sorio99

[sorio99]

You know, on an intellectual level, I understand that Toriel at the end of the latest chapter really hasn’t done anything that wrong, and that she isn’t really at fault for how hurt Kris and Susie are by her actions.

But as someone who had to deal with a recently divorced Mom not handling a drinking problem well, it’s still VERY triggering for me.

[sorio99]

You know, the more I think about it, all the official Undertale and Deltarune releases have been during periods of my life involving extreme emotional and mental distress.

Which has horrifying implications for what next year might entail.

[sorio99]

Btw, since at least 2017, I’ve been a firm believer in Gerson x Gaster old man yaoi, but y’all aren’t ready for that take.

[sorio99]

Deltarune Chapters 3 And 4: A Review And Breakdown

About 6 years and 7 months ago, the Twitter account for Toby Fox's Undertale posted a series of mysterious Tweets, seemingly written by a mysterious character from the game's deep lore, leading up to the release of Deltarune Chapter 1 at 6:00 AM PST on Halloween.

The game was almost instantly a major phenomenon, due in no small part to both its direct and yet mysterious connections to Undertale and, let's be real, being a fucking phenomenal game on its own merits. Even better, this experience, which was almost as in-depth and meaty as the whole of some full games, was merely Chapter 1 of a multi-part experience.

Almost three years later, on the livestream for Undertale's sixth anniversary, Toby announced that Chapter 2 would be releasing just two days later, and if anything, this chapter proved even more successful and more world-shaking. The characters, story, gameplay, and music of the Chapter became iconic on the same level as anything from Undertale, and once again proved that Toby had not lost even an ounce of his skill. It also proved the effectiveness of Toby's new team, brought together to help bring Deltarune to life in the best way possible.

The plan from there was originally to release Chapters 3 through 5 at the same time, as the game's official paid launch, with later chapters releasing sometime after, though this would ultimately be scaled back to just Chapters 3 and 4 for the sake of a more timely release.

And one week ago, on June 4, 2025, those two chapters released.

Good god did they release.

(HEAVY spoilers for Deltarune Chapters 1-4 under the cut, reader discretion advised)

Part 1: Double Your Content, Double The FUN

Four Deltarunes for the price of one!

I just want to take a moment and highlight for everyone reading how insane this really is, because even with all the hysteria surrounding this release, it cannot be overstated: the release of these chapters is borderline culture defining.

Undertale is, for all intents and purposes, one of the most successful, influential, and popular Video Games of the century, let alone Indie Games. It was originally a Kickstarted indie game that took heavy inspiration from games like Earthbound. Within a year of its release, it was voted the best game ever by online poll, had already attracted imitators, and gave us the world's first ever fat Tumblr Sexyman.

Deltarune Chapters 1 & 2 were, until earlier this month, a free experience that somehow managed to one-up Undertale in almost every way, despite technically being unfinished. Chapter 1 alone transformed the entire fanbase for one of the most popular games ever, and then Chapter 2 made that entire three year span of fandom creation and analysis look like a fucking joke. RadioTVSolutions put together an avant-garde art piece based almost entirely on a single character who you could almost ignore in the game and managed to take the franchise to YouTube.

And on the back of his success with just these two games, Toby Fox has become an official composer and songwriter for Pokemon, Hololive, and OFF, in addition to Megalovania becoming one of the biggest songs in video game culture largely off the back of its appearance in Undertale.

Toby played Smash Bros. with Masahiro Sakurai, because the Undertale character Sans was added as a DLC costume for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

So, when Nintendo revealed in their official Direct for the Nintendo Switch 2 that Deltarune would be doubling its content on June 5th, as a launch title for their brand new, overly expensive console, I'm pretty sure the entire internet completely broke.

Two months later, we got the game's official paid release. Deltarune is officially a commercially released video game.

Okay, hype time is over. I'm done just sucking off Robert "Radiation" "My Middle Name Might Genuinely Be Fwug" Fox for making popular games. Let's talk about my game of the year.

Part 2: Beauty, In The Eye Of The Beholder

And this place has plenty of eyes.

Chapters 3 and 4 are once again primarily illustrated by Temmie Chang, though this time with additional world design by Tcheska Lynn B (AKA chess) and several other visual contributions from the team, as to be expected by this point.

Deltarune has always been, in my opinion, a much better game visually than Undertale was, and these latest chapters are no exception. In fact, I would go so far as to say Chapter 3 has some of the best character design in the whole game, and there are a few specific moments of animation in Chapter 4 that made my jaw drop. The fun thing about self-created restrictions like intentionally limited pixel-art design and animation is that, when you break those rules, it can make for some of the strongest emotional responses you can get from someone.

