For all her meme status, Subtitle was a really good game. Made almost entirely by one person, the game was a love letter to the RPGs of yore. However, there was also a wonderful cast of characters, an intriguing plot, fun mechanics, and a unique storytelling style that has mesmerized players to this day. Everything can be said about its follow-up Deltarune, but in very different ways. Deltarune Chapter 2 released for free on Nintendo Switch last week and packed with Chapter 1 to make a big free demo, so let’s take a look at how it’s been so far.
What is Deltarune?
Firstly, Deltarune is an independent tribute to the JRPGs of the SNES era. You control a team of characters as they fight their way through the Dark World in an effort to restore balance to the world. Members of your party can attack, cast spells, use items, and block. They can also ACT, allowing them to charm enemies and end fights without harming them. During enemy turns, a box appears with a heart inside, representing the player, who must dodge attacks.
On the other hand, I have no idea what Deltarune is, and neither does anyone else (except its creator). Like its predecessor, the mechanics are fairly straightforward to explain, but there is enough mystery behind the scenes that the story is still the subject of debate. He even retroactively throws away many aspects of Subtitle in question. It’s not a sequel, but definitely part of the same series. At the moment we only have the first two chapters to follow and up to five more to come.
A legend of hope. A legend of dreams.
Deltarune Chapter 1 takes place in what appears to be modern day and introduces the main character Kris, who is a social outcast. One day, they’re late for school and have to team up with the class bully Susie for a group project. They are sent to fetch chalk from the supply closet but are drawn into the world of darkness, a place of fantasy. Here they meet Prince Ralsei, who informs them (as well as the public) of an ancient prophecy. Along the way, they explore a world that borrows aesthetics from playing cards, meet and befriend enemies, and ultimately seal the darkness and return to the world of light.
Deltarune Chapter 2 takes place the next day and introduces some new rhythms and mechanics to the story. The Dark World is based on the library’s computer lab rather than children’s games. Classmates Noelle and Berdly also find themselves in Kris’ adventure. Enemies you spare will live in the walled city of Ralsei. Other teammates can ACT and talk to enemies, expanding the strategy of battles. However, unlike Chapter 1 where your choices don’t matter over the course of the story, Chapter 2 has a number of sometimes significant changes depending on your actions (including those in the previous chapter). He even has his own version of SubtitleThe road to genocide.
Go to your rune
Deltarune take it all Subtitle has done it before and raises it several notches. The music is amazing as always. I’ve been listening to it since the game launched and have turned it on as I write this. Toby Fox makes excellent use of leitmotifs to draw attention to connections that tease undisclosed details, and the square wave instruments are reminiscent of Super Nintendo classics. In fact, there are plenty of references to games like Tied to the earth, Final fantasy, the trigger of a stopwatch, Gaia illusion, Secret of Evermore, and so many others. These go beyond the standard indie flavor text and go one step further to recall moments from those games through sets, cutscenes, and dialogue. Sometimes, however, the commitment to retro style means we have to remember things that are outdated like limited inventory and fine Microsoft Paint artwork.
The show’s greatest strength is in its characters and their relationships. Deltarune shows a massive cast of people from Subtitle in its first few minutes, then relegates them to the Light World segments. Instead, we get to hang out with the Darkners for most of the experience. While Lancer, Rouxls, and Queen are chaotic and hilarious, and Ralsei is adorable and mysterious, I found myself not becoming as attached to most of them as I was to the original game’s monsters. History passes through them sometimes, and I hope to know more about them in the next installments.
Deltarune clearly gives us a much longer saga than Subtitle, although the two share the experimental storytelling in common. Deltarune, As Subtitle before that, makes a distinction between the player and the main character, and that seems to set up some future story complications. Personally, I love this kind of atmospheric experience, as well as exploring the themes of freedom, control, hopes and dreams, and the nature of friendship. However, I can see why a lot of people might find it unpleasant. After all, in a way, these aren’t fantastic titles, they are horror games.
Despite everything, it’s still you.
Deltarune is a successor that stands so far with Chapters 1 and 2 on Switch. what does it do Subtitle did it but performs it in different ways. It’s clear that Toby Fox and the rest of Team 8-4 are putting their hearts and souls into this game, and while I want to experience the rest and see the end, this staggered release of chapters allowed for the discussions and theories to sprout and bloom again. The music, writing, storytelling, and humor are all amazing. Since the first two chapters are available for free download, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Release date: February 28, 2019 and September 23, 2021
Number of players: 1 player
Category: RPG
Editor: 8-4
Developer: 8-4
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