Undertale Review

After the recent release of Deltarune chapter two, I decided to revisit the original game by Toby Fox. Although the game has become a bit of a meme, upon revisiting the recent classic, I was left feeling accomplished and nostalgic.

While some may see Undertale’s pixelated, retro, exterior as a detriment, but the low-poly world actually helps with the suspension of disbelief and player engagement with the game. The character sprites are charming and the backgrounds and environments are both beautiful and distinct.

One of Undertale’s major strengths is its characters and their personalities. Each character is a different archetype, and their silly banter for the majority of the playthrough only makes the intense moments more intense. Part of the reason why the initial fandom was so intense is because of the great personalities the characters have.

The other major strength of the game is the amazing soundtrack that accompanies the story. Playing this game with the sound off is nearly a crime, as the music makes the game. Character themes create a sense of story progression and some of the background music is beautiful enough to listen to on its own.

The gameplay mostly consists of dodging projectiles in each fight, and each boss fight adds a gimmick to this formula. Some fights are challenging enough to play them over and over, but many can be done easily. The fight vs. spare mechanic of this game is what makes it special. Personally, I always spare enemies and have never even attempted a “genocide route” which speaks to the power of the connections that the player makes with the characters.

Overall, the game is just as fun and charming as it was when it was first released. While playing the game, I felt a strong feeling of nostalgia for how the world was when I first played the game. If you haven’t played it, it’s worth the relatively short amount of time it takes to get through the experience.