Ok…I know Toby Fox said this and I believe him.
I will say that basically, what you’re seeing here is not the world of UNDERTALE. UNDERTALE’s world and ending are the same as however you left them. If everyone was happy in your ending, the people in the UNDERTALE world will still be happy. So, please don’t worry about those characters, and that world. It will remain untouched. To rephrase that, DELTARUNE’s world is a different one. With different characters, that have lived different lives. A whole new story will happen… I don’t know what you call this kind of game. It’s just a game you can play after you complete UNDERTALE, if you want to. That’s all.
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqn3p9
But I’m gonna tell you about the theories I had while playing this anyway because it’s fun.
Going into this, I knew nothing about it and I had no expectations. All I knew was Deltarune was made by the same guy who made Undertale.
How could it possibly be bad? I am so happy I didn’t just watch someone’s playthrough of it like I did with Undertale because it is incredibly fun to be in control for a change. Going around, collecting information, and getting used to all the mechanics was very exciting. I love these games so much. I love how they’re different and I love the similarities between the two. There are a lot of aspects of Deltarune that are interesting improvements which no doubt make the game more difficult to create. Props to you, Toby. I really admire you.
Right away, this game surprised me. I knew there would be twists and creepy stuff but I was still shocked when my precious vessel (I will never forget you, Thibsud) was rejected and I had to play as Kris. That doesn’t make sense, I thought to myself. This seems to take place after Undertale but why am I not “Frisk” or even “Chara”? Am I just trying out different names that are sort of anagrams for Frisk (because there seem to be a lot of anagrams here)?
Did we erase Kris’ soul in order to make room for our own? That sounds strange but it connects to something Goner Kid, a Gaster follower had said:
Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same…
Except you don’t exist?
Everything functions perfectly without you…
Maybe the world is functioning the perfectly without Kris there. Will the vessel I created and named ever make an appearance again? Why are people talking about my brother Asriel in college? Is he even going to college? Are we just saying that to cope with him not being here? Is that why I get a free I-pity-this-kid-hot-chocolate later in the game? Is it more about breaking the fourth wall by implying that he’s just away but the player knows better?
Of course, none of these questions would be answered right away. In fact, they’re still not answered. But that’s why I like this game. And that’s why I’m here!
Like I said, at first glance, this seems like an Undertale sequel post-pacifist route. Toriel and Asgore aren’t together, it doesn’t make sense how Asriel could be there but he’s definitely older if he is, and the town we live in could be where the monsters decided to settle after escaping the Underground. Then when our adventure starts to come to a close, this happens and I lose it.
Is he Asriel’s doppelganger? The Dark World could also be a separate dimension. He could be this world’s Asriel in disguise -being a literal prince from the dark- but I suppose then Kris probably would have recognized him.
Then we get to explore our hometown and talk to everyone we know and love. But things are different. Like how the title is an anagram for Undertale, the world is basically the same, just a bit mixed up.
Sans is there but the Papyrus we know isn’t. Apparently, Sans has a younger brother. We’ve never met Sans before ; ) so he has no idea ; ) how you know him ; ) because he’s new in town ; ) and totally not still aware of how to manipulate space-time ;))) The amalgamates may never have been created but they seem to have gravestones anyway. Bratty and Catty do not get along. Some of the kids we go to school with remind me of characters we’ve met before in Undertale so it’s possible they could be their relatives or older versions of them. It doesn’t seem as if they ever lived below the surface and no one mentions any other humans aside from the player. One character alludes to something terrible happening in the past (possibly the human/monster war) but they don’t elaborate.
There is a locked door to the south of town that appears to lead underground, though. Maybe that’s where the monsters came from. Or maybe the humans were driven underground in this timeline instead. Maybe Chara and Asriel (or Asgore) ended up defeating most of the humans and decided keeping them away in the Underground was the safest thing to do. If that’s the case, what the heck is the Dark World we traveled to if not the Underground? Were the creatures living there not monsters?
Mettaton can’t be seen but we hear him in a house that looks like Napstablook’s (where is my favorite ghost??? Does he work at the police station?). I guess he never met Alphys or got his robot body in this universe. And don’t even get me started on our dad’s Flower Shop! Alphys prefers Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 over the original for some reason. But the worst difference, the worst one of all… UNDYNE DOESN’T KNOW ALPHYS. That means no ship, no anime, no nothing. Undyne’s a cop now, though, and that’s cool but I’m still heartbroken!
