Developer:
Toby Fox
Publisher: Toby Fox
Rrp: £6.99 (Steam) £6.99
(Humblebundle), $9.99 (Undertale.com)
Released:
15th September 2015
Available on Steam, Humblebundle and through
its own site.
Played using: a XBox 360 control pad
I
have to say writing up this review has given me quite a bit of
consternation. Not because I’m worried about fan reaction but more
because I know what I sound like. I’ll let you know now, dear reader,
that I sound like I’m very ‘down’ on this game, when in fact I’m not.
It’s just that… I know I’ll have some quite unpopular
opinions.
Also I wish to issue a warning, I have tried hard not to
spoil anything, and do believe you can read this review without fear.
That
being said Undertale
is a game best gone into with little to no knowledge.
Anyway,
Undertale is a retro styled RPG in which you play as a human child
that has fallen into the underworld and is looking to return to the
surface. Undertale wears it’s inspirations on its sleeve borrowing
quite heavily from the Japanese style of rpg’s.
As
you walk around the world you’ll have random encounters with monsters
who will attack you. Their attacks are portrayed through a window at
the bottom of the screen, you steer a red heart within the window and
try to avoid the white bullets (or frogs or whatever the enemy
happens to use). These attacks will vary from opponent to opponent
with some using special attacks.
I actually rather like the
bullethell style game play for the combat, it allows the player to
determine how much damage they take depending on how skilled, or
lucky, they are.
It’s within this combat screen that one of the
more unique and interesting mechanics is available. In that you can
choose to not fight an opponent. And when I say that I don’t mean
that you flee from every battle, but instead you can actually talk
your way out of it through, flirting, complimenting and all sorts of
other things. If you are successful in these actions you can choose
to ‘Spare’ your opponent which will gain you no EXP but should earn
you some gold.
On
the subject of the monsters, I have to commend the developers of this
game on creating interesting and above all unique monsters. Each one
coming with there own bullethell attack patterns and special moves.
No monster has the same attacks as any other, they may have some
similar ones but none that are exactly the same.
Undertale
isn’t a graphically advanced game, in fact I would have to say that
it’s pretty bare-bones and using a very limited colour palette (for
the most part). Thankfully I’m not one who doesn’t play a game just
because it’s not using the latest graphics engine. Besides the lack
of fidelity actually adds some level of charm to the game.
I
actually think that the more simplistic graphical style actually
causes the player to pay more attention to the characters being put
before them. The main characters that you come across are well
written and each have their own turn in the spotlight. The humour is
usually pretty good too, although I got the feeling that the jokes
that did bomb were intentionally created to do just that.
This
here is where I diverge from most people when they speak on this
game, the soundtrack. Honestly I don’t think its that good, its
alright but it’s not really that noteworthy. It starts off rather
unimpressively but much like the rest of the game the further you
progress the better it gets. I wouldn’t say it’s award winning, I’ve
heard much better but it is enjoyable, fitting and does what music is
supposed to do, which is suit and enhance the situation you are in.
Undertale
is a game that plays not only with story telling conventions but also
traditional gaming conventions too and its story simply couldn’t have
been told as effectively through any other medium.
This
game remembers things from previous playthroughs and will react to
them. Hell in some cases the actions of your previous game will
affect the way the next one goes despite it being a new game. Because
of this ‘recollection’ multiple playthroughs are needed to get the
full scope of the game.
This
is the bit that makes me sad, but I can’t not mention these things,
here are my gripes with this title. For a start the game always
starts in a small windowed mode forcing you to use [F4] to go
fullscreen, this gets somewhat annoying after a while.
Also even
though I’m using a control pad to play the game the keyboard is
required to quit and several occasions the game would give a keyboard
prompt which become quite confusing. I’ve said in other reviews
before and I’ll say it again here, if you’re going to implement
controller support don’t half-arse it, change the prompts
too.
Here’s the thing, I’m not saying this is a bad game, hell
its actually a damned good game. Combining many elements of other
genres and upturning standard storytelling conventions. It even plays
with the idea of video games as a whole. Honestly I think this is a
must play game, but…. Just remember that most of the tricks it
does, have been done before, that being said this is the best
execution of them I have seen in a while.
Either way, I highly
recommend giving this game a go.
If
this appeals to you perhaps try;
Pony
Island
LISA
To
The Moon
