Undertale

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5370 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,431 out of 5370
  2. Mixed: 330 out of 5370
  3. Negative: 609 out of 5370

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  1. Alexey970
    Sep 30, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay. first off, I have to say that while I recommend this game, I didn't liked it as much as other people do. The reasons are lying in details. So I will do like this: Point out the game srongest points for people who have not played it aand my personal net picks for people who have played it. By no means I think this game is overrated or not so good (after all, not each game is capable of curing deppresion or change your life) , but there are some points that I would like to talk about. Here we go.
    + Combat is very original. I really liked negotation system in shin megami tensei series, but this gamee has one of the best interpritaions of it.
    + The cast is memomerable and likeable, also there is a lot of character development.
    + Jokes are very very funny and original as well.
    + Replay value is very high
    + Boss battles are super fun and origignal. Too bad that tere are no boss rush mode.
    + Replay Value is high, although it depends from your position towards the game's message
    + Exploration and backtraking are rewarding, wich is good because I really like to backtrack if some of the location design has changed later on
    + I personally think that game is not that short, because you really should try to rush it throught to complete it in 6 hours.
    + While I persinally think that it is hared to listen soundtrack outside of the game, it's awesome and fitting to any moments.
    In fact, there are a lot more positive points, but these are done their best to catch an eye

    Now let's talk about things that I personally dislike. There is high chance that you will not notice them, but I have.

    [spoiler] - The game really likes to strip your choices at some points, especially toward your cell. I found the telephone number of some monster but the game tells me "You decided not to call". Royal Scientist upgraded it so that I now connected to the social net, but I can't use It! There are only 3 characters I can call, wich is Toriel, Papyrus and Undyne. To make matters worse, Toriel will be available only at the very begining and the very end, while Papyrus and Undyne are united into pair so I can call them oonly at once, and, basically, they are only characters who can provide moral support.
    - Silent protagonist. There are a lot of moments where I wanted to see his reaction, but alas.
    - The story gets really really confusing towards the end.
    - 4th wall breaking moments are confusing as well.
    - I have not cried at all. Yes, there were moments of sadness, but because game so likes to throw jokes on you, at some points it hard to tell, whenether it wants to make you cry or laught or scared.
    - Lore is unecessary complicated
    - True ending.
    Now let's talk about last aspect more detailed.
    1) While other people during the final battle were crying, I personally almost commited suicide with facepalm. Who ever thought that fusing Flowey and Asriel into one character was a good idea? I was shouting like Konstantin Stanislavski "I don't believe it!" Asriel was presented as a mild and likeble character but Flowey is just opposite. And there is a very bad explanation about Asriel's changing of attitude. I can't take it seriously.
    2) So, everyone is having fun while Asriel doomed with eternal punishment? Okay, I understand that I can not save him, but why the hell I can not at least make other characters pay there respect for it? And I don't care that it will broke their hearts, just let me do that, game!!!
    3) A lot of plot holes are risen because of that ending. Why Asgore and Toriel have not ralised how evil was their adopted human son? How the body of their (by the way, why everyone refering to Chara/Frisk "They" and not "Him"?) is mystically warps form the village to coffin to ruins? Why Chara's soul decided to corrupt Frisk and not other fallen humans? Is Frisk is so special? Or what? [/spoiler] If you dont't agree with me, feel free to bash me with dislikes, but I was have to spoke all the thoughts that I had in mind.

    Anyway, again: If you have not played this game -- I can safely recommend it to you. Like all others.    … Expand
  2. SecondSon
    Sep 26, 2015
    5
    Reading through the positive reviews, people seem to attributing profoundness to things that just aren't there. A few random bizzare events does not equal excellent humour. It does not have anything to say on the state of modern video games. It did not invent meta references. It doesn't even try to be heartfelt or touching.

    The Stanley Parable deconstructed gameplay mechanics and the    Reading through the positive reviews, people seem to attributing profoundness to things that just aren't there. A few random bizzare events does not equal excellent humour. It does not have anything to say on the state of modern video games. It did not invent meta references. It doesn't even try to be heartfelt or touching.

    The Stanley Parable deconstructed gameplay mechanics and the nature of player decisions in a far more meaningful way.
    Spec Ops: The Line had more to say and contemplate on senseless killing than a genocide run of Undertale.
    To The Moon ACTUALLY explored themes like love, loss, joy and sentimentality.
    Braid provides a much deeper analysis of gameplay tropes and philosophy.

    Yet these are things reviewers are claiming Undertale has in spades. Normally when I dislike a critically acclaimed game, I can at least appreciate why people loved it, I just can't seem wrap my head around this one, it all feels like some social experiment or joke that I'm not in on. It doesn't help that negative reviews are being downvoted and deleted.    … Expand
  3. Sjalka
    Sep 28, 2015
    7
    I have to state that i rather prefer role playing games that are a lot more visual. I have not grown up in the old computer days with NES or Atari - so i do not feel the nostalgia or so when encountering those games.

    Now - the most important part of a RPG is most certainly the characters and their story - and the game delivers ... very well! I do not know how it works - but there are    I have to state that i rather prefer role playing games that are a lot more visual. I have not grown up in the old computer days with NES or Atari - so i do not feel the nostalgia or so when encountering those games.

