Undertale
The game Undertale is an indie RPG where you play as a child who has fallen into a world of “monsters” in the Underground. You must fight, talk, or bribe your way past many creatures and obstacles to find your way back to the Earth’s surface, coming into contact with many puzzles and characters along the way. This game stood out to me because of its beautiful music and fun puzzle type scenarios. The music of Undertale is not easy to forget, as it encompasses a lot of energy and emotion in every note. The song playing and the sound effects in each moment of the game are incredibly meaningful to gameplay and kept me entranced and feeling adventurous. There were many feeling that arose from playing this game, largely at first due to its music that made me feel a sense of mystery and question what I should do next.
While playing, I was always thinking about what the right or even moral thing to do was and what might happen if I was not concerned with this. The game allows you to act as a mercenary or the complete opposite. You can choose to fight and even kill every enemy or you can try your best to see if they can go on their own way or flee. I made the choice to try to free most monsters I encountered, I’m not entirely sure why but the game made me feel bad for them or as if I should not kill them like I might in most other games. I felt as though this was the right choice to make, to not defeat every potential enemy, because they might give me more insight then I would think or they may have something I could use. I think it’s really interesting how Undertale makes its players consider morals to this extent when many other rpgs simply have enemies that the main character must face.
The underlying mechanics that make Undertale successful have to be its actions, music, and art style. These are all very unique and crucial to gameplay, making the player’s experience so much better. The art and music of the game allow it to give players a sense of mystery, adventure, and purpose, something that other games sometimes lack in their entirety. The fighting mechanics, stats, and overall modes of Undertale are very distinct and remind me of an older arcade game almost, although it is not.
The characters of Undertale alongside its encompassing soundtrack are what makes the game have an intriguing and dramatic flare. The characters of Undertale all have such a well developed personality and backstory that it leaves players wanting to know more and to explore more. Without spoiling anything, the lore of the game is some of the best I’ve experienced and delves deep into a world that you want to be a part of.
