This review contains spoilers
Probably with too much praise, toby could've sang pretty much any song, written any poem, and I'd be right here to sit wide-eyed giving such. The first episode here pulls back from saying anything too deep as of yet, and I imagine like Undertale some of that won't really thread together until those final moments. However, with the second chapter on the rise tomorrow though, I wanted to at least throw my hat in.
We're placed in the heart of someone isolated, and the imagery of determination and love act more like a darker "other world" that is taught as lessons, before the final bits harken back to Undertale with familiar characters juxtaposed with unfamiliar backgrounds. The story runs through familiar themes of love and friendship with characters who, largely don't have reason to care at first. Of course, they come to terms with friendship but what I find more striking is that the stories of Susie and those around her are situated in lives firmly out of their control, and lives that feel depressed and incomplete. Susie is boxed in to being the bully, unable to really deal with life as a result other than to succumb to the role she's been dealt. The king is an extension of unhinged isolation, unable to live with being alone in the dark feeling this way and wanting some form of retribution, and Lancer just has to live under that before Susie comes in. And then there's you, the creepy kid and only human among a society of people drastically different than you, who seem to really care more about your brother in conversation than who you are. There's an angst and unsettling feeling in then seeing all these characters you've certainly met before in ways that practically live on without you. You could be removed from the equation and the world would move on, but not in a way that makes the world feel truly lived in and more that, you don't really matter. Or at least that's how I imagine Kris really feels, and is the point Deltarune wants to address. Having choice and impact on your life.
I imagine it's like moving into a new place you've been forced in, reality changing things too fast to where you're backed into one that feels so utterly lonely. Ralsei is trying to make you feel happy and loved but when you come home the reality sets back in again. And Kris has had enough of trying to feel anything anymore too, because when you get home with them they throw you into a cage as they wreck whatever pent up frustrations they have. Making friends is certainly a first step to trying to get out of that box, but life is complicated and so is overcoming demons that have you still thinking that there's nothing you can really do.
In some ways, I'm unsure if Deltarune actually is thinking what I am reading from it. "Control over your life" is definitely a huge explicitly said message but these feelings and thoughts could be easily estranged. It's a little scary, but I for one, am ready for what tomorrow will bring.
We're placed in the heart of someone isolated, and the imagery of determination and love act more like a darker "other world" that is taught as lessons, before the final bits harken back to Undertale with familiar characters juxtaposed with unfamiliar backgrounds. The story runs through familiar themes of love and friendship with characters who, largely don't have reason to care at first. Of course, they come to terms with friendship but what I find more striking is that the stories of Susie and those around her are situated in lives firmly out of their control, and lives that feel depressed and incomplete. Susie is boxed in to being the bully, unable to really deal with life as a result other than to succumb to the role she's been dealt. The king is an extension of unhinged isolation, unable to live with being alone in the dark feeling this way and wanting some form of retribution, and Lancer just has to live under that before Susie comes in. And then there's you, the creepy kid and only human among a society of people drastically different than you, who seem to really care more about your brother in conversation than who you are. There's an angst and unsettling feeling in then seeing all these characters you've certainly met before in ways that practically live on without you. You could be removed from the equation and the world would move on, but not in a way that makes the world feel truly lived in and more that, you don't really matter. Or at least that's how I imagine Kris really feels, and is the point Deltarune wants to address. Having choice and impact on your life.
I imagine it's like moving into a new place you've been forced in, reality changing things too fast to where you're backed into one that feels so utterly lonely. Ralsei is trying to make you feel happy and loved but when you come home the reality sets back in again. And Kris has had enough of trying to feel anything anymore too, because when you get home with them they throw you into a cage as they wreck whatever pent up frustrations they have. Making friends is certainly a first step to trying to get out of that box, but life is complicated and so is overcoming demons that have you still thinking that there's nothing you can really do.
In some ways, I'm unsure if Deltarune actually is thinking what I am reading from it. "Control over your life" is definitely a huge explicitly said message but these feelings and thoughts could be easily estranged. It's a little scary, but I for one, am ready for what tomorrow will bring.
Blatant ripoff of Yiik
im in for a real treat arent i
Prefer this to Undertale but obviously you need to play that first to get some of the fan service included here. Rude Buster is a banger
A much more complex and involved RPG than Undertale. For me, that was disappointing because I loved Undertale for its simplicity. This is perfect for RPG fans who may have thought Undertale was TOO simple.
i like ralsei :)
Shows an incredible amount of potential for where future chapters can go. If it succeeds, it could be one of the greatest sequels to a video game ever. But for now, this is a really cool short introduction to something that hopefully only gets better.
Revisiting this 5 years later and sheesh it doesn’t hold up very well. Writing is so hit and miss. I really dislike the meme adjacent humor. The battle system pretty much just has you doing the same thing every fight. The world design, a la Undertale, is extremely linear. Lancer is really good, and I like Susie’s arc. The Jevil fight is the only part of the game where the gameplay is particularly fun. The parts that are well written are pretty well written, at least.
