The MANY References of Pizza Tower

[@Responsable_spoon]

The golf level was back then a April fools joke but then turned to an actual level in the game

[@TheGameShelf]

That's actually some useful info if I ever make a sequel to my April Fools video I released not too long ago

[@Magne_Sium]

Also, Pizzascare been Halloween build, but turns to level

[@Tetaxkep]

“ *Y O U ‘ R E D E A D M E A T* “

[@backtoearthelectrical3916]

@@Tetaxkep "YOU REDEAD MEAT"

[@Aeauk]

Call me crazy but i think the "you're dead meat" is a Hotline Miami reference

[@samolguy]

The fact that Fake Peppino and Peppino clones use frog-like attacks could be a reference to how in Jurassic Park the dinosaurs were made by filling the gaps in their DNA with frog DNA

[@charziz6693]

That's an incredibly deep cut reference if true, and also explains the one thing that I was the most confused about in the game.

[@jessicabombcat2180]

I kinda feel that it’s a reference to SA-X due to it kinda taking a monsterous frog like form when critical health

[@bandband4498]

I also noticed this It's most apparent in the dive attack

[@Randombambifan2]

Did you know that fake peppino was bassed on fake mario on a paper mario game?

[@samolguy]

@@Randombambifan2 No, I've never played Paper Mario. Does that Fake Mario have some kind of frog characteristic?

[@alt4388]

You forgot "Cube Menace" the achievement obtained by destroying the mort cube. It's a reference to mort's home game, where the enemies are all cubes

[@TheGameShelf]

DAMN YOU'RE TOTALLY RIGHT ON THAT ONE

[@Microwave345]

7:52 The way Brick and Gustavo stand in this picture is literally the most thug-gangster ass-shit like holy hell it's so badass

[@janko1]

shit i didn't know he was gangsta like that

[@foolishness9020]

@@janko1 Top 10 characters that will beat you up😱

[@FancyMcSchmancy]

He is going to fucking kill you.

[@liketrainslol420funni]

My poor soul is in serious pain after reading this.

[@Napolean_bonaparte123]

​@@janko1 !+!@•1`2ффл❤

[@Nayplays1]

17:32 Another thing to note is Peppino’s animatronic form is playing the accordion. Pasqually the chef from Chuck E Cheese used to play the accordion in the late 70s and throughout the 80s as his main instrument, but then concept unification happened and he became a drummer

[@memorableman3709]

Ngl, it's a bit sad that your Pizza Tower videos are mostly popular more because the game is currently on fire right now than because your videos are well made (which they are). You deserve more views and subscribers man, I can feel the passion behind your videos and your words.

[@TheGameShelf]

I really appreciate you saying that, it's been rough making my way on this site, but I keep going cause it GENUINELY makes me so happy Being recognized for that makes it so worth it, hopefully in the future my other content will get as much attention as Pizza Tower too

[@memorableman3709]

@@TheGameShelf Yeah, it must be frustrating feeling like you have to play along with the algorithm just to be noticed. But I think you can make it!

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

I agree with this assessment. It’s def the popularity, but I’m hoping the exposure can help him garner a couple hundred, thousandish more subs for his other stuff with the quality. We will see.

[@TheGameShelf]

@@CuteCanadianGirl2007 ...you realize Snick has an entire section in the video, right?

[@Fatih_M177]

​@@TheGameShelf the pizza tower community is different and majority will gladly check out what other content you have rather than subbing cause "ooo me like this" a similar thing happened with my channel (although not quite successful and deserving as yours XD) Just do what you want and be passionate and i hope your fans will keep your back 👍

[@hermeschase4113]

Oh my God, i had no idea about Snick's existence, and the fact he references some of my favorite YTPMV's just makes him even better! Snick deserves a P R O M O T I O N

[@DccToon]

insert peppino doing the promotion or a noitomorp if your reading it from the other side

[@Lenoh]

...so my comment about Eggman running an item shop in "What'll It Be?" wasn't too far off. Huh.

