Improved Gameplay, Themes, and Emotional Depth

WARNING: SPOILERS for Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4, Including The Weird RouteI’ve been completely obsessed with Undertale for years, and I truly thought that nothing could ever top it. When Deltarune came out, I still believed that it would never surpass it – but a couple of months after the release of Chapters 3 and 4, I replayed Deltarune and Undertale back-to-back, and it hit me just how much of an improvement Deltarune really is.

It’s worth noting that Deltarune’s concept actually predates Undertale, and Toby Fox has had more time to refine it while seeing how fans responded to his earlier work. Even so, Undertale remains irreplaceable in the hearts of many players. Its status as one of the most iconic indie games of all time won’t be lost anytime soon. However, even with Deltarune’s story still unfinished, I’m ready to admit that it already surpasses its predecessor in nearly every way – here are some of my favorite developments.

Deltarune Is Better Than Undertale In So Many Ways

Deltarune’s Gameplay Is A Step-Up From Undertale

Even on a surface level, the improvement between Undertale and Deltarune after jumping between the two is extremely apparent. Undertale never needed overly detailed sprites to make iconic characters, but there’s a huge quality improvement when it comes to the artwork.

The combat system also feels far more engaging. Controlling multiple characters opens the door to more strategic, cohesive battle plans, and adjusting to new allies keeps the gameplay fresh – like when Noelle joins your party in Chapter 2, or Gerson fights by your side in Chapter 4.

On top of that, Deltarune is structured in a way that feels easier to digest than Undertale. Breaking the story into chapters gives players natural stopping points and more time to connect with each character at a steady pace.

Not giving fans the entire story at once has also built a community around theories and speculation, which I think is definitely one of the fanbase’s strongest points – I’m still convinced Dess has to be the Roaring Knight, but I also love the idea that she may have even been human.

Deltarune Presents Undertale’s Themes In A Much Clearer Manner

We Understand That We Are Not The Same Entity As Kris In Chapter One

One of the biggest things that made Undertale stand out is how Toby Fox turned gaming cliches on their heads, using the save/load feature as part of the overarching story and distinctly separating Frisk from the player.

While many fans have pointed fingers at Chara for the events of the genocide route, the game heavily suggests that the true responsibility lies with the player, both inside and outside of the game. Frisk functions less as a driving force and more as a vessel for the player’s choices and curiosities.

Meanwhile, Deltarune separates Kris from the player as early as Chapter 1 – quite literally, as we see them rip the soul out of their body. There are lots of small moments where Kris refuses to cooperate with the player if they can, like closing their eyes when looking into Asriel’s room in the Computer Lab Dark World.

These details underline that Kris is undeniably their own person, and that any choices we impose on them come from our will, not theirs. Unlike Undertale, where the message could be overlooked unless you pursued the genocide route, Deltarune clearly presents this idea from the beginning – the fact that you can start becoming more of a malevolent force in Chapter 2 after this reveal is likely no coincidence.

It doesn’t exactly harm the story to have players needing to think a bit deeper about certain things, but a lot of players did miss this context in Undertale.

Deltarune’s Snowgrave Is More Harrowing Than Undertale’s Genocide Route

The Weird Route Is A Different Kind Of Sadism

Although it’s morbid, I think one of the best differences between Undertale and Deltarune is how Deltarune handles its evil route.

The most compelling thing about Undertale’s Genocide Route for many players is the Sans fight and the extra insight into how the player’s ability to save and load actually affects the world, but Deltarune‘s Weird Route allows you to be so much more than a merciless killer.

It’s absolutely heartwrenching to see your favorite characters die, but it’s even more brutal to see them continuously suffer. Forcing Noelle to kill anyone in your way and attack her friend, Berdley, is arguably crueler than quickly striking her down in one blow.

Not to mention, the fact that Kris isn’t even on board with your decisions adds another layer of tragedy. Several dialogue options seem to imply that Kris is talking to you through them, like in Chapter 4, where you’re presented with the uncomfortable opportunity to force the Thorn Ring onto Noelle again. The options you have are “Proceed” and “Please Don’t” – which is an odd choice of words if this is not the case.

Frisk doesn’t have any obvious emotional reactions to the Genocide Route – though, in all fairness, they’re probably not particularly on board with it either.

Dark Worlds functioning differently from the Light World gives Deltarune considerable room to explore an evil path that Undertale never had – Kris can commit atrocities in the Dark World, but have the majority of Lighteners be none the wiser – unlike how Undertale‘s civilians evacuate during the Genocide Route.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited to see where Deltarune is going to go next when it comes to both Snowgrave and the Normal Route. Undertale will always have a huge place in my heart, but I’m glad that Toby Fox is able to tell the story he’s always wanted to now that Deltarune is in the spotlight.

Undertale

Systems

Released

September 15, 2015

ESRB

E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Tobacco

Developer(s)

Toby Fox

Publisher(s)

Toby Fox, 8-4

Engine

GameMaker