There are very few things in life as fucking awesome as Deltarune's surprise release on Halloween 2018. I remember dropping everything I was doing just to download it, that way I could have it on my computer already when I got home from a Halloween party and some trick-or-treating. The moment I started playing it and that cryptic, mysterious intro crawled across the screen, it occurred to me that perhaps I was watching internet history unfold before my very eyes. That character creation intro has such an odd yet distinctly Undertale feel to it - it's spooky and cold, dominated by swirling storm clouds and a disembodied text-box narrator that may or may not totally be Dr. Gaster actively discarding the character you create, forcing you into the shoes of this random high schooler instead and asserting that your choices never have, and never will, matter. It's such a surprising tonal detour from Undertale and yet it still felt very distinctly 'Toby Fox', and I couldn't help but think to myself: for the first time, I'm watching internet history as it happens before my very eyes. I was already aware of a lot of the Undertale twists, turns, and topical memes before I actually bothered to play it - the most surprising thing about Undertale was how it managed to tug on my heartstrings and shock me even after knowing all of its' ins and outs already. But this time, I was afforded the luxury of going in completely blind, and I actually couldn't wait to see what surprises awaited me in the mysteriously-titled Deltarune.
Well, the rest of Chapter 1 wasn't quite as compelling and eye-catching as its intro would have led you to believe; for the rest of the chapter, save for exactly one climactic moment at the very end, Deltarune mellows out into "Undertale 1.5" and stays under that cozy safety net for the entirety of its runtime. That being said, Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time, so even though Deltarune wound up being "basically just another version of Undertale", that wound up working really well for me. After all, "if it ain't broke, then..."
Toby Fox even brought some quality-of-life improvements to the table. If anything, Deltarune plays better than Undertale ever did, even if its' narrative & cast never reach the heights of its emotionally-resonant predecessor. There's a run button now! A-- a run button! And you have no idea how good a run button feels in Deltarune; it makes Undertale feel slow and sluggish by comparison. The party-member system initially raised an eyebrow from me - it seemed more generically 'RPG'-like and seemed like it would clash with the bullet hell shenanigans - but it actually winds up repurposing and recontextualizing the lone-wolf gameplay from Undertale into something more meaningful and complex. You have to time your attacks, everyone can spare/pacify enemies in different ways, everyone takes damage if you get hit so dodging is even more of a priority now, and there's a brand new meter that not only charges up over time, but there's a mechanic where you get more meter points if you narrowly dodge / graze against of the enemy's attacks. I like this grazing feature a lot - it directly rewards the player for playing riskier and making bolder moves in combat, and you can actively choose whether to build up meter at the cost of potentially getting hit, or play it safe, slow, and steady the entire match. Combat feels more intense and engaging than it did in Undertale, so I gotta give Toby Fox credit for not only keeping what absolutely worked about Undertale's RPG-shmup hybrid system, but finding ways to change and contort it into something altogether new and fresh-feeling.
Everything outside of the combat is merely enjoyable apart from the graphics, an across-the-board, undeniable improvement from Undertale's somewhat rugged and at-times charmingly unattractive look. The new locales pop and grab your attention in ways that Undertale simply didn't (the twisted, Halloween-y buildings and blue lanterns of Castle Town are a personal favorite of mine), and both the characters and the overall HUD / GUI are much more lively and animated than Undertale's was. Apart from the obvious graphical overhaul, everything is... still good, just lesser than it was in Undertale (apart from the stellar humor, which is pretty one-to-one). The story is fine enough, and there's plenty of intriguing lore bits and mysterious plot points to sink your teeth into, but the narrative as a whole winds up feeling pretty subpar given that it simply doesn't have the time. The characters are a colorful, cartoonish menagerie of likable people, but apart from Susie, they don't get a whole lot of room to really do or say anything all that meaningful (the villain is pretty underwhelming, all things considered). The locations are nice to look at, but you blaze through them pretty quickly and they lack the nook-and-cranny depth present in Undertale's landmarks and setpieces. And there's plenty of Toby Fox-trademark banger music here in spades - Rude Buster is one of the best, spikiest tracks in the entire series and some tracks, like the lush, sprightly Field of Hopes & Dreams, the maniacal World Revolving, or the jazzy, goofy theatrics of Lancer's Theme, just worm their way into your ear and never escape - but I wound up preferring a lot of the highlights I heard from Undertale's first couple of hours compared to this chapter's roughly-similarly-timed OST. OST's still one of the strong suits of the game, though, so that isn't much of a net loss at the end of the day.
And honestly, none of this wound up even bothering me all that much. The story didn't trigger my tear ducts at all, but it's a colorful and interesting-enough romp that held my interest all the same. The characters aren't as three-dimensional as their predecessors just yet, but they're fun and well-characterized even so, anchored by just enough mystery to keep me invested. And sure, none of the locations & open zones here came close to matching the highs of Waterfall or The True Lab or anything, but the vastly-improved mobility and the spicy new combat features more than make up for the lack of strong overworld intrigue. Deltarune is enjoyable in ways that its' masterful-but-messy forerunner kind of wasn't, and that alone validates its existence, even if it winds up feeling too tonally indebted to that forerunner to really feel like its own thing. (Apart from that amazing intro, of course, but that intro winds up feeling like kind of an anomaly in the grand scheme of Chapter 1, given that Chapter 1 is rarely ever so cryptic and sterile-feeling after all that.) At this point in time, Deltarune hasn't really taken on an identity of its own, but it plays like a very good version of the game that came before it, and that alone was enough to make me want more as the months ticked onward.
