Easter eggs

The Beginner's Guide contains many Easter eggs, both in the game itself and in game files.

Inside game files
The Beginner's Guide is about a dialog between two game developers who mostly communicate through the medium of Source engine maps (aka. mods). As such, having open access to the game inner files, it's only natural that technologically-oriented fans would seek to deconstruct the game content through the same type of modding tools. The game not only indirectly invites players to do it but also apparently preempts that they will do so.

Inside the trees directory (dialogue trees for the game), there's a file that is named "crashthegame.txt" which, presumably, comes from or was intended for the Island game. The script has the player ask where machine is and the disembodied voice replies "i ate it", which, as the file name states, would crash the game, or at least crash the script.

Inside the filesystem, there is a file named "README.txt" which just reads "sup". This file is also found in the HD Remix of The Stanley Parable. It's noteworthy that several different files can also be found in The Stanley Parable, hinting that the two games use the same engine and file structure, as most files were just copied over. (Not to mention a few files internally refer to the game as The Stanley Parable that are never run inside the game)

Inside the 'scripts' directory there is a text document at the bottom (when sorted alphabetically) titled "whatever.txt" which contains nothing.

Chapter 5, 'Puzzle,' is labeled "05. Mom" in the game files. This shows that the Puzzle game replaced the game where the objective was to "Find Mom".

Audio files
There is a file titled 'Demo.wav', most likely intended for the Tower game. The audio file begins with 20 seconds presumably of the 'Tower' soundscape, mixed in with a few noises, followed by a voiceover of Davey talking to Coda or himself, followed by another 15 seconds of music. His words are as follows:

"I did that. How could I have done that if I didn't understand your work reasonably well, right? This is it, this is the proof. I did it. I want you to see this. I want you to know that I lead someone, that I gave this person an answer, that I called... and they responded. I’m not alone here. In this space that I have someone. I have a companion. They've stood beside me. That's all that I was asking of you this whole time was just to stand- stand beside me. To tell me that I wasn't wrong, to put some form on this infinite chaotic black. I just wanted you to assure me that someday I would get it. That I would understand. I wanted you to tell me that I am going to be okay."

Backwards hidden room
In order to noclip, you first need to activate the Source console, then type 'sv_cheats 1' and then enter 'noclip'.

If you noclip in the chapter Backwards, you'll be able to find a room with text on the wall that says "The future wasn't over here either", as well as a prop of a book.

Stairs voices
In Stairs ("Nonsense in every direction"), despite Davey remarking nothing's [over here], if you walk behind the building with the stairs and stand in the corner of the world, you'll hear a strange echoing voice say something ending with "do you understand?", along with asking if you want to "go out". This sound does not loop.

From that corner, if you turn left and stand in the next corner of the world, you'll hear strange voices singing. This sound does loop.

Assuming Coda is real and Davey didn't add these in for his own reasons, why would he specifically mislead the player and say there is nothing over there when he would most definitely know if there was, as he goes so far to modify the game. This is yet another example of Davey being an unreliable narrator with hidden intentions.

References in Notes
In the chapter Notes ("This game is connected to the internet"), one note reads "Do you feel like a hero yet?". This is very likely a shout-out to Yager Development's Spec Ops: The Line, a 2012 shooter game which follows a similar narrative to Davey's own. In Spec Ops: The Line, dark and psychological gameplay 'hints' will occasionally appear at loading screens, attempting to make the player question their own actions. "Do you feel like a hero yet?" is one such popular 'hint' associated with the game. However, since the Notes game was supposedly made in April 2009, it would logically predate its use in Spec Ops: The Line.

To be considered, both games portray main characters who believe they witness something that needs to be fixed, and attempt to solve the issue by creating false narratives that they are doing good things in their own minds, but end up causing only chaos and suffering. This is, of course, just one interpretation of both stories. Considering the story of Davey's game, it makes sense that he would've drawn inspiration from Spec Ops: The Line.

Another note, "This is where I get off," it likely a reference to the G-Man's line at the end of Half-Life 2 when he leaves Gordon Freeman in stasis.

No narration
If you turn off the narration in the settings [only an option after finishing the game] and play the game again, all the help from Davey will be absent.
 * This means you will not get any hints on how to progress, such as the fact that you can only walk backwards in Backwards, the solution to the puzzle in Puzzle, the fact that the door in House will not open until you've been in the house, how to stop the door in Mobius, and the fact that you need to fire the gun to finish The Machine. However, it can be assumed that you know all this since the option to disable narration is not available until you finish the game with narration enabled once.
 * You'll have to crawl up the stairs in the "Stairs" chapter.


 * You'll have to wait an hour until the prison opens in Down to let you in, and then another hour for the prison to let you back out.
 * You'll have to solve the invisible maze in The Tower, as well as the six-digit combination lock (the answer is still 151617 though).
 * Unfortunately, the game is not legitimately beatable because you won't be able to get past the impassable door in the Tower game chapter, and it is also extremely difficult to pass the maze, but it's most definitely possible. In fact, the narrator will voice his impression if you beat the maze with narration enabled.
 * The game entity that represents this door has a name of impossible_iftheplayerisretarded. This would lend itself to the idea that there must be a solution to it even without narration (or, conversely, it's mocking players who would play the game without narration as "retarded".)