The game is Reference Overdosed with shout outs not only to the games it is evoking but many other kinds of media as well not just games!
- Aside from its obvious Castlevania influence (including Aledor being a former Crusader like Leon Belmont and wearing a similar outfit), two specific references to the series occur: the first is a wall chicken you can find in a breakable wall, and the second is a tornado that appears if you crouch at a dead-end for a few seconds. Neither of them do Alcedor any good.
- The Future level turns the game into Contra, as Alcedor mows down demons with a machinegun and his jumping animation becomes the mid-air flips of the series' protagonists. One of the weapons available even works like the famous Spread Shot. Also, upon inserting the Konami Code at the title screen, you can unlock and start a new game as the futuristic gun-shooting protagonist, Maxime Gunn. The new opening even parodies the intro of Contra III: The Alien Wars, down to the memetic "Let's attack aggressively" quote. It'll even increase your initial life count to 30, which is what the Konami Code did in the original Contra.
- The endings are "Inferno Power", with a familiar logo.
- The Game Wizard is a clear reference to the Game Genie for the NES, right down to copying its code input screen near-exactly. It even uses the same letters!
- The high-pitched screech heard in the Game Over screen in the demo is the death cry of the Phantom/Ghost from Forbidden Forest. While this got replaced in the full game, the Forbidden Forest sound bite still exists in various cutscenes (such as the destruction of a castle's crystal).
- Necro, the zombie-summoning zombie boss fought in the barn sidequest, is likely a homage to Bob the Necromancer from Berzerk Studio's earlier idle game Zombidle, in which you play a dark-robed undead necromancer with a zombie army that starts out attacking barns.
- The Drowsiness ending is clearly based on the ending from Super Mario Bros. 2. Although the obvious difference is that it wasn't All Just a Dream, and outside the window, we see the village being razed to the ground by demons.
- Also, the Necronomicon is a shout-out to the fictional grimoire in stories written by H. P. Lovecraft. Additionally, its portrayal in the game, bound in skin with a face on the front, is a reference to its portrayal (as the Necronomicon Ex Mortis) in the Evil Dead series, which was more directly referenced via the "Stranger" update.
- The Stranger, who was introduced in the Halloween update has some references to a few horror and horror adjacent media.
- His introduction by dropping into Upel via a portal from the sky and his double-barrel shotgun are obvious references to Army of Darkness.
- One of his armor upgrades is a white collared shirt with a tie, its Flavor Text mentions that it’s got a bit of red on it.
- His hockey mask is an obvious reference to Jason Voorhees. However, being a protagonist with brown hair and a wooden melee weapon also brings to mind Rick Taylor from the Splatterhouse series.
- For a non-horror reference, his sleeve-less leather jacket with a single shoulder pad evokes Max Rockatansky.
- In another reference to the Evil Dead series inputing PAINSAVV into the Game Wizard returns Alcedor to his standard appearance but replaces his mace with a chainsaw, it even appears to be replacing his mace-carrying hand.
- When undergoing the path towards the Future Ending, the Necronomicon is used to put Alcedor into a deep sleep that lets him wake up in a post-apocalyptic future. However. unlike in the cut ending of Army of Darkness, he actually has people waiting for him and a much more optimistic ending.
- The achievement names are named after heavy metal songs and albums.
- Regurgitated Guts
- Hammer Smashed Face
- Thunderstruck
- Holy Diver
- Guilty of Innocence
- Only a Heartbeat Away
- Behind the Black Wall of Sleep
- Call from the Grave
- Premonition of Pain
- Here Come the Tears
- Slaves of Pain
- Trial By Fire
- A Good Day to Die
- Revelation of Judgment Day
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- Imaginations from the Other Side
- Cursed to Crawl
- Too Scared to Scream
- I Am the Law
- Reign in Blood
- Set the World Afire
- Madness at the Core of Time
- Free Will Sacrifice
- Sins of Omission
- Master of the Wind
- Lord of this World
- Soldiers of the Wasteland
- Sweating Bullets
- In addition, the above mentioned "Holy Diver" is also the name of a video game only released in Japan that was a Castlevania style NES game featuring a young noble fighting back against demons to save his kingdom. Bonus points for that game also being a reference to the same song.
