Stinkoman 20X6 Real-World References

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Revision as of 01:21, 15 January 2021

Stinkoman 20X6 consists of dozens of references to the real world, primarily other video games.

General

• Engrish is very prevalent in this game; it is a reference to poor translations in some older video games.
• Lundsford is a reference to the symbol and/or mascot of Georgia Natural Gas. Billboards featuring this symbol and character can be seen in many places in the Atlanta area where The Brothers Chaps live.
• "Brody" and "Gokul" resemble the names "Broly" and "Goku", two characters in the Dragon Ball series. Gokul is also the name of a sweets shop in Decatur, in the same block as the Brothers Chaps' office.
• Stlunko, 404 is a reference to the 404 error that browsers give when a webpage cannot be found.
• The Piedmont region of the United States is the area between the Atlantic coastal plain and the Appalachian mountains. Atlanta, home of the Brothers Chaps, lies in this region. Piedmont is also a region in Northern Italy.
• Stratosfear is the name of albums by both The Unisex and Tangerine Dream, and is a pun relating to the stratosphere.
• Protek is a Tempe, AZ based company specializing in Transient Voltage Suppression products. This may explain why the Protek enemy is an electric outlet.
• "Ditmars" is a reference to Ditmars Boulevard, a major street in Queens, New York City.
• Negatory is Citizens' Band Radio (CB) slang for no or negative.
• The Negative Zone is laid out similar to glitches that would happen on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sometimes, these classic glitches allowed you to play through the whole level with odd, random textures for everything and sometimes revealed textures hidden in the cartridge that are otherwise unseeable.
• "Prawn Salad" was a phrase used in the "Live From the Grill-O-Mat" episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus as a bizarre lead-in to the "Accidents" sketch.
• Ekersby is also the name of a coffee table formerly sold by IKEA.
• "SCATTERED AND SMOTHERED" is one of the many characteristic ways to order hash browns at Waffle House, which is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, in the Atlanta area.
• The Stinkowing's design closely resembles that of the Batwing from the Tim Burton Batman films.
• Mecha-Trogador is a spoof of Mechagodzilla.
• Both Stinkoman and Z Sabre's TV monitors are based on the JVC Videosphere, an old TV monitor made during the 1970s that sported an unusual spherical appearance, making it look somewhat similar to a space helmet.
• The animation and design style seen in the FMV intro strongly resembles that of Studio Trigger.

Nintendo Entertainment System

• The game controller Stinkoman is holding in the cutscene for level 5.1 bears a striking resemblance to the redesigned NES controller (AKA the dogbone controller).
• The square areas around Stinkoman's face as it fades in on the intro screen are a reference to the method many NES games used to fade large images and backgrounds. Some games exhibited similar color artifacts and glitches primarily due to the NES's small color palette.

Mega Man series

Graphics

• The sprites for Stinkoman and the enemies Poorbt and Astromund are patterned after sprites in the Mega Man games for the NES.
  • Additionally, the sprites for the Videlectrix Mascot are taken directly from Mega Man.
  • It is likely that these sprites are based after the 8-bit Megaman sprites from the original Mega Man series.
• When shooting at enemies, you are limited to three projectiles on screen at a time. This is a direct reference to the original Mega Man series, where the Mega Buster could only fire up to three shots at a time. Older video game consoles only allowed limited amount of sprites at a time. For the NES, only 64 sprites can be on screen at a time with only a maximum of 8 sprites in the same given line.
• The bulky, muscular Stinkoman in the game's box art is likely a reference to the first two Mega Man games. The box art for the American versions of those games featured a similarly muscular Mega Man that looked nothing like the character in the game. The first game's box art was particularly inconsistent, showing Mega Man with a middle-aged complexion and fully realistic body proportions, as well as blue and yellow armor.
  • This practice of creating conflicting box art for American video games was a common practice until around the time the SNES was released.

Sounds and Music

• The sound effects for text appearing in the cinematics are taken from Mega Man for the NES.
• One of the main features in the music for Mega Man is the rock-based element, often employing the bVI-bVII-i cadence; the main progression for the music in Stinkoman features i-bVII-bVI-bVII-i. Further rock influences contain the consistent "back beat" that occurs on beats 2 and 4 in the main music, and the apparent AABB' + bridge form, where each letter consists of 8-measures, often found in Mega Man titles.
• The chime sound in the intro screen and main menu mirrors Mega Man X for the SNES but appears to be featured in Under Construction.
• Most of the music in Stinkoman 20X6 is patterned after the music from the entire Mega Man series.
  • Technically, the music is most like the music from the SNES line of Mega Man games, as it is more complex and synthetic than the music that the 8-bit NES is capable of producing.
• The whistle used to summon the Stinkowing in Level 9 is similar to the whistle used to call Rush in the Game Boy game, Mega Man 2: Return of Mega Man.

