By Vivienne Forstner

On September 15th, Toby Fox, renowned video game developer, held a celebration for the 6th anniversary of his most popular game, Undertale, which was released in 2015. This celebration, titled “Undertale 6th Anniversary So We Play Deltarune Chapter 1 For Some Reason,” was streamed through YouTube. The hosts of the show played through the entire game, but they added a slight twist at the ending. After rolling the credits, a screen popped up with the text *Continue to Chapter 2?.* After the first couple scenes of the game were played, the announcement that the game would come out just two days later was released.

Fans of the game were ecstatic since the last game of the series had come out three years prior, and there had been little new content since then. There had also been no hints prior to the anniversary stream that there was any sort of new game coming out. Deltarune and Undertale are quirky RPG games heavily influenced by games of a similar genre that were released in the 90’s; one of the most notable being “Earthbound.” They are adventure based games where the main protagonist finds themselves lost in a strange world full of monsters. While Deltarune is not a direct sequel to Undertale, they do contain several of the same characters linking them together. Both have received high awards and recognitions for their storytelling, visuals, and music.

Chapter 2, in my opinion, is better than Chapter 1. It’s in depth, contains more character development, and is overall just a better experience. Chapter 1 is still one of the best games I have played, but there’s no denying it’s messier than its counterparts. A lot of the structure is heavily based off of Undertale, which gives it somewhat of a stale feeling. A lot of the background scenes are underdeveloped and stylistically similar, which, again, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, in comparison to Chapter 2, it has much less detail, both in the script and backdrops. The “adventure” aspect also seems to be lost, as one of the main characters knows vaguely where they are for the most part.

On the other hand, Chapter 2 is full of life and energy. The visuals are vibrant, the characters have unique personalities and mannerisms, and the gameplay as a whole has more content and quality. We are introduced to a completely new, exciting world that is spacious and exhilarating. One of the most major differences, however, is the contrast between whether your actions will have consequences or not. In Undertale, playing the game a certain way will result in a different outcome in the game, whereas in Deltarune Chapter 1, the ending remains the same no matter what. The former concept is reintroduced in Chapter 2, which gives it another layer of excitement. 

Overall, this new installment of the game has been well received by fans and critics alike. Chapters 3 through 7 are to be released soon, although we don’t know when that will be since “soon” could honestly mean anything from a couple months to several years. I personally am looking forward to see where this series will go and what’s in store for the future!