Alpha Quad
The logo shows the text "ALPHA QUAD" in black pixel-art text on a white background.
Developer(s)Boy Oosterling
Publisher(s)Frog Hat Games
Designer(s)Boy Oosterling
Artist(s)TJ Prinsen
Composer(s)Boy Oosterling
EngineGameMaker Studio
Platform(s)
ReleaseMay 25, 2032
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Alpha QuaD is a 2032 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical barrier. The player meets various monsters during the journey back to the surface, although some monsters might engage the player in a fight. The combat system involves the player navigating through mini-bullet hell attacks by the opponent. They can opt to pacify or subdue monsters in order to spare them instead of killing them. These choices affect the game, with the dialogue, characters, and story changing based on outcomes.

Outside of artwork and character designs by Temmie Chang, Fox developed the entirety of the game by himself, including the script and music. The game took inspiration from several sources, including the Brandish, Mario & Luigi, and Mother role-playing game series, bullet hell shooter series Touhou Project, role-playing game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, and British comedy show Mr. Bean. Originally, Undertale was meant to be two hours in length and was set to be released in mid-2014. However, development was delayed over the next three years.

The game was released for OS X and Windows in September 2015. It was also ported to Linux in July 2016, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in August 2017, the Nintendo Switch in September 2018, and Xbox One in March 2021. The game was acclaimed for its thematic material, intuitive combat system, musical score, originality, story, dialogue, and characters. The game sold over one million copies and was nominated for multiple accolades and awards. Several gaming publications and conventions listed Undertale as game of the year, and others have since listed it as one of the greatest video games. Two chapters of a related game, Deltarune, were released in 2018 and 2021.

Gameplay edit

Undertale is a role-playing game that uses a top-down perspective.[1] In the game, the player controls a child and completes objectives in order to progress through the story.[2] Players explore an underground world filled with towns and caves, and are required to solve numerous puzzles on their journey.[2][3] The underground world is the home of monsters, many of whom challenge the player in combat;[3] players decide whether to kill, flee, or befriend them.[2][4] Choices made by the player radically affect the plot and general progression of the game, with the player's morality acting as the cornerstone for the game's development.

When players encounter enemies in either scripted events or random encounters, they enter a battle mode. During battles, players control a small heart which represents their soul, and must avoid attacks unleashed by the opposing monster similar to a bullet hell shooter.[2][3] As the game progresses, new elements are introduced, such as colored obstacles, and boss battles which change the way players control the heart.[5] Players may choose to attack the enemy, which involves timed button presses. Killing enemies will cause the player to earn EXP (in turn increasing their LOVE) and gold.[6] They can use the ACT option to check an enemy's attacking and defending attributes as well as perform various other actions, which vary depending on the enemy.[2] If the player uses the right actions to respond to the enemy, or attacks them until they have low HP (but still alive), they can then choose to spare them and end the fight without killing them.[7] For some boss encounters to be completed peacefully, the player is required to survive until the character they are facing has finished their dialogue. The game features multiple story branches and endings depending on whether players choose to kill or spare their enemies; and as such, it is possible to clear the game without killing a single enemy.[8]

Monsters will talk to the player during the battle, and the game will tell the players what the monster's feelings and actions are.[9] Enemy attacks change based on how players interact with them: should players choose non-violent options, enemy attacks are easy, whereas they become less easy if players choose violent options.[3][9] The game relies on a number of metafictional elements in both its gameplay and story.[10] When players participate in a boss battle on a second playthrough, the dialogue will be altered depending on actions in previous playthroughs.[11]

Plot edit

Undertale is set in the Underground, a realm where monsters were banished after war broke out with humans. The Underground is sealed from the surface by a magic barrier with a singular gap at Mount Ebott.[12] In the year 201X, a human child falls into the Underground from Mount Ebott and encounters Flowey, a sentient flower who teaches the player the game's mechanics and encourages them to raise their "LV", or "LOVE", by gaining "EXP" through killing monsters.[a] When Flowey attempts to kill the human, the human is rescued by Toriel, a motherly goat-like monster, who teaches them how to survive conflict in the Underground without killing. She intends to adopt the human, wanting to protect them from Asgore, the king of the Underground.