But even outside these, I think these chapters just look amazing! Chapter 4's Dark Sanctuary in particular is incredibly beautiful, even with the running theme of darkness and obscured visuals; the Church aesthetic makes for some incredible backgrounds and level geometry, and the Enemies and NPCs vary between mysteriously ethereal and delightfully adorable. Chapter 3 meanwhile gives us some of the best visual variety in the game, thanks to the heavy minigame emphasis of the chapter; the faux eight-bit Zelda-style sections nail the aesthetic, the enemy design is completely on-point, and we get a ton of cute new outfits for the whole Fun Gang.

And then, of course, on the other side of the presentation, we have the music and sound design.

Part 3: The Master At His Craft

Musie make you lose control

The music in these chapters is great. Obviously. It's Toby Fucking Fox. The man's a composer before everything else, and he's an amazing everything else.

It's hard to pick out standouts from a Soundtrack that ranges the gamut from Chiptune atmospheric tunes, to rocking musical numbers, to hardcore electronic boss music that can't be fully appreciated without getting your characters killed dead. For my money, "And Now for Today's Sponsors..." is some of the most fun music in the game, "It's Tv Time!" is the best main boss theme we've gotten yet, "Castle Funk" is way too good and jazzy for its own good, the Dark Sanctuary theme music is just beautiful, and "Hammer of Justice" is such a perky and pep-filled song, it manages to make one of the hardest fights in the game feel like a fun challenge as opposed to nearly impossible for first time players.

I also want to take a moment here to point out how cool it is, in a game where the music has always been a major claim to fame, that the music has now become not only a major gameplay mechanic, but a recurring and major theme in the plot. Like, I'll admit, a lot of it is just my own obsession with music, as a fan and as a singer, but I love how much Susie and Kris' musical talents actually factor into the story being told.

But this is still a video game, so, how does this sumbitch actually play?

Part 4: You Don't Have To Be A Genius

But reaction time would certainly help!

Chapter 3 and 4 may have released at the same time, but make no mistake, these two are entirely different beasts.

I'll get a bit more into the specifics of the gameplay with Parts 5 and 6, but the structures of each chapter are very different, almost to the point of being opposite. Hell, even the Light World stuff; Chapter 4 has the most Light World gameplay we've seen yet, to the point Toby had to add in save points to Hometown in order to make the gameplay experience digestible (for reference, my time spent in the Light World in the chapter clocks in at about 2 and a half hours, so yes, this addition was VERY necessary), while in Chapter 3, you literally never control the characters in the Light World.

Chapter 3's main gameplay takes the form of, as I alluded to earlier, a lot of mini-games. The main bulk of the chapter's playtime is based on an old-school NES inspired adventure RPG, which manages to twist the usual gameplay into something similar, but very distinct (especially with You-Know-What in the You-Know-Where). Exploring these smaller maps, having Susie and Ralsei given unique abilities, the Camera, it's a ton of fun.

Outside the top-down gameplay, we have a Game&Watch/Arcade style mini-game about distributing food, a cute spin and beat up mini-game where Susie becomes the puppet for once, and a rhythm game that I absolutely suck at, because despite being an actual musician and songwriter, I have no fucking rhythm in video games. Seriously, given her performance during the Tenna boss fight mini-games, I'm pretty sure Susie is actually better at the rhythm mini-game than I am, and the whole joke is that she instantly loses it.

Of course, the chapter isn't JUST the minigames; we still have fun enemies with clever ways to spare them, great minibosses and boss fights, and there IS a section where you get to explore and solve puzzles like in previous Dark Worlds. Still, Chapter 3 is easily the most VARIED gameplay experience in the package.

This is what TLC warned us about!

Chapter 4, meanwhile, plays very similarly to the other chapters, focused on exploring the Dark World in pursuit of a villain (albeit a much more...overarching villain than Queen or Lancer were) and towards a Dark Fountain to be sealed. That's not to say it's structured or designed the same as Chapter 1 or Chapter 2; the Dark Sanctuary is arguably the most nonlinear of the Dark Worlds we've yet seen, and introduces the brand new mechanic of CLIMBING!

Yes, it's a very big accomplishment for Kris, we're all very proud.

No, but in all seriousness, Chapter 4 manages to be a lot of fun without compromising the sheer tension on display. Oh, and don't be worried if the chapter seems a bit too short once you reach the secret boss or the fountain; just because you've sealed the Dark World doesn't mean the journey's over, not by a long shot.

Oh, and like I mentioned before, we also have a lot of Light World stuff to do in Chapter 4. Most of this is more focused on the plot and story of the game, but I do like how the gameplay is changed up with the sequence in the Holiday house.

Speaking of the plot and story, though...

Part 5: All Your Theories Are Wrong Goodbye

Unless your theory was "This theory will be proven false".

There's a phrase I've been kicking around in my head for years now. I don't know if I've ever said it on here or not, but I feel like, especially now that Chapters 3 and 4 are out, it bears stating for the record:

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, can predict Toby Fox.

