7 Reasons You Need To Play Undertale Before Deltarune

There are people out there who played Deltarune before Undertale.

Amazing, isn’t it? Either you agree with me and your jaw just drops, or you scoff and say “no” at your screen. If you just did the second option, you are the person I am writing about. It should be widely understood that Undertale is required reading of Deltarune.

You’ve probably heard from a friend that Deltarune is great as a standalone experience. It is, but it’s like having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without a piece of bread. Or peanut butter.

What is that? It’s just fries with jam? Sure, but… well, look. Deltarune can be a great experience on its own, not Undertale, and it still asks you to play Undertale first. I will prove it.

7

Undertale is a Litmus Test for Love of Deltarune

A Great Game to Try Before You Buy

We can all agree that video games are becoming the most expensive, most expensive hobby by the day. We’re dealing with games that are getting bigger, development cycles that make it necessary to wait longer between games, and, of course, the limited reality of a possible digital future. With all this pressure, both financial and real games, cheap is the favorite of any that pushes the price higher than it already is. Undertale is a great bargain in these tough times, often selling for as low as $2 on Steam at any given time.

At that price point, Undertale is a great gateway to the kind of humor, sprite work, and gameplay found in Deltarune. Toby Fox’s games are known and loved for being a little on the quirkier side. And it’s designed for people who like the kind of games it makes, like Mom and Touhou games. I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t like Toby Fox’s work, but his humor really started to show in Deltarune. It’s best to buy Undertale and test the waters with it before committing $20 for a few hours to Fox’s second RPG.

6

You’ll Meet Everyone in Your Hometown for the First Time

And Learn About Monsters

Just like Deltarune invites you to many exciting places to explore, the underworld of Undertale has its own six different biomes. After the war that separated the humans from the monsters, the monsters were banished to live underground. By making the underground their own, the monsters live in a vast space that echoes the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth story.

As you go through, you will encounter all kinds of monsters. Most of them are very good. They will tell you about their stories and how monsters live without discrimination. Almost all the monsters in Undertale come back from Deltarune, and they land you in Hometown as if you’ve lived there all your life. You will be able to echo this familiarity with them if you meet them in Undertale first, and Deltarune second.

5

Deltarune Is Designed To Be Undertale’s Supplementary Material

You don’t need to explain if you already know

I really want to emphasize the importance of Undertale’s monster lore. You are in a world of creatures who are different from you, yet oh, like you who have lived in the midst of conflict. You will hear and see that their expulsion left them with scars, and they grow to understand their culture. When I say you will be included in their daily lives in Deltarune, I mean it. They will treat you as one of their own, but that also means they won’t explain the important parts of what separates monsters from humans.

At Undertale, they’ll explain it to you like you’re five years old. Because literally, the controlling letter is five. Everything is explained in a fun, simple way in the game that encourages you to react to everything with curiosity to learn more. Deltarune does its best to remind you of what you need to remember, but as you go along, the chapters will mean little to you if you don’t have the knowledge Undertale gives you under your belt early on.

4

Helping to Understand the Role You Play

You’ve Been Thrown Straight into the Great Underground Controversy

I talk about how Deltarune makes you a part of Hometown a lot, but it deserves to be stamped on your head because you are part of the city. You play as the only person in Hometown who is welcomed by two of Undertale’s most important characters. He grew up with them, but their connection reflects what they went through in Undertale very closely.

As their child, they will not hide what is happening between them. In Undertale, however, it’s one of the biggest parts of its story. Playing Deltarune first completely ruins it in the first few chapters of the game. Without playing Undertale first, there’s no attachment to the characters you’re meant to relate to, and it will ruin a large part of Undertale if you go back to play it after Deltarune.

3

To Understand the Truth of Deltarune

We Must Go Deeper

When I said you need to play Undertale first to “help understand your role” in Deltarune, I meant that in more ways than one. Deltarune is a much more complex game than Undertale (and in more ways than one) and that shows by being a step beyond what Undertale has accomplished in terms of meta-narrative.

I’m trying to deal with spoilers here, but I think everyone who has heard of these two games knows how Undertale takes away RPG battles and grinding. Deltarune does the same with player selection. Right now, it’s hard to say how deep Deltarune plans to go with these ideas, but to some extent, it’s even more personal than Undertale was. You, the player, are your own character in Deltarune, and I feel like it would be easier to deal with that aspect if Undertale had already stretched you into it first.

2

Undertale Teaches Deltarune’s Battle Mechanics

Complexity Only Grows

It goes without saying that Undertale is an incredibly unique RPG. Deltarune is similar as it follows that general style while introducing basic JRPG mechanics back into its systems. Deltarune also adds things like a full party and basic mechanics that are unique to Deltarune. The only time I can say that being a fan of Toby’s inspirations can help you play Bullet Hells regularly, but it will only take you so far.

Undertale is a very simple game because it is designed to be simple in many areas. It becomes more difficult when you want to push the game and see how far you can explore its messages. Deltarune, for the most part, is still a good fit. The harder challenges of the second game are optional, but after Chapter 4, it starts to increase in difficulty overall. There are mechanics in Deltarune that are brought back late, and Undertale will give you an easy place to learn them early.

I know I can do better if I play games closer together, but alas. I’ve been a fan of Toby Fox since 2016, so it’s too late for me on that.

1

Because Toby Fox Wants You

End of Story

Via Deltarune.com

Well, at the end of the day, this whole list and everything you might have wondered about playing Deltarune before Undertale boils down to one undeniable thing. Toby Fox, the creator of both Undertale and Deltarune, wants Undertale to be experienced first. That’s all you need to hear, but hey. My other reasons are still good, too, right?

Deltarune is still not a sequel to Undertale. Fox is calling it a “similar story,” and while we don’t know the details yet, that title still fits what we’ve seen so far. Every official Deltarune description calls it that, and the official Deltarune FAQ says it’s designed for players who have completed Undertale.

So, if you want to play Deltarune, what are you waiting for? Go play Undertale! Be it 11 hours or 11 years, Deltarune will be waiting for you.

Released

September 15, 2015

The ESRB

E10+ for everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Little Blood, Little Language, Simulated Gambling, Tobacco Use

Engine

Game Maker