As the 10th anniversary approaches, ‘Undertale’ fans reflect on what the popular video game means to them
This September, “Undertale” will be a decade old. Because of how popular the franchise is today, it is easy to forget that the video game started as a small solo project. American independent game developer Toby Fox originally put the game on Kickstarter with a goal of raising $5,000 — a goal that was shattered ten-fold — totaling a budget of $51,000.
“Undertale” is a game that centers around the player’s choices and how they decide to interact with the game’s world, which is built upon the story of a child falling down Mt. Ebott into the Underground. Its approach to storytelling is not only effective but incredibly unique — the video game takes full advantage of its medium.
“Undertale” has reached a level of success that most indie game developers can only dream of one day reaching. The game has touched the hearts of video game players all around the world. As the game’s anniversary approaches, and with the third and fourth chapters of Toby Fox’s other release, “Deltarune,” approaching in two months, fans told The Independent how they have connected with the franchise in the past ten years.
RJ Triozzi, 19, from Orlando, FL:
“The [game’s] music is composed wonderfully and is incredibly diverse. Just the range of sounds is crazy. Some of the tracks are so well composed and are contenders for some of the best songs in video games.”
“Storytelling [is] arguably ‘Undertale’’s best quality, and what ultimately garnered it such success. It’s a story full of charm and heart, but the main thing that elevates it is how it works around player agency. Video games as a medium of art are defined by the agency the audience actually has when engaging with it [. . .] ‘Undertale’ is a game that is defined by the choices a player can make and [. . .] is ultimately what creates its story.”
Stu Mauriz, 19, from Miami, FL:
“[‘Undertale’] is not afraid to be corny or ‘cringe’ in ways that I find really charming and inspiring, to be honest.”
“[The game] is one of the foundations for modern pixel games, and it continues to uphold that title and duty with honor, because nothing has come close to it or surpassed its likability and originality.”
Jin DeFilippis, 19, from Portland, ME:
“It finds ways to teach you ideas and mechanics through jokes that stick with you, so that it can build on those same concepts later. You learn so much about the gameplay, characters and story without even realizing it!”
“The worlds have so much wonder and fun to them that exposition is exciting and satisfies your curiosity, rather than just hitting you over the head with lore.”
Ava M., 18, from Orange County, NY:
“‘Undertale’ came out when I was in elementary school, which is crazy [. . .] I was able to become best friends with a girl due to our love for the game, and we are still friends to this day!”
“The music is fire, the art is amazing, it never gets old.”
Robin Roberts, 20, from Danbury, CT:
“The general theme of ‘UT’/‘DR,’ that primarily being escapism through games and stories, is one that automatically lifts up other aspects of the game. I love that ‘UT’/‘DR’ exist within themselves; its characters, art and music all acknowledging that it’s just a video game and a fleeting experience is beautifully tragic.”
“The metanarrative of coming face to face with what happens when you turn the game off, or when you decide to trespass into [the characters’] world [. . .] has had such a large impact on how I interact with video games and fiction. ‘UT’/‘DR’ encourages me to play God through their silent protagonists, keeps me engaged through silly characters and boss fights and then grabs me by my neck, shaming me for treating it so small.”
“‘UT’/‘DR’ mean so much to me, and will always hold a special place in my [heart shaped object].”
Sandra Sheedy, 21, from Albany, NY:
“The ‘UT’/‘DR’ fandom was one of the biggest aspects of my life when I was in middle school. With a beautifully moving soundtrack, hilarious and relatable comfort characters — my favorite was Undyne, of course. . . — profound explorations of embracing kindness vs embracing violence and a community that came together to create so many different forms of art in appreciation for this franchise inspired me to make art of my own.”
“‘Undertale’ and ‘Deltarune’ were such a comfort for me, being a weird gay middle school kid that was figuring herself out in an ever changing world [. . .] All of the characters had their weird quirks that really resonated with me, they made me feel a bit less uncomfortable in my own skin. I will always love this franchise and how it’s pushed me in my creative journey!”
My own experience:
I can’t put an exact date as to when I first considered myself a fan of “Undertale,” as it was nearly ten years ago at this point, but it was a few months after it originally had come out — I was around 10 years old. “Undertale” caught my attention for a multitude of reasons. Like many others have pointed out, the music was easy to latch on to. Especially as a kid without the greatest media literacy skills, something as simple as good music is a great way to get hooked into liking something. I was curious enough to start watching people play the game on Youtube, to which you may ask, “Why didn’t you just ask your parents to buy the game?” To which my underwhelming response would be that I never expected them to buy it. What officially solidified my place as an “Undertale” fan was when I started making art of it. For me and many others, the character designs were very charming and fun to draw. If I dig through my old sketchbooks I can still find my crappy art of Undyne, Asriel and other characters I drew in fourth grade.
There have been numerous times in my life where I felt lost — whether it be in friendships, battling anxiety or feeling uninspired by my hobbies such as art or playing guitar. Toby Fox’s games “Undertale” and “Deltarune” have been a consistent form of support for me. I would be a very different person if it weren’t for them.
If you have yet to play Undertale or Deltarune, I couldn’t recommend you play them enough. Undertale’s base price is around $10.00 and can be bought for PC and console. Deltarune’s first two chapters are completely free and can be played on the same platforms!