Undertale: An Obvious Discovery of an Idiosyncratic Game

 Time to Beat: Six Hours

Recognizing the influencing factors of how one came to play a particular game is relevant to the enjoyment derived and objective evaluation. Here is how I discovered this game.

In December 2015, I read an article on Kotaku about an event run by another video game website. GameFAQs, to celebrate their 20^th anniversary, organized the “Best. Game. Ever.” competition, pitting 128 video games for the title. A single elimination bracket, seeded “by a combination of user nominations, popularity on GameFAQs, and critical and user game ratings” would determine the GOAT. The victor of each match-up would be decided by the public, allowing anyone with a FAQs account to vote. They had orchestrated similar events for their 10^th and 15^th anniversaries, but this year was different. Undertale, newly released in September of 2015, was probably an afterthought by whoever included it in the 128 games. Whoever inserted it into the competition must have assumed it had no chance against its first opponent, Mass Effect 3 (though, considering the roiling revolt occasioned by ME3's ending, this must be understated).

It's solvable.

But then surprising occurred. After best ME3, Undertale overcame Fallout 3, Super Mario World, and Pokemon Red/Blue. By the writing of the Kotaku article, Undertale had advanced to the Quarterfinals, and on the forums, a vocal minority expressed their fury. Undertale defeated Super Mario 64, Smash Brothers Melee, and dethroned 2009's champion, Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While designating any particular game as best of all time, is as this article says, “an impossible, arbitrary question,” the same author seemed disturbed by Undertale's victory, claiming without substance that “union of deft anarchists saw an opening”, insinuating its victory was either well organized or a troll campaign. The horror! Someone not taking video games seriously on the internet. In repudiation of the furious response to Undertale's victory, YouTube reviewers, such as TotalBiscuit and Zero Punctuation named Undertale their game of the year.

As the most hyped game in recent memory, it succeed not through advertising or pre-order bonuses, but by word of mouth. If anything, this method seems the preferable one. Instead of AAA developers shoving their products down one's throat, gamers spread the message themselves.

I bought it, played it, and two things must be said. One can not approach such a recently acclaimed game without overblown expectations and reservations. It has to work harder, commit fewer errors, and demonstrate unexpected genius. Second, it's not a genre I prefer. It's supposedly like Earthbound, which I've never played, and other jRPGs. In a way, its like no other game I've ever played.

Friendliest Flower of the Ruins

The combat system initially resembles Final Fantasy. A wandering monster encounter brings the player's hero to a confrontation: choose attack, use item, or flee. But unexpectedly one can “talk” or “show mercy”. It's a spoiler to say Undertale can be beaten by fighting everything, talking to everything, or a combination. Every enemy can be defeated by discussion. But this simple explanation wouldn't do the system justice. Talking to the varied monsters reveals quirks and initiates different attack patterns. The process of attacking the enemy is the same repetitive exercise expounded in every jRPG, but being attacked unleashes the game's ingenious attitude. Represented by a small red heart, the player must dodge the inventive attacks directed against them. Each enemy offers a challenge, and none feel remotely the same.

Early in Undertale the unnamed protagonist, a young child who has fallen down a hole in the ground, is adopted by a sweet, motherly monster named Toriel. It's she who introduces the player to the intricacies of the underworld, and guides the player through a few simple puzzles. The puzzles of Undertale are never beyond the ability of even a sixth grader, but the first few could be overcome by a toddler with a bit of luck. Facing an easy challenge to find a hidden path through a room of spikes, Toriel says it is too dangerous. She takes the protagonist's hand, and while the player watches, guides the youth safely through. It's the first sign Undertale is different (Well not actually the first. That would be the player's encounter with Flowey the Flower). While the combat sequences of the game are fairly easy, they are always tougher than the puzzles. Death by monster is possible, but no challenge is insurmountable.

???

And sometimes Undertale bored me. Yes, I admit it. There's too many people to talk to, the sort that stand around, offering insignificant nothings. The puzzles offer no challenge at all. But when the protagonist is interacting with the main cast there is little that can best it. It's best scenes beat anything I've played. At its core, Undertale is quirky, sincere, heartfelt, and delightful. It never resorts to cliches, and always breaks expectations (and tropes), not cynically, but with a breathe of insight and deep innocence. It backs up the story with a simple, charming score which does not superseded the action like Transistor's music, but wafts along just out of conscious reach.

Undertale is a game that upon completion makes the conclusion feel like a successful culmination of the entire experience. The final boss, and it won't be who you think it is, is a real challenge, but after you've advanced far enough against him, you'll discover Undertale won't let you die. The entire game is full of these surprises and it's no wonder the game has developed a faithful mob... cult... devoted fan base.

Unlike Mass Effect 3, which it beat in the FAQ tournament, Undertale offers a suitable epilogue, and a challenge. There's a sort of New Game plus, but this is where I offer my first real criticism. I think the game is only worth a single play-through. I'm cruising through play-through two, and probably will complete it in close to four hours, but somethings off. It's like I'm spoiling Undertale by completing it again. So next Monday may be an article about Undertale, or it may be about a new game.  As of this moment I believe one thing: I don't think the second experience can compare with the first.  And I know another, I'm going to miss Undertale.

  

In conclusion, if I haven't talked much (or at all) about the story it's because the developer has created something so distinctive, it's best to go in unspoiled.