Undertale is an EarthBound Inspired Indie RPG

[Steven Bogos]

Undertale is an EarthBound Inspired Indie RPG

Developer Toby Fox has just released a free PC demo for his RPG about a little girl lost in the underground world of monsters.

Undertale is a quirky little PC RPG about a little girl falling into the underground world of monsters. Its 16-bit style is very heavily influenced by SNES-era RPGs like EarthBound, but with its own unique writing style and gameplay mechanics. You can download a free PC demo from Fox's buy the game's soundtrack for just $1 [http://undertale.com/].

In Undertale, you must fight your way through a series of puzzle rooms in the underground monster world, with the guidance of friendly mother-figure Toriel. The puzzles are your standard RPG fair, but the atmosphere they are presented in is really well crafted. The game also features a beautifully drawn opening cutscene. The background music is a mix of chiptunes and soft orchestral instruments that really helps set the scene. It's all rather impressive considering it was made by just one guy.

[gallery=1532]

The combat is where Undertale tries to set itself apart from other RPGs. You attack by pressing X or Enter when a fast moving needle is on the largest portion of an Oval, dealing more damaging depending on how skillfully you stop the needle. Enemies then counter-attack in a sort of bullet-hell shooter style, putting you in control of a heart that represents your character's soul as you try to avoid the projectiles. It's a little difficult to explain but it works well and is pretty fun.

There's no word on when the full version will ship, but the website seems to indicate that a Mac version of the demo is coming soon.

Source: Undertale [http://undertale.com/]

Permalink

 

[martyrdrebel27]

i feel like the "Earthbound Inspired" part is a little misleading. but, it did trick me into reading about a game I'm now genuinely interested in playing.

 

[Steven Bogos]

i feel like the "Earthbound Inspired" part is a little misleading. but, it did trick me into reading about a game I'm now genuinely interested in playing.

Thanks! I like to try and support/reward cool little ideas like this one

 

[TitanAura]

How could you forget to mention the mechanic of sparing enemies? The "combat" or rather the lack thereof is actually what makes it TRULY unique! That a game allows you to BEFRIEND bosses rather than kill them is something we've never seen before.

 

[TitanAura]

How could you forget to mention the mechanic of sparing enemies? The "combat" or rather the lack thereof is actually what makes it TRULY unique! That a game allows you to BEFRIEND bosses rather than kill them is something we've never seen before.

Didn't they do that in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne? Although I think it was only minor enemies.

OT: I find it pretty silly that it almost seems like a convention for indie 2D RPGs to be like EarthBound. It seems more like they're just trying to regress back to their favorite period in gaming history without trying to actually innovate. But hey, people have different opinions.

Pet systems are similar but not quite the same thing. The difference of Undertale's system is that it is a CORE mechanic and you are actually losing out on experience points and gold by refusing to kill. You are doing it for their benefit, not your own. You'll become stronger as a result of killing everything but very quickly do you become "he who fights monsters" and turn into a complete omnicidal maniac.

 

[ColaWarVeteran]

Undertale is a quirky little PC RPG about a little girl falling into the underground world of monsters. Its 16-bit style is very heavily influenced by SNES-era RPGs like EarthBound, but with its own unique writing style and gameplay mechanics.

So does this mean I won't be finding any hamburgers in trash cans?

 

[prinnyzeta]

The guy who does the music for this game also does the music for Homestuck.

 

[MrWunderful]

Thanks for this I am downloading now! Looking forward to playing it.

 

[cyber95]

Pro tip: After defeating the final enemy of the demo, reload your save and try handling the battle in a different way.

 

[TitanAura]

snip

That system only makes sense if killing everything has an effect on the game itself and it's not just only on your conscience; players can just go from one thing to the other like that for the lulz. But for the sake of fairness, I'm going to assume that it does have an effect on the game, and that the game gives an alright reward for being a nice guy all the way through (like a Good Ending or something), because otherwise, it's just real life but wierder.

There are multiple endings, so YES there is technically an incentive but here's basically how it goes: Easy mode = Killing everything. No strategy, just killing. You get the strongest you can possibly be and you have cash to spare for items. Normal mode = The middle of the road. You spare what enemies you can but kill the more difficult enemies. This is usually what everyone does their first time through the demo. Hard mode = Pacifist run. You are still allowed to attack enemies but only in a very limited fashion so as not to kill them. It turns encounters into a puzzle more than anything.

I've been leaving one thing out of my descriptions of the game for spoiler reasons, but it's one of the most interesting twists I've see in a game in a long time. AND it's a twist that is unique to gaming and specifically subverts a very common element in most games. Honestly, just play through the game TWICE doing so in completely different ways and you'll see what I mean.

 

[weirdee]

I think the article should have really focused more on the aspect of being presented with choices that games normally do not put out there.

There is also the aspects of gameplay that aren't really like games at all, and details that were meant to be appreciated, rather than set dressing.

 

[Allan Foe]

That system only makes sense if killing everything has an effect on the game itself and it's not just only on your conscience; players can just go from one thing to the other like that for the lulz. But for the sake of fairness, I'm going to assume that it does have an effect on the game, and that the game gives an alright reward for being a nice guy all the way through (like a Good Ending or something), because otherwise, it's just real life but wierder.

Although Undertale acknowledges your actions through story and NPC interactions, even the simple fact that you have an option of sparing a foe is very significant to some players. Depends on how much you're invested in the game's setting and characters.