The human eventually leaves Toriel to search for Asgore's castle, which contains the barrier to the surface world. They encounter several monsters, such as the skeletons Sans and Papyrus, two brothers who act as sentries for the Snowdin forest; Undyne, the head of the royal guard; Alphys, the kingdom's royal scientist; and Mettaton, a robotic television host Alphys created. Most of the monsters are fought, with the human choosing whether to kill them or to spare and possibly befriend the monster. During their travels, the human learns that many years ago, Asriel, the son of Asgore and Toriel, befriended the first human who fell into the Underground. When the child abruptly died, Asriel used the child's soul to pass through the barrier, intending to return the body to the surface. The humans living there attacked and killed Asriel, causing Asgore to declare war. In the present day, Asgore has collected six souls from fallen humans, of which he needs one more to destroy the barrier.

The game's ending depends on how the player handles encounters with monsters.[14][8][b] If the player completes a playthrough without killing any monsters (or killed some but not all of the monsters) they experience the "Neutral" ending. The human arrives at Asgore's castle and is forced to fight him. Sans stops the human before their confrontation, revealing that the human's "LOVE" and "EXP" are acronyms for "level of violence" and "execution points", respectively. Sans judges the human based on their accumulated "LOVE" and "EXP". The human then fights Asgore, but Flowey interrupts, killing Asgore and stealing the human souls. With the help of the souls, the human defeats Flowey and leaves the Underground. They then receive a phone call from Sans, detailing the state of the Underground after the human's departure.

If the player kills no monsters before completing a "Neutral" ending, they can reload their saved game to complete the "Pacifist" ending.[16][14] Flowey is revealed to be a reincarnation of Asriel accidentally created by Alphys's experiments. During the fight with Asgore, Toriel stops the battle and is joined by the other monsters the human befriended. Flowey ambushes the group, absorbing the souls of all the humans and monsters in order to take an older Asriel's form. During the ensuing fight, the human manages to connect with the souls of their friends, and eventually defeats Asriel: He reverts to his child form, destroys the barrier, and expresses remorse for his actions before leaving. The human falls unconscious and is awoken to see their friends surrounding them. The monsters peacefully reintegrate with the humans, while the human has the option of accepting Toriel as their adoptive mother.

A third ending known as the "No Mercy" or "Genocide" ensues if the player kills all the monsters.[11][16] When the human reaches Asgore's castle, Sans attempts to stop them, but fails and is slain. Flowey kills Asgore in an attempt to obtain mercy, but is killed by the human. Chara, the first fallen child, then appears and destroys the universe. To enable further replays of the game, the player must give their soul to Chara, restoring the universe and causing a permanent alteration to the Pacifist ending.

Development edit

Undertale was developed by Toby Fox across 32 months.[17] Development was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on the website Kickstarter. The campaign was launched on June 25, 2013, with a goal of US$5,000; it ended on July 25, 2013, with US$51,124 raised by 2,398 people.[18] Undertale's creation ensued after Fox created a battle system using the game creation system GameMaker: Studio.[19] He wanted to develop a role-playing game that was different from the traditional design, which he often found "boring to play".[20] He set out to develop a game with "interesting characters", and that "utilizes the medium as a storytelling device ... instead of having the story and gameplay abstractions be completely separate".[20]

Fox worked on the entire game independently, besides some of the art; he decided to work independently to avoid relying on others.[17] Fox had little experience with game development; he and his three brothers often used RPG Maker 2000 to make role-playing games, though few were ever completed. Fox also worked on several EarthBound ROM hacks while in high school.[20] Temmie Chang worked as the main artist for the game, providing most of the sprites and concept art.[21][22] Fox has said that the game's art style would likely remain the same if he had access to a larger team of artists. He found that "there's a psychological thread that says audiences become more attached to characters drawn simply rather than in detail", particularly benefiting from the use of visual gags within the art.[23]

Game design edit

The defensive segment within the battle system was inspired by the Mario & Luigi series, as well as bullet hell shooters such as the Touhou Project series.[24] When working on the battle system, Fox set out to create a mechanic that he would personally enjoy.[25] He wanted Undertale to have a battle system equally engaging as Super Mario RPG (1996) and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003). Fox did not want grinding to be necessary at any point in the game, instead leaving it optional to players. He also did not wish to introduce fetch quests, as they involve backtracking, which he dislikes.[17] In terms of the game's difficulty, Fox ensured that it was easy and enjoyable. He asked some friends who are inexperienced with bullet hell shooters to test the game, and found that they were able to complete it. He felt that the game's difficulty is optimal, particularly considering the complications involved in adding another difficulty setting.[26]