[@LudiColorado]

There are a couple references in the level treasures you didn’t cover Most obviously, the Pizzascare treasure is a giant turkey leg on a plate similar to the wall meat you find in the Castlevania games Then there’s the Pig City one which has layers, it’s an onigiri 🍙 that appears to have jelly coming out of it. Which is a pretty clear reference to the US translation of the Pokemon anime referring to them as “jelly donuts”. This also works because of 1. The stereotype of cops loving donuts, and 2. Because many elements in Pig City were pulled from a martial arts-themed stage in the demos called “kung fu”. As I said, that one has layers lol

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

Dang I love that they reference the best anime dubbing company 4Kids 😂. But I love that. NYC has lots of donuts and is a cultural melting pot so makes sense we would be represented with “Jelly filled donuts”. Even though I think Pig City is like Hey Arnold’s city which isn’t a big reference to any city in particular

[@impossiblehanley2732]

​@@KKHell to my understanding, pig city and the chinese city were different stages until they were fused

[@miserirken]

@@impossiblehanley2732 Yep, you can even notice were the remains of Kung Fu level start, 'cause it became the Gus & Brick section.

[@nickrustyson8124]

Also when you get hit 10 times the TV shows a reference to Rodney Dangerfield

[@Emery_Pallas]

Also the Final Boss being quite based on Ronald McDonald Insanity. To the point where early versions iirc use the music

[@archdiangelo7930]

The name of the achievement "There Can Be Only One" itself is also a reference to Highlander, so that one is a double reference

[@TokyoDrift456]

9:21 last i heard, Pizza Tower originally started its life as a horror themed RPG starring peppino, which probably explains where Fake Peppino comes from, so i feel this could be a remnant of that idea, having one of the monsters try to mimic one of Peppino's friends to get closer to him

[@YanntastischGER]

10:38 Okay now I love Vigilante even more. I was such a huge Worms geek, played nearly all entries with my family!

[@RayCris80]

The mechanic of rescuing toppins from little cages is directly inspired from the Rayman series.

[@behoiler]

tbh you are a underrated youtuber you need more recognition from people than what you currently have, quality content and ideas from you is what many people should expect from this channel.

[@TheGameShelf]

That's so kind of you to say, ngl I've been struggling a lot these past 5 years to make it to where I want to be, and even though I'm not there yet, it makes me happy to see progress and see nice people recognize what I've done so far, makes it all worth it ngl Once again, thank you!

[@behoiler]

@@TheGameShelf Well glad to see your gaining more popularity from people this year. Probably the biggest achievement for you and your channel

[@Abaj_]

Crazy that they made an entire country based off Pizza Tower. That's a real esster egg. ALSO YEAAAHHH VSAUCE JOEYYYYYY YEAAHHH

[@samuelg7673]

Watch out or some Guido will hit you with the ol gabagooie

[@maddiemcnugget1076]

I heard they made an entire leaning building after the pizza tower

[@oddcastitalia]

I'm from Italy, i confirm everything

[@Voleroao_]

Vannysos yobel reference!!1!1!!

[@viewing845]

I wish pizza was real like Italians

[@springbreezegaming4017]

14:06 I love those Robotnik ytp songs so much, I can't believe that they had references to them. Lol

[@yeetusalmighty2769]

I'm surprised he didn't pick up on beta gustavo at 9:05, where when he goes towards Peppino, it looks like the sonic.exe chasing pose

[@Turner_Strait]

Snick referencing iteachvader's music is absolutely GENIUS. Shame they didn't keep him, but understandable. Still, absolutely genius

[@BinglesP]

As a KZbin Poop creator, I ALWAYS dig when people reference the medium. Even if it's surface level 'Spadinner' jokes. (Though, if anyone referenced cs188, DaThings, or even me in their indie game, I'd go crazy happy for it)

[@supahtiger2002]

8:42 spinning italians Edit: thanks for 10 likes :D

[@cristinagomez3283]

Another reference: If you hurt Gustavo (or peppino, I don't remember) enough times, the monitor will display a person eerily similar in appearance to Gustavo fring from breaking bad.

