Delta Rune surprises Undertale fans
On Halloween of 2018, Toby Fox (creator of “Undertale”) surprised all of us with the first chapter to the free-to-download spin off called “Delta Rune”, which follows characters named Kris, a human, Susie, a monster, and Ralsei, a prince. All three meet together when Kris and Susie suddenly fall into a mysterious world at school. The mysterious world holds many similarities to that of the underground in “Undertale”.
The iconic RPG game, “Undertale”, has developed a cult following in the recent years following its initial release in late 2015. The game has even gained more popularity following memes revolving around a certain skeleton character (Sans).
Lancer, the “bad guy” also joins in with the batch of new characters. Unlike other villains, he is really bad at being a villain, for he helps guide Kris and Susie back home. However, Lancer’s father, the king of the underground, will hold them prisoner if caught. Throughout their journey, Kris and the gang have to fight off monsters, whether by actual fighting or the signature pacifist way from Undertale in which the player shows the monsters mercy.
The mechanics of this spin-off game are also similar to that of the former, but the characters and enemies can be seen in third person view with color. The stats are also more detailed and give the player more options in the battlefield.
Overall, the game compared to “Undertale” has crisper visuals and a cleaner soundtrack, which includes a song with vocals from Laura Shigihara, a famous singer, songwriter, and video game developer. The atmosphere brings players to a whole other planet from start to finish. Even with the dark undertones, the listening lights and the bubbly ambience brought by funny character dialogue makes up for it.
Every character is worthy of being cherished by fans and critics alike. Even if one does not like a certain character, it is nearly impossible to not get a good laugh out of him/her at least once. The funniest character in my opinion is Lancer, who is basically a satire of quirky super villains. The pacing of the plot is fast, so players are slapped in the face with goofy quotes constantly. Susie, the bad girl turned good girl, also adds a nice touch to the batch of character presented. She goes from trying to eat Kris’ face off to contributing to Kris and Ralsei’s pacifist way of fighting.
Kris, although intended to be mute, is very forgettable and is a throwaway character. The design of the character is nearly identical to that of Frisk and Chara of “Undertale”. I am unsure if this was intentional (again this is a spin off), but there is nothing distinct about this character that sets him apart from others.
However, I am unable to name many other flaws, because “Delta Rune” is that good. Fans of “Undertale” will be satisfied to the nature of this game as well as people who may not be familiar to or dislike “Undertale”. While the game mechanics are similar, there is more to offer with a different set of characters and diverse fighting options.
