Deltarune (First Look)
By Rae
By now, you’ve probably heard of the cryptic tweets from Undertale and Toby Fox. You’ve also probably heard of where they eventually led to: https://www.deltarune.com/
When you go to Deltarune, you’ll be greeted with nothing but some text and a download link. You’ll receive the warning more than once: you accept everything that will happen from now on.
If you want my honest opinion, it’s this: turn around now. Back out of this page. Go to the Deltarune site and install it and adventure forward blindly. The buildup to this release, the mystery around it, and the complete lack of knowing what was next really added to my experience. I made sure to go in 100% blind and as such, I had no idea what was coming or how long it would last, and it made the experience so much better.
But, if you don’t mind some level of spoilers (which I’ll try to minimize here) then feel free to look ahead, where you’ll find a little bit of what this cryptic surprise is about and a quick peek at what waits for you inside the Survey Program.
“This world is full of many kinds of people. In the end, how we treat them makes all the difference”
When you download and install the file from the Deltarune site, you’ll be greeted by an actual, fully playable game: Deltarune.
At first, they’ll be met with character creation.
How do you picture your character? What do you want for them? What’s their name?Are you happy with your creation?
Turns out it doesn’t even matter – the game informs you that don’t get to choose who you are in life, and puts you in the place of Kris (the clearly older version of Undertale’s protagonist).
Deltarune takes us to a slightly different version of Undertale – it’s clearly meant to be some form of sequel, but later on it seems that the characters don’t remember the events of Undertale. Like Undertale, Deltarune has a story that unfolds in quirky and unexpected ways as the player moves forward. When they arrive late to school, they find themselves having to partner up with Susie – a rather tough, apathetic classmate. Susie and Kris’s first task together is to run to the school’s supply closet to grab chalk. Instead, they find themselves dropped into a strange, new world.
Soon, they come across Ralsei – a soft-spoken, meek creature who explains to them that they are the prophesized heroes who will save the world. Susie, determined to go home instead of wasting time with stories, heads off on her own, while Kris and Ralsei chase after to find her.
As players explore the dark world, they’ll find similar puzzles to Undertale, though it felt a little bit easier in difficulty. All enemies can be defeated without fighting, though it’s clear you can kill them as well, as a later Act mechanic involves helping enemies avoid harm.
There seem to be some hidden twists and turns – in my playthrough, I didn’t kill fight or kill anything, and I haven’t had time to try any other approach yet. I’ve seen some reports of hidden bosses, though I can’t verify at this time. And honestly, this is a story that I suggest you explore for yourself.
Deltarune is one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had lately. I may be biased considering my love of Undertale, but it felt like returning. The style is still simple and charming, and the music could easily fit into the original Undertale playlist. Despite being free, this isn’t just a sketchy spinoff – Deltarune carries all the charm, feelings, and sometimes even horror of Undertale. It’s clear just as much love and care has gone into this new iteration. Players will find much of the same humour and feeling of the original game.
Deltarune isn’t finished yet – there’s a teaser for a second chapter at the end, and if you peek into the computer lab in the library, the game gives you a nice little notice that there’s a dog making a game, and you should patiently wait for it to finish. Clearly there’s a lot more coming – and I’ll be looking forward to it.