[@K1ttyGam3r]

Gustavo and Peppino share pain screens

[@cristinagomez3283]

@@K1ttyGam3r got it

[@suziebelle3738]

They look nothing alike

[@cristinagomez3283]

@@suziebelle3738 they kind of do.

[@suziebelle3738]

@@cristinagomez3283 two guys wearing suits and ties? unacnny resemblance!

[@trevtastic6038]

20:13 not expecting you to say that, ya made me laugh

[@miserirken]

10:24 in more modern kirb games with this mechanic, Metakight will actually look at the player from over his shoulder if the player don't pick the sword immediately (and he would even get pissed off if you take way too much time).

[@miserirken]

Also, speaking of Vigi, not a single mention of Clint Eastwood? It's like the most obvious aspect of Vigilante (to the point McPig announced him by referencing the song Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz)

[@chaotixman465]

In the last one he even kicks the sword away if you take so much time

[@xXLarge_LarryXx]

11:58 You forgot to mention that fake pepino is a reference to "fake crash" from the crash bandicoot series. Who was made by Cortex as a failed clone of crash.

[@a3srevenge683]

The title card for Gustavo and Brick at 6:39 is a reference to the Itchy And Scratchy Show title card in the Simpsons

[@alexlxpg4985]

20:05 fun fact, the baron and demon share the same back muscle sprite so the amalgimated demon pig makes it an accidental double reference

[@funnylucina]

I like the detail of you wearing a tank top over your shirt to recreate Peppino’s outfit

[@TheGameShelf]

I also did that in the bosses video, now that's gonna be my official outfit lol Just need a chef hat

[@Womoisreal]

17:01 they were actually scrapped for the sake of keeping the artstyle consistent.

[@GalaxiaShadow]

19:13 finally someone mentions the pogchamp lmao, made me laugh when I saw it do that the first time

[@NoisqueVoaProduction]

Mort the chicken is a clear reference to Ratatouille, since he is controlling pepino on top of his head (but he puls his eyes instead of hair).

[@CentipedeChan]

I love just how varied the references are all across the 90s and then some. The snick gameplay looks cool and I didn't know anything about this game's history, so thanks for the history lesson

[@BinglesP]

It's crazy how I get a majority of them, and yet I wasn't even alive yet in the 90's. Just goes to show how powerful the nostalgia cycle is. (Or how "born in the wrong generation" I am, as well)

[@YanntastischGER]

17:37 I am from Germany and I can say that Oktoberfest is "the most well-known but most cringey celebration of the country"... the fest is just drunk people and overpriced drinks. A few people see it important because of tradition, mostly from Bavaria.

[@GameMaker3_5]

I'll be honest, the 3d jumpscare animations would have made the Don't Make a Sound Level way scarier than with the final jumpscares. (the final ones feel more like a joke jumpscare)

[@Aflay1]

Its huge to see references to Metroid and Street Fighter in these games. Particularly references that enhance the overall experience. Stuff like parries, screw attacks, after images, they are really satisfying and should be staples in more stylish games like this.

[@yoshifan2334]

Come to think of it, there’s probably some references in the parry anims too. One of the parry anims where pepino makes a claw sort of gesture down low reminds me of the shoto's low parry animation from SF3

[@dalehayden3830]

Don't forget how Fake Peppino is literally just SA-X as a cartoon chef

[@Jinzo126]

Nice Video. On the Title card for Golf, the Quote: "He´s gonna need a bigger club" is a reference to the Quote from the movie Jaws: "We need a bigger boat"

[@NarfLarf]

2:24 His squashed animation for the super jump also reminds me of Wario Land 3, where the robot enemy with a hammer would flatten Wario into a spring, allowing him to jump much higher vertically.

