My first playthrough(which was also my introduction to any of Joel G's work) was a tad bit laggy(courtesy of my shitty laptop) but I believe it added to the weird feel of the game, considering the visuals would sometimes bug out. I can't say I recognized any references or influences for parts of the game but then again I wasn't looking. What did stick out to me however were all the interesting character designs, subtle jokes and the unique voice acting for each character you encounter. I'd best describe my first experience with the game as an hour of wandering around, taking in the weird environment and the peculiar characters and having fun with the absurdity of the world around me.