... I gotta get this off my chest.

When I first heard about Undertale, I absolutely hated the idea of it. A perfect game? That everyone felt the need to talk about? How absurd.

Now I'm the guy who thinks it's a perfect game that I feel the need to talk about.

Though I will admit that I didn't play much of the game myself. A friend gave it to me but I got really annoyed with it in the first part so I just watched Game Grumps play it and by the time I realized it was worth the trouble I was already too far in and some of my friends on Facebook had spoiled some parts for me...

And that concludes the part of the review where I establish that I am a hypocrite.

The game's creator, Toby Fox, has somehow managed to create a game that is worth more than the sum of its parts. Normally sprites like these would bring down a game released in this day and age, but the game's excellent meta-humor justifies it enough to where I don't even care. The RPG elements are extremely light, though I feel that this was to do away with aspects that would have made the game grindy and overall boring. The bullet hell-like combat is fun and not overly challenging (unless you deserve it; see below), but can be a bit repetitive if a fight takes longer than it probably should.

To me, the best part of the game is the story.

Before I continue, I must note that you must do absolutely everything in your power to go into this game as blind as possibly can be. The less you know about the game, its shenanigans, and its plot, the better your experience will be.

On paper, the plot is only a bit more interesting than what we're used to nowadays, but the way that it's revealed over the course of the game is stunning. It's extremely difficult not to get engaged, wondering what comes next after each scene, each part of the game.

Thing is, how the plot unravels is heavily player-influenced.

Almost every single action you take has an effect on the plot, be it small or large. This especially plays into the whole "you don't have to destroy anyone" thing. Trust me when I say that you really shouldn't.

In an RPG, enemies are just... enemies. Monsters that want nothing but destruction of some sort and can't be reasoned with. Undertale is different. French television producer Arnaud Desjardins once said "There are no bad people, only badly loved people." Every single being that tries to attack you in this game is their own person, with their own personalities, faults, and viewpoints. All of them can be pacified if you just take the time to see from their viewpoint and deal with them without resorting to violence (well, there are only two times in a Pacifist run (don't kill anyone and be everyone's friend) where you will actually need to attack, but I won't say exactly where those are (only that they're at pretty much the end of the game)).

Or, alternatively, you can kill everyone. This is what you usually do in video games and, thus, what you first think you have to do here. Thing is, though, you WILL feel bad for doing it. Remember how I said that everyone has their own personalities, faults, and viewpoints? They will respond to your actions how they feel is necessary. On a Genocide run, where you have to kill each and every enemy you come across, you will go from the hero of the story to being the villain. The two hardest fights in the entire game are heroes trying to stop you in this storyline.

The fact that the world is so responsive to your actions makes it feel living and breathing. There is some fourth-wall breaking, but miraculously it serves to further establish the world of Undertale as living and breathing. I'm pretty sure this is why the true final boss, only encountered at the end of the Pacifist route, is actually one of the easiest... the game doesn't want you to lose. It wants you to get your happy ending, and it's not afraid to break its own rules in order to do that.

The soundtrack is fantastic, and can be bought here on Steam along with the game. Every track was composed by Toby Fox and is great in its own way. More details on that in a review of the soundtrack itself, if I get around to it.

If you're still skeptical, I understand, but please take my word for it. I am a perfect example of a non-believer turned believer, and I really hope that that is enough to convince anyone that this is probably their cup of tea. Want to know how it plays first? There's a free demo built off of an earlier version of the game available on the official website. Cannot stand the gameplay? At least watch a playthrough of the game on YouTube, like I did. Though, again, you really should try to play it for yourself. Blind.

... wow, and I said I wasn't gonna ramble.

That concludes my thoughts on Undertale, I guess. If you can't take my word for it, then see just how many other people have praised this game and consider THEN if you don't think this game deserves the praise it gets. This is no Five Nights at Freddy's.

This is so much more interesting.

Note that I'm pretty sure I'm a really ♥♥♥♥♥♥ reviewer so I won't probably make any more of these.