The game's dialogue system was inspired by Shin Megami Tensei (1992),[24] particularly the gameplay mechanic whereby players can talk to monsters to avoid conflict. Fox intended to expand upon this mechanic, as failing to negotiate resulted in a requirement to fight. "I want to create a system that satisfied my urge for talking to monsters," he said.[3] When he began developing this mechanic, the concept of completing the game without killing any enemies "just evolved naturally".[27] However, he never considered removing the option to fight throughout development.[27] When questioned on the difficulty of playing the game without killing, Fox responded that it is "the crux of one of the major themes of this game", asking players to think about it themselves.[27] Despite not having played it, Fox was inspired by the concepts of Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (1997), which involved the player repairing the damage of the "Hero" and increasing their "Love Level" by helping people instead of hurting them.[28]

Writing edit

According to Fox, the "idea of being trapped in an underground world" was inspired by the video game Brandish.[22] Fox was partly influenced by the silliness of internet culture, as well as comedy shows like Mr. Bean.[17]: 1:27:30  He was also inspired by the unsettling atmosphere of EarthBound.[17] Fox's desire to "subvert concepts that go unquestioned in many games" further influenced Undertale's development.[27] Fox found that the writing became easier after establishing a character's voice and mood. He also felt that creating the world was a natural process, as it expressed the stories of those within it.[23] Fox felt the importance to make the game's monsters "feel like an individual".[24] He cited the Final Fantasy series as the opposite; "all monsters in RPGs like Final Fantasy are the same ... there's no meaning to that".[24]

The character of Toriel, who is one of the first to appear in the game, was created as a parody of tutorial characters. Fox strongly disliked the use of the companion character Fi in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, in which the answers to puzzles were often revealed early. Fox also felt that role-playing video games generally lack mother characters; in the Pokémon series, as well as Mother and EarthBound, Fox felt that the mothers are used as "symbols rather than characters".[20] In response, Fox intended for Toriel's character to be "a mom that hopefully acts like a mom", and "genuinely cares" about players' actions.[20]

Papyrus and Sans are named after the typefaces Papyrus and Comic Sans, and their in-game dialogue is displayed accordingly in their respective eponymous fonts.[29] Both characters are listed in the game's credits as being inspired by J.N. Wiedle, author of Helvetica, a webcomic series about a skeleton named after the font of the same name. Papyrus in particular was conceived as a sketch in Fox's notebook; he was originally a mean spirited character named "Times New Roman" who wears a fedora.[30]

Music edit


The game's soundtrack was entirely composed by Fox with FL Studio.[33] A self-taught musician, he composed most of the tracks with little iteration; the game's main theme, "Undertale", was the only song to undergo multiple iterations in development. The soundtrack was inspired by music from Super NES role-playing games,[17] such as EarthBound,[34] bullet hell series Touhou Project,[35] as well as the webcomic Homestuck, for which Fox provided some of the music.[17] Fox also stated that he tries to be inspired by all music he listens to,[25] particularly those in video games.[34] According to Fox, over 90% of the songs were composed specifically for the game.[19] "Megalovania", the song used during the boss battle with Sans, had previously been used within Homestuck and in one of Fox's EarthBound ROM hacks.[32][36] For each section of the game, Fox composed the music prior to programming, as it helped "decide how the scene should go".[19] He initially tried using a music tracker to compose the soundtrack, but found it difficult to use. He ultimately decided to play segments of the music separately, and connect them on a track.[34] To celebrate the first anniversary of the game, Fox released five unused musical works on his blog in 2016.[37] Four of the game's songs were released as official downloadable content for the Steam version of Taito's Groove Coaster.[36]

