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UnderTale (Nintendo Switch) Game Review



Now here's one of the loveliest games I've played in a while! UnderTale is a heartwarming and moving RPG  that is wonderfully unique in that it's battle system lets you find nonviolent conflict resolutions with almost every foe you encounter. If you want the quick answer, I  highly recommend this one, but I'm still going to happily gush about this gem for a little while here :)



As always I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but I will tell that the game has a delightful cast of characters. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and at-least one will probably piss you off - but even *that* one is very written and is believable as a real person/monster. All of them come together to create a colorful and lively world that I only found myself wanting to spend even more time in after I finished the game. The story is incredibly moving, and can be played through multiple ways. This is one of those games that allows you to choose what kind of person you're going to be - but as I mentioned earlier, it does so better than most games that offer "moral choices" in that you can genuinely play through the game without killing anyone, which is what I opted for, because it's a refreshing change to the default violent tropes of game design - not to mention that I adore almost every single character in the game and would hate to see them harmed. When I first started playing, I didn't understand how to get past the first boss without killing her, and when she died, I was so upset and depressed about it that I deleted my whole save file and start the game from scratch to find a way to get past without harming her. That's the kind of impact this game's characters can have on you.



To give a little more detail on the battle system, it gives you many options on how to handle each encounter. You do have the typical RPG option of physically attacking, something that I quickly began to avoid whenever possible (and it almost always is). What was for more interesting and appealing to me was the ability to "act" and "spare"  -this is where you could work to resolve conflicts without the use of violence. It is a puzzle to figure out how to diffuse each situation with each character, and the results are often heartwarming and comical. When you resolve a conflict with certain characters, they may even befriend you and want to spend more time with you, opening up even more adorable story-line paths with them.



The game has a wonderful soundtrack, with a variety of genres and chip-tune styles. Some of the tunes have an 8 bit sound, some 16 bit, others using more realistic instruments - and they all blend seamlessly together. I love the soundtrack enough that I'd like to eventually collect physical releases of it. The sound effects are likewise just as charming and pleasant. Very responsive, and  very reminiscent of classic 16-bit games.



Another lovely thing about the game is that while it isn't a tremendously long game, it's full of things to discover for the player who explores and experiments. Even when I had made it to the final boss area, I stopped and backtracked, exploring all the areas I'd been through before - and found even more characters and things to do than the first time I went through them! Finding every little detail and every lovable character is a big part of the game's fun.




Another thing I applaud the game for is it's great LGBT representation. Without spoiling the story, you'll be able to meet multiple characters with various types of romantic attractions, as well as several characters  who's experiences felt to me like a strong metaphor for transgender experiences.



UnderTale is a game I adore so much that the closest thing to a  complaint I came come up with is that I wanted it to keep going, I wanted to spend more time with these wonderful characters. I have a great admiration for the creator, TobyFox, particularly for introducing something so fresh and positive to the world of video games.  I hope more game designers will be inspired to create games in which players can solve problems in more compassionate ways than just beating down all their foes. With how diverse other mediums are, I like to see video games taking a chance and trying something new, especially something positive. TobyFox and his heartwarming game are a breath of fresh air.

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