That's not to say that his writing is just completely random, or that his plot twists come out of nowhere. In reality, it's almost impressive just how well the plot manages to all fit together once everything is revealed, and the "All your theories are wrong" thing isn't even entirely accurate. Plenty of fan theories have, in fact, either been proven completely right or are still actively viable.

What I mean when I say "nobody can predict Toby Fox" is, Fox has a very unique creative voice, and from what I can tell, a STRONG aversion to predictable patterns.

There were certain expectations people had for the rest of Deltarune, based on how Chapters 1 and 2 played out. There would be a quirky or villainous Darkner in charge of each Dark World, we'd probably have either a brand new party member each chapter or the return of Noelle from Chapter 2, there'd be a secret boss hidden somewhere in the chapter driven mad by some force or another who will give us the Shadow Crystal, and at the end of the chapter, we'd explore the Light World after sealing a Dark Fountain, catch up on the latest developments in Hometown, and watch Kris rip their soul out of their body before doing something ominous.

Yeah, turns out none of that was true.

The way the plot's progressed in these two chapters in absolutely insane, and I'll be perfectly honest; I think it's a million times better this way. Yes, I love my fair share of fan-made later chapters, I think it's a lot of fun to imagine these things, and I will probably incorporate several different fanfics featuring now hilariously out of date continuations as parts of my own fanfic multiverse.

But, I'm sorry, have you seen this shit?!

Look at this and tell me this ain't the coolest shit you ever done seen.

Chapter 3 managed to surprise me at almost every turn. Toriel's role may be small, but she still manages to feel like a major presence in the plot. Tenna is simultaneously a wildly charismatic and amusing presence and a genuinely toxic and hurtful antagonist, with his boss fight being even more fun than Queen's Punch-out duel. Rouxls' grand return not only confirmed Polyamory and Throuples as a thing in this universe but also made him a genuinely likable recurring character AND the dumb as hell comic relief (Also, I swear Revtrosity dubbed a comic where he did that Rules Card move at one point). The Weather Duo made me question whether or not love is real. And that final fight against the Knight was complete unfair bullshit, I cheated to get that Crystal, but it's okay, because I'm going to replay the full game including that fight on Switch 2, where I can't edit the files to crank my defense into the hundreds.

Chapter 4, meanwhile managed to catch me even more off-guard. Church service made me reconsider so much of the lore previously established, and I loved how we got to see Kris and Susie being absolute gremlins in the back pews. The "study" "date" at Noelle's house was just, so much, and...so much. MULTIPLE Dark Worlds in the Church was unexpected but VERY welcome. Gerson, of all characters, makes his grand return for a genuinely inspiring arc alongside Susie and the single most fun Superboss in the Undertale-Deltarune franchise. Learning more about the Prophecy was tense and exciting AND funny, all at the same time. The boss fight against the Statue of Gerson had me so fucking on edge, and very grateful I was wearing headphones already. THE FUCKING TITAN?! Chapter 4 may well be my favorite of all four chapters, and that's saying something, considering these are all masterful works of art.

I love these chapters so god damn much...so why do I feel a pit in my stomach at the thought of replaying them?

Part 6: A Perverted Sentimentality

Friendship isn't just about being happy all the time.

There are a lot of definitions of art. What makes something art, what makes good art vs bad art, whether defining art might be antithetical to the very concept of Art itself. For my money, art is something that tries to evoke an emotion in its audience. It doesn't have to be a complex or meaningful emotion; I believe something as simple as trying to make someone laugh qualifies as art. It just has to be some kind of emotion that the artist wants to evoke, as opposed to, say, just trying to numb the audience. And good art, by this definition, is any art that succeeds at evoking the intended emotion; a comedy that makes you laugh, a tragedy that makes you cry, a horror that makes you scared.

I say all of this for a very simple reason; Toby Fox is a goddamn incredible artist.

If he wants you to be intimidated and terrified for your safety, you will be convinced that you, personally, might somehow end up dead. If he wants you hopeful and determined, you will be able to persevere through any hardship thrown your way, no matter how unfair.

And if he wants you deeply uncomfortable, guilty, and feeling helpless...well.

I didn't touch on the route to get the Shadow Mantle before this, because so much of the process, accessing the S-rank changing room, the strange set-up with the "original game", Ramb's ultimate petrification, and ESPECIALLY the twisted, Zelda inspired game that you have to slaughter your way through to get the Mantle, left me feeling genuinely disturbed. No joke, I came away from the boss fight against the Shadow Mantle feeling sick to my stomach. I had trouble sleeping the night after I played Chapter 3.

And that was nothing compared to the things that happened in Chapter 4.

Here's the thing about me; I have a lot of empathy for fictional characters. This isn't me being like "Oh, I'm so empathetic, I'm such a good person"- no, fuck that, I'm a terrible person, I've hurt real people in real life and that's what actually matters. Empathy doesn't make you a good person, and a lack of it doesn't make you a bad person. When I say I have empathy for fictional characters, I'm just saying that I feel very strong emotions based on what the characters I'm seeing do.

