Undertale

Six years. It’s been 6 long years since I last touched this game, only a couple of months after it became a bonafide phenomenon. My first real indie game, it was foundational, giving me my love for the indie scene, and my teen self really enjoyed its themes of exercising patience and practice non-violence, empathy, and self-defense juxtaposed with an industry far removed from such themes. Since then, I’ve played far more games, including its major inspiration in the MOTHER series and widened my horizons to a gaming landscape foreign to my former Nintendo/Yearly Sports Release™ loving self.

And yet, I was afraid of replaying it, as my tastes have changed dramatically. I’m… a bit mixed on Deltarune. From a mechanical, gameplay, and aesthetic perspective, it is undoubtedly better than Undertale. The comic tone of 90% of the currently released chapters didn’t really land with me, and while there are some interesting themes of player control and freedom of choice, they haven’t yet really developed nor are super appealing to me as of now (I'll chalk this one up to not really enjoying the release strategy, I would've preferred to wait until the full game came out). In these regards, Chapter 2 was a solid improvement, but Chapter 1 really sort of made me feel disillusioned as it was around that time that I lost interest in following the franchise. Coupling that with me generally losing interest or not enjoying games of the “quirky RPG” variety besides MOTHER, and being worried about how well its thematic layers hold up after so long, I was afraid that my nostalgia for the game wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny.

I was wrong to be so scared. While some elements haven’t aged as gracefully, overall, this game comes together in a way that made it far better than I thought it was going to be. Something that I appreciate now is that despite the game often taking control away from the player through bouts of humorous cutscenes, the game is remarkably well-paced from region to region. The Ruins works as a nice tutorial over the game’s basic gameplay and premise, and Waterfall serves as a very atmospheric (and at times tense) midpoint between the more setpiece-oriented ends of the game. Given how short it is, it does its job well enough I think as it ramps up the more serious elements as you progress.

I think the “bullet-hell meets RPG” gameplay was a solid twist, especially when the rules are changed (mostly in bosses) and force you to adjust your playing to account for the change in mechanics. While Toby would refine it into something more dynamic in Deltarune, it’s still solid, if basic today (I’m surprised the gameplay’s controversial today). Non-boss combat is at its best when many enemies are on screen, allowing for patterns to combine and merge. I like the dichotomy of how the low encounter rate sort of incentivizes a more pacifistic approach to gameplay (given this is the route the game would rather you be on) along with other tweaks (ex. if you’re pacifistic, you can generally avoid spending money on weapons and instead focus on armor, you can buy less effective healing items as your HP never increases, etc.). It’s balanced enough for combat to not get tiring (given sparing’s flowchartiness). The biggest reward of being pacifistic is that Toby rewards you with more character interaction (what he excels at), even if through simple 10-minute scenes, which works well for the length of this game.

Obviously, it also goes without saying that the soundtrack is both iconic and incredible to this day. It’s eclectic in the wide usage of sound fonts and motifs but it sets the game apart and is IMO some of the best you can find in the medium. It’s hard to even highlight specific tracks because they are so many bangers. If I had to pick, a couple of my favorites are Waterfall, Another Medium, Bergentrückung, Finale, Hopes and Dreams, Battle Against a True Hero, the title track, An Ending, and Respite.

I think what I most held under scrutiny when revisiting the game was the writing and story. Does it hold up? I would say that it does, but not entirely. I feel elements of the humor definitely didn't age as well, which I expected. Papyrus’s high-strung and overly naive/boastful personality clashing with Sans's laid-back and absurd jokes works, but the humor sort of loses its groove as you enter Hotland. I didn’t find Alphys’s clumsy sheepishness that funny, especially in conjunction with the weaker setpieces of Mettaton’s kinda repetitive TV show, and there are other segments that just don’t really work as well. Even so, when the jokes didn't land in the way they were intended, it sort of worked sometimes as a form of anti-humor as it can get really silly. It’s perfectly understandable that this would put someone off enjoying the game though, it occupies a LOT of the runtime and if it doesn’t work for you, I don’t think you’re likely to finish the game.