Well, the rest of Chapter 1 wasn't quite as compelling and eye-catching as its intro would have led you to believe; for the rest of the chapter, save for exactly one climactic moment at the very end, Deltarune mellows out into "Undertale 1.5" and stays under that cozy safety net for the entirety of its runtime. That being said, Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time, so even though Deltarune wound up being "basically just another version of Undertale", that wound up working really well for me. After all, "if it ain't broke, then..."
Toby Fox even brought some quality-of-life improvements to the table. If anything, Deltarune plays better than Undertale ever did, even if its' narrative & cast never reach the heights of its emotionally-resonant predecessor. There's a run button now! A-- a run button! And you have no idea how good a run button feels in Deltarune; it makes Undertale feel slow and sluggish by comparison. The party-member system initially raised an eyebrow from me - it seemed more generically 'RPG'-like and seemed like it would clash with the bullet hell shenanigans - but it actually winds up repurposing and recontextualizing the lone-wolf gameplay from Undertale into something more meaningful and complex. You have to time your attacks, everyone can spare/pacify enemies in different ways, everyone takes damage if you get hit so dodging is even more of a priority now, and there's a brand new meter that not only charges up over time, but there's a mechanic where you get more meter points if you narrowly dodge / graze against of the enemy's attacks. I like this grazing feature a lot - it directly rewards the player for playing riskier and making bolder moves in combat, and you can actively choose whether to build up meter at the cost of potentially getting hit, or play it safe, slow, and steady the entire match. Combat feels more intense and engaging than it did in Undertale, so I gotta give Toby Fox credit for not only keeping what absolutely worked about Undertale's RPG-shmup hybrid system, but finding ways to change and contort it into something altogether new and fresh-feeling.
Everything outside of the combat is merely enjoyable apart from the graphics, an across-the-board, undeniable improvement from Undertale's somewhat rugged and at-times charmingly unattractive look. The new locales pop and grab your attention in ways that Undertale simply didn't (the twisted, Halloween-y buildings and blue lanterns of Castle Town are a personal favorite of mine), and both the characters and the overall HUD / GUI are much more lively and animated than Undertale's was. Apart from the obvious graphical overhaul, everything is... still good, just lesser than it was in Undertale (apart from the stellar humor, which is pretty one-to-one). The story is fine enough, and there's plenty of intriguing lore bits and mysterious plot points to sink your teeth into, but the narrative as a whole winds up feeling pretty subpar given that it simply doesn't have the time. The characters are a colorful, cartoonish menagerie of likable people, but apart from Susie, they don't get a whole lot of room to really do or say anything all that meaningful (the villain is pretty underwhelming, all things considered). The locations are nice to look at, but you blaze through them pretty quickly and they lack the nook-and-cranny depth present in Undertale's landmarks and setpieces. And there's plenty of Toby Fox-trademark banger music here in spades - Rude Buster is one of the best, spikiest tracks in the entire series and some tracks, like the lush, sprightly Field of Hopes & Dreams, the maniacal World Revolving, or the jazzy, goofy theatrics of Lancer's Theme, just worm their way into your ear and never escape - but I wound up preferring a lot of the highlights I heard from Undertale's first couple of hours compared to this chapter's roughly-similarly-timed OST. OST's still one of the strong suits of the game, though, so that isn't much of a net loss at the end of the day.
And honestly, none of this wound up even bothering me all that much. The story didn't trigger my tear ducts at all, but it's a colorful and interesting-enough romp that held my interest all the same. The characters aren't as three-dimensional as their predecessors just yet, but they're fun and well-characterized even so, anchored by just enough mystery to keep me invested. And sure, none of the locations & open zones here came close to matching the highs of Waterfall or The True Lab or anything, but the vastly-improved mobility and the spicy new combat features more than make up for the lack of strong overworld intrigue. Deltarune is enjoyable in ways that its' masterful-but-messy forerunner kind of wasn't, and that alone validates its existence, even if it winds up feeling too tonally indebted to that forerunner to really feel like its own thing. (Apart from that amazing intro, of course, but that intro winds up feeling like kind of an anomaly in the grand scheme of Chapter 1, given that Chapter 1 is rarely ever so cryptic and sterile-feeling after all that.) At this point in time, Deltarune hasn't really taken on an identity of its own, but it plays like a very good version of the game that came before it, and that alone was enough to make me want more as the months ticked onward.
Não tem como explicar o sentimento que eu tive jogando esse jogo, eu passei quase o jogo inteiro com um sorriso no rosto, rever todos esses personagens em um universo diferente e tendo uma vida diferente foi muito legal(o Asgore foi o personagem que eu mais gostei desse universo, a cena dele abraçando o Kris me emocionou muito), e os personagens novos são muito legais, a Susie é simplesmente incrível, em um capítulo ela teve um puta desenvolvimento de personagem, fazendo ela se tornar um dos meus personagens favoritos. A música desse jogo, obviamente, é muito boa, esse foi um dos maiores pontos altos desse jogo. E a história, até onde eu vi, tá muito interessante, essa ideia do mundo das trevas e o mundo da luz foi muito interessante, espero que ela seja mais bem explorada nos próximos capítulos.
Esse jogo é incrivelmente bom, atingiu todas as minhas expectativas em todos os aspectos, história boa e muita interessante, personagens carismáticos e OST impecável. Eu recomendo esse jogo sem pensar duas vezes.
Esse jogo é incrivelmente bom, atingiu todas as minhas expectativas em todos os aspectos, história boa e muita interessante, personagens carismáticos e OST impecável. Eu recomendo esse jogo sem pensar duas vezes.
