![]() ![]() The characters and enemies all have their own hopes, dreams and wants, with each trying to make their way in the subterranean world. Control issues aside, the game truly sparkles when the tutorial level is over and you’re sent into the grand over world where most of the plot takes place. I only figured out how to open the in-game menu while absentmindedly tapping my keyboard in the middle of figuring out a particularly devious room puzzle. “Undertale” is not without its faults, and the minimalist user interface led to endless frustration in my first hour of play. While it does get annoying having to have a sexy dance-off with a series of sentient jello molds for the 50th time, the mobs are varied enough that the gameplay avoided becoming tedious during my play through. Occasionally mobs will pop up during exploration, and the main puzzle of monster battles is figuring out the specific series of steps you must follow if you want to avoid playing as a monster serial killer. The gameplay, aside from walking around and clicking on things, mimics early ‘90s JRPGs, a la “Earthbound” and the early “Final Fantasy” games. I’m a sucker for emergent story and gameplay, and I probably would have finished if I hadn’t spent two hours petting snow dogs or gambling on snail races with a dapper ghost. There’s no way of knowing if taking a particular path in a dungeon is going to continue the story or take you to a spider bake sale. I’m not finished playing at time of writing, likely due to the fact that “Undertale” is the game that gives you a massive world to explore with little direction. An octopus-onion jumping out of a wading pool and explaining her opinions on modern music while you’re on the run from a spear-wielding hunter of humans makes perfect sense in the context of the game, but using that line while explaining the tenets of anything is ample grounds to get committed to an asylum. I’m being a little stingy with the details, partially because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for any of you potential players and partially because any individual part of the story taken out of context would sound completely insane. The game, with its minimalist soundtrack, dialogue and color palette, does a fair bit of showing without telling, illustrating the world of monsters through still backgrounds and the occasional bit of flavor text imparted by some various creature or another. After being taken in by a matronly goat-demon you must embark on a quest to return home to the surface, using the power of friendship to best the various boss monsters on your path if you’ve paid attention to the tutorial and using the power of murder if you’re a bastard. Our story opens with a small child falling into a mountain and ending up in the world of monsters. So yeah, “Undertale” is a bandwagon, but I’m jumping the fuck on. Its childish charm, tight gameplay and impressive depth and wit warmed my icy heart. Whenever someone sings the praises of absolutely anything, I feel it is almost human nature to try and prove them wrong, with this effect being amplified for an iconoclast like myself.īut no, this game won me over. However, I would like to let all of you know that I tried really hard to not like this game. I guess this review could be seen as me jumping on the bandwagon. Overdone metaphors aside, if you’re in touch with indie games, you’ve probably already heard of “Undertale.” While it has been out for almost a month at time of writing, it has only recently gained prominence, receiving recommendations from people all over the gaming community and currently the highest-rated PC game on Metacritic. But what if the bandwagon actually leads to somewhere good? Like to the land of scantily clad women and free beef jerky? You’d be a fool to not jump on. Bandwagons have led to terrible things, from racism, to fascism to Donald Trump’s recent presidential campaign. For those of you who love breaking the mold and being your own person, bandwagons and the people who join them are probably the center of your derision, and often with good cause. ![]()
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