[@TheNoiseRator]

14:36 tails doll is a offical sonic character from sonic r

[@smeltstarverse7306]

HOLY SNIK ON A STICK I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT HEDGEHOG'S TAUNTS BEFORE! That's SUCH a sick reference! Been a fan of iteachvader's stuff for *years* now, so it's so special to see it referenced in someplace I didn't expect! Interestingly, a part of me feels like Peppino's white and black color palette may have been inspired by Wario's sprites for Wario Land 3... not 100% sure about it, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me at this point.

[@SupahBerd]

snick is a porcupine

[@skapokonroll]

Not sure if this was all mentioned in the bosses video, but The Noise's boss fight seems to pay homage to The Noid's own platforming game: Yo! Noid. In that game you could find different vehicles in some of the levels, like a skateboard and a pogo stick, both used by The Noise in this game. I think both were in the commercials too. I also can't help but to think that Noisette is a reference to Minnie Mouse and other old cartoon characters whose designs consisted on just taking the main male character and giving them stereotypically female attributes

[@dalehayden3830]

Noisette seems to primarily be inspired by Amy Rose

[@Navycrewposter]

In the noise update. In phase 3 of pizza heads boss fight noise literally goes super

[@eNCy.]

Sometimes, the Vigilante Will using ability where he hops into the air while shooting a barrage of small projectiles from his gun, down onto his enemies. This could be a reference to Kernel corn's ability, "Husk Hop" from Plants vs Zombies garden warfare 2 (He does it right here: 10:07)

[@gizmo9133]

17:47 Spherical moment

[@soyyoelmeromeroasies1960]

IT'S SO GOOD SEEING A VIDEO OF YOU GET THE LOVE IT DESERVES Hopefully it'll expand to your other works cause not only Pizza Tower deserves the attention, but your other videos too!

[@TheMcgregorOne]

Me sorprendió que no hayas notado la obvia referencia en el logro "faker" a Sonic adventure 2 cuando Sonic y shadow se encuentran por segunda vez

[@homerogordo5548]

Y también turbo tunnel haciendo literalmente una referencia en cómo conseguir el logro y el nombre hacia el nivel más difícil de battletoads

[@Maniac4Bricks]

18:15 not to mention the eggplant which was also used in Ice Climber

[@Robolav1]

Fun fact: in the costumes for peppino actually has a costume called “sage blue” which is an obvious reference to the sage 2019 demo

[@Greenboi32]

7:38 This actually isn't a misconception. Someone from Nintendo who worked on SMW said that Mario was actually punching Yoshi

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

Shigefumi Hino, the guy who designed the sprite.

[@pyrotictiger9930]

And that it used to have a more violent sound effect to it.

[@pizzaguy_]

Here is a reference that i dont see people talking about: when you find a john gutter cleaner, a sheep _baaa_ plays, which is a reference to Cult of the Lamb where you recruit other cultists with different beliefs and convert them to your cult.

[@nazar5908]

11:23 well, actually the laugh in the background is the same laugh of headless horsemen from "the adventure of ichabod and mr toad", this is so specific and I know it only from pizza tower review made by one Russian guy

[@DomIvey271]

You forgot to mention that when pepperman gets hit, his face is a reference to Enel’s goofy face in One piece.

[@godmonkeyyy]

1:36 this is also a reference of usain bolts pose

[@josuegavito]

God, i love reference videos, and i find fun the Pizza Tower content, the more i see about PT, the more i want to play Great video overall, i just share this video with a friend who just got into Pizza tower recently :)

[@clown283]

20:34 In one of the levels of Wario Land 4 there was an enemy pig who drew you enemies, just like Fake Santa

[@susankornas2613]

18:52 When you thought nothing can be worse than pineapple on pizza…

[@eskapellaa]

18:06 im pretty sure the text is a reference to one of the voice lines for demoman in Team Fortress 2

[@bruicketP]

15:32 i think golf title card is also a reference to the game hotline miami 1 specifically the second boss "biker" when before he starts attacking you he says "you're dead meat" and then you pick up a golf club

[@SaddieMoon]

12:56 I think the missing poster is a reference to the Mighty and Ray missing poster from Sonic Generations.