Undertale's soundtrack has been well received by critics as part of the success of the game, in particular for its use of various leitmotifs for the various characters used throughout various tracks.[38][39] In particular, "Hopes and Dreams", the boss theme when fighting Asriel in the Pacifist run, brings back most of the main character themes, and is "a perfect way to cap off your journey", according to USgamer's Nadia Oxford.[32] Oxford notes this track in particular demonstrates Fox's ability at "turning old songs into completely new experiences", used throughout the game's soundtrack.[32] Tyler Hicks of GameSpot compared the music to "bit-based melodies".[40]

The Undertale soundtrack had frequently been covered by various styles and groups. As part of the fifth anniversary of the game, Fox streamed footage with permission of a 2019 concert of the Undertale songs performed by Music Engine, an orchestra group in Japan, with support of Fangamer and 8-4.[41]

Release edit

The game was released on September 15, 2015, for OS X and Windows,[42] and on July 17, 2016, for Linux.[43] Fox expressed interest in releasing Undertale on other platforms, but was initially unable to port it to Nintendo platforms without reprogramming the game due to the engine's lack of support for these platforms.[17] A patch was released in January 2016, fixing bugs and altering the appearance of blue attacks to help colorblind players see them better.[44]

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced during E3 2017 that Undertale would get a release for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, a Japanese localization, and a retail version published by Fangamer. These versions were released on August 15, 2017.[45][46][47]

A Nintendo Switch version was revealed during a March 2018 Nintendo Direct, though no release date was given at the time;[48][49] Undertale's release on Switch highlighted a deal made between Nintendo and YoYo Games to allow users of GameMaker Studio 2 to directly export their games to the Switch.[50] The Switch version was released on September 15, 2018, in Japan,[51] and on September 18, 2018, worldwide.[52] All the console ports were developed and published by Japanese localizer 8-4 in all regions.[53][54]

The Xbox One version was released on March 16, 2021. As with the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions, the Xbox One version features unique content specific to that platform.[55]

Other Undertale media and merchandise have been released, including toy figurines and plush toys based on characters from the game.[56] The game's official soundtrack, Undertale Soundtrack, was released by video game music label Materia Collective in 2015, simultaneously with the game's release.[57] Additionally, two official Undertale cover albums have been released: the 2015 metal/electronic album Determination by RichaadEB and Amie Waters,[58][59] and the 2016 jazz album Live at Grillby's by Carlos Eiene, better known as insaneintherainmusic.[60] Another album of jazz duets based on Undertale's songs, Prescription for Sleep, was performed and released in 2016 by saxophonist Norihiko Hibino and pianist Ayaki Sato.[61] A 2xLP vinyl edition of the Undertale soundtrack, produced by iam8bit, was also released in the same year.[62] Two official UNDERTALE Piano Collections sheet music books and digital albums, arranged by David Peacock and performed by Augustine Mayuga Gonzales, were released in 2017 and 2018[63][64] by Materia Collective. A Mii Fighter costume based on Sans was made available for download in the crossover title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in September 2019, marking the character's official debut as a 3D model. This costume also adds a new arrangement of "Megalovania" by Fox as a music track.[65] Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai noted that Sans was a popular request to appear in the game.[66] Music from Undertale was also added to Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! as downloadable content.[67]

Deltarune edit

After previously teasing something Undertale-related a day earlier, Fox released the first chapter of Deltarune on October 31, 2018, for macOS and Windows for free.[68] Deltarune is "not the world of Undertale", according to Fox, though characters and settings may bring some of Undertale's world to mind,[69] and is "intended for people who have completed Undertale";[70] the name Deltarune is an anagram of Undertale.[71] Fox stated that this release is the first part of a new project, considering it a "survey program" to determine the project's future direction.[71] Fox clarified that Deltarune will be a larger project than Undertale, stating it took him a few years to create the game's first chapter, much longer than it took him to complete the Undertale demo.

