“No one can choose who they are in this world…”
Deltarune is a role-playing game (RPG) made by game developer Toby Fox, also known as the creator of the popular game Undertale.
Set in a parallel universe to Undertale, you play Kris, an average little kid who lives in a town of monsters and closely resembles Frisk/Chara from Undertale. On the way to school, Kris encounters a series of events that leads them and school bully Susie into the dark world, an alternate dimension powered by an evil force called dark fountains. As summoned heroes, it was their job to seal the fountains with the help of residential guide Ralsei.
As of right now, Chapter 2 was recently released on Sept. 17, almost three years since the official release of Chapter 1. Both were free in the market; however, Toby Fox revealed his plans to monetize the next three installments, and he would not release it until he and his team were finished. So, a question remains: is the wait worth it?
The answer: definitely.
The new installment greatly expands the lore and provides more engaging activities for the players to do and explore. With more lovable characters and interactions and intense fights to progress through, fans like myself can only look forward to more.
From the moment this game dropped, I was excited—like super excited. I mean, if you are a fan of the popular Undertale, why would you not be? You do not spend over 90 hours arguing with your friends on how Undertale lore works without assuring that Toby Fox knows how to make his stories exciting.
From the get-go, Chapter 2’s setting is drastically different from Chapter 1, transitioning from medieval to cyberpunk space. The game starts off with the gang meeting up at the library to do their school project, but upon arriving, they find themselves entering yet another dark world ruled by a sentient robot called Queen. The story takes a complete turn, though, once Susie, Kris and Ralsei find out that the Queen has captured their classmate Noelle and is trying to turn her into one of her “Knights,” someone capable of opening dark fountains. From here on out, Chapter 2 allows us to learn more and more about the world of Deltarune, giving us more to expect in future chapters, such as the dark world’s inhabitants, the Darkners.
However, the best aspect of Chapter 2 is its characters. For instance, in the beginning, when Susie had threatened to bite off Kris’s face, it felt like the game was setting her up to be a fearful villain. But as the game progressed, Kris and Susie’s journey together allowed us to understand her more as a character, to the point where she is a likable companion.
Toby Fox also foreshadows development from Kris. At the end of the game, when Toriel goes to take Susie home, she finds that her tires are slashed. She lets Susie stay overnight, and Kris rips out his SOUL and uses his knife to open up another dark world. As Kris becomes more aware as an individual character, the story foreshadows an ominous twist to where our protagonist is involved in.
Overall, Chapter 2’s expansion into the world of Deltarune was phenomenal. However, the same cannot be said for its gameplay.
As a classic Undertale pro, I really missed the bullet-hell mechanics of the game. The new RPG fighting style type of action that Toby Fox has added to Deltarune, which is where your team is on the left side while the enemy is on the right, and you take turns performing actions.
All in all, the first two chapters of Deltarune have been amazing so far. It has tons of content for just two little chapters and will give you a fun (or frustratingly enjoyable) experience. But, that is what video games are all about.
