██████████▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀██████████
█████▀▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▀█████
███▀░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀███
██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░██
█░░░░░░▄▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░░▄▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░█
█░░░▄██▀░░░▀██░░░░░░██▀░░░▀██▄░░█
█░░░██▄░░▀░░▄█░░░░░░█▄░░▀░░▄██░░█
██░░░▀▀█▄▄▄██░░░██░░░██▄▄▄█▀▀░░██
███░░░░░░▄▄▀░░░████░░░▀▄▄░░░░░███
██░░░░░█▄░░░░░░▀▀▀▀░░░░░░░█▄░░░██
██░░░▀▀█░█▀▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▀██▀▀░░██
███░░░░░▀█▄░░█░░█░░░█░░█▄▀░░░░███
████▄░░░░░░▀▀█▄▄█▄▄▄█▄▀▀░░░░▄████
███████▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▄▄███████

Find more of my reviews on my curator page: Kasurot Recommends

A genre-deconstructing masterpiece. Undertale challenges the very definition of an RPG, delivering a deeply emotional, meta-fictional journey that is essential playing despite some structural friction.




Players who love narrative surprises and are willing to engage with a game that actively questions their morality and gaming habits.

Those who dislike "bullet hell" difficulty spikes or who want a traditional, frictionless RPG experience without meta-commentary.

It is the rare game that has the courage to ask why you are killing things, and the wit to make the answer entertaining.

Undertale casts you as a human child who has fallen into the Underground, a secluded realm of monsters desperate to return to the surface. Your goal is ostensibly simple: cross the barrier and go home. However, the game immediately subverts this premise by placing you in the role of the "Anomaly"—a being with the power to reshape the world through determination. The central conflict is internal; it is a test of empathy where you must decide if the monsters blocking your path are enemies to be ground for XP, or people with complex lives worthy of mercy.

The gameplay is a unique hybrid of turn-based decision making and real-time reflex challenges. When enemies attack, you control a small heart in a box, dodging "bullet hell" patterns that represent the enemy's attacks. On your turn, you can choose to fight or use the "Act" command to interact with the enemy's personality—telling jokes, petting dogs, or offering comfort. This system transforms every encounter into a puzzle of psychology and reflexes. It deconstructs the concept of "grinding," making violence a choice rather than a necessity.

The world is defined by its "EarthBound"-inspired lo-fi aesthetic and a tone that whipsaws between absurdity and tragedy. The visuals are intentionally crude, often breaking consistency for comedic or horrific effect. This is glued together by Toby Fox’s score, which is arguably one of the best in gaming history. However, the narrative pacing can be uneven. The opening "Ruins" section is a slow burn that risks boring players before the hook lands, and the humor relies heavily on a specific brand of internet absurdity that may not land for everyone.

While the narrative payoff is undeniable, the actual act of playing Undertale sometimes suffers from its own ambition. The primary criticism lies in the structural friction; achieving the "True" ending demands significant backtracking through areas you have already cleared, and the random encounter rate in certain sections feels like an archaic holdover the game forgot to satirize. Yet, these are small prices to pay. Undertale is a modern classic not because it is flawless, but because it uses its medium to tell a story that could not exist in any other format.

When's abovetale coming out?