Chapter 2 of Deltarune was released on September 17, 2021, after Fox acquired a team to help him with further development.[72][73] Once all chapters are complete, the game will be released as a complete whole; Fox stated that he does not have an anticipated timetable for completion.[71][69] Deltarune is planned to have only one ending, regardless of what choices the player makes in the game.[69] Although the first two chapters were released at no cost, Fox plans to charge players for the finished release.[73]

Reception edit

Undertale received critical acclaim, and was quickly considered a cult classic by numerous publications.[82][83] Review aggregator Metacritic calculated an average score of 92 out of 100, based on 43 reviews.[74] Metacritic ranks the game the third-highest rated Windows game released in 2015,[74] and among the top 50 of all time.[84] Praise was particularly directed at the game's writing, unique characters, and combat system. GameSpot's Tyler Hicks declared it "one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time",[40] and IGN's Kallie Plagge called it "a masterfully crafted experience".[15] By the end of 2015, in a preliminary report by Steam Spy, Undertale was one of the best-selling games on Steam, with 530,343 copies sold.[85] By early February 2016, the game surpassed one million sales,[86] and by July 2018, the game had an estimated total of three and a half million players on Steam.[87] Japanese digital PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita sales surpassed 100,000 copies sold by February 2018.[88]

Daniel Tack of Game Informer called the game's combat system "incredibly nuanced", commenting on the uniqueness of each enemy encounter.[79] Giant Bomb's Austin Walker praised the complexity of the combat, commenting that it is "unconventional, clever, and occasionally really difficult".[78] Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of The Escapist commended the game's ability to blend turn-based and live combat elements.[89] IGN's Plagge praised the ability to avoid combat, opting for friendly conversations instead.[15] Jesse Singal of The Boston Globe found the game's ability to make the player empathize with the monsters during combat if they opted for non-violent actions was "indicative of the broader, fundamental sweetness at the core" of Undertale.[90]

Reviewers praised the game's writing and narrative, with IGN's Plagge calling it "excellent".[15] The Escapist's Croshaw considered Undertale the best-written game of 2015, writing that it "is on the one hand hilarious... and is also, by the end, rather heartfelt".[89] Destructoid's Ben Davis praised the game's characters and use of comedy, and compared its tone, characters, and storytelling to Cave Story (2004).[2] PC Gamer's Richard Cobbett provided similar comments, writing that "even its weaker moments... just about work".[80] Undertale's absurd humor attracted praise; Game Rant found the Annoying Dog's frequent interruptions a standout,[91] and Kill Screen considered absurdity a signature quality of Fox's humor.[23]

The game's visuals received mixed reactions. Giant Bomb's Walker called it "simple, but communicative".[78] IGN's Plagge wrote that the game "isn't always pretty" and "often ugly", but felt that the music and animations compensate.[15] The Escapist's Croshaw remarked that "it wobbles between basic and functional to just plain bad".[89] Other reviewers liked the graphics: Daniel Tack of Game Informer felt that the visuals appropriately match the characters and settings,[79] while Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer commended the ability of the visuals to convey emotion.[80]

Cultural impact edit

Fandom edit

 
Cosplayers portraying (from left to right) Sans, Undyne, Papyrus, Toriel, Grillby, and Napstablook at Tsunacon in Rotterdam

About a year after release, Fox commented that he was surprised by how popular the game had become and though appreciative of the attention, he found it stressful. Fox said: "It wouldn't surprise me if I never made a game as successful again. That's fine with me though".[92] The character Sans has been well received by players, being the subject of many fan works.[93][94][95] Professional wrestler Kenny Omega has expressed his love of Undertale, dressing as Sans for the October 30, 2019, episode of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.[96] Sans's addition as a Mii fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate garnered positive feedback from fans, although The Commonwealth Times considered his addition to be a "potential problem" due to the decreasing nostalgia factor for each new character and ever-increasing size of the roster.[97]

Undertale's fanbase has also been subject to controversy, leading to it gaining a negative reputation. After the game's release, some live streamers were harassed by fans of the game for killing in-game enemies and attempting the "genocide" route. YouTuber Markiplier refused to complete his initial play-through of the game, stating that he was "not having fun" due to fan demands.[98]

In July 2016, during a summit about the Internet held at the Vatican, YouTube personality MatPat gifted a copy of Undertale to Pope Francis. MatPat explained his choice of gift by referencing the year 2016's status as the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and connecting this to Undertale's overarching theme of mercy.[99] Later, in January 2022, a circus troupe performed in front of the Pope during his weekly audience at the Vatican to the tune of "Megalovania", drawing parallels with MatPat's symbolic gift of the game to Pope Francis.[100][101]