    Now - the most important part of a RPG is most certainly the characters and their story - and the game delivers ... very well! I do not know how it works - but there are games where you instantly feel a connection to the characters ... you actually instantly kind of "like" them - and care for them. (even the evil ones) ... and then there are games where you simply never feel the connection (and of course there is the in-between).

    Untertale ... well... for some reason i instantly liked the setting and character(s) - even if they are presented in utmost ugliness.

    Here is also where i draw the line. It may sound (and might actually be) superficially - but i do not think that the art-style is beneficial for the game. I can see the game made in a low res art-style ... but not in Atari 2600 era style - but rather a low res VGA style. So it seems like the art team was simply not able to provide.
    Visuals are an important part of a RPG - which is kind of a visual novel with more interaction than what nowadays goes for "visual novel" i guess. So .. great character(s), great story - and an easy 10/10 ... but for ME ... the presentation brings it down a significant notch. (on the basis of a low budget game that is ... if it was a AAA title - even the story would not be a 10/10 - cause i expect more complexity from such a budget)    … Expand
  4. currer_bell
    Apr 24, 2018
    5
    Granted, the possibility of riding through the game without killing a single enemy is a truly brilliant idea. I also like the way this game is a, kinda, gigantic middle finger to crapload AAA developpers like EA or Rockstar (Only those two, in fact)

    Unfortunately, that doesn't make Undertale a good game. Being totally honest, you probably won't have much fun with it (as I did) ....    Granted, the possibility of riding through the game without killing a single enemy is a truly brilliant idea. I also like the way this game is a, kinda, gigantic middle finger to crapload AAA developpers like EA or Rockstar (Only those two, in fact)

    Unfortunately, that doesn't make Undertale a good game. Being totally honest, you probably won't have much fun with it (as I did) .... There are the 2 major things that stopped me from enjoying the game ;

    1-Invisible / Random enenmy encounter.
    I can't believe in 2015 people are still making games with invisible/random enemy encounter. It was a bad idea in 1987, so imagine now... Even Earthbound back in 1994 was clever enough to avoid those **** invisble enemy encounter. So why torture us like this ?

    2-Ugly visuals.
    Don't get me wrong, I usually like retro graphics a lot. But this....this is wrong in every possible way. The sprites are awful, the colors are awful, the environment design, the mapping design, there is about no artistic vision or direction...everything you see in Undertale is just ugly and irritating.

    So in the end, no, I didn't enjoy the game much... I made it about half-way through the game and then stopped, there was no point in going further, really. It's not a zero, but also, I'm sorry about that, it's amazingly far from the 10 in my book.    … Expand
  5. Menetys
    Mar 2, 2021
    5
    A ok little game with very little rpg elements but its a bit overrated IMO but whatever its fun!
  6. BHP
    May 2, 2021
    5
    Gameplay: Too boring for me 10/2

    Story: Cliche 10/1

    How to Present the Story: Very good 10/8

    Soundtracks: Very good 10/9
  7. Vectis99
    Nov 30, 2018
    6
    A really cute and wholesome adventure game with a pretty funny and pleasant style. The game mainly suffers from an incredibly high amount of down-time, walking, and etcetera, making playing through it an immense chore, but the parts of the game which are well fleshed out can make up for it in several respects. The sense of humor is fairly inaccessible, and although there's a lot of sillyA really cute and wholesome adventure game with a pretty funny and pleasant style. The game mainly suffers from an incredibly high amount of down-time, walking, and etcetera, making playing through it an immense chore, but the parts of the game which are well fleshed out can make up for it in several respects. The sense of humor is fairly inaccessible, and although there's a lot of silly and fun bits it quickly grows repetitive. Overall, unless the general premise of Undertale is something which you feel especially invested in, there are probably better uses of time available.… Expand
  8. Miky950
    Dec 23, 2016
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I still don't understand why this game got so popular.
    First of all, the music is fantastic, the graphics are good and the attack system is original.
    But there are a lot of flaws: the story,for an RPG, is way too much simple,the characters are generic and why should I spare the monsters that are trying to kill me? Oh right, to get the best ending.
    The game is too easy: the 2 first bosses won't kill you, the real difficulties are Undyne and Sans(in Genocide).
    I'm harsh with this game because they told me it was a masterpiece, but instead i found a mediocre game.
    I'm disappointed.    … Expand
  9. BobCakin008
    Jul 15, 2016
    6
    I am going to get downvoted into oblivion for this but... screw it!

    I don't like Undertale. I already hear the uber fans clicking the downvote button and booing me since that's what they did to everyone else who had an opinion on the game, but hear me out. Undertale is definitely not the worst game I have ever played, it's not really even bad. In fact, I am impressed by some of the    I am going to get downvoted into oblivion for this but... screw it!

    I don't like Undertale.

    I already hear the uber fans clicking the downvote button and booing me since that's what they did to everyone else who had an opinion on the game, but hear me out. Undertale is definitely not the worst game I have ever played, it's not really even bad. In fact, I am impressed by some of the features that were coded into the game.

    Then why don't I like it?

    Well for one, the humor of the game relies too much on memes. This already completely dates the game as memes come and go fairly quickly on the internet. In 5-10 years the humor will most likely be pretty unenjoyable because it relies too much on current-day memes to be funny instead of... actually being funny. So many people praised it for its comedy, but I generally found myself getting annoyed at all the "jokes". I haven't really seen many smart jokes that were actually genuinely funny and the ones I did see were too few and far between.

