Controversy but not for the sake of it: I don’t like Deltarune. I want to say I’m sorry, but no one will read this as Undertale has been successful enough that everyone knows what it is – and likely will know what Deltarune is too.
When I say everyone, I mean everyone. Like, I asked 3 people and they all said “Oh yeah, I know Deltarune. I don’t need to read about it. It’s a free demo isn’t it?”. Well fictitious person and conversation that never happened, it is free but… only the first chapter.
I downloaded it and almost straight away needed to create my own character. Brilliant – just want I want to do: spend a couple of hours creating an avatar before playing the game. And no, I’m not being sarcastic – I love creating characters and can easily spend a lot of time on it, so this demo was good value already. However… it’s made by Toby Fox (o he of Undertale fame) and there is of course a twist to the start of this adventure. Shame on you, Toby. Shame.
With updated graphics and a broader palette, Deltarune is a bit more aesthetically pleasing and a little more polished. Not so in that it’s completely different to Undertale – it’s just a little bit shinier. The dialogue is similar to Undertale too as is the gameplay: avoid killing your opponent and instead shower them with compliments then sparing them a hideous, gruesome death. That would never happen. This world is too nice. The second thing – who’s counting? – you now have other party members that have their own skills – even…magic! It’s all very familiar and works great.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? That mindset applies to Deltarune as it’s the same as Undertale with a few more bells and whistles and I liked Undertale. I think. Going back to the start though: I don’t care for Deltarune much. I don’t hate it or think it’s a bad game, I just don’t really care for it. I found it to be a bit of a chore and I was making the effort to finish it so I could delete it and free up some space and review another game.
I’ve made a conscious attempt not to read any reviews as chances are people will love it and I’ll only convince myself that I should like it, but surely I’m allowed my own opinion? Of course I am. I also don’t mind the ending of Game of Thrones season 8. No spoilers here, but I’m satisfied with it. Maybe I’m just an oddball – who knows? Either way, I don’t like Deltarune much and have since deleted it.
There is a chance that I will end up watching a gameplay video as I’m sure I nearly finished it. Maybe it’s because I have too many games on the go at the moment and just spoilt for choice that I can’t appreciate this game, or maybe I just don’t like it as it didn’t really excite me or offer anything that new.
Maybe it is a great game and it’s simply because I know that this is only the first chapter. How long will it take until the next chapter is released and how long after that? I will have to come back to this at a later date as I am apparently missing something. I loved the music though. So much so that I want to marry it.
“We’d all like to be certain of what we know, but I think the most important question is to ask yourself do you really know what you know?”
— Marlon Brando
Look at me being all highbrow with a quote like the above. I try to make my reviews truthful and a reasonably good read. As a demo, you have nothing to lose in downloading it and trying for yourself. Realistically, if you liked Undertale, you will like this also. For me, however, I would rather stick with Octopath Traveler, Final Fantasy VII or even Undertale. But what do I know?
