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New Adventures in
the underground.
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Deltarune is the surprise release from Toby Fox, developer of the memorable indie, Undertale. Despite the striking similarities to his debut hit, Fox has gone on to state that Deltarune is a completely new project that isn't tied to prior work. Deltarune ups the ante of Undertale's cheeky humor while adding a new plot and characters to the mix. Billed as "Chapter 1" of a bigger game, it's aims to be by far Fox's most ambitious work yet and one that I was excited for the moment I heard it dropped online for free.
The story follows a young child named Kris, who falls to an underground ruin along with his classmate, Susie. They meet and befriend a young prince, Ralsei, who tells them that they're heroes of an old prophecy who will one day spread peace throughout the land. If you've played Undertale, they you'll feel right at home with Deltarune as the various characters you come across are cheeky and charming in their own unique way. I loved much of the quirky intersections and even the more eerie exchanges where the tone completely takes an unexpected U-turn especially towards the ending. Despite the game's brief length, I found myself quickly attached to the cast including the menacing yet caring, Susie, to the carefree and upbeat, Lancer. The narrative's top-notch and made me love Fox's witty writing even more.
Deltarune is a role-playing game that has you exploring the ruins while also interacting with its inhabitants along the way. Battles take the form of a single screen where you have up to five commands to choose from. "Attack" will simply have you hitting enemies with your sword through a timed button press. Using "Act" can lead to a more civil approach by negotiating with enemies and getting on their good side. "Magic" has you using Ralsei's magic abilities to either pacify or heal the party. "Guard" is simply just that, shields you from enemy attacks. Lastly, "Spare" will allow you to spare an enemy without killing them, though you'll have to weaken them first. It's a simple enough system to get used to and the tutorial does a good job of easing you in the fundamentals.
Enemies appear on-screen and will rush onto you to initiate a battle. The red heart in the middle represents your vitality and getting hit will get you damaged in battle, so you should be constantly maneuvering oncoming attacks. You'll notice a yellow meter on-screen, dubbed "TP" which allows you to cast spells at the cost of guarding for a turn. Different characters have their own TP skills so it's best to take a more defensive approach to combat at times. Battles aside, you'll be exploring much of the ruins and interacting with some of its populated inhabitants. Some of them want to kill you, some of them don't, but hey, it's part of the game's charm. That being said, I wasn't a fan of the puzzle design as some took practically no effort to solve and as a result, come off as weak in execution.
Enemies appear on-screen and will rush onto you to initiate a battle. The red heart in the middle represents your vitality and getting hit will get you damaged in battle, so you should be constantly maneuvering oncoming attacks. You'll notice a yellow meter on-screen, dubbed "TP" which allows you to cast spells at the cost of guarding for a turn. Different characters have their own TP skills so it's best to take a more defensive approach to combat at times. Battles aside, you'll be exploring much of the ruins and interacting with some of its populated inhabitants. Some of them want to kill you, some of them don't, but hey, it's part of the game's charm. That being said, I wasn't a fan of the puzzle design as some took practically no effort to solve and as a result, come off as weak in execution.
Its clear that Fox has learned a lot from his previous work as the color palette is more varied and watching some of the vibrant backgrounds was pretty enjoyable. The character models are detailed and fit rather well with the game's aesthetic, despite some rough-looking models. Coming from the guys that dished out the excellent "Megalovania" theme of Undertale, the soundtrack here is just as good with many catchy tracks, my favorites being the field and shop themes.
Deltarune has the potential of being a great game and if this demo is just a small taste of what's to come, then I can't wait to see what's in store next. The story was engaging, the gameplay is a step-up from Fox's previous work, and the presentation is fantastic. Deltarune took me over 3 hours to beat and seeing as it's only the first chapter, it still has a long way to become a fully-fledged experience. Fox even states that it may take a while for the rest of the chapters to roll out as he's seeking a team to finish the project. For now, you can download the game via the official website here if you're interested.
Update: I've changed the title from "review" to make it more of an impressions piece since thinking about it, Deltarune isn't a full game yet and based on what I've played so far, it's clear that there's more to come.
Update: I've changed the title from "review" to make it more of an impressions piece since thinking about it, Deltarune isn't a full game yet and based on what I've played so far, it's clear that there's more to come.
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