LogFAQs > #951264528

#9 - Undertale (PC, 2015)


There is a very short list of games I would personally consider perfect. In fact, that list may include just a single game on it. And thats Undertale. Every other video game Ive ever played, whether on this list or otherwise, I could come up with some facet of the game I would like to change, and I believe it would be an objectively better game. I dont know what I could ever change about Undertale to improve it. It identifies its target audience and barrages them with such a focused experience tailored to exactly them superbly. I would say Im part of that audience. Not quite the bullseye of that target audience dartboard, but somewhere in the outskirts (maybe like a double 18) to the point that most of its merits are still a solid hit with me.

On the surface, Undertale is just a fun, little RPG Maker game with a unique battle system, made almost entirely by a single person. You play as a human child who has fallen into monster territory, after the human race banished them to live in the underground as the result of a huge race war. As you might expect, most monsters arent terribly excited to see you there and will start fights with you. Random battles will pop up, and when they attack, they summon little white damage areas that you have to dodge. Its kinda reminiscent of Paper Mario, in that you have a lot of control over how much damage you take while on the defensive, though Undertale is a bit more engaging.



Then when its your turn, you have several options. No matter who youre up against, you can always just FIGHT them, take them out, and gain EXP and LV, become stronger and move on. But thats not what the game really wants you to do. It is specifically advertised as the RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone. Thats where your other battle options come in. One of them is ACT, wherein you have a few courses of action, depending on what monster you are fighting. These can range from petting the monster, to singing with them, to trying to eat them. There will typically be some combination of actions that will then allow you to use one of your final options, MERCY, to spare their life, and move on without growing stronger.

It helps when the story and cast of characters are so god damn strong. Every character may not click with you personally, but all of them have the potential to. They all lean pretty hard into being sorta awkward and cheesy that a lot of people the game is specifically targeted to can relate to personally. Theres an anthropomorphic goat who loves awful jokes that is desperate to help anyone whos in trouble, but gets a bit too overbearing about it a lot of the time. Theres a skeleton in the game whose defining personality trait is trying to look cool and make friends, when really hes just a big silly goofball who just wants some company. Theres a lizard scientist who is a massive nerd who gets obsessed with anime and is desperate to have someone to talk to about them without feeling ashamed about it. They all are extremely endearing and have clear flaws that really speak to who the game is trying to tell its OK to have flaws as long as you are trying to be a good person. The story twists and turns, never really having a dull moment, and ultimately delivers an extremely powerful ending. Even if this was all there was to the game, I think it would be pretty unique and charming.



But I give basically all of the credit to Toby Foxs ingenuity for why Undertale is elevated to excellent status. There are several corners he couldve cut when developing this game, but he never did. I swear he thought of everything. He has his finger on the pulse of gaming tendencies and put in tons of shit rewarding players for trying something outside the box. At any point, if youre playing this game, and come up with some funny thing out of the norm to try and see if something different happens, theres a 99% chance it will. I would say that Undertale is the game most chock-full of alternate dialogue of anything out there, AAA or otherwise. It is absolutely absurd the amount of content this little indie game is packed with, just waiting for you to discover. People were still finding things years after its release that no one had ever seen before.

On top of everything else, the music is phenomenal. Every area has its own track, which are all great. The generic battle theme is catchy af. And every boss in the game has a special theme, too, which are most of the best tracks in the game. Spider Dance, Asgore, Death By Glamour, and of course, the infamous Megalovania are all A+ songs Ive got in playlists on Spotify.

To this point, I actually cant think of anything I would change about the game. There are a few story moments that I personally dont have great feelings for, but I know others that really enjoyed them. And those are few and far between. I had a big dumb smile on my face for 96% of the game. And even after having beaten it once, theres a decent amount of replayability for an RPG. I notice something new every time I experience it, whether it's through playing it again or watching someone else try it. And after its initial release, there were no bugs, no updates, no DLC, no nothing. Toby Fox spent multiple years trying to develop a masterpiece, and he knocked it out of the park first try.

CHARACTER RANKING:
Sans > Papyrus > Toriel > Undyne > Asgore > Flowey > Alphys

---

Xbox GT/PSN name/Nintendo ID: TatteredUniform
http://www.scuffletown.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/tRBE1.gif