Undertale

[JaySevenZero]

Here is where you can leave your thoughts regarding the Undertale for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.

[Yacobg42]

How can I express what Undertale means to me?

On the surface, it's a cute, expectation-subverting RPG. It has a clever battle system. It has hard bosses, pretty art, and fun gameplay twists.

But for me, that's not what Undertale is. Instead, it's a game bursting with more humanity than maybe anything I've ever played. It insists that everyone, from the lowliest doggo to the most intimidating knight, has something to give to the world. It pushes this message so strongly, with such sincerity and such heart, that the cheesy notion of "goodness" being worth striving for actually overshadowed all my typically cynical thoughts as I crossed the finish line. In large part, I'm sure this is due to my initial playthrough on the "true pacifist" route. Undertale's biggest flaw may be that it requires commitment. Its world, characters, locations, and even mechanics, necessitate significant time spent with them, to glean the meaning of what Toby Fox has crafted.

That's because, to me, Undertale doesn't feel like a collection of quirky jokes, or references to older games, or fanfiction fodder (although it certainly is all of these things). Undertale feels like a true world, inhabited by creatures with so much personality that no number of playthroughs will discover all there is to know about them. It's a world where being good is hard, but also one in which it matters. It's a world that, when for completion's sake, I killed everyone in, I felt truly physically ill because of how true its characters stay to themselves. It's a world that stacks musical motifs so unexpectedly and wonderfully that tracks towards the end were almost emotionally overwhelming. It invoked nostalgia, both for earlier in the game and earlier in my own life, in a way that I don't think I can describe.

It can be obtuse, confusing, and maddeningly difficult. I occasionally struggle to explain to people why my (real life!) dog is named Toriel. And yet, Undertale is a game that I want to give to everyone in the world. Its optimism, humor, and soul helped me through a truly dark time. I wish I had the words to explain how much this game means to me. When I have kids, I want them to play Undertale.

[Buskalilly]

I'm glad I played Undertale as early as I did, having not been subjected to the hype and proselytising the game's fans have been spreading since release. The writing was funny, the symbiosis of gameplay and story was ingeniously done, and what the endgame said about the player, and games as a medium, was expertly crafted.

Is Undertale perfect? Of course not. I played through the game not wanting to kill anybody, only to reach a final boss who must be fought on the first playthrough and find myself hideously under-levelled. I powered through though, because what is there is absolutely aces. The problem now is trying to mute the constant chatter before it turns me around on liking the game like Portal's fanbase did . . .

[thegreenflea]

I had heard a lot of things about Undertale from a lot of places (including Cane & Rinse & Sound of Play) and it seemed like a game I needed to check out. From all the things I heard, I knew the game basically had 3 endings: one for killing most of the monsters, one for sparing every monster, and one in between the two. When I started the game, I knew I'd try to spare all the monsters as I like to think that fits more with my personality in that I won't fight if I don't have to. Playing this way presented each battle with a unique puzzle in what I had to do or say in order for the monster to be pacified enough to leave me alone but I still had to be reactive when it came to dodging their attacks. With this style, I was immersed completely into the game; it is such a unique style and I felt much better after completing a battle where both sides, in essence, won. From there, I only got drawn in more with the characters (Papyrus a personal favorite), the story, the history, and of course the music; every character has their own theme that completely captures their personality!

Once I completed the game, I had to do a few other things to get the "Pacifist Ending" and willfully completed those few things so I could see the whole picture; that ending is the one that sticks with me. I love this game and how that story-line ended. I have read about the other ways to complete the game, most notably the "Genocide Ending" but I haven't been able to get myself to complete it that way as it would take away from the way I think the game is supposed to be. On the other hand, I enjoyed the world and events so much that I want to see more but I also don't want to be or be seen as an outright murderer by these beloved characters.

I'm sure I will play it again one day so I will ask the panel who goes over the game for the podcast, with the above in mind, do you think I should play it going for the "Genocide Ending"?

Thanks everyone in advance!

[chrysalice]

I got into Undertale relatively soon after it came out, hearing a lot of positive things about it and really liking the idea of a game where violence was not the correct solution. In the end I felt kind of mixed about it, I found many of the characters grating and the jokes unfunny. What I did love about it was when the game slowed down and became a lot more reflective. The constant reminder to "Stay Determined!" and simple messages, such as "Despite everything, it's still you." really endeared me to the game and kept me going to the surprisingly creepy end. I've no real intention of going back and doing a genocide run, that seems to be in complete contradiction to how the game is set up, and every time I think about playing it again I'm put off by knowing I have to deal with certain annoying aspects of it.

