I believe at least some of the alien mecha in the background are influenced by visual riffs of Metal Gear mecha, as I've had a late friend's Japanese artbook for Metal Gear Solid 2 a-lurking in my studio for a decade or two.

Next week on the webcomic, strap in for some Big Reveals about a few key Empverse events as Emp & Spooky's journey through Object 524's alien arsenal continues!