In a world where every game is failing, each company is a disaster, and every indie dev is a scam artist walking, it’s easy to get a little let’s say ‘cynical’ over video games. RPGs have slowly slipped into the realms of multiplayer titles and first person shooters, with little thought given to the real heart and soul of the game, whatever that may be. Even the most promising of entries that grip on to those last vestiges of nostalgia and become the Great White Hype, the Hope of the Jedi, tend to become just shadows of what they once represented. I speak of your Dragon Age Inquisitions and Disgaea 5s, your Persona 4 Goldens and World of Warcraft Warlords of Draenor. These are certainly serviceable if not even good games, but something in the aim of formula and selling the familiar keeps them feeling as though they’re re-treading ground rather than uncovering anything new or inspired.
From the immensely helpful Undertale press kit.
Cue Toby Fox and his Game Maker created indie endeavor “Undertale.” This is a simple, unassuming title on the surface that doesn’t pressure you with themes of all Space ending or Cthulu getting bored and birthing werewolves. Instead you are quite simply a jaundiced kid who fell down a hole. However this tiny title comes with a massive amount of SOUL that risks melting even the snarkiest of cynic hearts.
While on the surface Undertale is an RPG the majority of the battles play out as a bullet hell. You’ll have to dodge different kinds of patterned attacks looking to rip your little soul, represented by a red heart, in twain… Or perhaps sometimes it’s an over-enthusiastic monster that earnestly wants to pet you… but sadly the game’s lead character is allergic to many of the monsters, or allergic to the monster’s fire. As the game progresses you’ll find enemies that are able to manipulate both you and the bullet box you’re confined to when you dodge attacks. These manipulations will impact your movement and sometimes your abilities. I don’t want to spoil too much here, but there’s more to Undertale than ‘fight it and forget it.’ When bosses change the nature of the fight, there are strong story reasons that aren’t always readily apparent. It’s one of those things you just have to play to understand.
Some of the strongest RPGs I’ve played share an important aspect. Testing your adaptability and critical thinking when it comes to a challenge. It feels like something we’ve lost as RPGs and video games in general have focused more on graphics and creating a visual Hollywood-esque feast more than thinking through gameplay challenges and combat. Undertale in that way reflects two kinds of video game design. There is one path in which you’re compelled to kill and, the more you do it, the easier the game gets. In the other you face consistently harder challenges as you try and reason your way out of battles instead of brute forcing it. It feels very “New School vs Old School” in design and purpose.
This old school aspect is also where a lot of Undertale’s clever design stood out. Each fight in the game can pose a unique challenge as you try and make an appeal to the soul of each monster you fight. It’s about figuring out what makes them tick, what series of phrases or actions will get them to back down, how to best dodge and survive their onslaughts. The bosses and mini bosses in Undertale stand up with the bosses I found myself faced with in Chrono Trigger or Persona 3, where I had to find the enemy’s exact right weakness to magic or the correct kill order to knock them down. Only in Undertale you won’t be hitting anyone with Fire 2, you’ll be flirting with them and convincing them to go on a date with you.
What makes Undertale so compelling is its simple complexity. Graphics that maybe fall somewhere between the 8 and 16 bit eras, throwback lever and walking puzzles, first person monster battles reminiscent of EarthBound and Megaten (both cited as core inspirations for the game), and a light hearted world full of whimsical creatures. All of these things hide a title that is much more complex beneath the surface, including a light sense of humor used to deflect from a darker storyline, and a battle system that gives you the choice to slaughter your enemies or simply hug it out, all of which has an impact on the narrative.
As a straight forward narrative Undertale would likely stand out among some of the strongest RPGs to ever grace video gaming, with its family friendly but well crafted humor, memorable characters (Undyne sits right up there for me with Celes Chere, Tear Grants and Elhaym Van Houten), compelling plot and rich side stories. However depending on your actions in the game you’ll, sooner or later, discover there is an incredibly meta component to the tale that hits you right where it hurts as a gamer. I can say only two narratives this year made me sit down and really reflect on the story I just experienced, Bloodborne and Undertale.
The graphics are definitely that cartoony Earthbound throwback. There’s nothing too jaw dropping here, I can’t say ‘you won’t believe what Toby did with 8 bit sprites.’ But I can say what little Undertale has going for it in the graphics department works very, very well. Okay so I have some very light criticisms of a few choice final bosses, despite the meta nature of the game it broke the, and I hate using this term, ‘immersion’ of Toby’s well crafted world a little. However this is a minor nitpick as overall each and every character design was charming and memorable, each boss was well animated and environments like Snowdin and Waterfall were well put together. I also gotta give huge props to a certain Final Fantasy 6 homage scene.
The music. The music is amazing. Toby Fox spends most of his day as a composer and man does it show, or I guess makes itself audible. I initially made the mistake of not purchasing Undertale’s soundtrack and fixed that right away, now I listen to it almost nonstop. Much like the game it’s one of those things you have to hear to understand.
Undertale is maybe one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and to give you an idea of how many RPGs I’ve played – practically everything out of the East and near everything out of the west. There’s no doubt in my mind Undertale will be joining my Game of the Year list, and might strive to make my top of all time with Chrono Trigger, Skyrim, Xenogears and Persona 3. Yes. It’s that good. It’s got a surprising amount of charm, a compelling narrative and a lot of LOVE, and love too.
