Everyone finds Batty’s Hotel in Coastview, Pacifica. It’s part of the main mission, and it’s a nostalgia nod to Roy Batty and to what Blade Runner gave the genre.
The real Blade Runner easter egg is hidden across town, and most players walk straight past it – and you’ll hate that you did because the Advocet hotel, and the area around it are a treasure trove of easter eggs and interesting tidbits.
The Real Easter Egg: Roy Batty’s Tears in Rain Rooftop (Advocet Hotel, Level 42)
You alight at Congress & MLK Metro, then turn right and enter the 3-star Advocet Hotel via the double doors. The entire foyer is trashed, and full of Valentino graffiti, except for a lone origami crane on the reception desk… Gaff would approve… maybe. You might also notice the Chrome Feel “Kiroshi Opticals” Magazines lining the bookshelf. Perhaps a nod to Hannibal Chew the eyemaker.
Luckily the elevator is intact and you ride it to the roof. Level 42 Terrace to be exact.
As you exit the unmistakeable roar and light beams of an advertising AV overhead directs your attention upwards through the glass ceiling; then the chatter from the ad hits your ears and the nostalgia kicks in and you are instantly taken back to 1982’s cold open.
You move forward onto the terrace and an incessant rain falls, one that seemingly has no end. A Vangelis-like emotional score takes over the scene whilst sodden beams, and waterlogged roofing spell danger underfoot. In the distance a shirtless figure solemnly contemplates, as you approach. As you move closer, you notice he holds a dove.
Then his wounds become apparent, a blasted ear, a bloodied hand that resembles a crucifix nail being driven through it. The figure is silent, it doesn’t react … and you feel the emotion, and then you notice the sign… Like Tears… in Rain… and the neon blare of the streets below.
The Advocet Hotel Surroundings
At some point, the Advocet was probably one of Night City’s classier hotels. The bar to the left hand side as you exit remains high-end and luxury with a swanky clientele and dressed up butlers. But it’s really the only evidence that this place has any luxury left.
Beat on The Brat & Other Fight Posters
The back of the hotel is plastered in advertising billboards, and a bunch of Beat on the Brat style posters, particularly:
- Razor Hugh vs Grizzly Mann
- Razor Hugh vs Lumberjack Kundera (Living Legends!)
- Logan Garcia vs The Boss Herring (You pick off Logan in El Capitan’s Gig For My Son in the gym where you fight Rhino)
- Martha “Abomination” Ling vs Larissa “Guerriera” Almeda
There’s also some cheeky graffiti on one of the concrete walls nearby that quotes Jules from Pulp Fiction: “Does he look like a bitch?” – I wonder how many other film references exist in random graffiti in this city??
Night City Serial Killer Meatman on Large Scream Sheet
There’s also something I’ve seen for the very first time, which is the massive digital screen screamsheet showing news of the NC serial killer with the headline:
Meatman Strikes Again.
It seems the killer known as Meatman has claimed yet another life – his fourth by our count. The victim this time – 23-year-old Janet Bailey. Night City police previously issued a formal statement about Meatman in which they claimed no such serial killer prowls the city’s streets, but the truth is far less comforting
Establishing connections between the murders proved difficult but our investigators got their hands on reports that show the victims all died in the same way. The specifics are too graphic to describe in detail. But two key similarities stand out. Firstly, all of the victims died of a bullet to the head fired from a gun used to slaughter cattle. Secondly, the bodies exhibited scarring characteristic of burns from a red-hot, branding iron.
Trauma Team’s Value: Fact & Fiction
We got a chance to speak with one of the NCPD officers assigned to the group tasked with tracking down Meatman. “This guy, man, this guy’s a real psycho. Extremely dangerous and still out there somewhere.” said the officer who…
Source: Night City Journal
Adverts for The Barghest’s New Leader
If you’ve done the Phantom Liberty questline and reached the point where you impersonate Aguilar Nubiola the Colombian Cartel assassin known for “Every time someone in Havana lights a cigar, somewhere in the world Aguilar extinguishes a life.” then adverts for who you installed as the new leader of the Barghest pop-up around Night City. For me it was Chester Bennett. There’s a bunch of these adverts around the Advocet.
Dumpster Divers, Buskers, Hobos and Beggars
There’s lots of dumpsters in this area, and as I was walking around there was a lot of dumpster diving going on. I know this isn’t unique to this area, but it’s the first time I’d see so much activity around the dumpsters, so it stood out.
There’s also a lot of beggars and hobos asking for money or declaring “the end is nigh”. In one of the tunnels lined with graffiti and ads, there was also a busker playing next to a beggar.
Cyberpunk & BladeRunner Trivia
- 42-floor apparently is to match Roy Batty’s 42-word monologue of tears in rain.
- Roy Batty has a columbarium entry: All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain
- Syd Mead has a columbarium entry: Creator of Worlds
- Origami Crane is a reference to Gaff, Deckard’s colleague, who crafts them to reflect his thoughts on Deckard’s progress
- Chrome Feel magazines “Inside Look at Kiroshi Optical’s latest tech” could be a reference to Hannibal Chew, the eyemaker for Tyrell Corp, who makes the eyes for the replicants including Roy Batty
The inclusion of Syd Mead is an acknowledgment of his special contribution to the cyberpunk genre. He’s known specifically for being tasked with designing Deckard’s flying car in 1982’s Blade Runner; and Ridley Scott was apparently so impressed he basically had him design the entire cityscape – leading to further work on Tron, Aliens, Elysium and Blade Runner 2049. He truly was a creator of worlds!
Dan