9 totally rad '90s Easter eggs in Grounded

Gaming The dev team at Obsidian grew up in the age of Saved by the Bell and Ecto Cooler, and it shows. by Jen Glennon Updated: Feb. 20, 2024 Originally Published: Oct. 14, 2020

Obsidian Entertainment Inverse spoke with Grounded director Adam Brennecke about the many '90s homages strewn throughout the game, and why they're a critical part of the nostalgic atmosphere that's already resonated with millions of players. Here's a rundown of 9 of the best Grounded Easter eggs.

Even decades later, the 16-bit era continues to influence modern games, says Brennecke.

Obsidian Entertainment 9. Ziplines A most non-bogus pastime for an extreme age gets new life in Obsidian's backyard sandbox.

Obsidian Entertainment 8. Neon and surf-shop inspired fashions

Obsidian Entertainment "I don't know if I liked it, or my mom just like to dress me in Crazy Shirts, but like every photo from when I was eight to 10, I had this oversized sweatshirt with a cat on it. That was the inspiration for Hoops' shirt design," says Brennecke.

Obsidian Entertainment 7. Yoked Girth This brawny action figure was inspired by Masters of the Universe and Conan the Barbarian.

Obsidian Entertainment 6. The bright geometric shapes of Raw Science

Obsidian Entertainment "Having those big purple and pink colors does draw your eye and gives it a unique look and feel that's not natural. It helps your eyes focus on it," Brennecke explains of the design perks of a '90s inspired color pallete.

Obsidian Entertainment 5. That certain grey-beige Throughout the world of Grounded, you'll encounter countless examples of squat electronic boxes in the curious hue that seemed to be mandatory for many computers and electronic devices.

Obsidian Entertainment 4. BURG.L, your mustachioed robo-pal and R.O.B. the robot's second cousin (He's also that weird grey color.)

Obsidian Entertainment Those memory cards look an awful lot like SNES or Sega Genesis game carts, right?

Obsidian Entertainment 3. Battletoad This muscle-bound cool dude is Obsidian's loving homage to the 1991 beat-'em-up Battletoads , designed to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Obsidian Entertainment 2. Punch-O! The brand's goofy mascots recall the sweet, sweet taste of Ecto Cooler and curiously personified snacks like Otter Pops.

This Ecto Cooler nod connects to a whole Brennecke multiverse of Ghostbusters Easter Eggs.

Obsidian Entertainment You can really taste the essence of criminality in Lemon Crime-flavored Punch-O.

Obsidian Entertainment 1. SCA.B flavors These gnarly bespoke palletes were inspired by early Windows color schemes and '90s SNES role-playing games with customizable menus.

Obsidian Entertainment " Earthbound did it really in a funny way, where they had all these flavors you could pick from" says Brennecke. "We have like 20 flavors, all inspired by '90s things."

Obsidian Entertainment The previous two palettes, "Flying V" and "Supreme," pay homage to The Mighty Ducks and Taco Bell. This "Hot Dog Horror" scheme is inspired by early Windows.

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9 totally rad '90s Easter eggs in Grounded

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