Your choices really affect the course of the game. A playthrough where nobody dies ends up being a silly puzzle-RPG hybrid, while choosing to kill everyone makes Undertale a psychological horror game. Player actions even alter the fundamental basics of the game. In some instances, main characters in the game can be killed early on, accidentally, and permanently. Killing enemies versus sparing them has a major impact on how the game unfolds.

The game’s story is massively influenced by player actions. Choosing to laugh at the joke instead of entering combat boosts his confidence as a comedian, and he lets you go. For example, a fight with an enemy called a Snowdrake opens with the creature telling the player a cliche pun. There is a way to spare every enemy in the game. During your turn, you have a chance to act, rather than fight. The main gimmick of Undertale is that nobody actually has to die. This leaves a more exciting gameplay style that feels much more engaging. Instead of the enemy just hitting you for damage in a traditional RPG, the damage is calculated by if you are actually hit by their attacks. The enemy then proceeds to attack with projectiles that fly into the playing field that you can dodge. During the enemy’s turn, you control a small heart inside of a small playing field. However, Undertale is different in that regard. In most modern turn-based RPGs it’s easy for this to become boring, hitting the same key until the enemy’s turn is over. The combat is entirely turn-based, so the player chooses an action to take, then the enemy follows suit. However, on the inside lies one of the most powerful stories and entertaining gameplay in the past few years of gaming. But what is the secret behind Undertale’s success? On the surface, Undertale may appear to be just a Mother/Earthbound also-ran. Undertale took the PC industry by storm in September and earning accolades on several different review outlets.

Toby Fox’s Undertale is a humorous retro-style RPG that is revolutionary, despite looking simple.

Undertale online play