Another stellar production by Toby Fox. Personally I think it surpasses Undertale in production value, charm, and personality. So excited to see the rest of the game
I've mentioned in the past that Undertale is my favorite game of all time despite what all the 2016 cringe culture mfs used to say. The game sort of came at the perfect time in my life and definitely had a positive impact on my worldview and creative style in a lot of ways, and even today I obviously still hold the game in very high regard with the gameplay is intertwined with the story through it's multiple endings and how it flips traditional RPG concepts.
I bring this up since, with all that in mind, I was curious to see if there would ever be "more" of Undertale. On one hand, the lore and worldbuilding still had a lot of potential, although with all the replay value (I've definitely played about 100 hours of the game between PC, Switch and Xbox Game Pass, which is quite a lot for a game that's only about 5-6 hours long lol) I felt like what Undertale offered on it's own was very much sufficient and (at least in the case of the True Pacifist ending) does end on an overall positive note. Still, with Toby Fox striking lightning in a bottle like that I would imagine he would have more up his sleeve.
Which is why I was delightfully surprised when Deltarune: Chapter 1 was released out of nowhere on October 31, 2018. I basically ended up playing through at least half of it or so in between my 2 hour-long time period between classes while I was in my senior year of high school and it definitely made a very good impression.
Plot-wise it isn't quite a sequel to Undertale. Sure, many Undertale characters cross over to Deltarune (albeit mostly in the background), but if you've played Undertale multiple times like me you'll definitely notice that, even with the characters that reappear they aren't quite the same as they were in UT. Certain story elements are flipped compared to Undertale, with the most notable I found being Undyne seemingly not knowing who Alphys is despite their relationship and something as subtle as Alphys having a preference for Mew Mew 2 over 1 (which, being someone well-versed in Alphys character to the point of writing an essay of why she's my favorite character, I would definitely notice being different).
This game basically paints itself as being the inverse of Undertale rather than a sequel or prequel. Whereas the main theme of Undertale regarded how your choices mattered, Deltarune Chpt 1 subverts that by having a more linear structure where your choices... don't matter as much, with the story ending up pretty much the same with some slight variances (kind of in line with all the different 'neutral' endings of Undertale, really). This does change a bit in Deltarune Chapter 2 with the Snowgrave Route, although I'm not getting to that yet, one because I haven't played through that route and two because I'm reviewing Chapter 1 for now.
That being said, in terms of tone, this game definitely builds off what Undertale offered - having a lot of humor and 'meta' narrative combined with strong character development, worldbuilding and lore. The main characters are new (albeit Kris and Ralsei seem to have some connection to Frisk/Chara and Asriel respectively but since we're only two chapters in I can't really comment on that), and definitely really enjoyable and fun to watch as you go through the story. Ralsei is definitely my favorite of this chapter's main characters because... come on, he's adorable and a good boye (although I wouldn't say my favorite Deltarune character period when factoring in Chapter 2, but again, I'll cover that when I replay and review Chpt 2), and I do like how his character basically serves as a callback to the morality aspect of Undertale in terms of not having to 'kill' your enemies, and how that contrasts with Susie and her, well, slightly murderous intent. But by the ending, both characters end up sort of meeting in the middle to an extent and, in the process, receive a good amount of character development where their worldviews are both challenged by the situation and events as they unfold. (side note - I'm sort of narrowing this down somewhat to avoid spoilers but I'm planning a Blogger review at some point which goes more in-depth on that note).
And the gameplay is basically Undertale on steroids. The core 'RPG' gameplay combined with the bullet hell combat and 'ACT'ing system returns, but certain aspects fall in line with more traditional RPG games through aspects like the game having separate item categories for Armor and Weapons and characters leaving and entering your party at certain points. There's also a plethora of various gameplay nuances like the 'Tension Point'/Magic system which you can rack up by defending or getting close to enemy bullets without taking damage, or in some cases enemies or hazards attacking you as you traverse the open world itself, which changes things up. It's safe to say Deltarune offers a lot more gameplay variety on this note, and while I still enjoy Undertale's gameplay for what it is, I will say this - those who liked Undertale's story, theming, characters, world and so on but didn't quite enjoy the gameplay will likely get more of a kick out of this game. The enemies and bosses are definitely really fun and spice up the puzzle-battle element with the added gameplay nuances that fit more in line with traditional RPG game mechanics.
That being said, do I like Deltarune (Chapter 1) more than Undertale?
That's... kind of hard for me to say.
Like I said, Undertale was a game that made a big impact on me which I feel Deltarune may have a difficult time truly 'replicating', which may cloud my bias a little bit. That being said, although the gameplay of Deltarune itself offers a greater variety of mechanics and whatnot, I do sort of feel like I prefer the story, characters and tone of Undertale on top of just how Undertale's story was more integrated. Don't get me wrong here, what Deltarune offers in both Chapter 1 and 2 is still very good, but I still feel like I get more of a kick from the different characters of Undertale, how I interacted with them and how they developed throughout the plot, and I still kind of like how Undertale offered completely different endings based off the choices you make. I know with Deltarune Chapter 1 that is sort of the purpose like I said, but I do feel like on that point alone Undertale offered me a bit more replay value as a whole.
