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Retro-inspired indie games on Steam are about a dime a dozen, but every now and then there’s a game that sticks out and makes wading through all of those retro-inspired games worth it. In this case, it’s Undertale, a game by Toby Fox. Initially, a demo was released in 2013 that garnered attention and led to a Kickstarter page that gained $51,124, about $46,124 above its $5,000 goal.
Gameplay
Undertale takes what is about the worst thing about JRPGs and turns it on its head. Usually, in a battle in your typical JRPG, it’s boring, non-interactive, and begins to feel like a chore. In Undertale, it’s completely different. Instead of attacking and then getting some text about what your opponent does, you get a “bullet hell” type of game. It ranges from jumping over bones that spell out 'Cool Dude,' trying to get missiles to shoot at your enemy, or blocking bullets coming at you. No matter what the enemy is, it’s always fun and interesting. However, sometimes the difficulty of these can get almost too frustrating. The battles can last a long time if you are not trying to kill your enemy, and you can get towards the end of one but die from a stray bullet and have to start over again. But despite this when you finally beat that boss you’ve been stuck at, it’s immensely rewarding and satisfying. Plus you can pet dogs, a feature that should come standard in any game with dogs.
Pacifism or genocide
Being able to play a game without killing anything is not unique, but Undertale does this exceptionally well. No matter the enemy, you can always choose to spare them. Sometimes there is some creative thinking and perseverance needed to spare an enemy, but no matter what, it’s possible. This gives a clever new type of engagement where you try to figure out how spare an enemy. On the flipside, you can completely clear areas of enemies, and experience more difficult boss fights in the game. This dynamic keeps the game fresh and lends itself easily to replayability, making it worth the $10 price point.
Story, humor, and characters
Undertale balances humor and emotional depth extremely well, knowing when to be funny and when to break a heart. This balance makes the story really resonate with you as you play on, with an equally heartwarming and heartbreaking tale about a child who fell underground where monsters live after being driven away by humans a long time before. The characters in Undertale are half of the charm of the game itself. You feel a real connection to the characters as you continue on with the game. The characters, while hilarious, each have an element that is incredibly earnest and relatable.
Music and art
Toby Fox is best known for creating music for the webcomic Homestuck, so it’s no surprise that in his game he’d have some pretty dang, sweet jams. Retro-inspired pixel art games are nothing new, but like Shovel Knight, Undertale does this exceptionally well. The art is clean and has clear skill and passion behind the choice of style. From the characters to the backgrounds, the art is clean and clear. All of the characters have charm in their designs and the pixel style suits them well. The black and white sprites in battle are clean and are really appealing to look at. The art style also makes the microgames in the battles easy to understand and process because there isn’t too much to try to process at once in terms of color. When color is used in battle, it is always explained and always has a purpose.
TL;DR
Undertale is a game packed full of charm. It takes the best parts of JRPGs, does them stunningly well, and removes the worst parts. Despite some battles being punishingly difficult, it is generally balanced well and always gives a sense of accomplishment.
+ Hilarious dialogue and characters
+ Engaging gameplay
+ Incredible music
+ Great art
+ You can pet dogs
- The difficulty is occasionally too punishing
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