[@thepurplebirdwunderwaffen]

I think the one where Gustavo and brick are standing next to each other smiling eith their thumbs up is actually a mario and donkey kong bonding reference

[@militarykobold]

Layering on the Rick reference, the max speed dash with Gustavo and Brick references Kirby's Dream Land 2 and 3 when Kirby and Rick have the Rock ability, where Rick turns into a boulder and Kirby walks on top of him to move them around (great combo btw)

[@1tsMichael]

The "And this... is my gun on a stick." achievement feels like a Team Fortress 2 reference, where in the video "Meet the Heavy", Heavy says: "I am heavy weapons guy, and this... is my weapon."

[@BinglesP]

MrPig is living the dream. A popular-but-not-TOO-popular indie game that is genuinely fun and awesome, and referencing a ton of different things that brought its inspiration. I'd do this exact thing if I ever made a lighthearted indie game. References all over the place to games, cartoons, etc. that I love and/or grew up with, no matter how obscure.

[@BeluBum16]

9:05 theres also a reference to sonic.exe when Gustavo charges at Pepino

[@alexherrick9256]

19:18 Kentucky Kenny might actually be a reference to rocky rococo, a pizza restaurant that features many posters that resemble famous movies.

[@Real_Potato_Man]

4:10 "oh man i wonder what this references to-" *_"WHAT THE FU-"_*

[@sheryl1960ish]

13:59 GETAWAY GETAWAY SUBMARINE! SKYDIVING! OUT OF A WINDOW! JUST WIN THE RACE! JUST WIN THE RACE! JUST WIN! JUST WIN! JUST WIN THE RACE! OH BOY! I'M GONNA HAVE ME SOME HEDGEHOG STEW IN THE AFTERNOON!

[@dragointothegame5403]

The On-Off switches in one of the later levels with pink and purple faces are a reference to the Scary Jerma meme

[@elijahs4041]

This video was amazing I love every minute of it. All of the references you made into this video was truly phenomenal

[@diosoth]

5:52 holding up a sword, getting hit by lightning & changing is probably a reference to He-Man.

[@josephsim4753]

Fun Fact: In this part of the song 11:51, I THINK that it's supposed to sound like The Noise's Theme/Anthem, which might be true, but I'm not exactly sure, you can find out yourself.

[@NoisqueVoaProduction]

I got an impression where the intro animation is an homage to Don Quijote, the old dude that became crazy and thought he was a knight. I don't know, the pizza man gives me windmill giant vibes...

[@WohaoG]

1. you deserve more viewers 2. thank you for publishing the mostly positive ltdl rations on your channel!

[@PabloXd508]

I also think that Swedish Monkey's sprite when you stun him is a reference to how sometimes DK is seen stretching his eyes

[@willbunnell889]

1:52 This taunt could also be a reference to Daniel Bryan from WWE, where he points 2 Fingers in the air, and yells *YES!!!*

[@poisoned8440]

another subtle reference you missed out is regarding the art used in the door for the pepperman boss fight; being it holds similar qualities to Aphex twin's "Richard d james album" showing a clear reference to it. Just something neat i picked up 😊😊

[@AEnvorthenoob]

1:43 About time someone noticed and talked about this

[@theonlybilge]

7:03 JOSHI'S IN IT JOSHI'S COMPETIN'

[@IB_509]

16:53 that could be used as a cool peppino transformation

[@ahmetaksoy195]

Also the image of peppino in the golf title card is a reference to the biker from hotline miami

[@pordesgraciaalumnoup727]

I love how everytime you show a taunt you play the taunt sfx, even when you show the YTPMV you can still barely hear it It's some nice attention to detail

[@BattleofthebuckYT]

6:59 well I'm pretty sure the full phrase is "I'm gonna kill you... With kindness😃"

[@im_not_a_bean]

5:21 "che vuoi?" means "what do you want?" in italian *The More You Know☆*

[@haydenhowell9277]

Btw the pineapple animatronic in don't make a sound is a reference to mac tonight from the old McDonald's advertisements

[@Maniac4Bricks]

20:25 there's also some games and tv shows of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which feature a race of pizza monsters that look like Xenomorphs. The TMNT arcade Turtles in Time has you fight against them in the Sewer Surfing level.