But at the same time, I really feel like it's just going to come down to preference to what you prefer and, frankly, I still hold both Deltarune Chapter 1 and 2 in very close proximity to Undertale itself (in fact I would probably put them all among my favorites here if it weren't for the fact that 3/5 of my favorite games would just be Undertale and Deltarune lmao). To put it one way, Deltarune basically feels like Super Mario World to Undertale's Super Mario Bros 3 - a game that doesn't necessarily feel as particularly groundbreaking or innovative when it comes to redefining the core gameplay structure, but instead implements those concepts and mechanics into an overall greater scope and scale. Ultimately it comes down to whether or not you prefer that simplicity and straightforward game design versus the greater scope.
Regardless, I feel like they're both amazing games that if you haven't tried, you definitely should lol.
I bring this up since, with all that in mind, I was curious to see if there would ever be "more" of Undertale. On one hand, the lore and worldbuilding still had a lot of potential, although with all the replay value (I've definitely played about 100 hours of the game between PC, Switch and Xbox Game Pass, which is quite a lot for a game that's only about 5-6 hours long lol) I felt like what Undertale offered on it's own was very much sufficient and (at least in the case of the True Pacifist ending) does end on an overall positive note. Still, with Toby Fox striking lightning in a bottle like that I would imagine he would have more up his sleeve.
Which is why I was delightfully surprised when Deltarune: Chapter 1 was released out of nowhere on October 31, 2018. I basically ended up playing through at least half of it or so in between my 2 hour-long time period between classes while I was in my senior year of high school and it definitely made a very good impression.
Plot-wise it isn't quite a sequel to Undertale. Sure, many Undertale characters cross over to Deltarune (albeit mostly in the background), but if you've played Undertale multiple times like me you'll definitely notice that, even with the characters that reappear they aren't quite the same as they were in UT. Certain story elements are flipped compared to Undertale, with the most notable I found being Undyne seemingly not knowing who Alphys is despite their relationship and something as subtle as Alphys having a preference for Mew Mew 2 over 1 (which, being someone well-versed in Alphys character to the point of writing an essay of why she's my favorite character, I would definitely notice being different).
This game basically paints itself as being the inverse of Undertale rather than a sequel or prequel. Whereas the main theme of Undertale regarded how your choices mattered, Deltarune Chpt 1 subverts that by having a more linear structure where your choices... don't matter as much, with the story ending up pretty much the same with some slight variances (kind of in line with all the different 'neutral' endings of Undertale, really). This does change a bit in Deltarune Chapter 2 with the Snowgrave Route, although I'm not getting to that yet, one because I haven't played through that route and two because I'm reviewing Chapter 1 for now.
That being said, in terms of tone, this game definitely builds off what Undertale offered - having a lot of humor and 'meta' narrative combined with strong character development, worldbuilding and lore. The main characters are new (albeit Kris and Ralsei seem to have some connection to Frisk/Chara and Asriel respectively but since we're only two chapters in I can't really comment on that), and definitely really enjoyable and fun to watch as you go through the story. Ralsei is definitely my favorite of this chapter's main characters because... come on, he's adorable and a good boye (although I wouldn't say my favorite Deltarune character period when factoring in Chapter 2, but again, I'll cover that when I replay and review Chpt 2), and I do like how his character basically serves as a callback to the morality aspect of Undertale in terms of not having to 'kill' your enemies, and how that contrasts with Susie and her, well, slightly murderous intent. But by the ending, both characters end up sort of meeting in the middle to an extent and, in the process, receive a good amount of character development where their worldviews are both challenged by the situation and events as they unfold. (side note - I'm sort of narrowing this down somewhat to avoid spoilers but I'm planning a Blogger review at some point which goes more in-depth on that note).
And the gameplay is basically Undertale on steroids. The core 'RPG' gameplay combined with the bullet hell combat and 'ACT'ing system returns, but certain aspects fall in line with more traditional RPG games through aspects like the game having separate item categories for Armor and Weapons and characters leaving and entering your party at certain points. There's also a plethora of various gameplay nuances like the 'Tension Point'/Magic system which you can rack up by defending or getting close to enemy bullets without taking damage, or in some cases enemies or hazards attacking you as you traverse the open world itself, which changes things up. It's safe to say Deltarune offers a lot more gameplay variety on this note, and while I still enjoy Undertale's gameplay for what it is, I will say this - those who liked Undertale's story, theming, characters, world and so on but didn't quite enjoy the gameplay will likely get more of a kick out of this game. The enemies and bosses are definitely really fun and spice up the puzzle-battle element with the added gameplay nuances that fit more in line with traditional RPG game mechanics.
That being said, do I like Deltarune (Chapter 1) more than Undertale?
That's... kind of hard for me to say.
Like I said, Undertale was a game that made a big impact on me which I feel Deltarune may have a difficult time truly 'replicating', which may cloud my bias a little bit. That being said, although the gameplay of Deltarune itself offers a greater variety of mechanics and whatnot, I do sort of feel like I prefer the story, characters and tone of Undertale on top of just how Undertale's story was more integrated. Don't get me wrong here, what Deltarune offers in both Chapter 1 and 2 is still very good, but I still feel like I get more of a kick from the different characters of Undertale, how I interacted with them and how they developed throughout the plot, and I still kind of like how Undertale offered completely different endings based off the choices you make. I know with Deltarune Chapter 1 that is sort of the purpose like I said, but I do feel like on that point alone Undertale offered me a bit more replay value as a whole.
