UNDERTALE shocked millions of players with its release and deservedly became one of the most popular indie games in history. DELTARUNE tells a parallel story to the main game, where the heroes explore the world of darkness, which helps them adapt to real life. Did Toby Fox manage to maintain the quality bar of the previous project or raise it? We will tell you in this review!
Fantasy and reality
The events of DELTARUNE are reminiscent of what happens in “Conduit and Shvambrania” – an autobiographical story by the Soviet writer Lev Kassil. In the book, the young heroes invented the country of Shvambrania, which is a paradise for adventurers. The country reflected what was happening in the real world – mirroring the changes in the heroes’ lives.
The world of DELTARUNE is inhabited by monsters of various shapes and colors, who live a life familiar to human understanding. Among the monsters grows the only human child named Chris. At the beginning of the game, Chris discovers a portal to the world of darkness, and, together with his monster friends, begins to explore it.
The portal to the world of darkness is opened by the fountain of darkness, after which the surrounding area is subject to changes. In addition to changing the room with an active fountain, the darkness also affects household items. Over the course of four episodes, life is given to the cards and chess pieces from the school playroom; computers, mice, and sockets from the computer club in the library; Chris’s TV; and church inventory.
Those who got from reality to the world of darkness are called heroes of light. Their task is to seal the fountains. From the outside, this seems like a fun adventure, but the atmosphere is ruined by one ominous detail – if something bad happens in the world of darkness, it will be reflected in reality.
Main characters
Frisk
The differences between human children in Toby Fox’s worlds are so great that it’s worth mentioning the protagonist of UNDERTALE for added effect.
Initially, it seems that the main character is a dummy, whose existence is to help the player explore the world around him. The child follows all the player’s commands and maintains a neutral expression until the end of the adventure. Only by following the path of the pacifist can you learn that the child’s name is Frisk.
However, if you pay attention to the details during the passage, it becomes clear that Frisk has quite a character! Frisk shows itself in those moments when the player orders to joke, tell a story or flirt. The child does everything possible to avoid taking soda into the inventory, which he hates. And Frisk obeys orders because of his personal interest in what is happening.
Frisk will only leave the player if he starts to slowly and sadly destroy every monster in his path. Those who have gone through the path of genocide know that the freed shell will be occupied by a much more terrible entity…
Chris
While Frisk’s personal life remains a mystery, the player will be able to experience Chris’s life first-hand. He is a human child who was taken in by the Dreemurr family, the royal ungulate couple from UNDERTALE.
By all accounts, Chris is a problem child because:
- Love to carry a kitchen knife around with you;
- Habits of scaring monsters;
- Habits of sleeping during lessons and sermons;
- Talent for destruction and foul language;
- Lack of friends.
However, a human child also has positive qualities – a warm attitude towards family and friends, and the ability to play keyboard instruments.
The game begins with Chris’s body being taken over by the player’s soul. The player is free to make Chris speak and act as he sees fit, allowing the shell to make friends and improve relationships with others. Chris was already considered strange, so those around him do not take the player’s illogical actions seriously. But they notice that the human child has begun to speak mechanically, as well as the disappearance of his talent for music.
Chris does not allow his body to be controlled like a puppet. The human child periodically rips the player’s soul out of his chest – in order to gain freedom and act as he pleases. However, the need for symbiosis forces him to return the soul and continue to play the role of a puppet.
Susie
A long-haired and aggressive purple dinosaur. Having fallen into the world of darkness, she began to destroy everything in her path. Her aggressive behavior became a hindrance to players following the path of pacifism, since she always attacked in battles.
Over time, she learned to act independently and solve puzzles. Her character also changed – a good side was revealed, and she learned to follow the path of the hero that was imposed on her at the beginning.
Ralsei
The Prince of Darkness, who appears in places where fountains are active. He is a kind and fluffy goat who heals in battle and takes care of the team in every possible way. Being the complete opposite of Susie, he insists on sparing all enemies he encounters.
As you progress, it becomes clear that Ralsei knows more than he seems at first glance. He does everything possible to make it fun for the player to play the game. But he can be taught to enjoy it himself.
Noelle
A snow doe and Chris’s childhood friend. She is a sympathetic and naive girl who is afraid of everything in the world. In the world of darkness, she becomes one of the companions who plays a support role.
If the player follows the path of genocide, the girl’s soul can be perverted – making her more cruel. To do this, you need to force her to destroy everyone in her path.
Gameplay
The gameplay of DELTARUNE is not much different from the first game by Toby Fox: you need to explore locations for secrets and participate in battles. During the battle, you need to dodge enemy projectiles in order to attack or use abilities on your turn. An innovation was the energy jackal, which increases if you defend yourself or allow projectiles to fly nearby.
Aggressive players can still destroy everyone in their path. But if in UNDERTALE killing monsters was strongly condemned and punished, then in DELTARUNE the objects of the environment have to take the rap. The consequences of such aggression are weak, but the aftertaste remains.
Those who follow the path of pacifism should choose actions that will help them befriend the enemy, so that they can later be spared. If you spare a certain number of enemies of one type, then they will become a recruit. All recruits are collected in the original world of darkness, where they can be interacted with in a variety of ways.
During the playthrough, I could literally hear Toby Fox’s (the game’s creator) thoughts: “People who play DELTARUNE have probably completed UNDERTALE, so I can increase the difficulty.” DELTARUNE is much more difficult than UNDERTALE – you have less time to react, and it’s harder to dodge attacks.
Of special note are the Shadow Crystals. These are special key items that appear in each chapter, and whose purpose is currently unknown. To obtain Shadow Crystals, you must perform specific actions and survive a particularly difficult secret boss fight. Collecting the crystals is a long and tedious process, and one can only hope that the effort will pay off once the final chapter is released!
What’s new in the full version of the game?
Before this, DELTARUNE was released in chapters – the full version now includes the third and fourth parts of the adventure, which continue the story. But this is not the end – Toby Fox has promised to add more chapters over time, and completely free for those who buy the full version of DELTARUNE.
You can read more about the first two chapters of DELTARUNE here , in my review. We will talk about the continuation of the story.
Chapter 3
One of two new chapters that were released with the paid version of the game. In it, the heroes find themselves in a TV world, where the environment is connected to television. You need to go through the world not directly, but by playing the console. In essence, the gameplay turns into a “game within a game”, where you need to not only interact with enemies, but also participate in quizzes, cooking shows, and other programs that can be seen on TV.
Each chapter has a unique character that steals the show. In the first two chapters, it was the King and Queen. This time, the show is run by Mr. Tenna, a three-dimensional man with a TV for a head. He is essentially a living TV that does everything it can to attract the viewers’ attention.
Chapter 4
A unique chapter in terms of gameplay and visual style. It pays a lot of attention to darkness, where you have to activate switches and navigate by the sound waves coming from the heroes to move around darkened locations. You will also have to move around vertical surfaces a lot, where many elements try to knock down the heroes.
What makes the fourth chapter unique is that it lacks a charismatic villain – instead, you constantly have to face standard (by the standards of the game) opponents. This is compensated by the fact that more attention is paid to the disclosure and development of the characters.
Diagnosis
At this point, we can confidently say that DELTARUNE is not only not inferior to UNDERTALE, but in some places even surpasses the legend. The game has characters, plot, music and gameplay at the highest level – adjusted for increased complexity. It remains to be hoped that the next chapters, which promise to be released in 2026, will continue to give positive emotions.
Unfortunately, the game has not been translated into Russian. The good news is that enthusiasts are working on the translation on Steam – the editors wish them luck in their hard work.
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All images in this material are copyright tobyfox.