Characters

• In the attract screen, Stinkoman, 1-Up and Pan Pan flash onto the screen in a similar fashion to the character introduction in the arcade game Mega Man: The Power Battle (featuring Mega Man, Proto Man and Bass).
  • A similar character introduction is featured in the Sonic Advance series for the Game Boy Advance and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as many other video games, animes, and other media. Though Mega Man has technically used this, it is more likely to be a reflection of anime as a whole, as evidenced in other appearances of Stinkoman.
• The intro to Level 3 is a parody of Mega Man's limited jumping ability.
• Stinkoman taking the large gray fist as a "new powerup" in Level 3 is a reference to Mega Man's ability to take on the powers of defeated bosses.
  • Internally, Stinkoman with the fist is called "Fistman", a reference to the naming scheme of most bosses in Mega Man.
• The contrast between the combat mechanics for Stinkoman (shooting at enemies from afar) and 1-Up (kicking enemies with melee attacks) calls to mind the two main characters from the Mega Man X series, X and Zero. Where as X uses his arm cannon to fight enemies at a range, Zero uses a beam saber to attack foes up-close.

Enemies and Hazards

• Stobat (first seen in Level 2) is similar to a Cocco in Mega Man 5.
• Old Sage is similar to the instant-death spikes that are usually placed under moving platforms in various Mega Man levels.
• The trap-door platforms refer to the "Guts Lifts" from the first Mega Man game, similar platforms that are found in Guts Man's stage.
• Greggo is similar to Metall (also known as Mettaur, Metool, Met, or Hard Hat), which was also invincible while ducking.
• The Bendini Sisters in Level 5 are similar to the meteorites that fall in Star Man's stage in Mega Man 5.
• The "Evil Fortress" seen at the beginning and end of Level 9 is a parody of the Skull Castle/Fortress in Mega Man.
• Poorbt behaves similarly to Sniper Joe.*Uptant, Downtant, and Roldhap behave like Screw Bombers.
• Protek's cord draining half of Stinkoman's health is probably a reference to Mega Man's weakness to the Thunder Beam.
• The second boss of Level 10, Z-Sabre, draws a lot of inspiration from Mega Man characters.
  • Heis similar to Sigma from Mega Man X in appearance and attack methods.
  • His name alludes to the series deuteragonist Zero's primary weapon, being spelt with the Commonwealth spelling as opposed to the American one.
  • The eyebrow waggle before the fight is similar to the eyebrow waggle that Dr. Wily would do in the classic Mega Man games
• Mecha-Trogador's design is partially based off the Mecha Dragon Boss from Mega Man 2.

The Legend of Zelda

• My Benj is similar to the Bit enemies in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES.
• Stlunko is similar to many video game bosses that consist of a mostly inactive head defended by two enormous disembodied hands. Such bosses are popular in the Zelda series — for example, Bongo-Bongo from Ocarina of Time, Gohdan from The Wind Waker, and Mazaal from The Minish Cap.
• Saargtsson is very similar in appearance and style to Moldorm from the Zelda series.

Metroid series

• The sound effect for Tampo's destruction is taken from Metroid for the NES.
• The timed escape sequence after defeating the final boss is a signature of the Metroid series.

Sonic the Hedgehog series

• Brody's boss fight is similar to the Egg Foot fight, the third boss of Sonic Advance 3.
• The name of the world in Level 6 ends in "Zone". This is a reference to the Sonic the Hedgehog series, in which many levels end in the word "Zone".
• After defeating The Liekand in Level 6, it transforms into a mouse. This may be a reference to the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis, in which defeated enemies almost always revealed their power sources, which were various animals.
• Z Sabre's fleet (The Level 9 enemies) is a reference to Sonic Heroes, in which the Egg Fleet was modeled after fish.
• Jaro looks very similar to the "Red Eye" mini-boss in the Death Egg level from Sonic & Knuckles.
• The seven Crystal Shards that make up the Crystal Heart of Mecha-Trodador are similar to the seven Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Super Mario Bros. series