But at the same time, I really feel like it's just going to come down to preference to what you prefer and, frankly, I still hold both Deltarune Chapter 1 and 2 in very close proximity to Undertale itself (in fact I would probably put them all among my favorites here if it weren't for the fact that 3/5 of my favorite games would just be Undertale and Deltarune lmao). To put it one way, Deltarune basically feels like Super Mario World to Undertale's Super Mario Bros 3 - a game that doesn't necessarily feel as particularly groundbreaking or innovative when it comes to redefining the core gameplay structure, but instead implements those concepts and mechanics into an overall greater scope and scale. Ultimately it comes down to whether or not you prefer that simplicity and straightforward game design versus the greater scope.
Regardless, I feel like they're both amazing games that if you haven't tried, you definitely should lol.
Great But Undertale Is Still Better And I Am Definitely Not Biased Because Of The Emotional Impact Undertale Gave Me
[replayed] yeah it's peak
i had like, the most massive crush on ralsei in highschool. i am a furry
Halloween of 2018 will be a night to remember. Imagine the dude who made the game that changed the course of the internet and the indie gaming scene just sayin "Hey download this file I promise it isn't a virus but turn off your antivirus software". Do you trust him? Of fucking course you do because you get a really nice game with gorgeous graphics, compelling story, absolutely BUSTING music, and a chilling promise of more to come. This is already better than Undertale.
After finishing undertale I really wanted something similar to it…I’m sure if I said that to anyone they’d all turn to me and go ‘just play earthbound/mother’ but unfortunately I’ve already done that so this will have to do.
After the surprising success of undertale, Toby fox was hoping to recycle one of his old ideas into his own undertale au just to jump on the trend. This idea would turn into deltarune, not only an anagram of undertale, but a game trying to be its own thing entirely…does it succeed? Kind of
You play as kris, a silent protagonist like in undertale but in this there’s just something different about him…(not gonna spoil here) you then meet suzie, a wolf girl who is basically the school bully, they then both get sucked into the dark world where they meet ralsei and are forced to close one of the dark fountains. The chapter tries to bring suzie closer to kris and it tries to show her that violence isn’t always the first option…which is gonna bring me into combat.
The combat in this game is…kind of better than undertale? Imo anyway. It’s a lot more exciting and built up then in undertale, which makes a lot of sense as undertale almost tries to deter you from killing but in chapter 1…it feels like they almost don’t really care. If you want to kill every enemy go for it, if you don’t you barely get anything (won’t spoil here) so it almost feels like it’s not worth it.
After playing chapter 2, the problems for chapter 1 sticks out cause it feels like chapter 2 does everything 10x better and fixes some of the grudges I have with this chapter…but I can explain that another day.
Great story, decent characters, wonderful music per usual, sans deltarune is now a thing
After the surprising success of undertale, Toby fox was hoping to recycle one of his old ideas into his own undertale au just to jump on the trend. This idea would turn into deltarune, not only an anagram of undertale, but a game trying to be its own thing entirely…does it succeed? Kind of
You play as kris, a silent protagonist like in undertale but in this there’s just something different about him…(not gonna spoil here) you then meet suzie, a wolf girl who is basically the school bully, they then both get sucked into the dark world where they meet ralsei and are forced to close one of the dark fountains. The chapter tries to bring suzie closer to kris and it tries to show her that violence isn’t always the first option…which is gonna bring me into combat.
The combat in this game is…kind of better than undertale? Imo anyway. It’s a lot more exciting and built up then in undertale, which makes a lot of sense as undertale almost tries to deter you from killing but in chapter 1…it feels like they almost don’t really care. If you want to kill every enemy go for it, if you don’t you barely get anything (won’t spoil here) so it almost feels like it’s not worth it.
After playing chapter 2, the problems for chapter 1 sticks out cause it feels like chapter 2 does everything 10x better and fixes some of the grudges I have with this chapter…but I can explain that another day.
Great story, decent characters, wonderful music per usual, sans deltarune is now a thing
Don't let the hate for this game's over-exposure to the internet distract you from the fact that Deltarune is a fantastic game that deserves the positive attention it gets!
It's very impressive how Chapter 1 of Deltarune manages to simultaneously embrace the love people have for Undertale's characters and the emotions that game made its fans feel whilst also being something very unique and different that doesn't want to just live in Undertale's shadow. How it manages to subvert Undertale's subversions and play with your expectations in delightful and meaningful ways. How it stands on its own as a genuinely affecting self-contained story, whilst hinting at the larger themes and story-beats just enough to entice you and yet not so much as to really give you a clear idea of what to expect next.
There's a lot of heart here, especially in regards to Susie's character arc which is very well-realised and almost brought me to tears. As a result of being one chapter of a longer tale some of the more gamey elements don't quite have enough time to realise their full potential (Jevil rules, however), and it's possible that once the later chapters are out I'll revise my score upwards especially as it's hard not to believe that the full picture won't make some aspects of this Chapter come into clearer focus, but this was lovely and I'm very excited to play Chapter 2 soon.
There's a lot of heart here, especially in regards to Susie's character arc which is very well-realised and almost brought me to tears. As a result of being one chapter of a longer tale some of the more gamey elements don't quite have enough time to realise their full potential (Jevil rules, however), and it's possible that once the later chapters are out I'll revise my score upwards especially as it's hard not to believe that the full picture won't make some aspects of this Chapter come into clearer focus, but this was lovely and I'm very excited to play Chapter 2 soon.
