Undertale

Undertale

Undertale is a role-playing game that uses a top-down perspective. In the game, players control a child, and complete objectives to progress through the story. Players explore an underground world of towns, villages and dungeons, and are required to solve numerous puzzles on their journey. The underground world is the home of monsters, many of whom can be challenged in combat; players decide to kill, flee, or befriend them. The overworld allows players to navigate the world, moving through locales. Save points frequently appear in the world, refilling players’ health while saving their progress. Undertale takes place in the Underground, a realm where monsters, once equal to humans, were banished to after war broke out between them. The Underground is sealed from the surface world by an imperfect magic barrier, the only point of entry being at Mount Ebott.

Undertale Review

Undertale’s opening cinematic hints at a cliche RPG where you awake in a mysterious world and embark on a journey in hopes of returning to your normal life. Despite the familiar premise, you quickly discover that looks can be deceiving. While many games can take a heavy-handed approach to teaching you the basics, Undertale does so in a way that not only introduces you to the tone of the game, but teaches you not to accept anything at face value. The first character you meet compels you to play nice, but as the cheerful music turns to sinister laughter and your new “friend” declares you an idiot, you get it: expect the unexpected. Undertale makes a name for itself with unusual storytelling techniques and combat mechanics, setting itself apart from the games it seems to imitate. It’s also cleverly written and constantly subverts your expectations. There are so many wonderful experiences in store that are tempting to spoil, but to go into too much detail would ruin the element of surprise: one of Undertale’s best assets.

Some fights can be frustrating or even tedious, however, at least at first. In a violent playthrough, I had to grind quite a bit to meet certain story requirements and grew tired of it after a while. Fighting enemy after enemy replaced the puzzles in the peaceful runs, however, and the tradeoff felt very balanced and ultimately meaningful to the story. I also found myself trudging back through areas I had already cleared just so I could beat a boss or get an item, and while it was absolutely worth it in the end, I wasn’t terribly excited to do it. At one point I had run out of gold and needed to buy healing items, and the only shop that would buy items off of me was about a 10 minute walk away. (The other shopkeepers don’t buy items because they don’t want your trash.)

Without spoiling the many ways it will screw with your expectations, it isn’t possible to truly capture how wonderful Undertale is. You wouldn’t know it with a passing glance, but it’s one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time, breaking down tradition for the sake of invention, with great success.

Extra Tags: Undertale, Download Undertale, Undertale Download, Free Undertale, Undertale Free, Undertale Game, Undertale play

Summary
It's hard to express just how much I adore Undertale without spoiling anything significant, but that's what I love about it. It tells its story in such a dynamic way, and with such a great understanding of the RPG player’s mindset, that it couldn’t have been told in any other way. It's a masterfully crafted experience that I won't forget any time soon.
Good
  • Innovative battle system
  • Subverts expectations to great effect
  • Great sense of humor
9
Amazing
Gameplay - 9
Graphics - 9
Audio - 9
Longevity - 9

Have your say!

523 36

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Skip to toolbar