Shout Out / AI: The Somnium Files

• In Date's Somnium, one of the objects that can be examined is a basket on a shelf. Upon looking inside it, Aiba notices that it contains a model UFO, a stuffed Chupacabra, and a one dollar bill. Date notices that these are all objects with obvious occult connotations, to which Aiba asks him if he has an interest in the occult. To this, Date just smirks and replies "The truth is out there..."
  • One of the prominent objects Aiba encounters is a gun, more specifically a magnum with a key-shaped barrel. Upon picking up the magnum, Aiba poses like "Dirty" Harry Callahan for moment and asks Date if she reminds him of someone, but he just admits that he doesn't get the reference.
• Every Psync chapter title is a play on Singin' in the Rain.
• Ota's light novel pen name is Odoin Kyoma, which he chose an an homage to a popular fictional character.
• A-Set's last name, Sagan, is a tribute to Carl Sagan.
• When examining a CRT monitor in the Psync Control Room, Aiba will insist that she sees the girl from the "horror movie coming out of the well". Date once again fails to get the reference.
• The game has several references to Uchikoshi and Spike Chunsoft's previous collaboration, the Zero Escape series.
  • The memorable "ca-clunk" that accompanies the initial 360-rotation of each escape room in Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is used during the initial pan over each Mental Lock in a Somnium stage.
  • A late-game Somnium contains doors with letters painted on them in a similar style to the numbered doors of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.
  • When Date finds Manaka’s frozen corpse, he temporarily refers to her as Alice, short for "All-Ice".
  • Examining one of the autographs in the Matsushita Diner when within Mayumi's Somnium has Aiba observe the name to read "Hongo" and that she can't picture his face. Gentaro Hongo, aka Ace, the Big Bad of 999, was face-blind. Doing so will also trigger the "Seek A Way Out!" jingle.
  • One of the pictures that flash on the television at Lemniscate is the same swimsuit model used in the Crew Quarters puzzle in Virtue's Last Reward.
  • One of the location title cards (specifically, Sunfish Pocket) has a bunch of ads. One of those ads uses the image of Zero (Gasmask and hoodie version) from 999.
• Hidden in the Marble bar is a poster that subtly makes a reference to The Talented Mr. Ripley.
• A hostess named Reika from a club called Tiefblau is referenced a few times, a term from Ever17: Out of Infinity - another game Uchikoshi worked on in the past.
• Multiple ones to Danganronpa:
  • One poster in Boss's office next to the boy band group poster has a small picture of Usami in the corner.
  • In a Day 2 branch, if you examine a broken Panda ride at the scene of the crime when you are accompanied by Iris, she will say that she hopes the black and white bear doesn't punish her.
  • In Mayumi's Somnium, there is an autograph from Junko Enoshima. Examining it will trigger the opening riff of "Mr. Monokuma's Lesson".
  • In a Day 4 branch, while Iris is in the car and Date has Pewter on the line, examining the dashboard will trigger this dialogue:

    Iris: Dangan...
    Date: ...Ronpa.

