Undertale is everywhere. You might have seen one of millions of fanart images while browsing the internet. You may have heard the music. You may have met a fan that tells you it is literally the best game ever. There are many of these. But why?
Let’s start at the very beginning.
Undertale was a game that kinda came out of left field. If I remember correctly, I remember it having something like 6 reviews on Metacritic, with a very high score. But only a few reviewers had reviewed it. I recall being excited seeing it because it advertised itself as “The RPG where you don’t have to kill anyone”.
It blew up. Youtubers saying “TRY THIS”, people blown away by how it broke their expectations, player reviews. And not to mention the soundtrack covers. Many Youtubers took to covering the soundtrack. That only added to the game’s reputation.
But what draws people in the most?
It might be the soundtrack, which is unique and satisfying in many ways. It might be the characters, which are lovable and awesome. It might be that actions have far more realistic consequences than those in many games. You *can* choose to kill...but the game makes it plain this is not the more desirable option.
The game requires an emotional investment. And here’s where things get crazy. When you kill, you are given EXP and gold. You “grow”. But everything around you starts to seem a little darker. *You* become a little darker. Undertale may go into the silly often, but only if you play it the right way. If you do not, it may become downright unbearable to play. The music darkly changes, the characters run from you, and the game takes pains to remind you of exactly what you are doing. The game even adds this twist: When monsters die, they die for good. No resurrection. They have souls that don’t live on. I believe this to be biting sarcasm, to the tune of, “You think you can kill without consequences in games? Games *will* affect you.”
Still, some may argue that Undertale goes too far. I agree. I think it doesn’t simply warn the player that they’re on the wrong path when they choose it. I think it belittles the player, in addition. Evidence for this is what happens if you completely go off the deep end, complete the game and decide to start over. I won’t tell you what this is, but know that it is quite dark and messy, and I’d argue that it directly contradicts the principle of positive change.
“But the game is so charming!” Indeed it is. And it’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, if not the greatest. But you may remember the definition of “great” from Harry Potter. People, and things as well, can be great, but not good.
That said, I think just about every gamer should play Undertale. It’s an excellent case study about what *could be*, even if it not always *is*. But I believe it should be approached as a case study, and not casually. And if you’re studying game development, I suggest you make this game required.
Undertale is everywhere. You might have seen one of millions of fanart images while browsing the internet. You may have heard the music. You may have met a fan that tells you it is literally the best game ever. There are many of these. But why?
Let’s start at the very beginning.
Undertale was a game that kinda came out of left field. If I remember correctly, I remember it having something like 6 reviews on Metacritic, with a very high score. But only a few reviewers had reviewed it. I recall being excited seeing it because it advertised itself as “The RPG where you don’t have to kill anyone”.
It blew up. Youtubers saying “TRY THIS”, people blown away by how it broke their expectations, player reviews. And not to mention the soundtrack covers. Many Youtubers took to covering the soundtrack. That only added to the game’s reputation.
But what draws people in the most?
It might be the soundtrack, which is unique and satisfying in many ways. It might be the characters, which are lovable and awesome. It might be that actions have far more realistic consequences than those in many games. You *can* choose to kill...but the game makes it plain this is not the more desirable option.
The game requires an emotional investment. And here’s where things get crazy. When you kill, you are given EXP and gold. You “grow”. But everything around you starts to seem a little darker. *You* become a little darker. Undertale may go into the silly often, but only if you play it the right way. If you do not, it may become downright unbearable to play. The music darkly changes, the characters run from you, and the game takes pains to remind you of exactly what you are doing. The game even adds this twist: When monsters die, they die for good. No resurrection. They have souls that don’t live on. I believe this to be biting sarcasm, to the tune of, “You think you can kill without consequences in games? Games *will* affect you.”
Still, some may argue that Undertale goes too far. I agree. I think it doesn’t simply warn the player that they’re on the wrong path when they choose it. I think it belittles the player, in addition. Evidence for this is what happens if you completely go off the deep end, complete the game and decide to start over. I won’t tell you what this is, but know that it is quite dark and messy, and I’d argue that it directly contradicts the principle of positive change.
“But the game is so charming!” Indeed it is. And it’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, if not the greatest. But you may remember the definition of “great” from Harry Potter. People, and things as well, can be great, but not good.
That said, I think just about every gamer should play Undertale. It’s an excellent case study about what *could be*, even if it not always *is*. But I believe it should be approached as a case study, and not casually. And if you’re studying game development, I suggest you make this game required.
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