Undertale is a 2D RPG but it’s unlike any of your typical RPGs. It’s a unique take on the genre as it is silly and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. It’s filled with jokes and plays on the tropes of the RPG genre. The graphics are a simple 2D style reminiscent of the NES era (aka pixel art) and don’t let that fool you, its gameplay can be even simpler than games from that era. It plays in a 4:3 aspect ratio though so it is somewhat weird for a modern game to do this.
The game has a quick intro to familiarize the player with the setting, which is basically that there are monsters living beneath the ground. The player character (whom you can name) falls down a hole and into this world, so they need to traverse through the undergrounds to get back to the surface. The beginning of the game immediately sets off alarms that this is not your typical RPG. It has a weird tone but in a good way, and it quickly settles into its own unique identity.
It uses a lot of humor to set itself apart. From the way that puzzles have signs nearby to tell you how to solve it, usually with some sort of ironic sentence, to the villains which can either range from creepy or really nice monsters. You never know what will come up and so every part of the game can feel unpredictable with its unexpected developments. The humor is not for everyone, as it leans more towards poking fun of RPG tropes but does it in a really in-your-face way that can get irritating after a while.
The gameplay is really easy to pick up too, given that you only ever use three buttons in addition to the D-pad. Those three actions are confirm, cancel and pulling up the menu. You can equip items to boost your stats, and gain experience to level up. However, all of these feels secondary to the story it tells. The combat system is also simple at first glance but has many unique elements of its own. You can opt to attack your opponent, whereby you need to land a move bar in the green area to deal the most damage. When the opponent attacks, there is a bullet hell minigame and if you manage to dodge all the projectiles successfully, you don’t take damage at all.
Then there are the other non-violent options. Every enemy can be killed… or not killed. Which is a really interesting take. Obviously, killing every enemy is the easy option, but this also plays into the different endings the game has, which adds a lot to the play value. Your actions will influence the story and change it. Defeating an enemy will give you experience points to level up. However, because the game is seemingly so random, sometimes you just don’t know when it is serious and when it is not, and you tend to forgive its simple “puzzles” and gameplay because it’s so refreshingly different.
Apart from the unconventional battle system, where it’s usually just filled with gimmicks that’s different for many of the major bosses, everything else about the game is really generic and simple. The puzzles are easily solved, the dungeons or map are so so. The unique selling point of the game is its humor, its characters, and its music. Those elements complement each other but it's definitely not a game for everyone due to how it presents itself. It can get hard too during some bosses if you’re aiming to kill them instead, or in general, just trying to survive their attacks during the bullet hell sequences. The final boss can be difficult in this aspect so it’ll surprise you.
The game isn’t long at all. It takes around 4 hours to complete even if you’re only playing for the first time. If you’re playing blind, then your first ending will probably not be the good one. It gives you a hint afterwards though and playing through the second time with the goal of getting the better ending, while already knowing quite a bit of the story and characters, gives it a fresh look. The game is a lot more fun and engaging this second time round and while the vast majority of the game stays the same, at the end, it tacks on a big chunk of content. Once you complete that, then the true final boss battle begins, and it is extremely good. That story is a lot deeper and nuanced than you first expected, and it evokes a lot of strong emotions. This is why the game is praised so much and it leaves a deep mark, as your thoughts will keep returning to it.
Overall, Undertale is a unique game. To be honest, the gameplay is simple and bland, and the humor can wear thin fast as it gets predictable. However, the story may seem generic and straightforward at first, but it goes much deeper than you would expect. Unfortunately, it can put a lot of players off but persist to get through to the best ending and the story, the music, and the characters, will win you over.
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