“Conflict can be solved through violence, sure… but also through doling out compliments and flirting with jello molds.” – me, just now, 2015
image via undertale.com
A wonderful thing happened today. And that wonderful thing is Undertale, an indie love letter to the classic JRPG. Actually, I’d call it a love letter folded into a paper fortune-telling thing, and then flipped back and forth at recess in the faces of players yearning for the days of Earthbound’s sometimes wry/sometimes heartfelt humor. I’m just going to say it: if you have any love for games that break down the walls of what is expected of you as a player of electronic video game entertainment, you’re going to lose it over Undertale. For starters, treat yourself to the demo.
Developed almost entirely by one Toby Fox, Undertale is a story of a classic quarrel of Monsters and Humans, with the Humans actively sealing the crap out of the monsters underground after a ruthless and brutal wartime. When a young human, you, stumbles into a chasm atop a forbidden mountain, you are thrust into a forgotten world in which you must contend with horrific and cruel creatures (that also happen to be adorable and possess some traits that are curiously human in nature…) The more that I think about it, the more I am excited to continue to speculate about this game’s terrific potential to inspire empathy through design.
image via Undertale.com
The beauty of the game, and I mean the REAL beauty of this game goes far beyond it’s simple and unassuming sprites and tiles or it’s completely hilarious dialog. I can’t stress enough how diverse literally every random encounter is. The battles are composed of first sizing up your foes, and then deciding if it would be better to fight (to weaken or gain exp/$$) or find a more peaceful route. I assure you, deciding to compliment or flirt with an enemy has a contagious warmth that will have you laughing at the reactions your enemies will have. Will they change their demeanor entirely and help you? That choice is yours! And theirs too, I guess. If you fight, you have a timing mini-game a-la-Mario Golf. The most interesting and fun parts of any battle are, in fact, the monster’s attack phase. Your soul (represented as a heart in a small boxed-in playing field) can be controlled to avoid each monster’s unique and often silly patterns. There is a happy peace that is found when you can waltz through a dungeon, cajoling monsters into telling jokes and giving you insight into their world.
image via Undertale.com
Did I mention the music? Buy the game/ost bundled at a better price.
Here are some of my highlights from the demo (SPOILERS?):
- tenderly pixellated hand-holding moments
- finding a toy knife
- the thoughtful vignettes that are the game’s save points (this is cool.)
- flirting with a ghost
- tirelessly battling a crazed vegetable, then just eating it for HP recovery
- Being gifted a donut by some spiders
This is an important one, fellow people with emotions, so pick it up directly or on Steam.
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