The game was inspired by Franz Kafka's classic macabre novel The Metamorphosis about a meek traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day only to realize that he has somehow been transformed into a large cockroach. The cause of Gregor's transformation is never explained and, unlike the game, the novel takes a serious, dark and depressing turn. Roger Samms, the name of the game's protagonist, is a play on the novel's main character's name.