Hey there! It’s been a while. Hope everyone’s doing OK. Been meaning to put this post together for ages, and finally got around to it. So here you go – these are a few (but not all) of the hidden references we snuck into Valfaris that you probably never even noticed:
SLAIN: BACK FROM HELL
During the Valfaris intro sequence, Hekate says: “Time to wake up, Therion.” This is a reference to Valfaris’ spiritual predecessor, Slain: Back From Hell, in which that game's intro sequence also shows its hero being woken.
CONTRA III: THE ALIEN WARS
In the Landing Pad level, Therion is tasked with obtaining a fuel crystal to provide power to an old spaceship. Just before the lock-in fight where the fuel crystal can be acquired, Therion says: “Leave it with me. I will attack aggressively.” Anyone who spotted that this is a reference to the intro of Contra III: The Alien Wars most definitely deserves their super-nerd stripes.
FUTURAMA
After he defeats the Hive Sentinel, Hekate comments to Therion: “You're covered in... toad mucus,” to which Therion replies “This stuff is as sticky as glue. Ergh. I hate this hive.”
Futurama fans may have felt a faint tickle of familiarity when they heard this – that’s because it’s a reference to ‘The Why of Fry’ episode in which Fry discovers that the sticky stuff on the back of stamps is made of toad mucus.
ALIENS
We included two Aliens references. The first is just before the Bloodfang boss fight at the end of the Eco Dome. Therion says “A bug hunt? No problem.” This is a nod to the moment in Aliens when Bill Paxton’s character, Pvt. Hudson, asks “Is this going to be a stand-up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?”
Because Steam can't handle YouTube links with time codes, manually skip to 0:37 to hear the quote. Or just watch the whole thing and enjoy 6 mins of Hudson :)
The second Aliens reference comes during the Hive level.
After Therion takes control of a badass Exterminator Mech, he shouts “Let’s rock!”, which is exactly the roar that Jenette Goldstein’s character, Pvt. Vasquez, lets out before disobeying orders and opening fire from her M56 Smart Gun when she and her colonial marine squadmates are smack-bang in the middle of a xenomorph hive.
WITHNAIL AND I
And, finally, a quote from one of my personal all-time favourite movies, ‘Withnail and I’. When Therion encounters the Bloodroot Demon in the Dead Eco Dome, the demented boss shouts “I must have some blood! I DEMAND TO HAVE SOME BLOOD!”
This is a reference to a line from the 1987 British film in which Richard E. Grant’s habitually debauched character, Withnail, declares “I must have some booze! I DEMAND TO HAVE SOME BOOZE!”
There are a few other references hidden away in Valfaris, but I wouldn’t want to spoil things by revealing them all. Where’s the fun in that?
And if you like insider stuff like this, go ahead and spin your eyes over our 'Valfaris Deleted Scenes' post.
Matt | Big Sugar
https://store.steampowered.com/app/600130/Valfaris/