Accolades edit

The game appeared on several year-end lists of the best games of 2015, receiving Game of the Month and Funniest Game on PC from Rock Paper Shotgun,[102][103] Best Game Ever from GameFAQs,[104] and Game of the Year for PC from The Jimquisition,[105] Zero Punctuation,[106] and IGN.[107] It also received Best PC Game from Destructoid,[108] and the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award and Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game from the SXSW Gaming Awards.[109]

Undertale garnered awards and nominations in a variety of categories with praise for its story, narrative and for its role-playing. At IGN's Best of 2015, the game received Best Story.[110] Undertale was nominated for the Innovation Award, Best Debut, and Best Narrative at the Game Developers Choice Awards.[111] In 2016, at the Independent Games Festival the game won the Audience Award, and garnered three nominations for Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Narrative, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.[112][113] The SXSW Gaming Awards named it the Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game, and awarded it the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award.[109] The same year at the Steam Awards the game received a nomination for the "I'm not crying, there's just something in my eye" award.[114] In 2019, Polygon named the game among the decade's best.[115] In 2021, IGN listed Undertale as the 20th greatest game of all time, while in Japan, a nationwide TV Asahi poll of over 50,000 players listed Undertale as the 13th greatest game of all time.[116][117]

Award Date of ceremony Category Result Ref(s).
British Academy Games Awards April 7, 2016 Story Nominated [118][119]
D.I.C.E. Awards February 18, 2016 Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Nominated [120]
DICE Sprite Award Nominated
Role-Playing/Massive Multiplayer Game of the Year Nominated
Dragon Awards August 11, 2016 Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC/Console Game Nominated [121]
Global Game Awards November 27, 2015 Best Indie Runner-up [122]
The Game Awards December 3, 2015 Best Independent Game Nominated [123]
Games for Change Nominated
Best Role-Playing Game Nominated
Game Developers Choice Awards March 16, 2016 Innovation Award Nominated [111]
Best Debut Nominated
Best Narrative Nominated
Independent Games Festival Awards Seumas McNally Grand Prize Nominated [124]
Excellence in Audio Nominated
Excellence in Narrative Nominated
Audience Award Won [112]
Japan Game Awards September 23, 2018 Award for Excellence Won [125]
SXSW Gaming Awards March 19, 2016 Game of the Year Nominated [126]
Excellence in Gameplay Nominated
Most Promising New Intellectual Property Nominated
Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game Won [109]
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award Won
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference rps funniest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Destructoid Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Boing Boing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Smith, Adam (October 15, 2015). "Conversations With Myself: On Undertale's Universal Appeal". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference RPS: Scrollbars was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Escapist EarthBound was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference IndieGames Guilt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Polygon Gameplay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference RPGamer Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Muncy, Jack (January 18, 2016). "The Best New Videogames Are All About … Videogames". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Kotaku Secrets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Toby Fox (September 15, 2015). Undertale (0.9.9.5 ed.). Scene: Intro.
  13. ^ Moore, Michael E. (2011). Basics of Game Design. A K Peters, Ltd. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-56881-433-9.
  14. ^ a b Hughes, William (July 14, 2017). "Undertale dares players to make a mistake they can never take back". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference IGN Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b c Hughes, William (December 9, 2015). "Undertale dares players to make a mistake they can never take back". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference GI Show was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Joystiq Kickstarter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Existential Gamer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Seagaia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kickstarter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Undertale Art Book was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Kill Screen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Escapist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mary Sue was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Scarnewman, Bobby; Aldenderfer, Kris; Fox, Toby (December 15, 2015). Toph & Scar Show S1 SEASON FINALE – ft. Creator of Undertale, Toby Fox, and Storm Heroes. YouTube. Google. Event occurs at 41:54. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  27. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference IndieGames Thinking was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference USgamer Moon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ "UNDERTALE: A Game That Is Still Amazing Today". ComicsVerse. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  30. ^ Hilliard, Kyle. "Toby Fox Shares College Notebook Filled With Early Concept Art And Ideas That Eventually Became Undertale". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kotaku Music was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference USgamer Music was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference Undertale FAQ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ a b c Scarnewman, Aldenderfer & Fox 2015, 1:15:10