That raises other questions. Is Kris actually Chara? How would they know to ask Undyne about Alphys unless they were aware of that alternate timeline where they like each other? If Deltarune was post-pacifist route, why does Kris rip out their soul and throw it in the cage at the very end? Could this be the next “world” Chara goes to after the genocide route?
I wondered if it could be a prequel. The song that plays when you finish the first chapter of Deltarune is called “Don’t forget”. If you don’t remember, there’s a drawn picture of three smiling people with “don’t forget” written under it in Undertale. By drawing this picture, was Sans trying to remember something from a previous timeline, specifically the heroes in the Deltarune timeline? Is this actually a prequel that gives us a happy ending with the monsters escaping the Underground only to be loaded by someone, forcing Sans to relive everything again and again in Undertale?
Undyne has both of her eyes in Deltarune so it could be a prequel chronologically speaking but was Toriel a teacher before they escaped the Underground too? Why isn’t Asgore in charge if it was a prequel?
So it isn’t a sequel; it’s a separate timeline. Gaster and Sans and Chara knew all about those. That’s what worries me. If let’s say, Mr. Fox is purposefully misleading us, telling us to consider this as a separate entity from Undertale, I can see this being the story of how Chara decided to find a new vessel (Kris) to try ruining everything again. Or maybe Kris could have taken their soul out at the end of the game to stop the conflict between the positive, determined nature of the player and their corrupted vessel that has been exposed to the fountain of darkness.
It could be another fourth wall breaking moment. Maybe Kris is trying to protect the world from us, the player, but locking away their soul, the only thing we truly use to interact with everyone. That’s why they stare directly at us with a crazy look on their eye. Because previously, we decided to commit genocide in Undertale. Who’s to say that won’t happen again?
Chara might not even exist in this dimension. Kris might have just taken out a knife in the middle of the night, looking straight at us to be creepy. By the way, how long did they have that knife on them?!
When you finally leave the Dark World, “you feel something weird” and then you’re home. And as satisfying as it was, our mission wasn’t close to being done. We were supposed to prevent the world from being overrun with darkness but did we do that? Did beating the king really fix anything? It’s a good thing Susie wants to go back the next day, though. They can continue to sort things out in their own little Narnia/Wonderland.
There are so many things we don’t know about Deltarune and that makes me excited. Such as: Why is it impossible to kill (not that I want to)? The enemies always run away. Is this being controlled by someone like Chara or is this the game’s way of showing how little we can impact this world in a unique way? This is what I love so much about being in the Undertale fandom. It’s interesting to think about this stuff. And I’ll never stop being amazed at how cool the story and characters are.
At one point, Susie threatens Lancer’s father by saying “everybody bleeds.” Which is interesting. Considering in the Undertale universe, monsters can’t bleed. They turn to dust. This is still supported by the kid who asks us if it hurts to be made of blood. But maybe monsters are made differently in this dimension. The different laws of physics of this world could have allowed the monsters to overpower the humans.
If it’s an alternate timeline, why are Toriel and Asgore not together? Does that mean Asgore never killed those humans to free his people from the Underground? Why does Toriel dislike him in this reality?
I’ve also wondered if Lancer is a younger version of Sans but I hardly have anything to back that up. It’s just speculation based on character design and personality.
Who is the mysterious knight they kept mentioning? Another Undyne?
Chara still seems to be the narrator. If they even exist. When and how could they have possessed Kris?
I learned this from the internet, not experience but I’ll include it ‘cause it’s funny… Naming your vessel Gaster reloads the game. Naming yourself Gaster causes the game to close.
I still don’t know much about Jevil but I’m working on that.
Deltarune is so great. I adore Ralsei. I love the Fun Gang. I can’t wait to see more of Susie and Kris. Everything is so clever and carefully thought out. I’m grateful we have this chapter. There are hilarious tropes and charm galore and the writing is delightful.
There’s only one ending to this game apparently, but the choices we make still feel like they matter. It feels good knowing you spared everyone you encountered. It feels bad knowing you beat everyone up no matter what. But our choices technically don’t amount to anything.
Sounds familiar.
I’m not a game developer or a hardcore gamer so I have no idea how I would critique something like this. I have no complaints. I’m just going to happily and patiently wait until there’s more. Bottom line is I’m very glad I have an excuse to be obsessed with Toby Fox’s brilliant creations once again.
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I haven’t posted anything here for a while so HELLO. A few weeks ago, I was planning on writing something about the Gerudo in Breath of the Wild but I lost my creativity halfway through. If you guys want me to finish that up, I can 😀
Dork Talk With Izzie 