Take your time Toby. You don't owe us anything, but we'll be here.
i replayed undertale last year to prepare myself mentally for this game and wow this is a fucking ride
disclaimer: I played this game 2 times one last year and one the other day because I took so long to write this review I was starting to forget stuff and I wanted to see what happened if I went genocide well now the answer I got is that nothing fucking happens ♡ I wasted time of my life but at least I replayed this in preparation for deltarune 2 so it wasn't that useless after all
now undertale was one of the most groundbreaking games of the last decade not only because it was a cool game but because it pushed the videogame media into Internets every corner with memes on memes on memes and fandoms and music and whatever the fuck now as some years passed i can finally play this game without thinking how bad the fandom stuff was I can distance myself from this and enjoy this game fully
you follow main character kris who is basically a carbon copy of undertales character in the fact that he's another mute boy now tho with a holy mission then theres scary spooky lesbian crocodile (?) gal susie who has probably the weirdest name because in my mind susie brings a docile feminine gendered person but she's actually absolutely crazy like bully archetype pushed to the furthest points of hell but with a sweet heart within and then theres my little sunshine the reason why I am still alive to this day the sweetest champion and weed loving baby ralsei he's just so beautiful I love him dearly
story wise there's not that much in this department its clearly a prologue for deltarune as a whole since you see the setting where there's a world where monsters and humans finally live together with recurring characters from undertale now if you ask me what's the correlation between this game and undertale I have no fucking idea since its not explained (yet) why there would be sans undyne asgore and gang in this world just minding their business but we don't care about them
kris and susie in some events get sucked into this underworld and meet with ralsei who shows them the prophecy of the lightners heroes and whatever the fuck he's on about every time you try to kill some monsters
then theres lancer who I actually hated in the beginning but I grew to like him slowly and steadily since he's just damn fun and kind of a sweet boy but apart from that the story is pretty straight forward as you will be able to assess yourself if you play the game this time im not gonna spoil stuff lets get it
clearly the shining star this time (and it was undertales case too anyway) it's the characters and their interactions and also some quirky sense of humor all around and they're great I actually can't wait to see what they're gonna do with them after this chapter to be honest they've been somehow explored but I just KNOW there's some more stuff underneath and i can't wait to get to know my sweet little baby ralsei more I know he's a traumatised kid I just know it give me the sad backstory no yknow who else will have 100% a sad backstory . susie that's it I already know it mark my words
the other characters (undertale ones + some other peeps in the underworld) aren't that explored anyway and for the undertale ones kind of stay there to remind you that this game is actually related to undertale in some way idk if they're reincarnations or an AU I have no fucking idea but it was kind of fun to go to them and be like undyne wheres alphys and shes like who THE FUCK is alphys I'm a policewoman show some respect peak comedy if you ask me
now art direction is actually more polished this time not that undertales wasn't but sprites are a lot more clean and the underworld and overworld have a lot of characterisation in the pixelly department which is a great thing if you ask me
gameplay wise and in particular battle wise it's actually undertale but expanded and now starring more people in your party so you will have more actions and a lot of party interactions that I was not expecting but yeah in a way they just reflect some more traditional rpg style with the specific little square mechanic and heart from undertale so it's a good blend of both + there's still a lot of crazy boundary breaking around like if you fought against jevil (the secret boss) yknow how much of a blast that fight is and how majestically it uses the simple mechanics for some incredible attacks and anyway all boss fights are actually well done
there's also some puzzles but they're fine don't worry about them frfr
lastly this time again the music is beyond words just listen to the battle theme or this field theme or jevils battle theme which is a fucking blast
as always toby fox delivers in the ost department with bangers emotional songs and leitmotifs everywhere and putting all these amazing songs into a 2 hours game is honestly an achievement of a kind and they all stand out as unique or quirky like talent can't be bought frfr
all in all its a great prelude for an upcoming great saga which is a hundred percent gonna stab me in the heart and tear it apart like undertale did years ago and I'm so fucking ready for it im already in love with basically every new character and seeing the old ones actually made my heart crumble
will play ch 2 soon we hope
hope they foreshadow the fact that ralsei has a boyfriend that is currently writing this review
goated and also I want to know whats the deal with noelle im pretty sure she's gonna be some major (side?) character in the next chapters since they gave her some insights in this one + she wants to do kissy kissy things with susie I know what you are
disclaimer: I played this game 2 times one last year and one the other day because I took so long to write this review I was starting to forget stuff and I wanted to see what happened if I went genocide well now the answer I got is that nothing fucking happens ♡ I wasted time of my life but at least I replayed this in preparation for deltarune 2 so it wasn't that useless after all
now undertale was one of the most groundbreaking games of the last decade not only because it was a cool game but because it pushed the videogame media into Internets every corner with memes on memes on memes and fandoms and music and whatever the fuck now as some years passed i can finally play this game without thinking how bad the fandom stuff was I can distance myself from this and enjoy this game fully
you follow main character kris who is basically a carbon copy of undertales character in the fact that he's another mute boy now tho with a holy mission then theres scary spooky lesbian crocodile (?) gal susie who has probably the weirdest name because in my mind susie brings a docile feminine gendered person but she's actually absolutely crazy like bully archetype pushed to the furthest points of hell but with a sweet heart within and then theres my little sunshine the reason why I am still alive to this day the sweetest champion and weed loving baby ralsei he's just so beautiful I love him dearly