However, if you can handle the game's unabashedly eccentric tone and characters, they are very likable. I think the best way to describe them is very personable and distinct, if not particularly deep character portraits (it is like a 6-hour game per playthrough, I'm not expecting much). I think this is entirely subjective, but there's a sort of twee sincerity to the tone of the game that made the humor fit in better (even when it’s not really funny) and boosts the more emotional moments (and I think for me this is where a lot of games of this type fail to hit the mark, that they just aren’t really as “sincere” to me). The more involved setpieces, especially near the end of the game are where the writing shines best for me and combining it with the soundtrack and charming characters makes it very effective. True Pacifist was as sentimental and heartwarming as I remember it being.

The game thematically is still very well done as a rejection of the standard JRPG gameplay of mindlessly killing rows of nameless husks. Is it subtle? Absolutely not. Is it effective though? I think so. Little touches like the game chastising the player if you reset a previous run due to killing someone and generally being cognizant of what you’ve done and how that impacts people helps convey the message the game is trying to deliver (the Neutral endings, in particular, being a smart but inexpensive way to personalize each possible route depending on who you spared). I find its critique of the player’s choices on the genocide run especially effective as the game knows most people's motivation is borne of curiosity and completionism rather than hatred (even down to critiquing those who simply choose to watch those playthroughs as "sickos that stand around and WATCH it happen… but are too weak to do it themselves. I bet someone like that’s watching right now, aren’t they?"). I wouldn’t say the game is a complete deconstruction of the JRPG more that it satirizes and manipulates specific tropes (ex. having “monsters” that do not act like malicious, thoughtless creatures, the EXP/LV twist, SAVE/LOADing). In that sense, I think the meta elements take a backseat and isn’t as developed as the more focused and effective commentary on player morality, but both work well.

I will have to say I think the only part where the game confuses itself narratively and thematically is with The Fallen Human (the one you name) and their role in the story. A big twist is that you expect to name the character after the one you’re controlling (like most JRPGs), but you’re actually naming the first human who fell down (whereas the protagonist is the 7th). In Genocide, they’re used sort of as a representation of the satisfaction of when a JRPG player’s stats rise when winning a fight. IMO it seems like commentary on the bloodlusted design of JRPGs, and so, given how you just played, it feels like you’re meant to be one and the same (especially with the way Flowey refers to the player by the Fallen Human’s name in all routes, not just Genocide). However, their backstory shows they’re their own character who was important to the Underground, and who had their own issues with morality. I’m not sure if they’re meant to be a character who suffered a poor childhood leading to their fall that we should have some empathy for, if they’re simply a representation of remorseless violence committed by the player in JRPGs, or both? Maybe I missed something, but it feels like the game sort of wants to have its cake and eat it too in that regard. It’s a minor element though.

Ultimately it feels like this game is greater than the sum of its, to quote Toby himself, “8/10, niche RPG” parts, even nearing 7 years removed from its release. I do have to knock it for some of its messier qualities, like it not being as funny today, it being relatively basic gameplay-wise (fun as it was), and some quibbles with minor thematic and story elements (True Lab in particular coming out of nowhere). If you can get over its notable flaws, though, it does enough to set it apart and above most of its contemporaries, including some of its inspirations. For the size of its dev team, it’s remarkably ambitious, it’s thematically solid, its characters affable, and it wears its heart on its sleeve (or quite literally, on its desktop icon). This game left an indelible mark on the gaming industry, especially in the indie scene, and regardless of what comes next for this type of indie RPG, this franchise, and Toby himself, I’m both glad to have played and revisited it all this time later, taking me back to a time where things just felt less jaded. Its honesty, whimsicality, and unique atmosphere still make it worth experiencing in 2022, spoiled or not. Despite everything, it's still Undertale, even after all these years.

I wanted to love this game, but I just couldn't. I heard this game has a great story and excellent characters. However, while playing, I found myself getting frustrated with random encounters and other elements. I spent more time dealing with them than not. Once again, I wanted to love this game.

I think about this game a lot.

Sometimes, I think about how Pope Francis owns this Godforsaken video game because of MatPat. Other times, I think about its era-defining, nonstop exciting and entrancing soundtrack. Still other times, I think about its refreshing redefinition of turn-based combat, wearing its Touhou influence on its shoulders. Or, how this game wears EVERYTHING on its shoulders. This game is truly unabashed, in its bizarre and hilarious comedy, in its bizarre and hilarious characters, in its bizarre and hilarious (and poignant and smart) narrative. It all coalesces into an experience that truly speaks with its own voice, and nothing else. Undertale is a rare kind of game that really has sincerity. Heart. Honesty. There's a reason this game is so important nearly eight years down the line, and I think the qualities I've named above consist this reason.

