Several achievements, Flavor Text and Alt Text in Swarm Simulator are references to other works.
- There are several references to Starcraft, especially the Zerg.
- Your mana production buildings are called Nexus/Nexii. One of the achievements is "Power Overwhelming".
- Unlocking all 10 Mutations gives you the achievement "A Bath, Ur", obviously named after the Zerg Evolution Master.
- The achievements for swarmlings are "Rush", "Metabolic Boost" and "Adrenal Glands", based on zergling upgrades.
- The Flavor Text for Meat is a reference to Kingdom of Loathing, where meat is indeed used to craft meat paste and meatcars."Some kingdoms use meat to craft paste or cars. Meat, meat, it can't be beat~"
- A number of achievements related to Queens are based on lyrics from Queen songs, such as "Is This The Real Life?" and "Don't Stop Me Now". Their Alt Text references lyrics from another Queen song, Bicycle Race.
- The achievements for nests include "I Wanna Be The Very Nest" and "To Hatch Them Is My Real Test".
- The achievements for Neuroprophets are "Collect Larvae", "?", and "Prophet", based on the underpants gnomes' "step three profit" plan from South Park.
- The Achievements for Arachnomorphs are based on Spiderman, such as "With Great Power", "The Amazing Spider", and "How Do I Shot Web?". This continues on with the achievements for Greater Arachnomorphs, with things like "With Greater Power", "Whatever A Spider Can", and "And I'm Just Sitting Here".
- The first achievement for Culicimorphs (mosquitoes) is "Sparkly". You know, being bloodsuckers and all...
- The achievements for Chilopodomorphs are "Centipede", "Millipede", and "Missile Command".
- The achievements for wasps are a pun on "Buzz", as such we have stuff like "Aldrin" and "Lightyear".
- The Goon units are pretty much based on Goonswarm from EVE Online, what with being swarms of bugs that pilot mechanized flying armors. Even their related achievements are based on puns on Eve, such as "New Year's", "Adam and", and "All Hallows".
- One achievement is called "Patchy Knowledge" and it requires you to look at the patch notes.
- The description for Nightbugs also alludes to Wriggle Nightbug from Touhou Project, and the Flavor Text also references more Touhou characters (Cirno, Mystia, and Rumia)."Often seen in the company of an ice fairy, a singing sparrow, and a ball of darkness."
- The Flavor Text for bats is obviously from Calvin and Hobbes:"Bats aren't bugs!!" "Look, who's giving this report? You chowderheads... or me?!"
- The achievement for birthing one Quadrillion "Roach" territory-taking minions is four letters; "Papa", a reference to the American rock band Papa Roach.