story wise there's not that much in this department its clearly a prologue for deltarune as a whole since you see the setting where there's a world where monsters and humans finally live together with recurring characters from undertale now if you ask me what's the correlation between this game and undertale I have no fucking idea since its not explained (yet) why there would be sans undyne asgore and gang in this world just minding their business but we don't care about them
kris and susie in some events get sucked into this underworld and meet with ralsei who shows them the prophecy of the lightners heroes and whatever the fuck he's on about every time you try to kill some monsters
then theres lancer who I actually hated in the beginning but I grew to like him slowly and steadily since he's just damn fun and kind of a sweet boy but apart from that the story is pretty straight forward as you will be able to assess yourself if you play the game this time im not gonna spoil stuff lets get it
clearly the shining star this time (and it was undertales case too anyway) it's the characters and their interactions and also some quirky sense of humor all around and they're great I actually can't wait to see what they're gonna do with them after this chapter to be honest they've been somehow explored but I just KNOW there's some more stuff underneath and i can't wait to get to know my sweet little baby ralsei more I know he's a traumatised kid I just know it give me the sad backstory no yknow who else will have 100% a sad backstory . susie that's it I already know it mark my words
the other characters (undertale ones + some other peeps in the underworld) aren't that explored anyway and for the undertale ones kind of stay there to remind you that this game is actually related to undertale in some way idk if they're reincarnations or an AU I have no fucking idea but it was kind of fun to go to them and be like undyne wheres alphys and shes like who THE FUCK is alphys I'm a policewoman show some respect peak comedy if you ask me
now art direction is actually more polished this time not that undertales wasn't but sprites are a lot more clean and the underworld and overworld have a lot of characterisation in the pixelly department which is a great thing if you ask me
gameplay wise and in particular battle wise it's actually undertale but expanded and now starring more people in your party so you will have more actions and a lot of party interactions that I was not expecting but yeah in a way they just reflect some more traditional rpg style with the specific little square mechanic and heart from undertale so it's a good blend of both + there's still a lot of crazy boundary breaking around like if you fought against jevil (the secret boss) yknow how much of a blast that fight is and how majestically it uses the simple mechanics for some incredible attacks and anyway all boss fights are actually well done
there's also some puzzles but they're fine don't worry about them frfr
lastly this time again the music is beyond words just listen to the battle theme or this field theme or jevils battle theme which is a fucking blast
as always toby fox delivers in the ost department with bangers emotional songs and leitmotifs everywhere and putting all these amazing songs into a 2 hours game is honestly an achievement of a kind and they all stand out as unique or quirky like talent can't be bought frfr
all in all its a great prelude for an upcoming great saga which is a hundred percent gonna stab me in the heart and tear it apart like undertale did years ago and I'm so fucking ready for it im already in love with basically every new character and seeing the old ones actually made my heart crumble
will play ch 2 soon we hope
hope they foreshadow the fact that ralsei has a boyfriend that is currently writing this review
goated and also I want to know whats the deal with noelle im pretty sure she's gonna be some major (side?) character in the next chapters since they gave her some insights in this one + she wants to do kissy kissy things with susie I know what you are
Top 20 things Lancer can do (that Sans can't)
Number One: Hug his parents.
Number One: Hug his parents.
The first time I played this, it made almost no impression. I remembered essentially nothing beyond the fact that I had in fact played the game, so I decided to replay it before diving into chapter 2 (and take the opportunity to ensure I triggered all the missable content as well). And honestly, I wasn't giving this game its due the first time around.
It's still clearly only a prelude to something that will end up being much bigger and as such it spends a lot of its time setting up systems and ideas that necessarily don't get paid off, but the writing is still delightful and the characters made a much stronger impression. I think this benefits a lot from being further out from Undertale--as much as Deltarune is supposed to be a companion piece, its incompleteness is highlighted by comparison to Undertale's trim and tidy self-contained structure.
It's still clearly only a prelude to something that will end up being much bigger and as such it spends a lot of its time setting up systems and ideas that necessarily don't get paid off, but the writing is still delightful and the characters made a much stronger impression. I think this benefits a lot from being further out from Undertale--as much as Deltarune is supposed to be a companion piece, its incompleteness is highlighted by comparison to Undertale's trim and tidy self-contained structure.
g o a t f e m b o y
La existencia de Ralsei convierte Deltarune claramente superior a Undertale.
It lays the ground for what already seems like a future masterpiece, but in its own, it's fun little rpg with memorable characters, fantastic presentation and music, and really solid mechanics that already show far more portential than its predecesor.
Nothing much else to say, really, it's simply great.
Nothing much else to say, really, it's simply great.
A genuinely amazing start to the game, filled with loveable characters, on-brand wonderful Toby Fox tracks, and engaging gameplay. A step-up from Undertale in every way.
I know Lancer in real life he's pretty cool
Deltarune is already a pretty straight improvement on Undertale in every way. Better combat, more mechanics, better characters, better writing, and a layer of subtlety Undertale lacked. Nestled within the coming of age rpg tale is an ominous mystery. What is the relationship between the light and dark world, why is Rasiel alone, what is wrong with Kris? Deltarune is not a sequel to the pacifist run of Undertale; it is far better.
Relatively vanilla, but better than Undertale.