*You are filled with DETERMINATION.

Luckily I ignored my friends in High school talking about this when it came out, and subsequently ignored everything I saw about it online, because I'm entirely convinced the only way to get the full effect of this game (dare I say, any effect) is to go into it 100% blind to the game's plot and setting.

I'll just say right off the bat I don't think this game earned the 8/10 score I'm giving it, but I think it deserves it. I don't think Undertale is a great game: the "combat" (whether you are being a pacifist or not) can be tedious at times, the dialogue/humor is incredibly niche and not at all funny imo, what the game considers morally righteous vs immoral is questionable at best, and it shoves its very heavy handed ideologies right down your throat. Cringing at juvenile characters and dated internet tropes is par for the course playing this now, especially as an adult, but still I tried my best to immerse myself in the world and better understand why I was going on this journey in the first place. I recommend anyone who knows nothing about Undertale do the same, and to get off this page immediately.

I think that it deserves a score like 8/10, as opposed to a more realistic 6/10, because what it sets out to accomplish on a greater scale it succeeds tremendously. Although Toby Fox wears all of his inspirations on his sleeve (or more realistically tattooed right across his face), I think this turned out to be a major contributing factor to the game's charm. It is NOT wholly original, NOT groundbreaking or revolutionary, and NOT the greatest game ever made, no matter what its die hard fans will have you believe. I don't think it's trying to be that, though. I think it's supposed to be a love letter to the greatest RPGs of all time, and a return to form of the emotionally driven video game story that affected so many of us as children. It's no question why kids loved this game so much when it came out, it has this uncanny ability to resonate greatly with the young and the young at heart alike. More importantly, it can tap into that childlike sense of wonder so well it makes you ignore the game's many shortcomings-- but only if you allow it.

I took a lot out of the tutorial. I immediately loved Toriel's character, and genuinely wanted to do right by her and spare everyone I came across. This led me to end the game with a neutral ending, but then after getting a tip from Flowey to become better friends with Undyne, the True Pacifist ending was soon mine. I hadn't looked up one thing about the game going in-- hell, I didn't even know there were different endings let alone a whole morality system. But even from the first few minutes playing, the game had so much heart (pun intended obviously) I just knew I wanted to go down this route of nonviolence, and in truth I think the game was far more interesting because of it.

Although the characters didn't resonate with me at all (I really only liked Toriel, Asgard, Mettaton, some rando NPCs and Flowey (I can't be the only one unphased by Sans can I?)) I was instantly gratified every time I saved anyone, and seeing the impact I was starting to have on the world prompted me to carry on. Undertale is all about the story and the journey, and that's why I think one time going through is enough. Once that emotional impact is lost, the game as a whole crumbles completely. Which is why I feel like a scumbag giving this game a score it didn't earn, but I'd feel so disingenuous if I didn't reward Toby Fox for his outstanding contribution to indie games as an art form. Like the game or not, it's hard to argue that it wouldn't be phenomenal if this game were to get more indie developers inspired to make quality games untainted by some big dev bullshit.

I guess to sum it up, this game may age horribly, but its charm and impact on the player will be timeless. Sort of like the games that inspired this; not to say Earthbound will ever age horribly, I'm no fool, but how many kids in 2021 are getting immersed in the Atari 2600's Adventure? I don't think the game is challenging or even all that fun, but it's an interactive story that is (mostly) very accessible and easily relatable. Many games strive to accomplish this, and most fail. Let's just give some credit where it's due and move onto bigger and better things.

Undertale exceeded all of my expectations. It's obviously an important game of the century, and will be remembered for years to come, but I'll never play it again.

Oh yeah, and the OST slaps hard.

Very hot take, but just to weigh in a bit on all the Mother comparisons I've seen, I ironically felt 100x more attached to Toriel than I ever did to any of the actual mothers in the Mother games- even Hinawa. Undertale doesn't hold a candle to that series, but I guess that has to count for something...