    Now I could look past the terrible jokes if the characters were great, but I could not really relate to any of them, so I found it hard to care about them. All of the characters seemed to be defined by quirks rather than an actual personality like characters out of an M. Night Shymalan flick. While quirks can be funny if done right, most of the characters relied on meme humor and just come off as annoying. I'll admit though, some scenes with Payprus were genuinely funny, but one thing dragged it down... The annoying and piercing sound that kept playing everytime he talked. Everytime a character talks in this game, they emit some of the most annoying sounds I have ever heard and it really makes it hard to care for them when their death means that the noise will finally stop. There are also other characters in the game that will interrupt your gameplay to show you that they made a social media post... 5 times... in one minute. I counted. It's annoying as ♥♥♥♥. So yes, the characters everyone else praises and says made them get "the feels", I could not stand at all and just wished that they would die.

    Which brings me to another con with the game. Morality and how it is treated in Undertale. This is one feature that everyone kept talking about. "It's an RPG where you don't have to kill anyone, it's so unique, it has not been done." Wrong. It has been done and it is not very unique. I mean Postal 2 also allowed you to play the game without killing anyone. Anyway, morality all kind of boils down to two different paths: Kill=Bad and Mercy=Good. I find that setting the scene is a great way to understand the flaw here. You are walking along a path when a floating horse thing jumps out of the bushes and tries to strangle you with its muscles.... just go with it. You dodge his attack, but now he starts to sweat bullets at you, clearly trying to murder you. He shows no signs of stopping so you attempt to protect yourself, killing him in the process. you're not evil, right? Wrong. The game says that you are automatically evil because you hurt that poor defenseless creature and you had the option to run away and risk getting shot in the back by him or flex with him and hope that he just goes away. If you kill, the game starts whining about how much of a monster you are and how you are disgusting because you kill for the fun of it and you are left thinking, "But they kind of were trying to murder me..."

    Another problem I have with this game is that there are never really any tough decisions to make. Once you play for a half hour, you realize that the game offers you the choice to kill everyone, but really discourages that playstyle. Thus, there is one "right" way to play the game which I really hate. Why are there no decisions where you don't know if you made the right choice? One of the tags for this game is "choices matter" and while that is true to a certain exent, all of the "choices" feel a bit one sided. It is apparent that there is one path the dev wanted the players to take and that is perhaps the most disappointing part of the game.

    Combat in the game is fairly interesting... for the first five minutes. It gets old fairly quickly and I found myslef dozing off during many of the "boss battles" which is not good for any game, particularly an RPG. The boss battles are supposed to be some of the most exciting parts of an RPG and... they're just not. The gameplay boils down to move your heart around a little bit every so often and avoid the falling or moving stuff.... that's it.

    Overall, I can barely stand to play this game, but I understand why some people would like it. To them it's funny and emotional, I definitely did not get the same feeling and I personally would not suggest it. To me, it is not worth ten bucks and I would wait for it to get a big discount before buying it.    … Expand
  10. SanicFire2000
    Dec 24, 2018
    5
    A game that prides itself on its moral affinity, Undertale hilariously falls flat when looked at objectively. For me, the game is just a guilt trip when you play the Genocide Route (kill all things in sight, like Aatrox) and then constantly pats you on the back for the True Pacifist Route (befriending everyone like a certain baseball bat-wielding kid from Earthbound). There's nothing wrongA game that prides itself on its moral affinity, Undertale hilariously falls flat when looked at objectively. For me, the game is just a guilt trip when you play the Genocide Route (kill all things in sight, like Aatrox) and then constantly pats you on the back for the True Pacifist Route (befriending everyone like a certain baseball bat-wielding kid from Earthbound). There's nothing wrong with that, but the game has recieved major praise for something that was already achieved back when Spec Ops: The Line was released.… Expand
  11. Tokosan
    Jul 12, 2016
    6
    I once gave a 10/10 to Undertale, but i realised that i was wrong all along, because i made a review, without actually playing the game, and until i played the game, i regretted the score, Undertale could have gotten a 6/10, but because of my extremely retarded decision, i now look like a 12 year old fan boy, that supports the game, very stupidly, and doesn't count as an actual critic.
    So    I once gave a 10/10 to Undertale, but i realised that i was wrong all along, because i made a review, without actually playing the game, and until i played the game, i regretted the score, Undertale could have gotten a 6/10, but because of my extremely retarded decision, i now look like a 12 year old fan boy, that supports the game, very stupidly, and doesn't count as an actual critic.
    So here's my actual review.
    Undertale while being a unique game, with unique gameplay, great story, and memorable characters, there are still some flaws.
    These flaws include,and ugly overworld, a slow and almost boring beginning, and gameplay, that functions as a bullet-hell game, rather than an RPG, because there is no strategy, the bosses don't take any time to think, and you only have 1 attack, so you have to either spam the fight button, or spam the mercy button.
    But the biggest problem with the game, is the Hotland section, you see, once you get to Hotland, after meeting Mettaton and Alphys for the first time, the game becomes annoying, as it throws at you unnecessary text, forcefully, making it really irritating to get to other areas, while you have these pointless comments appearing out of no were.    … Expand
  12. Ky__
    Jun 7, 2016
    7
    Undertale is an RPG that relies too much on story, likeable characters, and "Choosing not to fight". That's not always a bad thing, though. Just, with such a good game like this, of COURSE you're unable to keep it from being spoiled to death! I haven't even played it, and I know everything already because so many people have spoiled it for me. Gameplay, from what I've seen, is split into 3Undertale is an RPG that relies too much on story, likeable characters, and "Choosing not to fight". That's not always a bad thing, though. Just, with such a good game like this, of COURSE you're unable to keep it from being spoiled to death! I haven't even played it, and I know everything already because so many people have spoiled it for me. Gameplay, from what I've seen, is split into 3 different timelines. Pacifist (Sparing everything unless you have to fight), Neutral (Spare monsters and bosses, if you want) and Genocide (Killing everything no matter what). The soundtrack is very good, I insist you have a listen (Only after playing the game, of course). The story itself, as I've already said, is something the game really relies on. In fact, the creator of the game insists you play it yourself before watching a playthrough of it. All in all, I insist you check it out, if it isn't already spoiled for you.

