DELTARUNE

pirate green gaster is tuff. also the music gameplay and story is good or whatever

[h3] A world basked in purest light, beneath it grew eternal night… [/h3] It was the year of 2011 and Toby Fox suddenly got sick while in college. Sleeping with a high fever, he ended up having a very clear dream about an ending to a game. Ever since then, he was determined to create a game with the ending he saw in his dream. That game is Deltarune. This is one of the reasons why I think Deltarune feels so immensely special to me. Toby Fox had been working on creating this game for literal years, all because of a single dream 15 years ago as of the time of writing this review. It is really tough for me to try and find the right words for this; I have a lot to say about this game but at the same time, I feel like it is best to be discovered for yourself. Deltarune is full of surprises and wild turns and you can't ever fully know what story or gameplay twist the game will pull on you next. I think that is where the biggest strength of Deltarune lies. The fact it is very much using its nature as a videogame to tell a story that could only ever be told using this medium. You cannot fully divorce the story of Deltarune from its gameplay because they work in unison to create a unique experience. And what is that story? Well, many things. About choices, friendship, finding a place to belong, dreams and even about stories themselves. These teens have lot on their hearts and minds, whether its something from the past or something lurking on the horizon. But through the adventures they go on, they all find a way to enjoy the present and learn a thing or two about themselves. It's a joy seeing those characters develop in both big and small ways while messing around just like a group of teens from a small town would. It's nostalgic in a way. You run out into the streets and places of your town in the morning, and through the presence of your friends and fantasy, the small town suddenly feels much larger and grander, until its time to go back home in the evening and prepare for another day. Another adventure, but who knows what the story will bring in next? Not all days can be beautiful and sunny. Sometimes the clouds come in, and cold water will fall from the top of the sky. The game is done in a very charming pixel artstyle that continues to get better and better with each chapter. The designs of characters and locations are all inspired and nice to look at, with each chapter having a distinct theme to every adventure. The sprites for the speech box are great at expressing emotions and some get really creative. And funny, as the game certainly does not shy away from having the characters pull stupid and over the top faces and expressions. Most of the art you see in game is done by the wonderful Temmie Chang, who has been working with Toby Fox since Undertale. The music is composed by Toby Fox himself and bring a whole other level to the experience. Toby creates such charming and memorable melodies. Not to mention his work with musical melodies and leitmotifs that appear and get referenced across the entire soundtrack, creating story connections and adding a layer of storytelling to the music itself. Deltarune combines a turn-based combat with bullet hell style gameplay. When it's your party's turn, you can assign actions to be done by each member in order to either fight off the enemies or befriend them. Fighting is a straightforward way to engage with the combat, simply beat the enemies and claim your victory. Acting and sparing the enemies is where the game really opens up though. Each battle becomes a little puzzle where you have to figure out which acts work best to pacify/befriend your foes so you can spare them, winning the battle peacefully. Whatever your style is, when it's the enemy's turn, you will have to dodge their bullet patterns in order to avoid your party members from getting damaged. Many of the bullet patterns are really creative and unique and represent the kind of enemy you are fighting, rather than just being a huge storm of projectiles you have to weave through. Groups of enemies will even combine their attacks and create unique combos to keep you on your toes. I don't think this review does the game a proper justice, but as I mentioned, I have a really hard time finding the right and exact words. So I will be blunt for the end of the review. I love this game, plain and simple. It means a great lot to me. Not just as someone who used to be absolutely obsessed with Undertale in my younger years. But as the person I am now. The story, the music and the characters are dear and special to me and to so many other people. I cannot recommend Deltarune enough for that reason. Thank you for reading my review!