I am glad I've played it through, and I'm glad it's appealing to so many people. As a final point, as a non-binary individual, it's just... really nice to have a completely genderless character to play as.

[MauricioMM]

Undertale is for sure not a game for everybody. Not necessarily because of its difficulty —sometimes satisfactory, sometimes unfair—, its pacing —too slow at first but very exciting in the 2nd. half—, or its cast of characters —lovable or annoying depending of who you are— but because of its personality, its voice, its spirit. For people with an open mind, experience with loneliness, a kind-of-deep understanding of nerd culture (extra points if you’ve played Earthbound) and a healthy sense of humor this game is almost perfect. Personally, I don’t consider it The Best Game Of All Time™, it’s after all a specific game for specific tastes, but it definitely earned an important place in my heart

I got interested in this game the moment I saw the shockwaves of hype that ravaged throughout internet right after its release... well, maybe not as exagerated as I just told it but you get my idea However, I tried to initially stay clear of any related fan circles —in part because I wanted to play it with the least amount of expectations possible but mostly because many fans tend to throw spoilers around without any precaution— and let me tell you: almost like Gone Home, this game is way more enjoyable if you know next to nothing about it. I’m not saying that my experience got ruined because I knew some facts about its story before I played it (my fault regardless) but every twist and quirk present in this game is so amazing in its own way that it’s best to start the game "blind" and open to surprises.

And, in my opinion, those surprises are what make this game earn a relevant mark in videogame history, compared to what was on the market back then. What do I mean by surprises? Well, it’s better if you find out on your own (otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise, duh ) but I can give you a clue: its characters are not as shallow and unidimensional as they seem.

Oh, and the soundtrack is sublime in its own way

Regarding its routes and endings, I think it’s best if you first play the neutral route (unavoidable on the first run) and then the true pacifist route, in order to get the best emotional experience. After that, I don’t recommend it (unless you’re sadomasochistic ) but it’s up to you if you want to play the genocide route and feel like you want to have a bad time

---

My three word review:
Profound Despite Cuteness

[Todinho]

First time I heard about Undertale was when listening to a podcast, at that time the game wasnt even out yet and they were discussing the demo which I ended up downloading thinking: "Well that sounds like something neat to check out someday" It didnt take long however for the game to come out and take the internet by storm,for awhile it seemed I couldnt open a window without seeing fans of the game showering it with praise while at the same time saying nothing because it would "ruin the game" if you didnt go in absolutely blind,this of course made me want to hate the game so I bought it right away with the intent of playing it just so I couldnt say that the fans were wrong and the game was overrated, as it turned out Undertale was one of my favorite games of 2015.

Since I went in with such a negative attitude the game would have to make a pretty good first impression to sway me,I was even going in with the intent of killing every single character just because I could,the game however quickly changed my mind by introducing what became my favorite character in the whole game, the psychopathic flower Flowey.
Flowey is the main antagonist that follows you throught the whole game taunting you to kill and just being a general jerk, he's the first character you meet and perfectly sets up the dichotomy of Undertale's world,the goofy and silly with the serious and emotional,it might sound like an exageration but the entire story of Undertale is about Flowey. The reason for that is not just because of his role in the context of the story or the fact that he's a great villain but because in many ways he's a reflection of the players themselfs, only he has already gone through the cycle multiple times and now is just wanting to break the game itself,that's what made my interactions with him so interesting and why his tauntings hit so well to the point that he even makes fun of players who go on youtube to see the "genocide" playthroughs they didnt had the guts to do themselfs,not that I know anything about that . By being such a great villain he made me hate him right away to the point I decided I wouldnt kill anyone just to spite him,which was a great decision since I think I would have disliked the game a whole lot if I had opted to just kill every character.

The reason for that is because if someone were to ask me if they should play the game just because of the gameplay I would tell them not to bother, it's at best an interesting puzzle game in which you have o figure out how to resolve all the conflicts without killing your enemies or a very simplistic RPG and I dont think either of them benefit by having bullet hell sections.To me Undertale is at it's best when introducing weird likeable characters,making quirk jokes like a whole dating system outta nowhere or when it's cleverly subverting expectations by breaking the fourth wall and commenting on player behavior. The game seems to know this making the "proper" pacifist path the one most players will take or try to take while almost punishing players who go for the genocide path making them literally grind to get that ending. That can be a valid criticism of the game but I think it's in a way part of the point of the game is trying to make,of narrative and characters versus mechanics and completion, in that sense Undertale certainly favours one side but I dont think it's a bad thing.