[@hdsavion]

Thanks for dropping this incredible video! I'm a huge fan of the game and so many of these references didn't hit me at all until watching this!

[@TheGameShelf]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I tried to make the video as fun and interesting as possible, hope you can also consider checking my other stuff friend!

[@SkFan5]

The "Food Clan" achievement is also a reference to "Foot Clan" from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[@Youhadabadday2021]

I think the Shinespark Peppino uses is specifically a reference to Metroid Fusion in particular, since that game was actually built off of Warioland 4's engine, which as we all know is a major inspiration for Pizza Tower.

[@gilbertinastefan]

15:55 Another song that MIGHT have a reference is Pizzascare’s “There is a bone in my spaghetti”, which could be a reference to Undertale and in the song itself there are possibly references if I am not overthinking.

[@TheFluffiestPrince]

I think it has smth to do with hot&cold spaghetti, and that a bone in your food is pretty scary.

[@filename2793]

17:36 this is a referance to the medic from tf2 saying oktober fest when doing the kritscrieg taunt

[@luigifan4393]

One Correction: The claim that they sampled the Sonic 3 at 16:33 is incorrect, they used Norman Cook Skip to my loops which also has a lot of other samples including some Sonic 3 Samples (jesus chrsit there's a lot that they used from that)

[@LuiSuperX]

WE WINNING SHELFERS Hope your other videos also get the attention man

[@Estaguy24]

The « Spherical » achievement art might be a reference to the Sonic 3 Blue Spheres… Damn he really liked the Sonic series

[@GoofyAhhSonic]

I though the same

[@cartercrum1490]

3:48 as soon as I saw that taunt in gameplay footage, I knew exactly what it was referencing.

[@BIGGER-HEAD]

Reference he forgot: in pig city the secret treasure is a onigiri full of jelly a little nod to pokemon

[@misterjersey5460]

4kids moment

[@silvertotodile6958]

One thing I’d like to mention about Pepperman is that one of his art attacks is a clear homage to Homestuck (and/or Problem Sleuths), as the one with the thick outline and cigar has not just the same outline, but the flashing colors also could be apart of it.

[@Fearfulphantom]

15:04 sega is not strict tho

[@builderhut3452]

Unexpectancy part 2 takes a line from that one"when you don't get what you want you don't want it" song

[@hotabichnk]

Taunt sound effect is similar to a sound from Savage Garden's song " I want you " (Jojo part 4 ending). It's on around 2:30.

[@hotabichnk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/foLXZ51_gLOqnbc

[@hotabichnk]

Also, the intro animation might have references to One Piece and JJBA. And the art style reminds me about Cow & Chicken series.

[@CowKirbo]

Also the game as the best intro ever. That song instantly gets me hyped.

[@westonmyers239]

One "reference" I know of that you missed is that the "Spaghetti" motif in Pizzascape/Pizzascare seems to share some similarities with the theme of Greenhorn Forest, the most iconic theme of Wario World. Also, "Bites the Crust" from The Pig City borrows a sound byte from Vela-Nova, the Sonic vs Blaze boss theme from Sonic Rush.

[@diegogamer2981]

You forgot the granny reference in don't make a sound where when you first encounter the mushroom animatronic it says "trigger alarm to open.-granny written in blood.

[@Brackets_Guy]

5:12

[@sap1704]

I think the secret song “a secret in the chicken” is probably a reference to that one story where a chicken layed golden eggs but when cut open there were none, so the golden eggs remained a secret