... I gotta get this off my chest. When I first heard about Undertale, I absolutely hated the idea of it. A perfect game? That everyone felt the need to talk about? How absurd. Now I'm the guy who thinks it's a perfect game that I feel the need to talk about. Though I will admit that I didn't play much of the game myself. A friend gave it to me but I got really annoyed with it in the first part so I just watched Game Grumps play it and by the time I realized it was worth the trouble I was already too far in and some of my friends on Facebook had spoiled some parts for me... And that concludes the part of the review where I establish that I am a hypocrite. The game's creator, Toby Fox, has somehow managed to create a game that is worth more than the sum of its parts. Normally sprites like these would bring down a game released in this day and age, but the game's excellent meta-humor justifies it enough to where I don't even care. The RPG elements are extremely light, though I feel that this was to do away with aspects that would have made the game grindy and overall boring. The bullet hell-like combat is fun and not overly challenging (unless you deserve it; see below), but can be a bit repetitive if a fight takes longer than it probably should. To me, the best part of the game is the story. Before I continue, I must note that you must do absolutely everything in your power to go into this game as blind as possibly can be. The less you know about the game, its shenanigans, and its plot, the better your experience will be. On paper, the plot is only a bit more interesting than what we're used to nowadays, but the way that it's revealed over the course of the game is stunning. It's extremely difficult not to get engaged, wondering what comes next after each scene, each part of the game. Thing is, how the plot unravels is heavily player-influenced. Almost every single action you take has an effect on the plot, be it small or large. This especially plays into the whole "you don't have to destroy anyone" thing. Trust me when I say that you really shouldn't. In an RPG, enemies are just... enemies. Monsters that want nothing but destruction of some sort and can't be reasoned with. Undertale is different. French television producer Arnaud Desjardins once said "There are no bad people, only badly loved people." Every single being that tries to attack you in this game is their own person, with their own personalities, faults, and viewpoints. All of them can be pacified if you just take the time to see from their viewpoint and deal with them without resorting to violence (well, there are only two times in a Pacifist run (don't kill anyone and be everyone's friend) where you will actually need to attack, but I won't say exactly where those are (only that they're at pretty much the end of the game)). Or, alternatively, you can kill everyone. This is what you usually do in video games and, thus, what you first think you have to do here. Thing is, though, you WILL feel bad for doing it. Remember how I said that everyone has their own personalities, faults, and viewpoints? They will respond to your actions how they feel is necessary. On a Genocide run, where you have to kill each and every enemy you come across, you will go from the hero of the story to being the villain. The two hardest fights in the entire game are heroes trying to stop you in this storyline. The fact that the world is so responsive to your actions makes it feel living and breathing. There is some fourth-wall breaking, but miraculously it serves to further establish the world of Undertale as living and breathing. I'm pretty sure this is why the true final boss, only encountered at the end of the Pacifist route, is actually one of the easiest... the game doesn't want you to lose. It wants you to get your happy ending, and it's not afraid to break its own rules in order to do that. The soundtrack is fantastic, and can be bought here on Steam along with the game. Every track was composed by Toby Fox and is great in its own way. More details on that in a review of the soundtrack itself, if I get around to it. If you're still skeptical, I understand, but please take my word for it. I am a perfect example of a non-believer turned believer, and I really hope that that is enough to convince anyone that this is probably their cup of tea. Want to know how it plays first? There's a free demo built off of an earlier version of the game available on the official website. Cannot stand the gameplay? At least watch a playthrough of the game on YouTube, like I did. Though, again, you really should try to play it for yourself. Blind. ... wow, and I said I wasn't gonna ramble. That concludes my thoughts on Undertale, I guess. If you can't take my word for it, then see just how many other people have praised this game and consider THEN if you don't think this game deserves the praise it gets. This is no Five Nights at Freddy's. This is so much more interesting. Note that I'm pretty sure I'm a really shitty reviewer so I won't probably make any more of these.