traffic and stopping the flow of ectoplasm from reaching the surface.
Aside from including references to the underrated Ghostbusters II, what's really amusing about the hardhat Easter egg is how Ray's constantly-changing hat has become notorious as a major movie continuity error over the years, adding a sly dose of self-reflexive humor to the finding. There's also a drill right beside the hardhat in the game, which also references the opening scene of Ghostbusters when Venkman was reminded of the time Egon tried to drill a hole in his head.
Janine's Desk Furnishings
While Janine is conspicuously absent from the firehouse in the game, her desk is present and loaded with a slew of visual references to the movies. For instance, the iconic Ghostbusters coffee mug seen on her desk in the original movie can be spotted in the corner but the coffee maker. Even more specifically, Janine's whale-tail paper weight sticks out like a sore thumb.
Meanwhile, Janine's old-school touch-tone telephone and the specific plant on her desk in Ghostbusters II can be found on her desk in the game as well. Many of these visual clues were also recreated as part of Quick Books' marketing campaign in 2020-21, which gives the Easter eggs an even deeper meta-meaning (via Bloody Disgusting).
Historical Photo In Venkman's Office
While Dr. Peter Venkman's PhDs are easy enough to find on his office wall in this 2022 horror video game, many will miss the large historical black and white photo that was also hanging in his office in the movie. The photo depicts firemen in the past using horse carriages. However, a Reddit source claims that the photo was actually taken inside a Los Angeles firehouse in 1915 rather than in New York where the movie is set.
The photo is easy to spot in the movie just after Venkman berates Janine and apologizes for "the bug-eye thing," and is featured much more prominently in the game. A really cool clue that links the past with the future, most will completely look right past the historical photo in Venkman's office.
NYE Party Hats
When touring the downstairs ghost storage facility, it's very easy to overlook the boxes of New Year's Eve party hats lying on the ground, which is an overt nod to Ghostbusters II. With two distinct variations, the red and green tinsel hats worn by Dana and Janosz and the colorful clown party hats worn by Ray can be spotted in the game (credit to Redditor JayAche for the photos).
While large objects like the ghost trap, power grid, and fire pole are very easy to spot in their natural environment, it's the sub rosa Easter eggs like the NYE party hats that make exploring the game such a blast for fans of the film franchise.
Egon's Fungi Collection
One of the funniest scenes in the original afterlife-based comedy comes when Janine hits on Egon and asks him about his interests, to which he stoically responds with "I collect spores, molds, and fungus" and all but ends the conversation. Luckily, Egon has stored his fungi collection and put it in a display case for fans to find in Spirits Unleashed.
Players can spot Egon's collection of mushrooms and other unintelligibly-labeled mycelia right beside a training manual and a large whiteboard. What's really awesome about the Easter egg is how Egon's fungal collection is never seen in any of the movies. Now fans can see with their own eyes the fruits of Egon's bizarre hobby.
Egon's Twinkies
After touring the storage chamber and going upstairs to peruse Egon's workspace, fans will have a blast stumbling on a family-size box of "Yellow Cake Logs" on a shelf, which is a hilarious copyright-avoiding substitute for Twinkies, Egon's favorite snack cake in the original movie. In the immortal words of Winston Zeddemore, "That's a big Twinkie" indeed!
As the creative lifeblood who co-wrote Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroyd, it's great to find as many touching homages to the late Harold Ramis in the game as possible, which is also a major recurring theme in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, in which Egon returns in spirit from the beyond to help his fellow old friends triumph over evil. As such, the more Egon Easter eggs, the more emotional resonance the game will have.
Stay Puft Marshmallows
Arguably the most iconic Easter egg found in the anticipated 2022 indie horror game so far, the bag of Stay Puft marshmallows originally seen in Dana's kitchen makes an appearance next to a green stove in the game, which also resembles Dana's apartment. Boasting the same tagline "stays soft even when toasted," fans are sure to be tickled to no end when they come across the Marshmallow Man posing on the bag.
One of the aspects of Ghostbusters: Afterlife that worked well was the return of the Stay Puft brand, turning the lone gargantuan baddie from the original into an army of smaller malevolent minions in humorous and horrific ways at once. By adding the Easter egg to the game, the franchise continues to come full circle.
Toaster & Statue Of Liberty Poster
Aside from the arcade games in the rec room taken from the movie, fans will eventually come across a billiard table with a toaster on it. When the toaster begins hopping around the table on its own, it becomes an affectionate ode to the scene in Ghostbusters II when the team learns that ectoplasm can activate inanimate objects.
Even cooler, the Ghostbusters use the knowledge to inject ectoplasm into the Statue of Liberty and use it to thwart the evil spirits in the movie. In the game, players can spot a Statue of Liberty poster hanging on the wall by Egon's spore collection.
Keymaster's Colander Helmet
When players peruse Eddy Chan's lab in the firehouse, they will ultimately happen on an old computer monitor that boasts the same startup screen imagery from the 1984 Activision Ghostbusters video game. While that may be too arcane to notice, fans will certainly recognize the Keymaster's makeshift colander helmet hanging right beside the computer.
After being possessed by Zuul the Gatekeeper, Lewis Tully turns into Vinz Clortho, aka the Keymaster, in the original movie. When Egon interrogates Vinz, he puts a funny metal strainer on his head attached to wires and a white chinstrap. One of the funniest scenes in the entire franchise, finding the Keymaster's helmet in the game is a true thrill.
Tobin Spirit Guide
After exiting the firehouse, the first thing players will notice is Ray's Occult Book Store across the street, a clear nod to Ghostbusters: Afterlife. However, when touring the shop's interior, fans will be able to find the Tobin Spirit Guide, a paranormal reference book mentioned by Egon in the original movie and later played a key role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Even cooler, the book is interactive in the game.
Beyond spotting the tome on the front counter, players can open the Tobin Spirit Guide and enter the ghost realm to select which ghost variant they want to use/hunt in the game. A great call back to the movie franchise that actually functions as a gameplay option rather than a passive trinket to admire, the Tobin Spirit Guide is a wonderful find in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.
Source:gamerant.com