Welcome to the
Kingdom Easter Egg Challenge
As Seen in the Science Fiction Adventure Novel
Escape From Duda'EL
The Challenge's Origin
A few years back, when Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code
was climbing best-seller lists, I stumbled upon a post in a fan forum claiming there was an anagram hidden in the cover art of the book.
As far as I know, that was nothing more than a rumor; however, it planted an idea. What if an author could blend two layers
of entertainment—the novel’s narrative and a scavenger hunt?
To that end, I’ve incorporated what I call the Kingdom Easter Egg Challenge into the text of the novel Escape From Duda'El.
The Evolution of an Idea
Designing this challenge came with its own challenges. What would the Easter eggs reference? How could I implement them?
What reference source could I use, and how could I build it without infringing on intellectual property?
Very challenging questions indeed.
The first thing that I needed was an author with enough published material from which an Easter egg could be derived.
My first choice was Isaac Asimov, of whom I am a huge fan. However, after careful consideration, I wasn't convinced
readership in 2026 was wide enough to support an online challenge.
After many hours of internal debate, I decided Stephen King was the best author. Partly because I am a multi-decade fan, and I know Mr. King's content,
and, of course, there is enough content to support the challenge.
Before I go on with some examples, let's get a better understanding of Easter eggs.
What is an Easter Egg?
According to Odin Law and Media, a law firm specializing in Intellectual Property law, "Easter eggs are intentionally placed features
within a work that may sometimes reference inspiration from outside of the work." For a deeper look at the legality of Easter eggs, please see their
blog post How to Add Easter Eggs to Your Game Legally
Easter egg popularity began with digital games, and has since spread to broadcast media, motion pictures, and print literature.
Fans of Stephen King are familiar with Easter eggs as Mr. King cross references his own works through them quite often. For example,
in the motion picture adaptation of King's novel The Dark Tower, a scene shows a decrepid
amusement park. A banner standing over the park enterance reads, Pennywise, the name
of the evil clown in the novel IT. This is an Easter egg. Another example is an office scene
showing a framed photo of the Overlook Hotel from King's novel The Shining.
These are examples of what I call Enviromental Easter eggs, as their presence populates the enviroment in which the story is told,
but the enviromental type is not the only form of an Easter egg.
As used in Escape From Duda'El, Easter eggs appear in several forms. Let's consider a few
examples to better prepare you for game play.
Easter Egg Examples
Easter eggs found in Escape From Duda'El are integral to the narrative, adding detail to
the context of the work. Their appearance is not random, but rather, they are carefully crafted into the narrative while also being
an element of game play. They appear in four types: enviromental, dialogue, action, and abstract. Let's take a look at an example of each category.
Enviromental Easter Eggs
— Both easy and difficult, the enviromental Easter egg is in your face, but readers tend to miss them as they're carried along by the story's narrative.
Enviromental Easter eggs add to a scene's imagery, while the reader's mind fills in the gaps. Because of this duality, they are easy to overlook. For example,
in a scene from Escape From Duda'El, a situation character named Mark enters an amusement park arcade. As he looks about,
he glances past a sign that reads, "Drink Moxie for Extra Pep." That's an enviromental Easter egg, but unless you pay attention, it's easy to miss.
Dialogue Easter Eggs
— This Easter egg, as its name suggests, is found in a character's dialogue. Perhaps a character repeats a certain phrase like "Gee Wilikers." After several
iterations of this phrase, your mind associates the behavior to a different character—a character from an Stephen King novel that repeats a certain phrase. The phases are different. The character
is different. The situation is different, but the repitition of the character's chosen phrase could be a dialogue Easter egg.
Action Easter Eggs
— The action Easter egg is revealed in what a character does or the action of a scene. Perhaps a character in Escape From Duda'El
encounters a locked door. Insead of searching for a way around, the character pounds their fist against the door. This action triggers a memory of a different character, from a Stephen King novel,
who also pounds their fist against a locked door. This could be an action Easter egg.
Abstract Easter Eggs
— Perhaps the most difficult Easter egg is the abstract type. In a scene from Escape From Duda'El, we see Rudy assemblying a computer. As he attaches each part, he mumbles,
"No CPU shall be left behind. No memory chip shall be left behind." This phrase is a poke at US President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program, but how is this an Easter egg?
What if the reference wasn't just the US President's program, but also a commercial for Paul Masson wine? You remember the commercial's tagline: "We will sell no wine before it's time."
I've just handed you one of the game's abstract Easter eggs, but can you figure out the literary reference? This Easter egg points to a Stephen King novel, but which one? Can you name the title?
Gameplay—An Overview
Like vintage arcade games from the 1980s, players compete for the highest score and a place on the leaderboard.
Only one entry per validated email address is allowed.
Once a player opens the gameplay form, they will enter as many Easter eggs as they've found in the text of Escape From Duda'El.
Once the form is submitted, the entry is automatically graded, and a score is rendered. The leaderboard will automatically update with the top ten players and their scores.
Most Easter eggs in this challenge are a combination of a quote from Escape From Duda'El, plus the title of a Stephen King novel,
but there are a handful of exceptions. The content of the submitted gameplay form is never published, but instead, is used by the game's algorithm to render a score.
The game's Easter eggs follow the above type examples, and while some are easy-peasy, others are devilishly difficult.
How many Easter eggs are in the game? Heh, heh, heh, now that wouldn't be any fun.
I recommend a review of How To Play—Game Rules & Tips, however, if you'd rather dive in right here and now, click the Launch the Challenge button below.
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The Kingdom Easter Egg Challenge is sponsored by The Author Spot.
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