In January of 2017 I wasn't yet
conflicted upon finishing
Undertale.
I loved all of it, except for the parts which bored me. After
completing Undertale, I returned immediately for a second
play-through, but the flaws stood out more sharply, and a weariness
overcame me. Even though Undertale includes between three and twenty
different endings, I couldn't enjoy it a second time. As I wrote
about the original, “Its best scenes are superior to 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charming score which does not superseded the action like Transistor's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 ... And I know
another, I'm going to miss Undertale.”
Those who have pined for another taste
need wait no longer. Indie Developer, Publisher, Writer, and
Composer, Toby
Fox recently released a sample of the future of
Undertale, Deltarune. A spin off without a clearly
declared relationship to Undertale, this new project is
intended as a longer game than the original. The outcome of the
eventual product is still unclear. Is Deltarune a sequel, a
prequel, an unrelated game in the same universe, or situated in an
entirely different reality? At a glance there is no denying they
share a similar parent. The game play is nearly identical, visual
assets are reused, and a number of characters appear exactly the
same. Some even share the same names as their counterparts in
Undertale. If they are not the same people, in spite of their
names, are they the same species in the same world, or merely an
unexplained absurdity?
If it is a spin off, sharing
similarities to Undertale, what can be assumed about the
outcome?
But first, a tallying of major
similarities and differences:
In Undertale, enemies attack by
hitting the character's heart with a series of visual attacks which
must be dodged. This is the same.
In Undertale, the main character
fights alone. In Deltarune, the protagonist is joined by
party members, and combat is like a Final Fantasy game.
In Undertale, puzzles were
incredibly easy. This remains the same.
The visual effects and music are
stylistically similar.
Undertale included an abundance
of creatures to talk to, with no effect. This is still the same.
Undertale was an endearing game;
genre breaking and always subverting the player's expectations, both
narratively and comedically. Deltarune retains the same
spirit. Each moment is an exercise in upsetting the player's
balance. Just as one begins to believe they understand the flow of
the artist's mind, Fox unveils another twist, another astonishing
surprise. These are not sparse events, but a perpetual bouncing from
one joyful triumph to another.
Which returns us to the core question.
Do they share the same heart? Undertale offered three
solutions for victory, but at its soul Undertale was about
peace. Though many new players (my self included) didn't know it, it
was possible to beat Undertale without
violence. There was always a non-violent method of subduing
an enemy, whether it was deception, persistence, or diplomacy.
Is pacifism still a viable strategy in
Deltarune? Experience says it might be. Spells can be cast
to win battles peacefully. One of the party members, Ralsei,
the Prince from the Dark, urges non-violence as a solution all
problems, but the other, Susie, encourages death and dismemberment.
In fact, the evilest person doesn't seem to be an enemy, but an ally.
The principal foe, Lancer, is a charming card, raised to be cruel,
but tainted with a heart of gold. The Prince's incitement to
nonaggression is more obvious than Flowey the Flower, but Susie
condemns this line of thinking just as forcefully, with cruel taunts.
And as a member of the party, Susie makes it difficult to even
consider pursuing a pacifist program. She attacks whatever she sees
on sight. These conflicting opinions (and actions) offer the player
two options to consider, and should lead one to question whether
either is viable.
In this three hour preview can one
advance without violence? You'll have to see.
The good news, is that, if you want to
see, Deltarune is free. You
can find it here. The question you might be
asking yourself: is it worth playing a three hour preview, with the
knowledge you'll have to replay those same hours when the final
product is released in a year, or two, or five? I can't answer for
you, but I can say for myself, emphatically yes. If you've played
Undertale, yes. If you haven't played Undertale, yes.
Then go play it!
Deltarune is an incredible game,
full of incompetent characters, hundreds of incidents (in just three
hours) that made me laugh out loud, and an ending (not really an
ending) that made me desperate for Toby Fox to work as devotedly, as
quickly, and as quirkily as possible.
Like Undertale, Deltarune
is an incredibly experience that needs to be experienced to be
believed. I regret that I have only space to share four pictures
from the game in this article (I took 25).
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