Deltarune Review

Note: This review contains small spoilers for the first two chapters of Deltarune.

Almost seven years ago at Halloween, I woke up to Dawn’s crack and downloaded an ominous “study program” from Undertale developer Toby Fox. The program turns out to include more than just a simple investigation, but also the beginning of an epic adventure that has never been able to stop thinking about since. Now, with the release of chapters 3 and 4, the adventure has really begun to take a more solid form. Deltarune takes over the spirit of its predecessor by destroying the expectations of the RPG genre in the wildest ways. They also share the same kind of clever, sincere, and often ridiculously hilarious writing, not to mention the truly unforgettable soundtrack. Don’t be fooled by seemingly humble pixel art and simple plots at first. There is amazing interest, beauty and unpredictability. The unsettling questions Deltarune raises about our relationship with the characters he controls in the game celebrate the indomitable will and heart of an extraordinary RPG hero, while providing a compelling layer of Meta-Commentary.

The aforementioned spooky research demonstration was the second chapter released in 2021, and ultimately became the latest two chapters that arrived last week as part of a more traditional “full” release. But whether you pick up where you left off years ago or start fresh from the first chapter, you’ll suddenly plunge into the body of a strange teenager named Chris. There are many similarities to Undertale here, but there are also ample differences in how its setting and how the fight to make it stand out work. If Undertale navigated the Underground Society of Monsters you were imprisoned, you had to fight or become a friend, Deltarune starts in a pleasant but inconspicuous “hometown”. The only epic struggle you’ll find here is to try and keep awake through class, or to dodge the extreme embarrassment of seeing your divorced adopted monster parents encounter each other in the shop.

If you play Undertale, you might get the kick from seeing some of the more notable characters in that game in this parallel story, but I wouldn’t say that it’s necessary at all. In fact, I argue that Deltarné is at his best when he isn’t trying to concentrate on what he’s had before. At first I was a little disappointed to see familiar faces appearing in what appears to be a new adventure, but I realized that these are not simple fan service cameos. In another universe, these were kings and queens with magnificent boss monsters and terrifying strength and magical powers. Here they are just… ordinary townspeople: teachers, boring police, and struggling store owners. They may have a role to play, but this story is not really about them.

Instead, things begin when a classmate of a rude, crude monster named Kris and Susie realizes that they’ve been transported straight from an ’80s adventure film into a fantasy world. Here, pencils and Bandaido transform into swords and armor, but forgotten classroom toys and computer lab accessories are born as “Darkners.” Many of them get in your way. It’s a great touch to change even the menu and UI to reflect this new area. The environment you explore in these “dark worlds” is filled with vibrant, beautiful pixel art backgrounds that work in harmony with a stunning soundtrack for capturing the themes of these fascinating locations.

Happy legs, idiot

Shortly after arriving in Dark World, you will meet your third “party member.” A lonely Darker Prince named L’Arsey seems to know everything about you, giving you a grand spill about purifying the dark fountain and saving the world from destruction. It’s from a hero. To achieve your goals, you must fight your way through enemies, madness, misunderstood goofballs. Like Undertale, we see that the path to victory can be fake with turn-based violence and pacifism, but here the long-term outcome is less clear. You can make it faster and faster by attacking enemies, but finding ways to spare them will lead to the castle town of your Dark World now inhabited by easy residents, and even change how a particular scene unfolds.

Really, the biggest part of the fight is the ability to “act” on your turn. To beat your opponent with so much mercy that it doesn’t spare them. On paper, this system can easily lose its appeal, but here it continues to be interesting with its extremely witty and context-sensitive execution. Each enemy has a variety of needs that become more complicated (and often eccentric) the more delve into these adventures.

Things may start with you ordering party members to flirt their paths towards mercy, but so later I realized I would stand up to a tougher ambulance themed enemy. Asking Susie to “act” instead gave me a challenge. Evade enemy-themed bullets on the enemy’s turn and gain more mercy for dangerous plays (as she naturally doesn’t trust doctors). Ralsei’s “ACT” suggests that instead they’ll be hit intentionally (because they’re here… will you help?). Deltarune’s creative juices are the most delicious moments, leaning against both the team and the Darkner personality you face, combining fun contextual commands that blend endless humor. New encounters wanted to see what my fun team could come up with. And with the mix of rich enemy varieties that didn’t stretch too long and areas of the dark world, I never got bored of the enemies I came up with.

Beyond the fight and acting, I have come to be truly grateful that the three Deltarné party members have allowed them to develop synergies and tactics over time. The subsequent battles became a delicate dance of healing and assigning items, one person acted (if my actions were successful) to ensure that one person could afford it on the same turn. Even the process of dodging incoming attacks offers a new layer of strategy with the ability to “graze” bullet patterns by moving or dodging my small heart icons along the attack without having to hit to build the meter needed to perform certain magical forces. Just like acting, certain magic could change according to the fight to address new strategies and challenges inherent in that fight, and often played dangerously to get closer to the attack.