    tl;dr: Good game, already spoiled for me, soundtrack is good, you don't have to fight the monsters to beat it, play it yourself, dont watch a playthrough until after playing it.    … Expand
  13. OberiousLocke
    May 17, 2017
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. tl;dr - I find it hard to pick a number rating, being of the "Yahtzee" Croshaw school of thinking that complex opinions cannot be condensed into a numerical value, though. I would recommend playing it (And I hoped you have before reading this, given I marked it with a spoiler warning, as it's best experienced blind) but temper your expectations, whatever the fanboys say.

    This review is also spoiler rich, so if you haven't played it yet for yourself, go in as blind as possible to it and go play it. OR keep going, I'm not a cop.

    ==================
    It's not that I don't like Undertale, I like it a fair bit, but it's not as good as it's cracked up to be. The Characters are okay, I suppose, but I never really felt like I was growing attached to them, which really makes the genocide route lack impact. Undyne is a self-righteous fishwoman. Papyrus is that kind of tryhard funny that I can just imagine children getting a kick out of. Flowey and Chara are just nightmare fuel.

    Where Undertale shines the most in my opinion is the music and the story. Learning more about the story and background only left me wanting to know more. Why did Chara come to the underground? Why did he/she/it/godless hellspawn hate Humans so much?

    One of my biggest complaints is how badly designed the final boss fight against Sans is in the Genocide run. The Dark Souls games (1 definitely, 2 sometimes, never 3) are examples of how you do difficulty correctly, if you get walloped by a giant goat demon brandishing two Machete's, you expect that to sting. Sans, on the other hand, is what's known as **** difficulty. Toby did a lot of the enemy move sets flawlessly in UT, never too hard, but it's still a test of how well you can handle it. Sans is 90% attacks that either cover the entire bullet board in poison BS, or attacks that require finesse more than what the controls (which do lean towards the sluggish) will allow.

    At least his battle song is kickass, I guess? I can appreciate a good guitar riff.

    While I expect things like Asriel's pacifist fight to be hard, his doesn't even scratch San's fight. I would EXPECT Asriel to be a pain in my ass, given that it's stated that if a Monster obtained a human soul, the result would be unimaginably powerful, and considering he's absorbed six of the damn things, I think you see my point.

    Meanwhile, he's put to shame by a skeleton with NO (and I mean NO) explanation as to why he's so powerful except for "He just is" (I get that he used to work with Gaster, or some such, that still doesn't explain it away) A fine example of why this boss fight is summarily badly designed; If you somehow manage to suffer through his other attacks, he gets to the point where you can spare him. If you continue attacking after this point, the game will actually spawn bones that can hit your heart icon when it's your turn (i.e if you're trying to heal) and do damage. It starts off slow at first, with a bone that flies back and forth next to the window where your heart appears when picking a target to attack, but will eventually start on the bottom most buttons (FIGHT, ACT, USE, MERCY)    … Expand
  14. allo_ver
    Nov 20, 2015
    6
    While I did enjoy the game, I'm somewhat puzzled with its high review score.

    I mean, it has some very interesting ideas and mechanics, and some very nice music (I regret not buying it with the soundtrack), but the graphics are overly simplistic, with the maps being many times a bit dull. The puzzles are all somewhat easy. Also, for being a very satirical game, its humor sometimes    While I did enjoy the game, I'm somewhat puzzled with its high review score.

    I mean, it has some very interesting ideas and mechanics, and some very nice music (I regret not buying it with the soundtrack), but the graphics are overly simplistic, with the maps being many times a bit dull. The puzzles are all somewhat easy.

    Also, for being a very satirical game, its humor sometimes misses the mark. At times I actually laughed loud at jokes, while other times I just rolled my eyes or found them just plain dumb. Same thing with the plot, at times it got me excited and curious, and at other times it got me bored thinking it was dragging on too much.

    The characters are interesting and grow on you after a while, to a point where I cared to try a re-run to see multiple endings.