Arguably, it's to the point of delusion; like, there have been times where I've genuinely debated with myself whether or not these fictional universes are, in fact, real. Because, like, obviously they aren't, but also, aren't they? I mean, "I think, therefore I am", I can't prove you are a thinking feeling person, but I can easily assume it, because you act like you are. But so do these characters. And they do affect the world, and they're affected by the world. So, why should I consider myself and my feelings more important than theirs?

Now, am I exaggerating? A little bit. I'm not genuinely convinced that Hyrule is a real place filled with real people, even if I occasionally daydream about ending up there somehow.

But Undertale and Deltarune seem specifically designed to tap into this issue of mine. Especially with the soul.

Do you? Or do they?

Here's a fun fact: I've never done a True Reset of Undertale. Never. In fact, I've only ever done one actual reset, and that was just for the sake of AAM. And even while getting footage for that fic, when I killed Undyne for the sake of the writing, I felt fucking horrible. I've never done a Genocide run, and in Deltarune, I've never done the Weird Route.

But I still feel like a horrible person for playing this game. And I still feel absolutely terrible for Kris.

As this game has gone on, as more and more has been revealed about the overarching plot, the less and less convinced I am that there will be anything approaching a happy ending at the end of the road. From Kris being manipulated, not only by us, but by the voice on the phone, to the increasingly confirmed subtext that Susie's life is not going well. The continuing dissolution of the Dreemurr and Holiday families, the nigh-unstoppable force that is the Knight, Carol Holiday's mere existence.

And then, of course, in the Dark Sanctuary, Ralsei explains why he's been acting shady since day 1. Why he won't just tell us everything. It's because there's something we shouldn't do, can't know. Not if we want to still have any sort of hope.

Something Susie learns, and that knowledge makes her bleed.

I don't know what exactly the end of the prophecy says. I don't know how the legend will end. But from everything we've seen, and with all the clues we've been given, I can all but guarantee you: someone dies. I don't know who, I don't know how, I don't know why, but not everyone is making it out alive.

And even if they survive...well.

I may not have done the Weird Route, but you can try your hand at it if you want.

And I wonder how that "one ending" will play out for these kids.

I genuinely had difficulty sleeping because of these chapters. Looking at certain things from them, certain pieces of fanart based on key moments, genuinely makes me nauseous. And even if quitting the game forever does just mean leaving them all stranded in Limbo, unable to move forward, I'm not convinced anymore that's worse than what's coming for them at full force. Hell, even just Kris' home situation doesn't seem like a safe harbor for them at this point.

It's so hard to believe that there's a happy ending waiting for these kids at the end of all this.

And yet, despite everything...I want to believe again.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Conclusion

I'll tell you all about it when I see you again.

In 2015, Toby Fox released Undertale. I bought it a month after release, and it became one of my favorite video games of all time.

In 2018, he released Deltarune Chapter 1. I downloaded it the day it came out, and it was one of the best experiences I had with a game that whole year.

In 2021, he and his team released Deltarune Chapter 2. Again, I downloaded it the day it launched, and it instantly rewrote my brain. Chapter 2 became a defining experience in my life, and I fell in love with this world all over again.

Now, in 2025, Deltarune is officially out, with Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 being fully released after almost four years of anticipation.

And this is probably the best game ever made.

Any little nitpicks I may have are overwhelmed by just how goddamn amazing Deltarune is as an experience. I've felt emotions I didn't even know were possible. I've laughed, I've cried, I've reworked my entire life. In the past month, I had a serious mental health emergency, and I am in no way in exaggerating when I say that the upcoming release of Deltarune was a major factor in me not killing myself; it proved entirely deserving of all my excitement.

I love this game so goddamn much. And it's not even done yet.

So, I guess, with all that being said...I'll see you all next year for Chapter 5.

Í´´ ¥ø¨ ßøø˜.

[sorio99]

Consider: the Knight fight is actually just either Carol or Dess giving Susie the world’s most aggressive shovel talk ever.

[sorio99]

Oh boy, if I thought looking at stuff from DR Chapter 3 and 4 normally made me tense, looking at elements of a certain scene from the weird route makes me feel genuinely nauseous!

[sorio99]

Y’all I have a sleep study tonight. I’m going to a fucking doctor’s office to have my sleeping analyzed.

How the fuck do I tell a licensed professional “sorry if I get literally no sleep while I’m here, I played a video game today that fundamentally changed how my brain works”.

[sorio99]

Deltarune Chapters 3+4 Semi-Liveblog

I recently replayed Chapters 1 and 2 in anticipation, doing my best to grab everything outside of violent means. I didn’t bother with any of the different save file checklists I’ve seen, but I’ll do a Weird Route at some point if it’s indicated it really is required for completion. 

