!!MINOR SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO OF DELTARUNE AHEAD!!
When most people talk about their favourite game, the first thing they mention is often ‘game design’ or ‘cutting-edge graphics’. For fans of Deltarune, it’s about ‘fluffy boys’ and ‘eating moss’.
For people unaware of the indie game scene, the pixel RPG game rose to fame due to its status as a parallel story to Undertale from the same creator, Toby Fox. Released in 2015, Undertale follows the story of a child who fell into the Underground, a hidden realm below the earth.
Although its memorable characters and rich storytelling are worth noting, the main reason the simple game rose to fame was its emphasis on its players’ choices, Earthbound-inspired battle sequences, and lore that left players solving puzzles even after finishing the game. It was why, when Fox released Deltarune in 2018 with minimal information outside of a seven-chapter release, fans were ecstatic.
So ecstatic that it crashed Steam the first day it launched.
Announced to be an episodic release, chapters one and two were released at the same time. When fans were greeted with text asking them to create their main character, fans were immediately excited… until their progress would be wiped immediately.
‘Your choices don’t matter."
It’s something the game emphasizes over and over again as you play, instead putting you in the body (literally) of the main character, Kris. Whether it’s from other characters deliberately ignoring your choices or the outcome of any route you take being the same, Deltarune chooses instead to challenge the tropes and notions ingrained into the franchise by the fandom while supporting them at the same time.
And fans loved it.
The premise of Deltarune itself isn’t dissimilar to Undertale. Kris lives in a quaint, mountainside town. After being paired up with chalk-munching monster Susie for a school assignment, they both find themselves falling into an endless pit within a supply closet. Dubbed the Dark World, Kris and Susie work together with the prince of the Dark World, Ralsei, to find a way home.
The Dark World is accessed through Dark Fountains, which act as the connection to the Light World, aka the world that inhabits the town. If more fountains open, it risks the two worlds merging and plunging everyone into death and chaos. The next few chapters then consist of closing any Dark Fountains that open alongside new and recurring characters.
However, the more the player and the characters learn about the Dark World, the more it becomes apparent that there is something deeper going on beneath the scenes.
For instance, one recurring theme in Undertale was the distinction between the playable character and the player themselves being separate entities. Not only is it brought up again in Deltarune, but it’s an element that becomes integral to the story. The player is often represented as a heart, called a SOUL in-game.
Chapters one and two would leave small hints that wouldn’t be obvious at first glance. When the player first goes to save, there is already an existing save file for Kris. Once you save, it’s replaced with your data. Another instance can be seen when enemies attack your party outside of combat, and the heart can be seen inside of Kris; if the heart gets hit, you take damage. If Kris gets hit, you don’t take damage.
It's immediately confirmed at the end of Chapter One, in which Kris rips out the heart from their chest and throws it into a cage. It’s the cliffhanger of Chapter Two that left fans reeling for seven years.
After closing the latest Dark Fountain, Kris and Susie have a sleepover. After falling asleep on the couch together, Kris randomly wakes up in the middle of the night and rips out their heart again. They then pull out a knife and plunge it into the ground, creating another Dark Fountain before putting the player back in their chest.
Up until this point, Deltarune would still lean into its usual charm and have fun with its fans as everyone slowly learns more about the world and its story. Chapter Three immediately force you to throw aside most of the fundamentals already established, while Chapter Four dumps some of the most important lore of the series for players.
Without spoiling too much about the game, everything introduced is something that will blow you out of the water. Whether your favourite thing about Deltarune is its story or its design, it introduces new elements without disrupting the flow of the game.
The two-person team transforming into something larger is evident with the product: vast, decorated environments, new and unique fighting mechanics, and some of the most fun puzzles within the series so far.
Lore-wise, we’re given some of the most important information at this point. Sometimes it would be something about the characters themselves, sometimes it would be about world mechanics. Regardless, it was satisfying to see pieces slowly come together at the half-point of Deltarune.
Specifically, we see a huge focus on Kris and Susie’s own character arcs in both chapters three and four, respectively. It’s a satisfying payoff considering the journey these two characters have been on since we first met them in Chapter One.
Susie, Kris, and Ralsei have always been implied to be loners before their friendship began. The abrasive, heartless bully. The weird, creepy kid. The socially awkward prince. In chapters one and two, we see the friendship between the three grow as they share a kinship. In chapters three and four, we see even more depth added to their relationship, which makes the drama and baggage they all face hit harder.
We also learn more about Kris’ life and personality thanks to the third chapter’s Dark Fountain being in their home. It felt extra satisfying, considering most of the information that exists about Kris within the realm is either limited because of their isolated nature, or because Kris themselves hides it from you.
Susie herself becomes a more rounded character by the end of Chapter Four. When players first met her, she was a two-dimensional delinquent. The character arc she went through instead revealed a more emotionally grounded character who’s grown exponentially.
Outside of the main characters, we also finally learn the full prophecy of the Roaring Knight, the entity responsible for making the Dark Fountains.
Additionally, despite the game’s emphasis on choices not mattering, players who chose to complete the Weird Route would find out that it carries over. Beginning in Chapter Two, players can commence it by ‘ATTACK’ing enemies with Noelle as opposed to ‘ACT’ing. Similar to the Genocide Route from Undertale, it requires the player to make decisions that actively harm the characters.
Chapters three and four don’t require you to do anything within the game to stay locked in the route, but they do present small differences as you play through the story. How Kris interacts with other characters and vice versa, which characters you may encounter and fight in the Dark Realm, or even exclusive scenes.
It’s yet to be known whether taking the Weird Route has any consequences, or if the choices you make still don’t matter. Although it is important to note that Fox said on the official website that there will only be one ending.
As for the game design and art itself, they both improved exponentially within these two chapters. Environments are incredibly detailed and charming. Even though some of the things you interact with do nothing to progress the story, it draws you in anyway. It feels like any decision you make has an outcome to it simply for fun, which only makes players want to explore the game even more.
Additionally, the flow of certain stages and mechanics is designed in a way that is easy to follow. Many of the tutorials are optional or introduce a trial stage for players to familiarize themselves with the mechanic before it’s fully implemented. It helps to not break the flow of the game, and considering many of the fans for Deltarune are also fans of Undertale, it’s fair to assume a decent amount of people know how to play already.
The maps themselves, despite being vast and intimidating to explore, feel linear. Even if you have to backtrack or go down multiple winding roads, the game does a good job of guiding players. Everything about playing the game feels natural, which only adds to the whole experience.
Overall, Deltarune is a game that subverts expectations. Every aspect of it, from the characters to the art to the gameplay itself, feels like a product of love and passion. It’s a kind thought, especially when in today’s age, certain games have grown notorious for releasing too early and remaining unplayable until several updates later.
If you’ve already paid for Deltarune, you don’t have to worry about shelling out more money for future chapters. The release of chapters three and four marked the official release, with the upcoming chapters releasing as free updates. If you’re still on the fence, chapters one and two remain as a free demo.
As of right now, Chapter Five is planned for 2026 according to the credits within Chapter Four. Despite the long wait for chapters three and four, Fox said in an interview with Nintendo Life that development time has sped up since expanding their team.
Deltarune is available for purchase on macOS and PC on Steam, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, as well as PS4 and PS5.