Undertale is a top-rated game released by Toby Fox in 2015. Released in the style of old 8-bit games, Undertale offers a unique experience that has yet to be fully replicated by anyone other than Fox himself. Here are a few reasons players, especially myself, love Undertale.
1. The Soundtrack
Created by Toby Fox himself, the soundtrack to this game is 101 songs long. Each piece sounds unique, but the story takes the “Fallen Down” track and morphs it into multiple tempos and pitches to show how you evolve with the game. The storytelling provided by the songs allows the players to laugh, cry, and sympathize with every character they come across.
Each character has its own soundtrack, each given a name that perfectly describes them. Depending on the ending you’re heading near, some characters’ tracks will change. Take the character Undyne for example. If you’re on your way towards the Good Ending, the “Spear of Justice” track will play, but if you’re on your way towards a… different… end, the “Battle Against a True Hero” will play. Each tune’s tone is drastically different from the other, allowing you to feel the weight of the story upon you.
2. Character Side Quests
Everyone loves a good side quest. I know I do. In Undertale, you are given the chance to take on many, many sidequests. Each monster you encounter allows you to aid the monster in some way. Whether it’s laughing at an underappreciated comedian’s jokes or patting a dog until its head floats offscreen, you’re in for an adventure. Each character has a story to tell, and it is so much fun to explore these dynamic stories.
My favorite side quest appears when confronted by two royal guards. During the battle, you realize they may have feelings for each other. As they attempt to battle you, you, instead, urge them to confess to each other. The scenario ends with them finally admitting their feelings and thanking you for helping them. There is so much fun ready for you.
3. Making Friends with Monsters
Along with the numerous side quests, you also have the chance to become close to a handful of these monsters. You can help Papyrus the skeleton learn to cook, you can help Alphys get over her anxiety in asking Undyne on a date, you can train with Undyne, and so much more. Each of these characters has an opportunity for you to be their close friend, despite you being a human, their sworn enemy. It brings you closer to the characters and gives you so much empathy for their struggles and so much pride in their achievements.
Playing through the game, it is easy to miss some of these opportunities. If you take the time to look around and check in with each of these characters, they’ll open their heart to you, just as you have to them.
4. Breaking the Fourth Wall
Everyone loves a good use of a fourth wall break. Something this game does is pull you into the game, quite literally. If you replay the game, some of the character's dialogue might change as they start to have weird bouts of deja vu. If you play many times, Flowey may ask you if you “have anything better to do.” If you die to a certain enemy, he will count each time you die, welcoming you back each time you reenter the battle. Some characters even break the rules of the game they’re in to trick you.
If you play a run called the Genocide Run, which you can probably guess what that’s about from the name, the game will even crash itself upon its end, and not allow you to replay until you make a nefarious deal with the main antagonist of the game. You will never be above the consequences in Undertale.
5. Multiple Endings
There are 3 general endings to Undertale, dubbed the True Pacifist Run, The Neutral Run, and The Genocide Run. There are about 90+ variations to the neutral runs, but the result is the same. The Pacifist Run follows you befriending everyone and releasing the monsters from the underground. If you choose to ruin everyone’s lives, though, you will find a very different ending awaiting you.
The most fascinating part, though, is that you have to complete a neutral run, restart, and then you can complete the True Pacifist Run. It allows you to use the save mechanics—that is very much incorporated into the story—to rectify a mistake made in the Neutral Run. The game also keeps track of which runs you complete and adjusts the story and some of the characters’ dialogue accordingly. It is a meticulously planned game that is full of care and love from its developer.
6. Challenging Battles
While the Genocide Run is an option, don’t expect it to be a walk in the park. The battles that you must fight and monsters that you must slay become more and more difficult as time goes on. These battles allow the player to test their skills, but they are also a message from the game asking you how far you’re willing to go. These battles are exciting to complete, though, and allow for so much more story that you can uncover along the way.
The most difficult battle, as pictured above, is with Sans the Skeleton. While he appears unassuming in the True Pacifist Run and never challenges you to a proper battle, he does not hold back here. He is Judgement Day upon you, and if you want to complete this run, you have to take on one of the hardest enemies you will ever fight in Undertale.
7. A Truly Moving Story
If you ask any Undertale lover about the game, there is a good chance that they will mention how amazingly moving the story is. While playing the Pacifist Run, each of the characters opens up to you tremendously, explaining to you how much it means to them to see you try so hard to free them. They watch you become stronger and filled with determination. You are their savior but also their closest friend. The story is full of beautiful moments that I have to admit made me tear up while playing.
There is no shortage of moving moments, and while you aid these characters, you, as the player, start to fall in love with these characters and this world. It is impossible to completely detach yourself from these characters (which makes the Genocide Run that much harder) and it is truly impressive.
8. Dynamic Characters
As you befriend these characters and realize how dynamic each of them is, you start to uncover secrets about their past and their psyche. They each have a life and you have the chance to fully realize a lot of these characters as well-rounded individuals. Papyrus wants desperately to join the royal guard, despite his childlike antics. Toriel wants her children back. Sans wants to meet the lady on the other side of the door to the ruins. Undyne wants to become stronger than ever. Alphys… Alphys desperately needs someone to talk to.
Alphys’ story is one of my personal favorites. While she is this silly scientist who has a passion for anime, she [SPOILER] also has deep trauma that she has been hiding away for the majority of her life. While trying to create the determination that only humans possess, she ended up hurting many monsters, turning them into these amalgamations of what they once were. When you explore her secrets, she finally allows herself to open up to you, and begins to heal.
9. Easter Eggs
Any good game is never complete without some easter eggs. With a dynamic and complex world to explore, there is so much you can find. If you choose certain names at the beginning, you can get a certain text telling you why you can or cannot choose that name. If you pat a dog many, many, MANY times, you’ll end up with the scene pictured above: a little puppy who is very excited about being pet.
Other easter eggs are much more mysterious. Take the existence of W.D. Gaster. He is mentioned various times (indirectly and directly) by his followers, Alphys, and Sans. He is rumored to still exist in the game file, and it is even possible to trigger a sprite of him out in the open. It is impossible to know for sure what happened to him, but players have found numerous clues from both Alphys’ and Sans’ interactions that they know something about Gaster and about the nature of resetting the game that they will not tell the player. The easter eggs present leave much to think about and broaden this huge world even more.
10. The Message of the Game
I have raved on and on about the amazing features of the game itself, but let me take a moment to indulge in the beautiful message that this game provides. The heart and soul of this game are based on your determination and your love for the monsters all around you. In the very final battle of the game, you will refuse to die, not allowing your soul to leave without saving your friends. You defeat the antagonist not with a sword but with hopes and dreams. You restore the person that has long since given up, and you give him hope.
The community of fans that this game has is full of people who have found their own hopes and dreams restored after playing. It has allowed players to find themselves within each of the characters and use them to help themselves through various struggles. The game is beautifully put together and thoughtfully developed to be a metaphor for what determination, love, and hope can do to a person. I highly recommend this game to anyway who comes across it.