OBVIOUS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL OF DELTARUNE UNDER THE CUT!

Chapter 3

The game actually released a few minutes early, but between download times and the spirit of things, I still waited for 10 AM CST. 

Clapping for Chapter 3, interesting. Love the weird new intro for the logo. 

Susie’s snoring is so ominous. 

Oh, the couch is asleep. That’s, ominous. 

Okay, the dust is probably just normal dust, but what are the bulb things?

Oh, Ralsei’s new title description and his introduction are, ominous. And his stats…something’s missing. 

And Susie’s rudeness is back to 100…

Wait, where’s Lancer? And Rouxls, and even Starwalker?

Oh, poor Susie…she’s about to get a rude awakening. 

Oh no. That room…

Oh that’s Endogeny. And Waterfall sounds. And FRIEND. 

JESUS CHRIST

The places that you know seem like fantasy…

Oh, Ralsei’s philosophy seems a whole lot more depressing now. 

Don’t forget…

God, I underestimated how much I love Susie. 

Holy shit, this text?

MIKE?!

Voice Acting?!

Mr. (Ant) Tenna?

Well, okay then. I’m very concerned by all this. 

Oh, hey, there’s Rouxls. 

Good lord, Tenna’s gonna look like that the whole time, ain’t he?

It felt fitting. 

We’re going to Egypt?

Meta game time, I guess????

What’s this Final Fantasy ass game?

Pippins!

Oh, so Elnina did great, but Lanino didn’t?

Let her have her enrichment in throwing. 

I swear to God that’s a Link’s Awakening song

Oh, this Weather Fight is fucked when you think about Asgore and Toriel. 

Well, that was, a depressing ending for those two. 

Man, I’m showing my ass at being Kris. 

I got all four keys!

Oh no. 

COOKING!

Lock in!

Wow, I sucked at that. 

I A-ranked battles, S-ranked points, C-ranked as a chef, and got the extra key, so I got an S-rank overall!

So, special thanks to the Dark Fountain?

Oh look, a blue stop sign!

Hey, where’s Toriel?

That’s a remix of the Color Cafe theme, isn’t it?

Racing minigame?

Oh, it was Kris and Susie…but they didn’t press the buttons…I really don’t know how to process all of this. 

How do I handle a fictional break-up?! I could barely handle a real one! 

Uh, Strong and independent…I wonder how much I’ve ruined things already. 

Huh. A bathroom. As changing room. 

Uh, okay, so random NPC let me in a secret side room to S-rank mentioning how Kris wants “freedom”, there’s a manhole in that room, I have a bad feeling about this. 

Odd controller, immediately next to where we need it…I don’t like this very much. 

Oh the symbolism here is, ominous. 

Hey, a sword…oh dear. 

The “enemies” don’t hurt us, so…please don’t force me to attack them. 

Become stronger…oh no. Well…maybe it’s still not real?

LV 3…that’s enough, right?

I can kill the Cacti now…

And now I can kill trees at Max level…

Do I have to kill the bird…oh god. That’s…terrifying. I’m gonna let it be for right now. 

See you soon in black text on a mostly black background, with something escaping as we pass it…I’m so nervous. 

“Having fun?” At the moment, not particularly, no. But I don’t know how to quit. 

I got the Ice Key…oh no. 

Blazer, specializes in Sword attacks, with an unnamed stat at 42…there’s so much I do and don’t understand now. 

VIP Changing room has a vending machine with SMILE for free. Select it…for 1 pt?

It smiled. 

Socks are still scandalous, so that’s funny. 

Hey Rouxls, how you doing?

Saber10, made of cactus needles. Best attack sword, but Bounce raises defense, but also now I’m paranoid. 

Wait, we’re fighting the Watercooler now?!

What the hell kinda Miniboss was that?

The capsule machine gave me Toby. 

Another glowshard, neat. 

Good…ReviveMint, I’ll take it!

So white is the whammy, red is decent, and gold is really useful. 

Huh, with at least Rank A, we can replay minigames. Neat!

So Susie has 41 plucked, and Ralsei has Carried 2

Huh. The weirdo is Ramb…concern-wait, is the Ice Key what we need for the Mantle?!

Okay, let’s see what the unlockable minigame is. 

Extra Game is…Monster Movie?!

Huh, the puppeteering is, concerning. 

So, Spamton, huh. 

Only a B-rank?! This game’s rigged. 

So, uh, 25 Shadowguys to recruit, huh?

I wanna see what Susie’s doing and give Kris and Ralsei time to shittalk me. Let’s watch. 

One more board? What’s going on?

Hmm…

Alright, Round 2. Let’s do this. 

Aquatic adventure to a desert island…it’s the same map theme, isn’t it?

Two LOVERS, huh?

Kodakoda island…

Hey, we finally fight the pippins!

I…kinda got caught up in Round Two. Controller swapping mayhem, weird identity stuff, and photographs!

