Undertale, made by independent developer Toby Fox, allows one to partake in a truly unique gaming experience. In 2013 Fox uploaded his project to Kickstarter, a public-benefit corporation that provides a program to fund creative projects. A large group of individuals provides small donations for said projects. After receiving tens of thousands of dollars to create his game, he released his finished product in September of 2015. Since that time, gamers have rated the game highly for a variety of reasons.

The story follows the tale of a young human child who falls into the Underground, a large area underneath the surface of the Earth inhabited by monsters. The game’s history explains that after a war between the humans and the monsters, humans banished them to the Underground and sealed them there. One plays as the young child, trying to escape the Underground and return home. The player faces battles with a motley crew of unique creatures as he or she traverses the vast and diverse locations of the game. As an RPG (role-playing game), it provides the usual gain of experience points and currency for each victorious battle, allowing one to purchase and find better items and gear as the game progresses. This game, however, has a unique mechanic for a player to take advantage of while progressing: during a battle, the player can choose to spare his or her enemies. In fact, one can spare practically every enemy and boss in the game. If one chooses to spare all of his or her adversaries, he or she partakes in the “Pacifist Route.” If, instead, one chooses to wreak havoc in the Underground, one may attack and defeat any enemy, activating the “Genocide Route,” which the player permanently enters after defeating an enemy. If the player restarts without saving, the game remembers the previous actions of the player, changing even the dialogue of the non-playable characters during interactions and cutscenes. If the player accidentally exits the game without saving, the dialogue of cutscenes and conversations in which he or she has already partaken will change. This causes a player to focus during fights and not accidentally attack an enemy should he or she attempt to follow the “Pacifist Route.”

Along with these distinctive functions, Undertale leads the player through a variety of puzzles that the player must solve to progress. Also, in battles in the Pacifist Route, the player must choose different actions according to the specific enemy he or she battles before one may spare said enemy. One may repeatedly try to spare an enemy without the actions, but this method will take longer instead of trying to select the right action or sequence of actions. Each enemy also has special “bullet patterns” that the player must dodge after each turn. After a couple of rounds, the player acquires a feel for what actions work against certain enemies.

Though some may call the graphics of Undertale somewhat lackluster, they add to the overall atmosphere of the game. Reminiscent of the first era of video games, the game has classic 8-bit graphics that contribute to the current revival of the classic gaming art style. Fox and his team created beautiful areas and elements even with this limited choice in graphics. The music also proves highly reminiscent of the original gaming area, and one may find a majority of the songs quite catchy. The battle music allows the player to get in “the zone” for the more difficult fights, and the themes for certain areas add to the ambiance. All of the game’s stylistic elements tie together to allow the player to fully immerse himself or herself while playing this title.

A major part of this game lies neither in the mechanics nor the graphics of Undertale, but instead in the character and humor of this game. One begins to truly feel for the characters, though some of them may seem utterly ridiculous. The game provides laugh after laugh at each outrageous event in the game; one may choose to date a skeleton or cook with one of his or her greater enemies in an attempt to become best friends. Along with this humor, Undertale provokes truly touching moments, some of which occur when the player chooses to spare an enemy and remains resolute to follow through with that choice. Throughout the game, one will likely experience both bouts of uncontrollable laughter and moments of solemn contemplation.

Beloved and well-respected by many in the gaming community, Undertale provides a unique experience for casual and serious gamers alike.