Lastly I just want to give special mention to the endings,at least the neutral and pacifist ones are really satisfying and cathartic being perfect ways to close the game,also I guess the game had an alright soundtrack too.

[gallo_pinto]

I'm going to be honest, I'm having trouble writing my correspondence for Undertale. On one hand, it was the best game I played last year by a lot. The soundtrack and characters are some of the best I've ever encountered in a game. It reduced me to tears numerous times over my two and a half playthroughs. Hell, I finished the game and felt like I had grown as a person, like I was a better human being for having played Undertale.

At the same time, I understand that it's that type of hyperbolic sounding praise that has so annoyed people who haven't played it. It's why so many people find the Undertale community kind of insufferable.

So my recommendation to people who haven't played it is to try and tune out all of the noise. Just remove expectations and play the game. If you can get through all of the hype and a slow start, you'll find a special game.

Three Word Review: Muscle flexing contest!

[gallo_pinto]

Instead, it's a game bursting with more humanity than maybe anything I've ever played. It insists that everyone, from the lowliest doggo to the most intimidating knight, has something to give to the world.

It's a world where being good is hard, but also one in which it matters.

Its optimism, humor, and soul helped me through a truly dark time. I wish I had the words to explain how much this game means to me. When I have kids, I want them to play Undertale.

Holy shit, this is good. I know that people will have a lot to say on Undertale on the podcast, but I hope this makes the show. This is really well written stuff.

[AndrewBrown]

One thing I can say about Undertale is all the time I’ve spent with it already still isn’t enough. I’ve beaten it twice now—once on a standard Neutral ending, and once with a True Pacifist—which I thought would be more than sufficient to gain a basic understanding of its subtleties and nuances. But it wasn't. I understand its broader points, the deconstruction of common RPG tropes and conventions, the criticism-via-game design of the unshakably apocalyptic nature of mainstream game design. It’s a short game, and these lessons are easily scrutinized by an awakened mind.

I often read about videogames after I have beaten them, and the sheer breadth of what I didn’t even notice in Undertale has overwhelmed me. I regarded the six human souls as little more than macguffins, but other players, wiser and and more patient than I, have charted their individual stories in the Underground and divined their personalities through clues hidden in the darkest recesses and plain sight. Numerous hidden monsters, some found only through the most arcane methods, add additional clarity to the world of the Underground. Still others have charted every possible combination of ending through Genocide, Neutral, and Pacifist, finding all of the little differences between characters and finding the depths of their characters.

Undertale is like a novella, small and digestible but still meaty and filling. But just when you think you’ve reached the ending, the last page is suddenly the first again, and as you reread it everything is just a little different from the last. Only in the Genocide and True Pacifist endings are some sense of finality reached, but Undertale is still a videogame, and it can still be looped through again if you choose to.

What I admire most about Undertale, however, is that you can ignore all of its narrative and world-building, and it’s still a perfectly entertaining RPG. Whether you’re murdering everything in sight or trying to talk your way through, every fight has some unique mechanic, blending in platforming and bullet hell design to create eclectic and engaging fights. Even to a player uninterested in its plots and themes, I’d recommend this as being just a fun and well-designed videogame.

But I think these players would be doing themselves a disservice, since Undertale is a significant piece of the videogaming landscape. What it has to say about videogames and the players who play them is often questioned through written criticism, but has rarely been challenged so effectively using the medium itself. I was gifted Undertale from a friend as a Christmas gift; he insisted I play it, in spite of my general disinterest in PC videogames. I’m glad I did. It hasn’t told me anything I didn’t already believe about videogames, but it has presented it in a new and invigorating way.

Even though I feel I haven’t gotten everything out of it I should, at least not yet, what I have got has been invaluable. Undertale is a short videogame, but I come away from it feeling there’s not enough time in a lifetime to fully penetrate everything it reveals.

[thesummercircuit]

I live in the United States. We had an election recently, you may have heard about it. Election night was easily the worst night of my entire life. I felt physically sick when I realized what was happening and I couldn't bear to watch it play out. I went to bed very early that night hoping I could fall asleep and make this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach go away. I tossed and turned for 12 hours straight, unable to check my phone for an update because I was too afraid for what I might find. After the endless misery of that night gave way to daylight I held my breath and checked the results. My worst nightmare had come true. Hate had trumped love.