The power of the page shines within you

Even when I wasn’t fighting there was a lot to explore both inside and outside the dark world I had visited. Walking around, talking to people, interacting with objects is not the new RPG idea. (I have vivid memories of obsessively checking every trash can in Pokemon games. For example, under the bathroom sink, you might find a container of Ice-e’s cool boy body spray “Spray Boys for the Boys.” Deltarné’s hilarious illogical humor soaks up every corner of the world like some sort of strange goop that is actually delicious and addictive. The battles, dialogues, stories, puzzles, you name it, are essentially linked to everything else, so I couldn’t imagine this adventure being another way. Seriously, in what other settings do you encounter a strange little dolphin attacking you on an internet pop-up screen in connection with an obscure 14-year-old meme about a desktop image you’re trying to induce to a virus download?

It’s not just a joke (it could potentially ramp out). I found myself constantly intrigued by the world being set around this adventure. Not all of it is laid out in big, flashy cutscenes and plot development. There is a level of reward given to people who are willing to look into what they might otherwise be walking straight away or talk to people who don’t think they have a nugget of wisdom. This is a kind of details that seem less impressive at a glance, but with each of the four chapters currently available, I’ve come to be very grateful. Even things as random as examining moss’ harmless patches can steadily grow into their own running gags between chapters. In this way, Deltarné also exists in small personal moments and anecdotes that allow characters to shine in ways rarely seen elsewhere.

Every place had these touches, and the areas I explored to seal the dark fountain led me through a rather fantastic interpretation of the ordinary place. The gorgeous carpet of the Forgotten Classroom becomes a vast red forest with fields of wavy purple grass, while the computer lab transforms into a sparkling, sparkling city and ultra highway made from advertising, all works amazingly in a different pixel art style. Deltarune is careful to keep that range down, saving instead a moment of visual talent. Even the amount of expression found in the character’s portrait continued to please me about how well they were able to convey the right emotions.

Each place you visit comes with incredible musical embarrassment, and like Undertail, Fox’s payoffs are obviously composing music personally, in addition to developing so many aspects of Deltarné. From incredibly funky and catchy battle themes to exploring the etheric of the first dark world and the bright songs beyond, every new area you visit is the treat of the ears. All kinds of genres have a great mix of Chipton, and the themes you encounter with each boss somehow outweigh the final theme without any indication of slowing down. (Did my ears fool me, or did you hear TMNT: TIME IN TIME SOUNDFONT being used?) Not only is the music great, its definitive inclusion carefully uses Leitmotif to combine the event with the character to enhance the material. In one of the later chapters there was a certain rare sequence that elicits the raw emotion of live piano playing, how well did the scene maintain the power to reach greater emotional heights?

It is pronounced “$!$?squad.”

It’s difficult to choose a character to speak with a very colorful cast. Whether it was a relatively normal world of light or a dreamy, dark world, the various monsters I encountered made a lasting impression on me. Many of the cast members of Deltarune are actually very, very stupid (in a very attractive way, I promise!). Often it felt almost like a royal rumble of competing scene steelers, with new challengers constantly arriving. There’s always a sinking feeling that a new chapter would never outweigh the previous attitude, but even so, I’ve literally proven wrong in a way that I couldn’t expect from both the new and the face of my return. I don’t even know if I like Rouxls Kaard (pronounced “rule card”), but if he doesn’t get tears in his eyes every time he pops up, it’s usually against the wishes of others.

But I can’t talk about the true “Lightner” star of the show. Chris and Susie were one of my favourite teams and were able to command in the base fight in turn. They both go through some very different personal journeys along the course of each chapter, but we still don’t fully know where they will lead, but they continue to fascinate me. Chris, Susie and yes – even Lalsei are each of their solitude and exiles, and it is very satisfying to see them form a bond that is strong enough to shake up the pillars of heaven.

There was a time when Susie’s own character’s development would be a concern that sputtering would pop out right after calming down the more extreme edges of the bully tough girl’s act (this is skillfully woven into Deltarné’s mechanics, showing intelligent ways both in and out of combat). Instead, I found a wildcard. She is as much the main character in this story as Chris… sometimes even more. Susie constantly forgets her path when it suits her, leading to amazing revelation and tweaks about how Deltarné plays. She can’t even let her remove the gear from her without giving her anything else to equip. Still, for her bark, she serves as an incredibly vocal stand-in for us, and it turns out to be total enthusiasm from frustrated indifference as she embraces her role in the story and embraces her new friend.

Her relationship with my classmate Chris is something I never get bored of. This encapsulates some of the funniest, heartwarming and most sincere parts of Deltarune’s story so far. I couldn’t count the number of times I checked an object and was presented with the option to do something very stupid. They are truly a ridiculous duo, with a single brainsel joint custody, and the enthusiasm they share for absurdity is inevitably contagious.

Chris is a fascinating mystery in itself, and explains why it requires lightweight spoilers from the first two chapters. I hope you forgive me for this, but it is also one of the hearts of Deltarné’s themes and how you play it. You can read more by clicking on the spoiler tag below.

I don’t want to say more about how your role continues to escalate in later chapters, and I don’t want to ruin much of the content of Chapters 3 and 4. In Chapter 4, it wasn’t the way I was expecting, but it was like riding a big deep bye mau that caused the aforementioned roller coaster to terrify. There are some slow parts. In particular, we’ll navigate some of the more maze-like areas that we think are missing until the usual unlockable shortcuts are completely over.

But nothing prepares me for the miserable end to Chapter 4. The story remains unfinished. Yes, but I’ve seen the moment when it ended it doing so for now, overcome the incredible odds and drop the jaws as much as I have.