Yes I am reviewing an almost 11 year old game. But this had to be done at some point. UNDERTALE can best be described as a flawed masterpiece. This game took over the internet for years and has left a massive mark on the world of gaming for over a decade now. But you have to wonder how UNDERTALE, a 2D bullet hell RPG, remains relevant after so many years. And how does it hold up in our modern world? So, first off, I want to start off with what makes this game so good and then I'll get into the more iffy stuff later. But first I need to mention the music because that is one of the best parts about UNDERTALE, no questions asked. If you have never heard a song from this game, you either live under a rock or you're a 98 year-old grandma. Iconic songs such as MEGALOVANIA have taken the world by storm and it's like almost like you can remember what every song in this entire game sounds like, even if you've only heard the song once and it was heard by you years ago. "Hopes & Dreams" might possibly be the best final boss themes in the history of gaming, maybe even one of the best songs in gaming PERIOD. The songs are brilliantly composed by just one person, and they have so many different motifs for the different characters, easter eggs, catchy melodies, and great instrument choices. Probably one of the most iconic game OSTs. UNDERTALE's story is also superb and the other big, amazing thing about this game. The story is probably what makes this game so good in the first place, and what makes it tower above almost every RPG I've ever played. Every character is brilliantly written, all of them being memorable and unique in multiple ways. I played UNDERTALE years ago, yet I can still remember every single character and what they were like. Most games aren't really even able to have this level of brilliance in writing characters, especially queer characters. It's pretty obvious Alphys and Undyne have something going on, but the game never shoves it in your face and make it feel like they're trying to say "OH MY GOD LOOK GUYS I HAVE LESBIANS IN MY GAME START PRAISING ME NOW." They treat it like it's normal. Like it's not even important that they're lesbian, which is how it should be. The game also does a good job of having 3 different endings, because a lot of games tend to make it all the same and change nothing but the final boss and/or ending. But this game is so different on every route. For example, the True Lab is only in the True Pacifist route. All the characters have something new to say depending on how you play the game, which is awesome. The beautiful, tear-jerking True Pacifist route... the creepy, guilt-tripping Genocide route... and the Neutral route. They're all different in so many ways it would be impossible to list all of the ways they differ. Also, I'm not afraid to say it, THE TRUE PACIFIST ROUTE'S ENDING MADE ME CRY. Every time I see it, I tear up. The opening to Asriel's fight may be the tuffest thing in gaming. Seriously everything about that boss fight is a masterpiece. Another cool thing about UNDERTALE is how the gameplay matches the story with the SOUL and everything. It's very cool how everything in the game all seems to tie together to create something great. The attacks of the enemies and bosses are very well-designed, as well. It never feels unfair, even with Sans. I only beat him because his fight was so dang fun to play and I was aware I was learning with each attempt. UNDERTALE may be a masterpiece, and I know some of you might be mad at this, but it is not perfect. First, the pixel art is pretty damn bad. Like, I get that's kind of the point: to have a Earthbound-esque artstyle. So it isn't gonna look fantastic. But what I'm saying is that the game just looks straight up ugly at points. Jaggies are riddled everywhere and the color palette can go from super dull to terribly vibrant. And it can sort of really clash sometimes. And DELTARUNE proved that this artstyle can be effective without the game looking ugly. And some designs are to detailed to be in such a small pixel art grid. For example, Papyrus especially can look atrocious in the overworld because his head can't fit in such a small, tiny space so it looks deformed and awkward. Battle sprites are okay, though. Still some jaggies and weird, unnecessary pixels but not as bad as the overworld. But speaking of the overworld, I really don't like it sometimes. It's just a cycle between running around, getting a ton of (sometimes) over-repeated enemy encounters and doing unintuitive puzzles that aren't that hard, but they break the pacing a bit and can just be annoying. In-between there are some bosses and funny little things that can happen (continued below)
but that's about the whole gameplay loop summarized. I will say this is more of a nitpick, though, because I come back to play this game, like, every year or two because there are some truly amazing moments, characters, ideas, and music in this game that will stick with me forever. And that's the true beauty of UNDERTALE. Not the gameplay nor the art. It's the things that make me feel emotions. And this game has an amazing power to do that to you. And I won't give this game a perfect 10/10. But PLEASE do not let that stop you. This game will make you cry, change your view on the world, and you will think about it until the day you die. If you don't play this, you are missing out on one of the most impactful gaming experiences in your life. FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10
