The new Apex Legends season is upon us. The Season 3 Battle Pass is packed with new content, and that content itself is packed with nerdy references. Respawn has never shied away from referencing pop culture and other games in Apex Legends, but Meltdown is arguably more indulgent than previous seasons.
Some of our favorite examples include the Rose-Colored Legends loading screen. It captures a moment of the Season 3 launch trailer showing Gibraltar strafing an enemy squad inside a trench. As some Apex Legends players were quick to notice, the scene is most likely inspired by a memorable moment in the 2014 sci-fi action film Edge of Tomorrow. Rose is notably the middle name of one of the film’s two protagonists, portrayed by Emily Blunt.
Some of the other Apex Legends pop culture references are less current. The Send in the Clowns loading screen is a reference to Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 song of the same name. The Hot Head banner frame for Mirage, shown above, looks like a love letter to the Hollywood of some decades ago.
Speaking of Mirage, our favorite Apex Legends pop culture reference in the new content is one of his skins. As players have repeatedly pointed out, Mirage looks a lot like Guy Fieri on his badge. The similarity was definitely not lost on Respawn either. Whether you like that or not, the new Fired Up Mirage skin is taking you to Flavortown.
Everything that comes out of Crypto’s mouth is meta
Unlike all the references pointing to the world outside the game, new legend Crypto looks inward. He is constantly quipping meta references about Apex Legends and its lore. A good example is him saying, “I am here to break the game.” Not just bragging here, Crypto is stating his intent to get to the bottom of the big Apex Games conspiracy for his own personal reasons. More likely than not, he is also referencing his own role in shaking up the gameplay meta. Much like Wattson in Season 2, Crypto will likely have a strong impact on the Apex meta with his unconventional, Rainbow Six Siege-esque skill set.
Crypto’s quips are full of little references, double meanings, and puns like that. One of his finisher lines is, “I mean this with respect — you’re a hack.” Hackers execute hacks, get it? Many of his quips also express the background he shares with Wraith in the Apex Legends lore. Some of his one-liners parallel hers; for example, they both love to brag about how much they know. Put next to each other, some of their quips could even form a tense and confrontational dialogue.
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