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference Den Famitsu Gamer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ a b Tarason, Dominic (October 17, 2018). "Undertale DLC hits Taito rhythm 'em up Groove Coaster". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference GameRev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gamasutra Music1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gamasutra Music2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference GameSpot Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Williams, Hayley (September 15, 2020). "You Can Now Watch The Undertale Orchestral Concert Free On YouTube". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  42. ^ Orland, Kyle (December 28, 2015). "The best video games of 2015, as picked by the Ars editor". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  43. ^ Fox, Toby (July 17, 2016). "UnderTale on Twitter: "UNDERTALE is now available for Linux on Steam! Also, the game's still on sale for the next 24 hours, so..."". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  44. ^ Frank, Allegra (January 21, 2016). "Undertale's first patch claims to fix bugs, but fans found hidden content". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  45. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (June 13, 2017). "Undertale is coming to PS4 and Vita this summer". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  46. ^ Jenni (July 18, 2017). "Undertale Coming To The PlayStation 4 And Vita On August 15, 2017". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  47. ^ Frank, Allegra (August 15, 2017). "Undertale's trophies are perfectly hilarious". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  48. ^ Cite error: The named reference NCL release date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  49. ^ Glagowski, Peter (March 8, 2018). "Undertale will 'eventually' be on Switch". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  50. ^ Good, Owen (March 9, 2018). "Undertale coming to Switch brings indie games' GameMaker Studio engine with it". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  51. ^ Soejima (August 1, 2018). "記念すべき9月15日に『UNDERTALE』発売へ!" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  52. ^ Schreier, Jason (August 28, 2018). "A Ton Of New Indie Games Are Heading To Switch Soon". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  53. ^ Cite error: The named reference psdev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  54. ^ Cite error: The named reference swdev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  55. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (March 15, 2021). "Undertale Comes to Xbox via Game Pass, Includes New Dog Slot Machine". IGN. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  56. ^ Rowen, Nic (February 9, 2016). "Get your name in early for these Undertale figures". Destructoid. ModernMethod. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  57. ^ "UNDERTALE Soundtrack". Steam. Valve. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  58. ^ Grayson, Nathan (January 6, 2016). "Undertale has an officially sanctioned fan album, and it's awesome". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  59. ^ RichaadEB; Waters, Amie. "Determination". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  60. ^ Gwaltney, Javy (February 6, 2016). "Official Undertale Jazz Album Live At Grillby's Released". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  61. ^ Hamilton, Kirk (December 5, 2016). "Undertale just got a nice new musical tribute". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  62. ^ "Undertale Soundtrack Coming to Vinyl". IGN. August 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  63. ^ "RPGFan Music – Undertale Piano Collections". www.rpgfan.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  64. ^ "『UNDERTALE』のピアノアレンジアルバム第2弾『UNDERTALE Piano Collections 2』が発表。Bandcampで予約開始(試聴動画アリ)". ファミ通.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  65. ^ Glogowski, Peter (September 4, 2019). "Sans from Undertale is getting a costume in Smash Ultimate". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  66. ^ "Sans Costume in Smash Bros. Ultimate! Version 5.0 Update: Home-Run Contest & More!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17.
  67. ^ "Undertale Song Pack Arrives In Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! As Paid DLC". Nintendo Life. October 13, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  68. ^ "Cult RPG Undertale gets a surprise spinoff for Halloween". The Verge. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  69. ^ a b c Kent, Emma (November 2, 2018). "Undertale creator suggests it's going to be a while before we see more Deltarune". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  70. ^ Fox, Toby. "DELTARUNE". www.deltarune.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  71. ^ a b c Frank, Allegra (October 31, 2018). "Undertale creator's new game is Deltarune, a mysterious surprise". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  72. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (September 15, 2021). "Deltarune: Chapter 2 Arriving on PC and Mac This Week". IGN. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  73. ^ a b "DELTARUNE Status Update - Sept 2021". September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  74. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Metacritic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  75. ^ "Undertale". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  76. ^ "Undertale". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  77. ^ Peterson, Joel (August 15, 2017). "Review: Undertale (PS4)". Destructoid. Enthusiastic Gaming. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  78. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Giant Bomb Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  79. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Game Informer Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  80. