Being "Sneaky" About Pop Culture References - Weekly Devlog #8

Current game word count: 26,773 (+ 966 since last devlog)

Hello everyone and welcome to the weekly "Meanwhile in Riva" devlog! It's a day late this time on account of me playing drums yesterday with this awesome band (which is entirely unrelated to my game development but I still felt like plugging it, so there!).

A lower word count increase than usual this week also, which is due to 1) the aforementioned playing-of-the-drums, but also 2) me adding a gallery mode to the game where you'll be able to unlock artwork from side missions, character events and endings (of which I have 7 planned as of now). So progress is, well, progressing - and I'm super grateful for the views and downloads I've gotten so far (please try the game's demo if you haven't!). :)

Now, on to today's topic!

"Sneaky" pop culture references!

"Meanwhile in Riva" is a weird game which displays my absurdist sense of humor in numerous ways. One of these methods is shown in how I employ pop culture references (something I've been in love with ever since seeing Pulp Fiction as a kid). I'll just let these images speak for themselves, and see if you can figure out the not-so-subtle nods to various famous franchises:

Video games, old cartoon series, pseudo-modern sci-fi... nothing is safe!

The characters in "Meanwhile in Riva", much like their creator (i.e. me), have a varied palette of interests that they continually refer to when speaking to each other. To further fuel the absurd "this-world-but-not-quite" feel that I'm going for, I decided early on to use these sneaky/cheeky ways of renaming things that you might be familiar with. Not entirely unlike those hilarious fake brands that you sometimes come across...

Horror, romance and humor in a strange mix!

Let it be known that I have no idea how this game will be received by people. I'm just doing my thing. In-your-face-horror, heartfelt emotional conversations and really odd humor all mix to present a story that I feel is entirely unique, and if no one else plays it, then I sure will! Lol. As a friend of mine said: "Man, your game probably won't be a hit... but it could totally become a cult classic."

I wish!

Have a Riva-tastic day, everyone! :)

/Tymedust