Game: Undertale
Console: PC
Developer: Toby Fox
Release Date: 15th September 2015
Undertale is a rare type of game which captures the imagination of the gaming community, reminiscent of Earthbound and similarly self aware RPGs, mixing in elements of other genres and presenting a story with two main endings depending on the player's actions throughout the game. It was voted as the Best Game Ever in a recent Gamefaqs poll, which admittedly doesn't say too much other than the fact that there are a lot of people obsessed with the game right now and it may have a place in gaming history as a huge indie hit.
Though I've covered games such as Off and Yume Nikki on here before, with similar art styles and to a degree a similar nature, from the outset Undertale appears to give players a choice in battle situations. Like many RPG's there's Fight and Item options, but there are also Act and Mercy options. These are used to calm or befriend monsters into a state where they no longer wish to fight, so that they can be spared from battle and players can move on.
There are both random encounter style fights in the game, and mandatory boss fights. Players can fight or attempt to spare all of the characters they encounter, but it's best to choose one option or the other, as the neutral ending stops before the final developments of either polar route. It's necessary to have at least one Neutral ending to get the true endings, but savvy players can use their first run as a Pacifist run and then reload their save from the Neutral final battle.
In terms of story, the game is set underground where monsters have been banished by humans. There's a border which can only be opened with 7 human souls, 6 of which have already been acquired by the monsters. Players face tough decisions as they make their way through the game, possibly denying monsters their freedom or having to die for them to gain it. There are some great plot twists and turns, and the true ending to the game is very satisfying to achieve.
Combat takes place in a fairly basic screen, with the player's soul represented by a heart. When enemies attack, they produce various white shapes which drop into the battle area and must be avoided, almost like a bullet hell game. As the game progresses there are different types of attacks, blue ones require players to be still to avoid damage, and orange ones require players to be moving. There are some difficult battles featured in the game, especially in the Genocide run and this can lead to looking the end of the game up on YouTube (congrats if you actually managed it yourself).
The enemies and NPCs featured in the game have an amazing amount of thought behind their design, great dialogue, inventive ways of being spared by players and contribute to a large emotional investment in the characters of the game on the player's part. As you learn of the motivations of each monster and they reveal some of their hopes and dreams it's almost impossible not to feel part of a larger game world, filled with interesting and sometimes very cute monsters.
Besides battles the game features many puzzle sections which are usually fairly basic, but nonetheless fun. The plot is advanced as puzzles are cleared and most of the new areas in the game are accessed via beating one form of puzzle or another. Some puzzles and fights are auto cleared in different runs of the game, and this can detract from expectations a little, but there's usually reasoning behind a one hit KO, or a pre-cleared puzzle.
There are four areas in the game in total, each with their own inhabitants, ambience and relevance to the story. The map is surprisingly large and it takes a good while to make it from the end of the game back to the beginning (which is semi-necessary at one point). Overall the game takes around 5 hours to complete each route, with a little more added on for difficult battles and exploration.
The locations featured in the game add a lot to the mood also; there's a definite whiff of Earthbound about many of the places, and when the humour of the game is added into the equation it's almost like playing Mother 4. There's a few Easter Eggs and hidden things to do besides the main storyline, but there's nothing huge that'll ruin the game if it isn't found. That said, in many ways it's possible to play Undertale 'wrong'; as mentioned before there are two main endings, and a third which is a foreshortened ending.
While killing different story-relevant NPCs can change the ending of the game slightly, any player who hasn't read up on Undertale strategy before beginning the game may well decide to play the game like any normal RPG, triggering the start of a genocide run, or ruining their chances at a good ending by ignoring a character's need for a cup of water in a tense moment. It's annoying to have to go back and start again in these situations, and while there are save files online, it's the sort of game which forces players to play in a certain way to see the best content.
Graphically Undertale has a fairly consistent art style (the above screenshot is one of the only examples of a deviation) which is charming and reminiscent of games of the past in all their 8 and 16 bit glory. The battles are clean and easy to process visually, which is a big help for those not used to bullet hell sections in their RPGs. Musically the game is outstanding with one of the best soundtracks to an indie game I've ever heard, and probably one of the better soundtracks in games in general, though there are a lot of great contenders.
Overall Undertale is an experience which requires a little prior knowledge of the game, but not too much to get the best out of. The emotional investment into the characters and the story is huge and there are some really charming and impactful moments featured in the game as a whole, on any of it's routes and endings. The mix of RPG, Bullet Hell and Puzzle genres as well as the storyline, ambience and music is perfect for creating a real sense of a cohesive and interesting world, worth saving.
Rating: 93/100
Grade: A
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