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference PC Gamer Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  81. ^ Cite error: The named reference USgamer Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  82. ^ Cite error: The named reference Paste cult was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  83. ^ Cite error: The named reference GameRev cult was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  84. ^ Cite error: The named reference Metacritic all time was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  85. ^ Cite error: The named reference Steam Spy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  86. ^ Cite error: The named reference GamesBeat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  87. ^ Orland, Kyle (July 6, 2018). "Valve leaks Steam game player counts; we have the numbers". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018. Complete list. Archived July 11, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  88. ^ Romano, Sal (February 15, 2018). "Undertale PS4 and PS Vita sales top 100,000 in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  89. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Escapist Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  90. ^ Cite error: The named reference BostonGlobe Review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  91. ^ Cite error: The named reference Game Rant Dogs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  92. ^ Wawro, Alex (September 14, 2016). "Undertale dev reflects on what it's like to have your game become a phenomenon". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  93. ^ "Undertale: 21 Creepy and Cute Sans Fan Art". IGN. August 19, 2016. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016.
  94. ^ Vas, Gergo (December 31, 2015). "Undertale's Papyrus And Sans Have Dark Souls". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016.
  95. ^ Altland, Morgan (February 18, 2016). "Undertale still captivates audiences". The Oswegonian. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017.
  96. ^ Crosby, Jack (October 30, 2019). "AEW Dynamite results, recap: Inner Circle wreaks havoc, inaugural tag team champions crowned". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  97. ^ Schuhart, Jonah (September 16, 2019). "Smash Bros. creates potential problem with new DLC characters". The Commonwealth Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020.
  98. ^ Spencer, Chloe (August 21, 2017). "The Undertale Drama". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  99. ^ Good, Owen S. (2016-07-06). "Someone gave the pope a copy of Undertale". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  100. ^ Colp, Tyler (2022-01-06). "The Pope started 2022 by blasting a song from hit RPG Undertale". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  101. ^ Diaz, Ana (2022-01-06). "The Pope listening to Undertale's 'Megalovania' is already 2022's weirdest video". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  102. ^ "Game of the Month: October – Undertale". Rock Paper Shotgun. October 30, 2015. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  103. ^ "The RPS Advent Calendar, Dec 16th: Undertale". Rock Paper Shotgun. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  104. ^ "Undertale wins GameFAQs' Best Game Ever contest". Polygon. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  105. ^ "The Jimquisition Game of the Year Awards 2015". The Jimquisition. December 21, 2015. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  106. ^ "Top 5 Games of 2015". The Escapist. January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  107. ^ "PC Game of the Year". IGN. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  108. ^ "Destructoid's award for Best PC Game of 2015 goes to..." Destructoid. December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  109. ^ a b c Sarkar, Samit (March 21, 2016). "The Witcher 3 takes top honors at yet another award show, the SXSW Gaming Awards". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  110. ^ "Best Story". IGN. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  111. ^ a b "The Witcher 3, Metal Gear Solid 5 lead nominees for GDC 2016 Awards". VG247. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  112. ^ a b "Her Story takes home top honors at the 18th annual IGF Awards". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. March 16, 2016. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  113. ^ "Nominees for 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards Revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  114. ^ Sarkar, Samit (December 20, 2016). "2016 Steam Awards finalists go all the way back to 2006". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  115. ^ "The 100 best games of the decade (2010–2019): 100–51". Polygon. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  116. ^ I. G. N. Staff (2021-11-01). "The Top 100 Video Games of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  117. ^ "Over 50,000 Japanese users vote for their favorite console games in TV Asahi poll - Top 100 announced". Gematsu. 2021-12-27. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  118. ^ "Fallout 4 wins best game at BAFTAs". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. April 7, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  119. ^ "Rocket League, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, others up for BAFTA Best Game Award". VG247. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  120. ^ "DICE Awards finalists include Fallout 4, Witcher 3, Life is Strange and more". Polygon. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  121. ^ "Vote for the Dragon Awards!". Dragon Con. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  122. ^ "Global Game Awards 2015". Game Debate. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  123. ^ "Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2015". Polygon. November 13, 2015. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  124. ^ "Her Story, Undertale, Darkest Dungeon receive multiple 2016 IGF Award nominations". VG247. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  125. ^ "Japan Game Awards 2018: 'Monster Hunter: World' wins top prize". The Star. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  126. ^ "Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid 5 among SXSW Gaming Award nominees". Polygon. January 25, 2016. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).