    Anyway, it is a fine game and worth a shot for anyone who played enough JRPGs. But I'm puzzled at why so many people consider it a masterpiece of sorts.    … Expand
  15. Rtheom
    Jan 8, 2016
    5
    I've played through the good ending of the game, and I'm really confused as to why people think these characters are fleshed out. I felt nothing this entire game. Few games have made me feel real emotion and this was not one of them. The hype train is real with this one.
  16. ToNoAvail
    Feb 3, 2016
    5
    +Excellent soundtrack
    +Interesting game conscience
    +Potentially good combat system +Occasional fun moments -The combat system is rarely used to its full potential, save for a few boss fights -The combat system lacks in attack types and making peace with enemies isn't engaging -Lackluster graphics, kind of inconsistent as they're clearly made by two different artists -Very lacking    +Excellent soundtrack
    +Interesting game conscience
    +Potentially good combat system
    +Occasional fun moments

    -The combat system is rarely used to its full potential, save for a few boss fights
    -The combat system lacks in attack types and making peace with enemies isn't engaging
    -Lackluster graphics, kind of inconsistent as they're clearly made by two different artists
    -Very lacking animations
    -Genocide route is VERY tedious and grindy
    -Inconsistent difficulty - the game is too easy most of the time, rarely challenging, and mostly trial-and-error at one point
    -The writing majorly consists of cheap pop culture references and poor jokes
    -Puzzles are too few and too simple
    -Random encounters provide only annoyance, as they aren't at all challenging or fun to deal with after the first time
    -Progression is very linear
    -Short

    Overall, a unique take on RPG games, but ultimately a waste of potential because of poor execution. I feel like the charm of this game clouds people's judgement.    … Expand
  17. eyeluvop
    Mar 15, 2017
    6
    A sad product of the "retro games are now cool again" era.
    The characters, the story, nothing really grabbed me. I like how it did try to do something interesting with the boss fights, but overall it was a really forgettable game for me, frankly it felt like a waste of money with the low price that it had.
    I can see the appeal for some people, but I personally got really nothing out of    A sad product of the "retro games are now cool again" era.
    The characters, the story, nothing really grabbed me. I like how it did try to do something interesting with the boss fights, but overall it was a really forgettable game for me, frankly it felt like a waste of money with the low price that it had.
    I can see the appeal for some people, but I personally got really nothing out of it. I can appreciate the effort though.    … Expand
  18. Monoliithic
    Jan 7, 2016
    5
    Has a definite fandom, but the first 2 hours or so of the game are kinda mediocre, and unless you really REALLY like the weirdness of it (which I didn't) you won't like this game. Don't think it's bad, just don't think it's the godsend video game mankind has been waiting for that so many people seem to think it is.
  19. ShiningChris
    Feb 14, 2016
    5
    I think is too overrated, i mean a pixelated game with DECENT story is just incomparable with gta, telltale games and Life is strange. I don't know why people remain in the past, playing a game that could been easily been published 10 years ago.
  20. kuehnau
    May 24, 2016
    7
    UnderTale is a video game that was released for the PC platform on Sep. 15th, 2015 by Toby Fox. There are many aspects to UnderTale and before I reach my final conclusion, I want to cover those subjects.

    Developer: Toby Fox is a fantastic developer, who takes the often obsessive (and even toxic) fanbase in stride. A great example of an indie developer, Toby hasn't appeared to sell out    UnderTale is a video game that was released for the PC platform on Sep. 15th, 2015 by Toby Fox. There are many aspects to UnderTale and before I reach my final conclusion, I want to cover those subjects.

    Developer: Toby Fox is a fantastic developer, who takes the often obsessive (and even toxic) fanbase in stride. A great example of an indie developer, Toby hasn't appeared to sell out (yet), limiting and restricting the amount of offical UnderTale merchandise. While every store on the face of the Earth may carry Five Nights at Freddy's merchandise, Toby tends to be much more selective on who can sell his product.

    Programming: A well programmed game, during the time I spent with UnderTale, at no time did I experience any bugs or crashes (that weren't intended by the developer).

    Mechanics: UnderTale is a "bullet hell" stylized RPG in which the player will have to physically dodge enemy attacks while being confined to a box. During this phase, players move a red heart, which represents your "soul". While your attack is a fairly standard JRPG turn based attack, enemy attacks tend to be much lengthier and involve dodging bullets and memorizing attack patterns.

    While this combat mechanic will start off feeling fresh and unique, by the time you finally finished the game, you'll be glad you are done with it's combat system. Often times, Boss Fights revolve around a marathon, in which you will not even be able to FINISH the fight until the enemy says everything they need to say, which can be frustrating at times, most bosses have a trick you need to figure out to defeat them, very few of them are straight forward fights.

    Community: This is most likely one of my most biggest complaints with the game (next to the story). UnderTale has managed to collect some of the most obsessive, often times toxic fans in almost any fandom I have come across. Managing to collect the attention of furries, sexually confused individuals and SJWs, frothing, foaming at the mouths the fandom will defend the game to any end, often verbally eviscerating anyone who has anything remotely negative to say about UnderTale.

    This is possibly one of the worst fandoms I have ever seen, ranking right next to Five Nights at Freddy's. Most users seeing I didn't rate UnderTale a solid 10 out of 10 will most likely rate this review as "unhelpful" without even reading the entire review.

    Story: I will try not to spoil the game in this part of the review. Simply put, you are a child who has fallen underground, it is now your objective to make your way through the underground, trying to find your way home. As you progress through the game, you'll quickly discover that not everything happening here is quite as it appears to be. The underground has problems of it's own and you can take it upon yourself to try and solve these problems.

    The story of UnderTale, while unique is possibly, one of the biggest issues I have with the game. Themes such as love, friendship and dedication are drilled into your head constantly.