Wait, where’s Elnina?

Holy shit, Rouxls actually pulled?

Oh, that theory about him wanting to be their third was real, holy shit. 

Holy shit did it actually work?

Lightner Live time! Let’s lock the fuck in, cause I’m not a rhythm player. 

Oh, no, December mention. 

Oh, Susie’s gonna rock like crazy, ain’t she? This should be fun. 

Man, I suck at rhythm games. At least I still got an A thanks to the points and secret bonus…

Breaking news?!

This is a fun guilt trip…

Aw, Rouxls’ worms are escaping. 

I’m gonna save to slot 2, just in case not getting an S-rank genuinely locked me out of stuff. 

A frozen waste, watery basin, a metal desert…huh?!

I’m gonna replay the Rock Video minigame, in hopes I get points for score and can buy my way to S-rank. 

B rank is better, at least? No more points, though…oh, I really hope I’m not locked out of anything important already. 

Retried the chef minigame and got an A-rank. That’s neat. 

What’s difficult mode on Rock?

Well, I lost. 

The only way to convert dollars to points, unfortunately, is behind the S-rank door, so, that’s a no-go. 

Okay, going to the right, for, R-rated movies?

I chose to talk to Ralsei when given a choice…was that the wrong one? I don’t know. What’s the right thing to do?

Oh, Cold Place is, concerning. Especially behind a Christmas lock…

TORIEL?!

Oh, Tenna, this ain’t great. 

This is all really fucked up. And I’m not even sure if this is still critical path! 

Oh, if I’m right about the symbolism, this says really bad stuff about Asgore. 

Jesus Christ what is this anymore

TURN IT OFF

This feels way too chaotic to be the main portion of the chapter! 

Am I gonna have to grind Shadow Guys to recruit them, or am I missing a step?

I thought we were nearly done, how much is left here?!

Destroy the houses, get a point. 

Toby decided “you know what’ll make the stealth fun? Make it really fast!”

Ribbick?!

Another watercooler, and more points…

More shooting! 

Aw, we can’t get Ralsei Rancher. 

Oh, that’s how we recruit them all. 

I’ve used up all three save slots in hopes of not locking myself out of anything. 

Rouxls, no misgendering. 

Aw, he still cares about Lancer, though. 

Oh, this Rouxls fight is fun. 

Oh. 

Now Starwalkers the third. 

Okay. 

Oh hey piles of Asriel’s dust. HOW YA BEEN?!

Wait, did Spamton rip off Tenna?

Susie’s a Dark Actor now, and Ralsei’s an Ex-Horse. 

Oh, and Kris is up to 43. 

Oh, what happened to the Green Room?

Ramb turn into a stone…he was a plug, but Kris played with him like a toy…I’m so confused. 

I’m ready for the final act, but…I can’t help but feel like I’m missing a lot. No egg, no Mantle, not even a clue at a secret boss if there is one. I feel like I’m missing a lot, but I don’t even know where to start looking. Should I have played the bonus round?

Green fortune from the Gacha?

T is just for bragging rights, I guess. I assume it’s a perfect S on everything. 

A Golden Tenna Statue, huh?

I guess the way to get more points for the S-rank guy was getting lucky with the Gacha. 

Well, I got all the gold. I could try for more green maybe, but I don’t know what it’d do for me. 

Oh no. Flashback. 

So Kris is the knight, aren’t they?

Or, are they?

God Tenna’s a bastard. 

Oh that epilepsy warning is real. 

Holy shit, Susie…

Ralsei’s back to having friends, no “buts” about it. He even has Guts now!

So, we got Tenna on our side…but we can still backtrack…and the save point dialogue is different…I feel, incredibly concerned. 

Oh, this light…the guard…

What the fuck?!

I don’t understand the game…

I don’t have my sword, so I’ll complete this chapter another time. 

WHAT THE FUCK

TENNA?!?!

I-is that…a TITAN?!

THATS the roaring knight?!

Oh. Oh no. 

TORIEL!

Susie?!

UNDYNE!

Holy shit, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

Oh I fucking recognize this background

What?!

Okay, this light world segment is, terrifying. 

A pine tree…

An officer’s badge…

And the Delta Rune. 

And it opened for Kris. 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THATS THE END OF THE CHAPTER?!

It’s the same remix as Chapter 2, which makes some sense. But…what the fuck?!

To be continued…I mean, yeah, I’d fucking hope so. 

Need to eat food. Will return to Chapter 3 after Macaroni. 

Okay. Here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna start over from before Round 2, use the greater battle and minigame knowledge to get more points and a higher rank, go back to the Freedom game, and see where that gets me. From there, hop over to the left, see if there’s anything there, and then hopefully get further. I may be out of luck with the egg, but we’ll see. 

