Google has added a cool new Easter egg that celebrates HBO’s acclaimed apocalyptic series The Last of Us. Google adds Easter eggs to many of its products and services, including Android and Search. Most of them relate to popular movies and video games, but some of them are also tributes to public figures, like the Betty White Easter egg on what would have been her 100th birthday last year. Other notable Easter eggs in recent years include the ‘Thanos Snap’ for Marvel’s Avengers fans and the Sonic the Hedgehog Easter egg to mark the release of the movie in 2020.
The Last of Us Easter egg involves search results being infected by fungus the same way it infects people in the HBO show. The effect is available on browser-based Google searches on all major mobile and desktop platforms like Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android. To recreate the Easter egg, search for ‘The Last of Us’ on Google using a web browser on the device. Now simply wait for a red mushroom icon to appear at the bottom of the screen, and then click/tap on it to see the magic.
‘The Last Of Us’ Easter Egg
The Easter egg is activated once the red and white mushroom icon is clicked or tapped, and will spread the fungal infection across the screen. Only a small area at the bottom of the screen is covered with the fungus, but users can click on the mushroom icon multiple times to see the infection eventually overrun the whole screen. Thankfully, clicking the small red ‘X’ button to the left of the mushroom icon will get rid of the fungus and allow users to see their search results. The new Easter egg is available globally and works on any Google Search domain.
The fungus graphics in The Last of Us Easter egg are pretty cool and far from the gross depiction seen in the HBO series. It is perfectly fine even for people who are squeamish about fungus, and is unlikely to ruin anybody’s dinner. Some might even consider the cordyceps’ growths and tendrils to be downright cute, although they will remind fans of the deadly – and downright grotesque – fungus seen in the show.
The Last of Us is set in a post-apocalyptic U.S. where a dangerous fungus brings mankind to the brink of extinction. The show premiered on Jan. 15, with HBO claiming that it was the second-biggest premiere for the network in the streaming era after Boardwalk Empire, with over 4.7 million viewers tuning in across TV and HBO Max. The video game the series is based on is also seeing a resurgence following the hit premiere of the new show. Google‘s latest Easter egg is only expected to bring more attention to The Last of Us, and get more people interested in both the game and the show based.