    You will also be judged based on your behavior while playing the game, which is what my problem is with the story. Kill any enemies and you'll be judged for it. The game acts as if any enemy deaths, no matter what, are a violation of the underground's citizens, completely ignoring the fact most (if not all) monsters are trying to either capture you or kill you.

    I find it ironic, even asinine, that the game expects you to lay down your life for creatures, all who have an agenda that revolves around capturing or killing you. Very few of the relationships that you'll forge feel genuine in any extent. For a story about love, understanding and friendship, I found it hard to ever feel a real connection for any of the characters, let alone care about them.

    The story is branching, there are three major branches in the game, all which will make changes to the game worth seeing. There are lesser branches to the game, but the content that changed is so minescual it isn't worth the effort of another play through. For these minor changes I suggest just using YouTube.

    Conclusion: At the end of the day, Undertale is absolutely a game that is worth your time playing, rough spots and community aside. The game is short enough that you can fit a play through (or even multiple ones) in a day. The price is reasonable and I think supporting a developer such as Toby Fox is enough incentive itself to purchase the game.    … Expand
  21. dc203
    Feb 17, 2016
    6
    I guess I can see why people like this game so much, but personally I have found most parts either boring or frustrating. I received Undertale as a surprise Christmas present from my brother, whose only comment on the game was that it's "really good". Other than his two-word review, I knew absolutely nothing about the game or the high praise it received from most reviewers and players.I guess I can see why people like this game so much, but personally I have found most parts either boring or frustrating. I received Undertale as a surprise Christmas present from my brother, whose only comment on the game was that it's "really good". Other than his two-word review, I knew absolutely nothing about the game or the high praise it received from most reviewers and players.

    This is probably the best way to experience a game like Undertale, as much of its WOW Factor supposedly relies on the story and how the player interacts with the game's world or characters. Whether heart-breaking or hilarious, most of these parts are well executed. The major problem is that the bulk of the game, puzzle solving and RPG elements, tend to be awfully boring and repetitive. Puzzles which take place outside of battle are very uninspired and mostly seem to be a case of trial and error, or repeating a certain pattern. Those which do occur in battle sequences are funny at first, but quickly wore thin when I realised I had to repeat the same process several times depending on which enemy I encountered. I have not even been able to force myself to complete one play through. Some people may say that I since I haven't completed the game I shouldn't be writing a review, but if the game truly bored me to the point at which I no longer want to play it, then I regard that as a serious problem.

    Undertale is quite short, so I've heard, but since player choices influence the story, several different endings and outcomes can arise from in-game decisions. While this may seem like a good idea on paper and works well in other games, for me it just created a sense of constant paranoia. The game constantly usurps common assumptions and tropes of the RPG-genre, and this sometimes works to humorous effect. However, that also means it is not clear which decisions will influence the play-through, which decisions won't, and which decisions actually have a required answer/action in order for the story to progress. Of course, it would be easier if it were possible to predict the consequences of your actions, but in a fantasy, convention-defying world such as the one presented in Undertale, doing so is extremely difficult. But! If I make a mistake, then surely I can just reload my old save file, and start the section over, right? Wrong! Undertale actually remembers if you reload your file in some cases, so whether you like it or not, you may be stuck with the adverse effects of a previous mis-click or accidental push of a button for the entirety of your playthrough. All-in-all I found this choice-making aspect of the game very flawed and more frustrating than enjoyable.

    That is not to say Undertale is all bad, not in any sense, and '6' is not a bad score. The music is absolutely superb. Although, I found the retro style graphics and music clash with pieces that are more orchestral. The game really does ooze atmosphere despite its graphical style. Furthermore, regular enemy encounters are great fun the first time around, and most of the Boss Battles are so ingeniously hilarious or touching that I would still recommend you give the Undertale a try. It really does show some innovative game design, and the interactions with the main cast of characters are the most enjoyable part of the Undertale for me. Unfortunately, it is the dull process of getting to the good parts that takes up most of the game. I also find the game's story and pacing to be very slow, which is fine if the game play is fun, but it most cases it just isn't. Furthermore, once you've figured out the trick to beating a certain boss or enemy, having to repeat the process if you die can feel very repetitive. Not every joke or fourth-wall breaking effect is funny and sometimes rub off as rather annoying. The level of importance or outcome of different decisions is never really clear until it's too late, and in my opinion this takes away most of the fun that should have come from these segments.

    Overall, Undertale is a great, but seriously flawed, game that I would recommend to fans of RPGs. As someone who loved Chrono Trigger, a superb RPG with multiple endings, and also story-driven games like Ace Attorney, I'm disappointed I don't love this game as well. Unfortunately, for me, Undertale's gameplay is rather lacklustre is most parts, and there are not enough occasions when the game is engaging or fun. Maybe it suits you down to the ground like the hundreds of others who gave this game 10/10, just be aware it might not be for everyone    … Expand
  22. SpunkyMonkey
    Apr 5, 2016
    7
    Nice game, excellent music and "vibe", very fresh and often surprising. Sadly, the actual gameplay just isn't that good, and it often feels like a slog at times, with some sections dragging on for what seems like AGES. Overated, but still has a bit of magic which few other games have.
  23. cc742a
    Mar 5, 2016
    7
    Undertale was, without a doubt, the game I heard the most about in 2015. It was praised as being the pinnacle of storytelling and a new and exciting game that surpasses all others that year. I... disagree, and before the hate comes rolling in, allow me to explain myself.
    First off, the games pacing. Undertale keeps great pacing for most of the game, and is exciting and well driven by its    Undertale was, without a doubt, the game I heard the most about in 2015. It was praised as being the pinnacle of storytelling and a new and exciting game that surpasses all others that year. I... disagree, and before the hate comes rolling in, allow me to explain myself.
    First off, the games pacing. Undertale keeps great pacing for most of the game, and is exciting and well driven by its characters. However, the games pace slows to a grinding halt in the third act, when your thrown into a volcano and get stopped every 5 seconds by a "lol so nerdy" scientist. THIS SECTION DESTROYS THE PACING. This game has so many amazing scenes and set pieces, and comes crashing down at this one spot.