Okay, so, just loaded up the chapter select, and we’ve got: One gold star next to Chapter 1: The Beginning (Top), One gold star and one empty star next to Chapter 2: A Cyber’s World (Top gold, middle empty), and One gold star next to Chapter 3: Late Night (Bottom). I’d assume it’s related to save files, but I’ve got nothing in the Chapter 2 middle slot. 

(EDIT AFTER EVERYTHING ELSE: so, I’m pretty sure the empty star from Chapter 2 actually represents my save data for the game from the original, pre-Steam demo, which is still saved on my computer even though I deleted it in-game. If you’re wondering why I deleted it, it used my dead name as the creator name. Yeah.)

There’s also Chapter 4: Prophecy that I’ve not touched yet and some funky ass thing in the bottom right of the screen. 

You know, I didn’t comment on it enough when it happened originally; Rouxls thinks the Deltawarriors are a polycule?

Okay, second time around, got the S-rank, fantastic! Really needed that. 

Those lizards look, uncomfortably like Alphys. 

Go to Northern Light…okay?

It doesn’t loop forever…

Unlocked a door with the Rune…Ice Palace here we come. 

Follow the white cloak…like Noelle’s?

The forbidden path began with Ice Magic…

Oh, that’s…that’s Noelle. 

I’m sorry Mr bird…

This minigame puts a pit in my stomach…

Used the Ice Key…and Noelle up. 

I got the Shelter Key?????

And I was used up…or, Kris was used up? 

Manhole still won’t open…

Huh…Ralsei was playing a game by himself. An RPG…interesting. 

Oh, now I got Lancer…he’s back in the Key Items?

Oh, only for this room. Fair enough. 

A new Fortune: Two puzzles are connected…okay?

Kris now has the Tenna Tie, because what is it gonna do, make their magic WORSE?

Huh? Now I can talk to Tenna, after he pissed off Susie…

So, Tenna seems…disturbed by Kris approaching him alone? 

And now he’s gone…and I’m still kinda disturbed by everything. 

And now, to talk to Susie. 

The meta-commentary in this game is, heart wrenching. 

Alright, now for the Re-run!

Oh, by the way, I’m an Ice Blazer now, with a blank stat of 72. 

Also, “He was hot but really weird” is a wild thing to say about Rouxls. 

Ramb is basically the Secret Boss, right? Sorta?

Okay. It’s time. Game 3. Let’s do this. 

Oh. The whole team’s here. That’s…concerning. 

I’ve got the sword, but, the Cactus is the only thing I’ve seen to try it on. 

And it doesn’t work…

Oh. Oh no.

Susie and Ralsei are gone now…it’s just Kris, a level 3 sword, and a key to a bunker. Now the posts…

The manhole is open…

I don’t know what even happens if you die in this game…

Okay, died in the temple, started over in the temple. Makes sense. 

This whole Dragon Blazers sequence is the definition of “I am uncomfortable with the energy we’re creating in the studio today”. 

Toby Fox doesn’t get enough credit for how well he does horror. 

Okay. Everything dead, Max level…now what?

Oh. Hey, Tenna. 

Your old partner? On TV?

Oh my god this is so fucked up…

Shelter key used…

HOLY SHIT. 

Shadow Mantle boss fight, I fucking guess?!

And FRIEND is a summon of theirs…god, I feel nauseous. Kris is going through this ALONE. 

I’m so sorry, Kris…but if this gives you all even a bit of a leg up, I have to try, don’t I?

Please, Toby, don’t make Snowgrave required, I don’t want to do this twice. 

Oh. Now Kris’ title is “Director”, with the description “Moves the actors around.” Oh, and their unknown stat is now 202. 

And we all thought this chapter’s secret boss would use the fucking Purple Soul. Nah, bitch, do a fucking Zelda boss from hell!

I feel like I’m getting close to the end of the fight, but I just can’t figure it out!

HOLY SHIT, I think I did it! 

The treasure chest…is too high up to reach…please be kind, game. 

Wait, what the fuck?

Oh. That’s…that’s fucked up. 

But hey! I got the Shadow Mantle! Fun, right?

Hey Susie…thanks for the FlatSoda. 

LV3 Sheath. Breath quickens around swords…and now they have the Mantle and the TennaTie. 

The manhole still won’t open…good?

Ralsei made it to Level 2…cool! 

The fuck was that “chuffed by that dart” joke? Like I get it, but holy shit, Fox!

Alright. Ending time. Here we go. 

Huh. The console didn’t work…I guess, because the controller’s gone now, we skipped that part? I don’t know. 

It’s TV Time. 

Okay. Only one try on Tenna this time. Now…for you don’t know who. 

Please let this help…

So, the knight. Antlers like a Holiday, holes in the hands like Gaster, a bat-like saber…and a chest that screams. 

What? I lost, but the voice…

I know it is, but…I have to try. Because “all but guaranteed” means it isn’t guaranteed. 

There has to be a way to win. I know it. 

