So this game gets to live in a weird spot as the only one on the list that I have and also haven’t played before. How is that possible? Read on to find out!
- Release Year: 2025
- Developer: Toby Fox
- Platform: Everything
Alright, so Deltarune, like so many Telltale games before it, has been releasing one chapter at a time. They are not mere weeks or months apart, however. Chapter 1 came out way back in 2018, and I played it on release. Chapter 2 didn’t come out until 2021, and I played both chapters at that point. Then, on Switch 2 release day this year, Chapters 3 and 4 both came out together! And I played all four of them back-to-back-to-back-to-back. It was lovely.
The broad strokes of the plot are as such: Kris and Suzie are a human and monster that happen to become friends when they are pulled into an alternate reality, also known as the Dark World. There, they meet friends and foes alike, and learn that someone or something is plotting to open up dark fountains all over the Light World to cover it with darkness. Their destiny, along with prince Ralsei of the Dark World, is to seal the fountains and prevent certain doom.
Every chapter has a specific theme based around Light World objects, and Chapter 3 is by far my favourite of the bunch. In this one, you become a contestant on a game show, where each round involved playing a very Zelda-style retro video game. It’s only a small portion of the entire chapter, but it was such a cool idea and very distinct from an of the other chapters’ gimmicks.
Chapter 4 is a little more in line with the first two chapters, having similar gameplay, but with its own new mechanic of climbing walls. However, this is the chapter where you spend by far the biggest portion of your time in the Light World, as opposed to the other chapters, where you’re in the Dark World 95% of the time. This, I think, is also the chapter that spends the most time pushing forward the overarching story, rather than focusing on a more chapter-specific plot.
The combat system in Deltarune is pretty standard RPG fare, at least at a glance. You select the attacks you want your guys to do, and then they do them. But when enemies attack, the screen becomes something of a bullet hell shooter, and you have to control a little heart icon and dodge incoming projectiles. Not only does this add a lot of fun and action to battles, but it gets absurdly creative as the game progresses, and the secret boss of every chapter is maddeningly difficult. You also have the choice to spare just about every foe you meet, which will unlock some additional options, and maybe even change the story a little? I don’t know for sure, I’ve never once actually killed an enemy – it’s always more interesting to figure out how to spare them instead.
Chapter 1 and 2 set such a high bar that I was actually a little worried about how I would feel about 3 and 4, but much to my delight, Deltarune is a game that just keeps getting better. As the characters continue to develop, and more pieces of the story come into place, it just gets more and more interesting. It’s all driven by the same sense of humour and heart that Toby Fox first wowed the world with in Undertale, so I don’t know why I was ever worried, really. It’s going to be a long wait for the rest of the chapters.