izigame.me

A trait in autism, for some of those who have it, is an unnatural, abnormal empathy for inanimate objects or non-sentient life. Interestingly, Deltarune asks the question, what if the nostalgic items for your youth had an abnormal and unnatural empathy for you?
But who are you? The game starts us off with what may be a fake out or may not, depending on how far you dig into the concept of self in this game.
Truly, I have not played a game in a long time that had activated the many cores of my head and made me ponder on the topics of the occult, Abrahamic-faiths and their branches of mysticism, primarily that of Kabbalah, all while also relating it to Hellenistic concepts such as Platonic thought. And the best part, it all feels more in line with the genuine concepts of early alchemists and cabalists in 14th century Spain, than the surface level, post-modern slop that is the 'occult' today, as appropriated by bored white girls.
The game itself came to me like a ritual, a magician's cruel joke. I had deliberately avoided playing the game for myself, as in the, first two chapters that have been out for a bit now - because I wanted a more complete product in the end. A childhood friend of mine, who I enjoyed a retrospective replay of Undertale years ago alongside that proved to be a formulation core memory, gave me a letter.
This hand written letter, as elegant as it possibly could be in its exquisite calligraphy, masterful diction and overall, wonderfully presented on high quality hemp paper, was mailed to me by hand. Concerningly, it was while I was on vacation in another country and this individual had no idea or way to have known my address.
The letter itself was of childhood, a shared childhood, with familiar people, places, events and things. Then, it ever so subtly shifted into absurdity. That was when I realized it. My years of avoiding Deltarune spoilers had been foiled by this cruel trick, the letter was carefully cultivated spoilers, disguised as something wholesome and nostalgic. I was tricked, I was fooled. But I had to see it for myself.
Deltarune! It is only half way done, but it has surprisingly the feeling of a complete game experience in each chapter. The first chapter was a bit slow, but it had an incredible opening hook and really brought you into the adventure adequately. It felt the most 'Undertale' of all of Deltarune so far, hardly a thing to be upset about.
But Chapter 2? Chapter 2 is excellence of the highest degree. It was then, I realized just how greatly superior this is to Undertale. Toby merely made Undertale to see, that with all of his experience making a ROM hacks for Mother/Earthbound, if he could make a game. Now, Deltarune is Toby experimenting to see just how far he can push the engine and limitations of himself and his small team, to make a truly unique game.
My skepticism for Deltarune ended with Chapter 2. Genuinely funny, innovative on its own formula and borrowing the best elements from its contemporaries. I fairly enjoy RPGmaker games (Fear and Hunger 1 and 2 being among my favourite games of all time), but also as someone who enjoyed Famicom/Nintendo classics, FInal Fantasy. But above all, I am have a veteraned love for Shin Megami Tensei. And SMT's bastard, far more popular cousin, Persona, has influenced core parts of Deltarune for the better.
Chapter 3 is basically the closest we get to an Amazing Digital Circus game and Chapter 4... is simultaneously one of the more disturbing experiences, but also wholesome, with mixed degrees of subtly but never without layers.
I am honestly completely and utterly amazed how much better Deltarune is, compared to Undertale. Rarely does ambition meet execution so well and actually overcome what was seemingly the apex-creation of Toby Fox. My respect for Toby has manifested fully into something very genuine.
Of course, it may not be the most innovating game of its genre, but for Toby's frame work, it manages to feel fresh and new and have enough variety to actually make each chapter surprisingly and substantially able to stand on its own. I genuinely felt like my 20+ hours of a very thorough, pacifist playthrough was more like 80, but in a good way.
This game can be exhausting in a sprint, there is a part where the game itself even reminds the player its fine to take a break, as games are not meant to feel like a job or chore. But really, this game was very rewarding for my efforts and my attention. Excellent art direction with its intentional minimalism, but when it wanted to flex, it does so with great flair.
It helps that it is genuinely funny. How is it that Toby's contemporaries and peers, can do something similar but make it completely cringe. But Toby can take something cringe and make it based? I am unsure. All I know is that he is unafraid of breaking the conventions of even the indie genre to do something cheeky.
It is actually hard to appreciate Undertale, when Deltarune is such a superior version of the formula. Toby Fox unchained and able to make this game at his own pace, has been worth it, I would say.
The characters actually have a lot of development in short time, but the pacing never feels wrong. While some levels do feel like they over stay their welcome and gimmick when you are marathoning the game, the characters' frequent interactions and dialogue between one another is a blessing. The enduring nature of this cast and the questions that constantly about the true going ons of everything, make it easy to be actively engaged with who these characters are and where they are going to end up.
I could discuss how much I adore Queen and how Berdley became one of my favourite characters, but I rather you, the reader, experience them for yourself and build your own attachments. I was luckily able to deliberately ignore my subconscious memory of the spoilers and allowed myself to be effectively surprised with each chapter.
There are some things that are certainly out of line. An apparent allegory of sexual assault was 'corrected' via patch and some difficulty curves were toned down.
The game can be fairly difficult, but it has this amazing thing called 'replay until you memorize the patterns' and eventually, you will win even the most difficult of bosses. Not everyone will find this fun, but I actually have developed a hypnotic process of rhythm with replaying boss fights until I win, which made it fairly painless for me.
It is incredible how a game of this sort and its deliberate limitations can actually generate cult like hype. I have never seen people so fanatically in love with a game, but I get it. I truly do. Not all of the chapters hit for me (Spamton) but the ones that do (Berdly) make me endearingly smile. The episodic format and long wait between the updates benefits the community, as everyone speculates and develop their own theories.
When discussing with others, it really is like we are discussing some larger concept that we have all contributed to in some way, even if just by acknowledging it. There is a language in itself, in the memes and the theories, that few games can ever organically construc for their properties. Few games have had me on the subjects of metaphysical spirituality, relating concepts from Christian Cabalism with Shinto or aspects of Daoism with Egyptian Alchemy.
RIP Hermes Trismegistus, he would have loved Deltarune.
There is some jank here and there, some sections are not as friendly to players as they could be, but overall, this game is immensely rewarding and for its price, its basically obligatory. I couldn't believe the hype, but I have experienced it for myself and I had a truly interesting time, playing Deltarune this last week. And its characters have infected my head and I, now, must further read into the pursuit of transmutation, harnessing properties of the natural world, seeking visionary experiences and understand the mysteries of our existance, all to justify my own theories.