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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