Undertale

The Good
First of all, it's very difficult to talk about what makes Undertale great without spoiling a few of its secrets, because it's one of those games that aims to surprise the player and toy with their expectations. I'm not going to reveal anything huge, but if you truly want to experience this game spoiler-free, you might want to skip down to the end of the review.

If you've been paying any attention to game reviews or social media, you've probably heard something about Undertale. As of this writing, it is the big game that everyone's talking about. The more jaded among you might think it's just another fad game that doesn't deserve the hype it gets, and you'd be forgiven for that. You'd also be forgiven for dismissing it as just another "quirky", retro indie that gets by on some combination of novelty and nostalgia. It's not a game that can be accurately judged at first glance. I know I misjudged it.

The thing about Undertale is that it tries to blend a lot of different ideas together in a way that very few developers can successfully pull off. It simultaneously tries to be an homage to the Mother series, a metafictional narrative about time travel and moral choice, a (mostly) family-friendly story about friendship and cartoon monsters, and more. And amazingly, despite being almost completely made by a single person, it succeeds in all these endeavors.

I was first pulled in about half an hour after starting the game, near the end of the first main area. My character, a kid of indeterminate age and gender, had fallen into a strange world and been adopted by a motherly goat creature named Toriel. Even though I knew the game was expecting me to leave her behind to continue the plot, I didn't want to. Could I really leave this lonely old woman who was just trying to protect me from the outside world? Well, yes, because there was no other way to continue the game, but there was a genuine moment of hesitation brought on by how earnest and heartfelt the writing was. Toriel, as her name suggests, is a tutorial character. She could have been as flat as any other RPG character with a similar function, but that's not what Undertale is about. In order for its discussions of moral choice to work, it needs to immerse you in its world, to make you feel its characters are more than just bits and bytes. I may not have had the option to stay with Toriel, but it's a testament to Toby Fox's skill as a writer that I was already placing so much weight on my actions within the world he'd created.

This isn't to say that Undertale never lets up on the heavy stuff. No more than two minutes after I left Toriel, I was treated to a pun-filled scene that introduced two skeleton characters, both of whom went on to become frequent sources of comic relief. Battles, too, are more often than not lighthearted; one memorable miniboss was a dog who grew more and more excited as I pet him, and I continued to do so long after I could have ended the battle just because I was enjoying the increasingly silly flavor text the game was throwing at me. But the jokes also serve to strengthen one of the game's main themes: even though all the other characters are monsters, they aren't monsters. They love, they hope, and yes, they laugh, just like we do. And even though you can choose to kill them, should you? Can you bring yourself to do it at all, knowing they're just trying to live their lives? I don't think I could, even if they are just parts of a game.

The morality system, centered around mercy versus murder, affects the direction the story takes. Choose to be a bloodthirsty killing machine, and you'll find yourself in a horror narrative in which you're the villain. A more merciful player will see a more positive ending, but you'll only see the true ending if you go above and beyond to not only spare every enemy, but make friends with the bosses and other major characters. If you can accomplish this, you'll be treated to what's probably the best final boss battle I've ever been in.

I'm not the type of person to openly display my emotions. Regardless of how I feel on the inside, I rarely show it on my face. But Undertale's true final boss battle brought me to tears. Throughout the ten hours I spent in the underground, I'd found some surprising, sometimes dark things about the monsters' history - and I was able to not only set everything right, but give a moment of pure love and happiness to the one who needed it most. The fight ended in one of the most emotionally powerful scenes I've ever experienced in a video game, one that I'll remember for years to come.

The Bad
Although Undertale is one of the most perfect games I've ever played, it's not completely flawless. Backtracking can be annoying at times, due mostly to a number of puzzles and obstacles that need to be dealt with every time you need to get through the room they're in. Fortunately, a fast travel option opens up in the late game, but it's too little too late for people who like to take their time and thoroughly explore everything before moving on.

The other main complaint I have is that most random encounters are very easy. In some respects, this is good, because it keeps the game accessible to even the most inexperienced players. However, it also means it's a real bore to encounter the same monster multiple times, especially if you're playing peacefully and need to take the extra turns to spare everyone.

The Bottom Line
I fully believe Undertale is a classic in the making. In addition to its unique battle system and stellar, often heartfelt writing, it boasts tons of replay value due to its branching paths and emphasis on choice. There are also quite a few secrets and Easter eggs to find, which contributes to the sense of discovery that I think is vital for a truly excellent game. If you like Eastern RPGs, adventure, or fantasy, then Undertale is a must-play