    Next, the characters. I wont lie, this game has so amazing character development. Characters are complex, interesting, and well made. My biggest complaint comes in undyne, a fish women who, after I fought, crawled away. I shrugged this off but after completing the game and looking up videos found this character has a whole side quest, completely unknown to me that in order to find required you to backtrack to a specific village and have a conversation with.

    Speaking of side quests, they seem oddly out of place in a game like this. A game like this feels like it should be alot more focused and the characters should be more involved. This is done fantastically with the skeletons, but all other characters seem to lack this focus. I didn't look for side quests when I played, and I ended up missing a couple of interesting areas.

    Now for the game play. Its oddly enough a bullet hell, and works fairly well as one. the morality system is well made, but can be confusing in certain fights that require a very specific pattern in order to succeed, and some that you don't know if you need to keep talking to or if there is another solution to the problem (undyne and toriel come to mind). Its a good system though, and the morality system is very interesting.

    I wont say much about the music. It is without a doubt the best part of the game. lots of memorable tracks that are either cozy and fitting, or well suited for the boss battles. easily a 10/10 soundtrack.

    It feels shallow to say a game is bad because of the hype, but I do think the hype has taken a lot away from undertale. If you mention you plan to play it you will get a detailed map from the fanbase on what route to take, where to walk, how to spend your money, etc, etc. This game will be a lot better in a couple of years when hype has gone down and people can play the game blind.

    In conclusion, expect a game that does a great job at making the characters, has a fun combat scheme that would get boring if the game lasted longer than it does, and a soundtrack that makes you remember how good retro music can be. Its by no means bad, but try not to buy too much into the hype. Besides, it wasn't event the best rpg maker game of 2015 (Lisa)    … Expand
  24. Thebluehydra
    Nov 1, 2015
    6
    I have never understood why it's always the average games that explode. Flappy Bird, Five Nights at Freddy's, and now this. Yeah, I'm not going to make very many friends with this one. But let it be known I do not think this is a bad game. I just think it could have been so much more. To be fair, I've never liked RPGs. The only reason I even gave this a go was because I have two friendsI have never understood why it's always the average games that explode. Flappy Bird, Five Nights at Freddy's, and now this. Yeah, I'm not going to make very many friends with this one. But let it be known I do not think this is a bad game. I just think it could have been so much more. To be fair, I've never liked RPGs. The only reason I even gave this a go was because I have two friends who are enamoured with it. So I was pretty hesitant to try it out. Lo and behold, I didn't think much of it. I did see it through to the end, though.

    One of the game's main draws is that you're able to choose either a "Pacifist Route", or a "Genocide Route"; either using the ACT command to pacify foes through simply talking to them, or using the FIGHT command to slaughter foes. I knew about this going in and as such I was ready to do a Genocide Route because I figured I'd have more fun that way... until I learned that the Genocide Route involves near-constant grinding as one is required to defeat every monster in a given area. After learning this I was particularly soured and ended up just clearing through the game only fighting enemies I encountered naturally, which the game considers a "Neutral Route". Sure, the clue was in the title, but after seeing that the Pacifist Route involves no grinding whatsoever it's hard not to feel jealous. And no, I'm not going back to play through the entire game as a Pacifist just to skip grinding, that would be silly. to do on a game I don't like.

    Its "heartwarming" characters I found more irritating than charming (with the possible exception of Sans and Papyrus). Its "unique" gameplay I felt was an unstable mash of an RPG and a "bullet hell" shooter that demanded the use of a controller due to constant spikes in difficulty. The story was clichéd with most of the "twists" being fairly predictable (there's one in particular that doesn't even affect one if they are playing on the Genocide Route), and the humor was hit-and-miss, most of which being references or "random" humor, both of which I despise.
    There's also nostalgic pandering to other quirky RPG games, such as Earthbound and... yeah, that's about it. I have a feeling the reason most people like this game so much is because it follows in Earthbound's steps so much you may as well just call it a sequel with a frustrating bullet hell game attached.

    That being said, the soundtrack is phenomenal, with many varied genres and styles. I've added a lot of the songs to my music playlist on YouTube, because holy hell, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a soundtrack nearly as much as this one.

    In short, if you like RPGs, give it a go. I have a feeling this is just a game that wasn't for me, and that's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go build a bunker. This game has a fanbase that's mostly rooted in tumblr, and God knows they're all nutters over there.    … Expand
  25. Domlol
    Jan 18, 2016
    5
    Amazing effort by a one man team, Great music design.
    Just not for me, I didnt enjoy the game one bit.
    Played a couple hours, it just wasnt doing it for me but worth seeing
    how complex of a story one person can make.

