Sometimes it's easy to roll one's eyes at this growing trend of retro-graphic indie games. Of course, it makes sense given that smaller developers have less money to spend on graphics, and the old Super Nintendo graphics were hyper stylized. And, of course, one look at the Hollywood box office hints at how powerful nostalgia is as a marketing tool. It all makes sense.
Yet Undertale is something wholly unique and modern while feeling retro and nostalgic. Yes, the observant gamer can see homages to older RPGs. However, there's almost nothing else like it out there, and more importantly, few games are as well written, with memorable characters and an intriguing premise.
See, most RPGs are built on the basic conceit that you are just going to mindlessly kill enemies as they appear. We're never meant to wonder about whether it's fair we just took out that Rolypoly in Chrono Trigger, nor are we meant to dwell on the fact we've slaughtered god knows how many Adamantoise throughout the Final Fantasy franchise. It's all pretty clear cut in black and white. These enemies are monsters. Don't think about it; just kill them. Even most boss fights can be reduced to that.
Of course, it makes sense and there's nothing wrong with that! It clearly works for those games. What Undertale does, though, is add a little more to those random encounters. These are sentient beings with feelings and insecurities. Most of them don't even really want to fight. As the player, you get to decide how to approach each battle. Will you simply fight them and kill them, like you're accustomed to in those other games? Or are you willing to put yourself at slightly greater risk to figure out how to spare them?
To fight enemies, it's a pretty straight forward mechanic, but it's not your traditional style. Instead of simply selecting "fight" and having your character attack with random damage dealt, you get a bar with sliding markers. Timing is the key, as you hit enter to stop them. The closer they are to the center, the more powerful your attack will be. It's actually a really solid compromise between the more laid back and passive style of older RPGs with the more modern desire for faster and more interactive systems.
If you try to play through without killing things, then you need to figure out the proper string of Actions to put the enemy in a mental place to stop fighting. Each enemy has their own unique action options. The key here is to pay attention to what the enemies say in response to a particular action. It pays to start of by "Checking" them, then adjusting your actions accordingly. Sometimes, it's pretty quick and straightforward. Other times - especially with boss fights - it can take a long, long time to wear them down mentally.
When the enemy attacks, a bullet hell type mini-game opens up, forcing you to dodge a serious of incoming attacks in a limited space. Admittedly, I was not so crazy about that aspect of the gameplay. Kind of found it tedious and not particularly fun. Sometimes the attacks would also speed up and get to the point where I just honestly couldn't keep up. So much of dodging is simply about identifying the attack pattern, but that can be hard to do if you can't even see what the attacks are. This can make the game extremely frustrating at times, but it never really feels impossible.
When you die, you get these messages about how you should not give up. Stay determined! Stay strong! This is sometimes easier said than done, especially with boss fights that seem never-ending. And yet, if you can stay with it, the story never disappoints. For a short game that takes less than ten hours to complete, the lore is surprisingly well established.
You'll wind up meeting a memorable and unusual array of characters, from the skeleton brothers of Sans and Papyrus (and yes, they do speak in their respective fonts - yes, this game makes font jokes) to the absurd game show hosting computer Mettaton, everyone you meet leaves an impression. If you play your cards right, you can even use them to help you defeat the menacing Flowey at the end (the true, evil, final boss).
Odds are, you'll want to replay the game, even if you're like me and were maybe not so crazy about the dodging attacks mechanic. As mentioned, there are a few different ways to play. You can avoid killing things (Pacifist), or you can just go through and slaughter everyone (Genocide). They result in different endings, but also in different experiences. Characters respond differently according to your actions. And oh yeah, accidentally kill that boss while trying to play Pacifist? You can't just reload your game. You'd have to completely reset the game in the opening menu. The game recognizes when you've reloaded your game after performing an action you didn't want to do, so unless you reset the game (restarting the entire game), your mistakes and second guessing actions stay with you the whole time.
The key element of this game that makes it so interesting and compelling is the choice. Rather than creating binary moral decisions - like Mass Effect or BioShock or any and all Telltale games - the decisions you make play out in real time. They don't pause the game and make clear that you are making a choice. Yet every time you encounter an enemy, you have to do so. Do you kill them? Do you risk your own life trying to figure out the proper order of actions to spare them? Do you try to flee? It might seem like it's pretty easy to just go through and kill everything, or just go through and spare everyone, but there will almost always be occasions that make you reconsider your overall strategy.
And that's exactly the thing: whenever you do struggle to show mercy, and killing the enemy seems like it will give you the best chance of winning and advancing, you know that it's your call. It's your choice. The game makes it clear at the getgo that you will always have the ability to spare enemies - including all of the bosses. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it, but you do. In some ways, it makes it more difficult than your typical RPG. What I mean is, when you play Final Fantasy VII, you're only confronted with two options: kill the enemies or flee. When you run into a boss, you are presented only one option: destroy. Here, we are constantly presented with the option to try and spare them.
Undertale is, quite frankly, one of the most interesting and well-written games I've played in years. It's a nice throw back to late NES/early SNES RPGs, with some nice homages (like the opera scene from FFVI). All the while, it reinvents the genre with unique mechanics. Not everything is perfect, of course, but it's still one of the best games of the year. The characters are weirdly relatable and clearly defined. The writing is consistent and great. And most importantly, despite some of the heavy themes, it always maintains a sense of humor, similar to those older Nintendo RPGs.
Plus, it has one of the best soundtracks of the year too.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and check it out. It's not a long game, and it can get pretty challenging, but it's worth it to stay determined!
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