I spent that day in utter disbelief. As the next day came around, that disbelief had transformed to anger. Seething anger. I wanted to lash out. I wanted to grab these people by the throat and make them answer for what they had done.

That rage burned within me for days and days... And then I played Undertale.

Undertale is a game for anybody who has ever lost hope.

"Life is the same as usual. A little claustrophobic... But... we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don't we? As long as we got that hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day... That's life, ain't it?"

Undertale radiates warmth.

Its characters are among the most memorable I have ever encountered in a work of fiction. Their quirks and personalities feel so real that every conversation fills my heart with that unique feeling you only get from seeing an old friend you haven't talked to for years but pick up right where you left off with, instantly blurting out inside jokes and finishing each other's sentences. It's a special feeling and one that I can only say I've experienced in very few other works of fiction. I miss these characters like one would miss a friend. Repeat play-throughs of the game feel more like flipping through a photo album of cherished memories than replaying a video game.

Their struggles feel real, human, and uncompromising. Alphys' self-worth difficulties and fear of unrequited love. Asgore and Toriel's marriage tattered by tragedy. Papyrus' true genuine kindness despite his own acceptance issues. These characters all have an underlying note of bittersweet poignancy that humanizes them and makes the game's ultimate payoff work as well as it does. The solutions to their problems lie in the love and friendship they have fostered with each other and with you.

"Despite everything, it's still you."

Undertale is brave and innovative.

I love The Last Of Us for moving storytelling in video games forward, but The Last Of Us could have worked just as well as a well-executed movie. The same cannot be said of Undertale. Undertale is a video game and can only ever be a video game. Its story and message can be universally enjoyed and appreciated by non-gamers, but its delivery is wholly coded in a language they do not and cannot understand. Undertale is like reading a haiku written in a language only people like you and I can read. The haiku can be translated and its sentiment can be understood and appreciated, but the rhythm, cadence and intangible beauty of the form will be lost in the process. Undertale is a love letter to the memories people like us cherish, but it doesn't rely on nostalgia for its impact, it aims higher and its aspirations are greater.

"But it refused."

Undertale is a triumph that is greater than the sum of all of its wonderful parts.

Those people who voted differently than I did, the ones I spent those days blinded by rage toward... Undertale reminded me that they are people. They are people just like me. They have fears. They have hopes. They have dreams. They are misguided, but within every Flowey lies an Asriel. They deserve my mercy. They deserve our mercy, simply for the fact that they are living and breathing, just like us.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. Undertale acknowledges this. It knows that there are people out there who do truly awful things, but it challenges us to approach these issues with empathy rather than rage. I may never have chosen to fight, but I was still fighting to make the world better. It's just instead of using sticks and stones, my weapons were mercy, acceptance, and love.

Undertale tells us that it is harder to do the right thing in life. If we choose the route of violence we will become a powerful force, but if we offer love and acceptance we will remain at the mercy of those who oppose us. Undertale does not reward you with rare items or improved stats for doing the right thing, it rewards you with experiences, friends, and memories. Doing the right thing is indeed the harder path. But if we keep at it we can make a difference. We can break through the barrier. If those fighting for love are filled with DETERMINATION, love will always trump hate.

[MajorGamer]

Earthbound and Mother 3 are some of my favorite games so Undertale's positive comparisons towards those two put it on my radar. While I do enjoy the game, it isn't with the normal accolades that it gets. The majority of the characters I found to be rather annoying more than anything else whether it be the overbearing mother of Toriel or Alphys interrupting moving forward to say nothing. Maybe if more time is given to each one I wouldn't have found them to be so, but the short game length is also a strength as it increases the replayability letting you explore the variety of Neutral endings and really getting into the meta nature of the game.

The combat itself is the strongest point for me, helped by being vastly different from other turn based RPGs, turning enemy attacks into a little shmup. Each enemy has a few patterns and they are all different to keep you on your toes during combat. It is even nice that the enemy's characteristics are often brought into the attacks themselves such as the two dogs blowing kisses at each other or Undyne finally catching you and immediately locking you in place. Flowey is one of the characters that is aware that this is a game and uses it to his advantage by saving and loading the game. Lastly, how can I not mention Sans when speaking about the combat? A fight that breaks several previously established rules in a last ditch effort to stop you from killing just about everyone and, like what usually happens after, stop playing the game, ending it for the rest.

Undertale may not have been this shining game for me like it is for others, but it is definitely one that will be talked about and deserves to be talked about for years to come.

