It's 2016, and video games are continuously evolving. From graphical horse power, new gameplay mechanics, and new ways of story telling, games are reaching new heights with each passing day. They're making us feel emotions, allowing us to get attached to the characters especially when it involves them being in life/death situations. Laughter, sadness, crying, all of these can be found in games nowadays. It can be expressed from us now. Undertale is one of those games, definitely an interesting/humorous experience. Goat monsters, talking skeletons, awkward anime loving scientists, it has all of that and more. Developed/created by Toby Fox, Undertale is classified as an RPG. Similar in feel/appearance to what Earthbound was, though it has an interesting premise/hook. You don't have to kill every monster that you encounter, in fact, you can get through the game without killing anything. If you manage to screw up and reset the game, it'll know and you won't be able to redo your mistakes. How you want to play is totally up to you.
In my time playing Undertale, I went through what most people define as a Pacifist run in about 10 hours, so this Review will mostly derive from that perspective. You can play through the game with a variety of combinations, killing certain characters and seeing other reactions. You can go through what's known as a Genocide run where you literally accomplish a full genocide of every creature in the game. My initial experience with Undertale was watching Steam Train play through it and seeing their reactions made me love the game, along with its plot. I'm glad I got to experience it through my own eyes even though I had an idea of what happened. I even managed to unlock/experience things that weren't in their run through it. What is it about this game that has many people talking?
As I mentioned above, Undertale is a game in which you don't have to kill a single thing. You portray the role of an ambiguous human who's fallen down the mountain. Within the realm of monsters, you learn of a way to escape, and that involves traveling to the Underworld's castle and confront its king. In hopes of being able to pass through the barrier that's kept them trapped for who knows how long. You learn of the tale that engulfed humans and monsters in a war throughout your journey. After regretfully leaving Toriel (who finds you when you arrive, and proposes to care for you), you run into one of the most colorful cast of characters I've had the pleasure of seeing in awhile. The skeletons Sans and Papyrus will have you laughing very quick. The former being a laid back dude with horrible puns, and the latter being obsessed with capturing you to be a part of the Royal Guard.
Undertale is made up of traversing the world with occasional encounters appearing. You're given the option to Fight, Act with the creatures in a variety of ways, use Items, and show Mercy by Sparing them. That last part is where you can achieve the tag of not killing enemies. Course this involves you doing a specific set of actions for every monster is different. Spiders will attack you for not contributing to their bake sale, dummies come to life, and a ghostly DJ will regret popping in, apologizing for disturbing you. Your icon in battle is your heart and you move around dodging enemy attacks. Sort of like a bullet-hell kind of way.
Undertale to me, benefits from it's retro 16-Bit graphical style. It gives the overall feel a very cute and simplistic one. The colors for the towns and areas are beautifully placed and most of the time, I'd wander around them just because of it's look. Not to mention the music is absolutely beautiful, that being another reason why I'd walk back and forth between areas. Snowdin is cheery despite it's cold backdrop, Waterfall is calm and blue with its mysterious track. What else does Undertale have to offer? Let's see, awkward dates, broadcasting as a reporter, drama, action, and even some bloodshed! Truth be told, this game is definitely one you should experience on your own, the choices you make can affect the eventual outcome of the game, some of the puzzles definitely had me struggling to do it correctly, and it's just a lovable story with fantastic characters.
Should you Play this Game?
Absolutely! Without a doubt, Undertale is a game where your feelings are allowed to be expressed as you play through. As games progress through the years, new things emerge, Undertale is one of those games. Crazy battles, hilarious conversations about spaghetti, forming friendships, and lots more can be found in this game. Give this a shot for yourself when you can.