  • A running gag is that Date "can't remember" the name of the forensics investigator Kagami. One of the incorrect names Date uses is Kodaka, a reference to Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka.
• During Mizuki's route, she and Date face off in So's garden in the rain against a horde of identical-looking bodyguards in suits, all wearing sunglasses and earpieces.
• Iris's favorite game is called ShovelForge, a clear reference to Minecraft. The glossary even explicitly makes the connection while saying the name can't be mentioned for legal reasons.
• After glitching out Iris's ShovelForge dream, Date asks if it's August 32nd, a reference to a famous glitch in the Japan-only game Boku no Natsuyasumi. The art style in this part of the dream also resembles some of the more colorful texture sets in LSD: Dream Emulator.
• Examining a dragon statue in the Kumakura Office will prompt Date to ask if it grants wishes. Aiba tells him it is not Shenron.
• Examining the topiary at one point will result in the plant being labeled as a giant green blob that disappears when four connect.
• Examining an oil drum with Iris in the cold storage will prompt her to say "Hi, I'm Drum-aemon!"
• Having Aiba kick the forklift in So's Somnium has her quip "So this is the bonus stage!" before beating the crap out of said forklift.
• While explaining the Mandela Effect, Iris brings up an "electric mouse from that video game" and its tail being commonly misremembered to have a black tip as an example. She also mentions "the name of a kid's book with the bears having different spellings", since people commonly think that the name is "Berenstein" not "Berenstain".
• When Date asks Iris what she would do if she stops time, she says she would try to catch a sky fish. This is a reference to how you obtain the Sky Fish soul in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.
• Examining the island in So's garden at one point has Date mention that "little island" translates to "kojima" in Japanese. Aiba reacts excitedly, then realizes Kojima isn't there and notes that it wouldn't be weird for him.
  Aiba: Director Kojima is here?!
• When inspecting the windows in Sunfish Pocket, a british chef can be heard berating one of the cooks.
• Ota's Somnium is a cavalcade of references to various Japanese media, fitting for such an otaku:
  • Right after Ota evades a close shave from the murderer, he mutters, "If this was Another, I would've died already!"
  • Aiba has the option to skate on a patch of ice to destroy it, with Date jokingly calling her Yuri Katsuki.
  • Aiba can punch a metal plate. While she does so, she asks Date if he's upset, to which he replies that he's not upset, referencing a skit from Pop Team Epic.
  • When you cause the forklift to move the crate over to Ota, he shouts "Hey Forklift, fork over that weapon now!" Aside from the play on words, it also references a line from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (in the English dub at least) where the Major shouts that very line, though to Saito and not a forklift.
  • Aiba can choose to throw a piece of ice at a switch, and says "Position target in the center and pull the switch, position target in the center and pull the switch..."
  • Ota's Tokusatsu belt and the theme that plays during his Somnium clearly references Kamen Rider V3. He may even say quotes from several Kamen Rider series:
    • "The heavens call! The earth cries out! The crowd roars! All calling on me to strike back against evil!"
    • "Awaken the soul!"
    • "Those who don't fight won't survive!"
    • "Now, count up your sins!"
    • "From here on, this is my stage!"
  • One of Ota's poses has his arms shape in an 90 degree angle, just like Ultraman.
• In the beginning when Psyncing for the first time, Aiba appears in a kneeling pose with electricity surrounding her.
• During Prisoner #89's sync, while tearing up books, during one of them Date will make a connection to Green Book, with Aiba saying it's almost certainly not connected.
  • If you read one of the other books, Date will name drop Judge Dredd.
• When Aiba and Date discuss who 'Alice' is, one of the dialogue choices is "Adrian?" Pick it and...
  Aiba: Adrian!
  Date: Rocky!
• During one of the visits to the Kumakura office with Iris, inspecting the black sofa has Iris note how black it is, leading her to ask how much more black could it be. Date's answer? "None. None more black."
• Inspecting the CRT monitors in the Psync control room on one visit has Aiba excitedly mention her awaiting the start of Videodrone.
• When examining a floating panda head in a certain somnium, one of the options is smack down. Choosing this will have Aiba jump up and smack the floating head while saying "I see it, the view from the top". A clear shout-out to Hinata Shouyou from the volleyball manga Haikyuu!!.
• During the epilogue, Moma asks Date if he can try to get him a "Puff-puff" from Tesa.
• In two separate Somnia, Aiba can encounter the likeness of This Man, an Uncanny Valley image from a 2008 internet meme/hoax website claiming that the titular man's face had been observed collectively in dreams by thousands of people across the world. Aiba recognises and comments on it.
• Lemniscate is a reference to fan translator group Lemnisca whose foundation was inspired by their love of Ever17 and had interviewed Uchikoshi prior to the release of this game.
• When observing a mysterious figure in one of Iris's Somnia, Date says the figure is Futoshi, and complains "You're just gonna leave Ikuno behind?"
• In PSYNCIN' IN THE CAPTaiN, if you have Mizuki look at "This CD," one of the CDs is titled "LUE 42, the answer to the ultimate question."

---