[AlexMaskill]

Undertale is one of the most cohesive games I've ever played, even in its wildest moments. When Toby Fox wants to be funny, everything from the writing to the graphics to the mechanics contribute directly to that. When he wants to explore an aesthetic affectation, he does so in ways that constantly surprise. Mechanics, interface, even genre - nothing is safe from - sudden, bizarre, but always wonderfully illustrative - change.

The game's greatest strength is the way that cohesion is used in the exploration of character. In standard combat encounters, the standard battle elements - dodging and non-violent interaction - reflect each enemy's personality in funny, offbeat and fantastical ways. Boss battles, however, completely transform into extraordinary, experimental puzzles. Each one provides space through its mechanics to tell a full story about that boss, with its own character arcs and twists.

There are minor flaws in Undertale's implementation of this Kojima approach of making fights into character studies; maybe I'm being dense but I'm not sure why the encounters with Undyne have such rigid regularity when she herself is wild, intense and unrestrained, and so I don't really think the sudden transition to a rhythm action game works in her favour. Mostly, however, it melds creative game design and illustrative character work in hilarious, unexpected and extremely satisfying ways.

I keep coming back to the idea of this game being surprising but grounded. Every decision Toby Fox makes in this game is rooted deeply in logical, smart extrapolations of the ideas he's exploring - they catch you off guard in the moment but they make sense when you look back on them. This lends the experience a genuine richness of personality that you simply don't see in most other games. It's actually pretty scary, as a designer, to suddenly launch into a radically different set of mechanics, or adaptation of mechanics you've already established, but Toby Fox doesn't seem to have that fear at all, and from a pure mechanical standpoint, each variant of his core mechanics have a consistently high level of polish and development. The fact that he can then tie that into characterization so well is a staggering feat of game design.

Really, for whatever else this game is, it's that: a staggering feat of game design. Its story and characters and music and level design are all fine on their own but they tie together with a singularity of vision and a sense of authorship that I haven't seen since - again - Kojima. It's hard to compare the two, since Kojima works on the largest scale of game development and Toby Fox is a quintessential indie developer, but there's no other analogue for the level of careful, all-encompassing authorship of a game you see in Undertale. I loved my time with this game, I look forward to playing through it again, and I'm very much looking forward to whatever Toby Fox turns out next.

[Stanshall]

I would love to play this but I don't have a computer, really, just a tablet and phone. I really hope it gets ported to console or handheld.

[GoodShrewsbury]

In my brief spell with Undertale, I think I caught the slightest glimmer of why people adore this game. I played the first 2 hours and had a handful of laugh-out-loud moments in a pretty short span of time. However, I bounced off of this game pretty hard. I tried a couple of times to come back but quickly bored of it. Reading many of the comments, I will definitely go back and play it at some point (I did spend money on it). But, to my shame, I couldn't stick with it for the podcast.

[Yacobg42]

Instead, it's a game bursting with more humanity than maybe anything I've ever played. It insists that everyone, from the lowliest doggo to the most intimidating knight, has something to give to the world.

It's a world where being good is hard, but also one in which it matters.

Its optimism, humor, and soul helped me through a truly dark time. I wish I had the words to explain how much this game means to me. When I have kids, I want them to play Undertale.

Holy shit, this is good. I know that people will have a lot to say on Undertale on the podcast, but I hope this makes the show. This is really well written stuff.

Thank you!! That means a lot, especially from such a prolific contributor. I was worried about being a bit too flowery writing about this game, but I'm not sure how else to express it.

[KSubzero1000]

Quick question.

I bought this in the recent PSN sale and was planning on diving into it in the immediate future. I know next to nothing about it, except that it's a retro-style RPG that people have been very enthusiastic about since it came out and that Pacifism is a mechanical option (maybe?). That's about it. I haven't listened to the podcast and know nothing about the story, characters, combat system, etc... So my question is, should I just go blind into it, or would I be missing out on some important stuff by doing so? And if it's the latter, is the game short enough to encourage multiple playthroughs?

I'm not talking about story spoilers or anything like that. More along the line of Dark Souls' weapon upgrade system, to avoid getting frustrated and stuck halfway through.

[ColinAlonso]

I'd say go blind but if you're going for the pacifist route you'll have to mentally commit to being non-violent early on and resist any videogame instilled temptation to fight.

It took me about 6 - 6.5 hours if I remember correctly. Mechanically its a simple game so you won't get stuck due to any weapon upgrade system or anything similar.

[KSubzero1000]

Okay, thanks! I'll do that and see what happens.