There are several references to the Mario franchise througout the game:

• When attempting to activate the ball gadget, The Professor mentions two signature items in the Super Mario series, Power Stars and Red Coins, when trying to recall the name of a valued collectible, the Light Gems. Not only this, but he mentions Heart Pieces as well, which is a reference to a collectible found in The Legend of Zelda series.

• There is a robot NPC named Mergatroid found in Red's Laboratory who wears a red shirt, blue overalls, and a red cap with the letter "M" on it.

• There is an enemy type in Crocovile Swamp that resembles a Piranha Plant. A variation of this enemy also spits fireballs, much like a Venus Fire Trap.

• Lastly, there are hostile Yetis in Gloomy Glacier who throw barrels, similar to Donkey Kong.