• Firey-Hot is a recolor of the fire cannons' blasts in the airship levels of Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Old Sage looks similar to the spikes found in the moon level in Super Mario Land 2.
• The Liekand is very similar in appearance to Fryguy, from Super Mario Bros. 2. Fryguy, the Level 4 boss, is a flame that wears sunglasses.
  • The fact that The Liekand turns into a mouse could be another reference to the game, as one of the bosses is Mouser, who is also a mouse that also wears sunglasses.
• Yekop appears to reference Pokey, another tall enemy consisting of many stacked segments. The name "Yekop" is simply Pokey spelled backwards, and the Stinkomanual mentions that it is not a spiky cactus.
• The Stinkomanual mentions that this game has no "weepy princess crap", a reference to the Super Mario series (among others) in which the primary plot is to rescue a helpless princess.
• The phrase "Hold B" refers primarily to numerous Nintendo games in which you gain a boost of some sort by holding down the 'B' button. For example, in the Super Mario Bros. series, holding 'B' makes you run faster, and in Mega Man, holding 'B' charges up your shot for a more powerful hit.
  • In Stinkoman 20X6, holding down the 'S' key allows you to rapid-fire.
• Many NES games featured the letter 'P' (presumably for "Power") in various forms, such as the P-switches, P-Wings and P-Gauges in Super Mario Bros. 3. This may explain the collectible Ps in Level 3.
• The name for Level -0 (Negatory) is a reference to the Minus World level in Super Mario Bros.; a glitch that could be found by walking through a wall in Level 1-2.
• The interior of Z Sabre's castle resembles that of Bowser's castle in various Mario games.
• The game's ending credits, most notably listing all the enemies in the game (except for the ones that are not covered in the Stinkomanual, like the octopus enemy in Level 9), resembles the endings of games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario World.
  • The fact that not every enemy in the game appears in the credits, like said octopus from Level 9, could be a subtle reference to how not every enemy from Super Mario World, most notably the Ninjis, appears in the ending credits.
  • Harvax being depicted in the credits as actually being an octopus instead of a robotic gangster in the actual game (due to the credits being based on the Stinkomanual's descriptions) could be a subtle reference to the Birdo/Ostro error in Super Mario Bros. 2 instructions manual and ending.
  • Mecha-Trogador, the game's final boss, winking at the camera at the end of the credits resembles Wart, the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2 doing the same thing at the end of that game's credits.

Other Games

• Tampo moves in a similar way to that of Krow, the first boss in Donkey Kong Country 2 for the SNES.
• The death sound effect is taken from the NES Ninja Gaiden series. Specifically, it is the player damage sound effect.
• If you sit still for a while, your character becomes bored and yawns or falls asleep. This gag was first used in an old PC game called Boulder Dash, and has since been used in countless video games.
• 1-Up's spin-kick is similar to the Street Fighter move "Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku" (otherwise known as the Hurricane Kick).
• Jaro's explosion appears to be modeled after many of the character explosions in The Adventures of Rad Gravity for the NES.
• Tampo appears to have been modeled after Andross, the final boss in Star Fox 64. Andross's "true form" is that of a giant floating brain (with eyeballs, unlike Tampo), and both he and Tampo have the same weak point: the cerebellum.
• Stinkoman's pose with the giant fist at the end of Level 3 is a reference to some of the poses in Battletoads.
• In Level 5.2, you can see a planet in the background that has a C-shaped portion on its left side. This portion bears a striking similarity to the stylized C in the title of Chrono Trigger for the SNES.
• Level 6 parodies countless video games that include cloud stages.
  • In particular, the "pink cloud zone" in this is most likely a reference to EarthBound, in which the sixth "Your Sanctuary" location (in Dalaam) is called Pink Cloud.

Muhahahahaha!

• The cutscene featuring Z Sabre at the beginning of Level 7 is a reference to a similar cutscene at the beginning of Ninja Gaiden 2 for the NES. This cutscene features Ashtar, the evil boss of the game, seen from behind, surrounded by lightning and laughing maniacally.
• In the cutscene at the beginning of Level -0, Stinkoman blasts part of the wall in a similar fashion to the Kamehameha, an energy attack seen in the Dragon Ball manga series.
  • This move may also parody the Hadoken move in the video game series Street Fighter. It should also be noted that one of the Mega Man games (which Stinkoman 20X6 is somewhat based on) contains a secret move, the Hadoken.
• The cutscene at the beginning of Level 9 shows Stinkoman gazing upon the Evil Fortress from atop a rock. This is a direct reference to a similar scene in Ninja Gaiden, in which the main character gazes upon a fortress from atop a mountain.
• The sound effect for the whistle is the sound that plays when you get an item on the NES Castlevania games.
• Level 9 is designed after the shoot em' up game Gradius.
  • Broodacre is very similar to the volcanos in Gradius.
• After defeating Harvax XVII, the robot boss says "PI...PI...PI...". This message is similar to messages spoken by robots in Bionic Commando for the NES.
  • In addition, Harvax XVII visually resembles minor villain Pinstripe from the superhero video game Freedom Force.
• The Liekand is similar in appearance to Mr. Glitch from Mathman, a Pac-Man spoof from the PBS series Square One TV.
• My Benj appears to be the starting form of an original Tamagotchi or the first iteration of the Digimon digital pet.
• The intro cutscene in the Level 10 update is framed and compressed much like Full Motion Videos in Sega CD (Mega-CD in Japan and Europe) games were.
• After waking up in the level 10 opening cutscene, Stinkoman says "I feel asleep" a line from the NES port of Metal Gear.
• The composer credited for Level 10's exclusive music, "U.Z. Inu" is likely a pseudonym for indie game developer and composer Toby Fox, due to the music's characteristic sounds, as well as the fact the name "U.Z. Inu" is a play on the japanese localized name for the Undertale character Annoying Dog (うざいイヌ, romanized as Uzai Inu), which is often referred to as Toby Fox's avatar.