    Award goes for Possibly the worst fanbase outside of My Little Pony.
  26. Penuineptune
    Oct 30, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was quite disappointed with this game, unfortunately. Going in from hearing the hype, I was expecting some deeply complex game with a world you could explore and very fleshed out characters (especially NPCs who aren't even major ones like the game's fandom seem to love)

    1. For an RPG, it's very short. Aside from attack/act/item/mercy, the game almost feels like a non-RPG. Which I guess is the point since it IS a deconstruction, but still.

    2. I found the puzzles in the game to be very lackluster and rather tacked-on. They really don't require any effort at all to solve.

    3. The gameplay is hit-or-miss: you'll either love the bullet hell-inspired combat system or loathe it immensely. I found some of them to be fun, but others to be extremely frustrating. Undertale is certainly not Touhou levels of complexity with these segments but it's not 'entry-level'/beginner friendly, either. I'd recommend checking out some gameplay on places like youtube first to see if this is your thing or not for the more complex parts.

    4. The humour will either be the best thing ever to you, or grate on your nerves. I found some characters surprisingly annoying when I doubt I should have.

    5. The game's world feels very small, cramped and claustrophobic, which is strange considering the backdrops in some
    areas suggest otherwise (such as in the second area of the game.) The 'town' area is mostly one long corridor. It all feels a bit lazy and lifeless, which is a shame because the art has some charm that isn't properly utilized because of this 'series of corridors' design choice. If the creator ever makes a sequel or any other games along this vein, it'd be wonderful to see more of the world; we're given a brief view, it feels, but nothing that really drew me in. For you it could be different.

    6. NPCs outside of major ones and shopkeepers are very, very flat and undeveloped. So undeveloped that many have static sprites and resemble cardboard cutouts simply pasted onto the map. It's a huge shame because the creator went to the effort of making non-encounter NPCs have original sprites.

    7. A lot of the major NPCs, for me, were hard to get attached to because you're not given enough time to learn about them or see a lot of development outside of standard 'going from hating you to loving you' depending on the outcome of your fight with them respectively. The sudden change from hostility to wanting to be besties with you is rather grating. Undyne averted this, but even then, befriending her is a short affair that kind of stops as soon as it starts, which I found disappointing, as it feels forced. This aspect feels rushed, which is such a shame.
    The game's final boss definitely has a tragic aspect to him, but because there is hardly much build up or mention of this character until the last few moments, we hardly get a chance to know him. So much potential for more that is again sadly underutilized. It would have been nice to have lengthened the game more and put in more moments to really get to know these characters better, as it stands it just doesn't feel long enough.

    8. The music is pretty solid but some tracks do feel a tiny bit inconsistent but for the most part the music is a treat to listen to and very catchy.

    Closing thoughts: Whilst I don't consider it perfect, it's passable, although the replay value for the game depends on how frustrating or tedious you find the gameplay and how bearable you find the characters. If you're not into bullet hell games with characters that sound like 14 year old attention-seekers from sites like deviantArt and tumblr, I'd consider giving it a pass. If you can move past these issues you might get something valuable out of it.

    So for this, I give a 5/10, only because I feel it's a game you'll either come away satisfied with, or dissatisfied with.
    Whilst is definitely shows it's ambitions clearly, I didn't find this game to be mind-blowingly innovative, nor setting any new standards for the RPG genre or indie scene.    … Expand
  27. ragnavirus
    Jan 14, 2016
    5
    Easily one of the most overated games ever.The same kind of indie trap we have every year.The is not a bad game, but that all it is .Not bad.People give metacritic paid reviews and there you are , a hit!!
  28. Carewolf
    Nov 9, 2015
    7
    Great game, though insanely overhyped for some reason. It is very charming and does several new unique things. The gameplay (especially combat) is not very good though and gets very repetitive very quickly, and the same for soundtrack which is just annoying and repetitive from the get go.
  29. Razv
    Nov 29, 2015
    6
    The story and graphics are very, very, very, very poor. But the gameplay drags this game out of annonimity. I don't think it's as good as the critics/fans promote it to be, but definitely worth a try if you don't have any other game in the way.
  30. shumpc
    Feb 9, 2016
    6
    Obviously everything's a matter of opinion. I did like the nostalgia feel to the game, the music and especially the sense of humor. However it can be an extremely dull game at times. I think the innovation it displays, while intriguing, has been somewhat over-hyped, unfortunately. It is a good game, however nothing justifies it being an incredible experience.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2015
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. GameStar
    Jan 16, 2017
    89
    Undertale is absolutely unique. It's a RPG masterpiece full of weird characters and a moving message.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Mar 4, 2016
    90
    With multiple endings based on how you choose to play out your run, set pieces that can play out very differently based on your actions and so many incredible moments that we’d love to share but daren’t do so for risk of spoiling anything, Undertale is easily one of the indie standouts of last year.
    Read full review
  3. DarkStation
    Feb 23, 2016
    100
    Through a combination of often relaxed but sometimes tense gameplay, a dreamy atmosphere, and genuine characters that feel like they’re actually alive and all living together in this isolated society of longing, Undertale transcends its medium and becomes a genuinely moving experience I would recommend to anyone who is open to a sometimes sorrowful, sometimes hilarious, always bizarre and engaging emotional journey.
    Read full review
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