Playing through Undertale is an experience akin to watching a disney movie for the first time as a child. This game, for me anyway, made me experience the same sort-of magic I'd feel from waiting for Santa Claus to arrive at my house on christmas eve at age 7.

I have 2 major complaints about this game, I'm sure a lot of people don't care as much as I do for some of the points I'm going to make, but they surely affected my experience, and some of my friends' as well.

1. The game expects you to care about all the characters, and fails doing so.

Most of the main characters in Undertale are just too "in your face". It feels like Toby Fox tried too hard to make you understand and care for his characters, and I think that's somewhat logical if we remember that the game's most important mechaninc is "sparing" enemies. If the player doesn't like a character, they won't make the effort of finding the correct actions to spare them, so the concept of the game falls apart.

Of course you can play without saving anyone, and the Genocide route encourages that, but I don't think any player will just save every enemy their first time, so the Pacifist route is impossible to access, and also the Genocide route, but I'll talk about it later.

At the beggining of the game, you find Toriel, one of the main characters. She stops Flowey when it tries to attack you and then guides you through the first corridor in the game like she's your mom. For me, this interaction was just a simple tutorial for walking and pressing buttons, so when she tries to force you into staying at her house and not letting you progress through the game, I only found it kind of annoying in the context of the plot.
Of course she's trying to protect you, but by then you have only played for like 15 minutes and I think it's impossible to get emotionally attached so quickly to a character you just met. She only helped you out through the tutorial, what do you expect me to feel? "I haven't even started the game", is what I exactly thought.

So when Toriel "fights" you because you want to scape and she doesn't let you, I had to kill her. It was the first "bossfight" and at this point I don't think any new player is really confortable with the combat system, so fighting her seems like the logical thing to do.

And this happens with some of the other main characters: Papyrus was just dumb to me, some of the stuff he says is kinda funny, but I never felt like wanting to spare him.
The same goes for Alphys for example, who in my opinion is the most annoying character in any game I ever played (Even though you don't have to fight her)
There are some characters that I like: Asgore being my favourite, Sans, Asriel, and maybe Undyne (only when she's your enemy), so it's not like I deeply hate the Undertale characters.

The point is, if you don't even care about the main characters of the game, how am I supposed to spare every regular enemy or miniboss my first time playing?
The game gives you items like any other RPG, like weapons and food to recover life, so the "sparing" mechanic never feels "so unique" to a point that you want to start doing a pacifist route the first time around. at least at the beggining of the game.

Which leads me to my second complaint:

2. The game expects you to play the game again, twice.

If you made the "mistake" of killing any enemies your first run, you will just get the Neutral ending, which means that you HAVE to replay the game a second time if you want any of the other 2 routes, which significantly improve some bosses, characters, and lore.
The Genocide Undyne fight is pretty okay, also Sans who is the hardest boss in the game, and Asriel, the final boss in the Pacifist route. Including the music that goes with them.

If you didn't enjoy the Neutral route your first time playing, is almost imposible that you will try and play the whole game again. It's possible to get to the Pacifist route after the Neutral one without restarting your game, but you have to spare everyone your first time, so as I said earlier, that's just super rare. Also, you won't even know about the different routes if nobody tells you.

So if you truly enjoyed your first playthrough, and you want to 100% complete the game, you will have to play it again, twice, with the Pacifist route being 2 times longer in playtime that the Neutral route, and the Genocide route being so tedious that it's just boring.

I won't go in detail about what to do in each route, so I'll leave here the Undertale Wiki page for both routes:
Pacifist Route
Genocide Route

If you don't do that, you are missing out on the 70% of the game playtime and lore, even though you have probably seen some (or most) of the events in the Pacifist route if you started sparing some of the bosses.


To wrap everything up, I think this game can be good at times, the battles are fun, even though they can be too simple when you are not fighting a boss, the music is great overall, some of the characters are well designed and there are some interesting and fun events and places.
Also the lore can be pretty interesting for what it is (if you ever complete every route)

Describing that last paragraph as "the good", "the bad" would be the game trying to hard to get you attatched to the characters, the tedious and boring requeriments for each route and the simple puzzles and gameplay in general outside the battles.

The "freedom" this games offers is actually very little, you can decide who you want to kill or save, but in reality if you really want to enjoy the game as a whole, you need to follow every rule and watch the same events over and over again.