The fight intro…is it changing?

Wait…I have an idea. 

Acting doesn’t have much effect, but Susie’s Rude Buster is doing more damage each turn. If she has the mantle, and stays standing…

That fucking slash and darkness attack is such fucking bullshit, why does it deal so much damage?! I know that’s kinda the point of the fight, but still!

I’m not even sure why I’m still doing this, when a quick search revealed even if I win, I still lose immediately after. But if there’s a chance…

Now it’s the ring of swords…

FUCK! I finally get to phase three, and I fucking die. RIGHT as Susie’s telling it to give up. 

No, I can do this. 

I give up…I’m sorry, I can’t…I’m going forward…

And the tragedy plays out the same. 

Thus concludes Chapter 3…and we’re left with even less resolution than before. 

NEVERMIND, IM GOING BACK IN

Save file three, getting the egg because I still have the controller. Rip Van Winkle gave me a ticket to nowhere after Susie threw a block away from Lancer. 

Escaped from the Ribbicks to actual Game Boy land. 

Or, sorry, Mancountry…aight. 

But Non-men are okay…cool?

And here’s the tree. 

Oh, this is very new. 

Thursday, go to sell donuts. Friday, toss the leftovers in the dumpster. Saturday, let it cool on the windowsill. Sunday, harvest the wheat. 

“Hold your breath, head to the left, and count backwards to 100…”

And I got the Egg…what?

Whether 11 hours or 11 years, Deltarune will be waiting. 

I’m so confused. 

Beat the game with the egg, now. On to the true final boss. 

Okay. Spec for defense, mantle stays on Susie for the lines, three revive mints, all the Dinners I can hold, as well as two Butler Juices and a couple extra party heals. Let’s do this. 

MANY, MANY ATTEMPTS LATER

Fuck, I need to sleep. I may genuinely just hack this. 

EVEN MORE ATTEMPTS LATER

Jesus fucking Christ, I have gotten, like, two hours of sleep max in the past 24 hours, my progress keeps jumping back and forth between “I’m getting to the point where Phase 3 loops” and “I’m dying at the second attack”, and I don’t know if this Crystal is even fucking necessary and I can’t get it on the same save as the egg without exploits or restarting from the beginning of the chapter, fuck it all, I’m editing my save file. 

Okay, Defense is all boosted by 198 across the board. Let’s see how you like me now, Roaring Dick. 

Is this unfair? Yes. Is this potentially ruining the point and fun of this encounter? Yes. Am I going to try and do this legit at some point in the future? Almost certainly. But fuck you, right now, I’m tired. 

Huh. That slicing of the box, if it hits the actual soul…well that’s mean. 

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. I survived five fucking repeats of the goddamn third phase. And the Knight’s special attack is Hyper Goner…and it killed me with over 200 defense. What the fuck. 

Okay, I THINK the trigger for the Knight’s final attack is damage dealt. I could be wrong, but I think that’s it. 

Yep. You have to deal damage. Alright, well I have no idea how this goes in a normal playthrough, but I’ll remember for the legit attempt. 

I wonder if I can edit the files while in the game…nope. Aight. 

HOLY SHIT, okay, I can do this now!

Oh my god, this end…Susie and Ralsei down, the Knight pushing Kris down like they’re being knighted…this is, so much. 

And from here, things play out the same. But now I have a Crystal and a Black Shard weapon. 

Now to fucking sleep!

Chapter 4

Coming back a lot later, hopeful that things will get a little better. 

Those bells are ominous. 

I like the more serious title sequence, but it makes me nervous as hell. 

I’m going to continue the Shadow Crystal file for this one; I have the Shadow Mantle, the Black Shard, and the Crystal. I think that all outweighs the maybe-important egg. 

And so, we finally get to the TV Fountain. 

Susie’s taking things seriously now. Though she doesn’t know the Knight was who they faced off against. 

Dream? What?

Huh. The TV’s okay? Maybe. 

Aw, this intro is adorable despite the horrors I know are coming. 

New Light World outfits? 

New Light World outfits!

Oh thank god, he’s still alive. 

Inside the church at last. And I just noticed, Toriel’s in her Undertale outfit. 

Wait, there’s a motion sensor to stop people drinking the holy water?

Huh. I half expected the main Church area to be a Dark World already. 

I’ll watch the Service. Just in case something happens. 

Heaven knows version of Don’t Forget. Interesting. 

The Cattenheimer family. Alright, that’s fun. 

Oh, Noelle’s so frustrated. 

Look in pocket for fun…

Stickers, Peppermint, burnt crumbs…cactus needle, part of a CD, orange hard candy…alright, then?

Well, there go all the stickers. And Catty’s done finally! 

Huh. So, Kris slept through Gerson’s sermon…

Okay, Susie and Kris fed each other the juice. That’s incredible. 

Talking to everyone is fun, because I give Kris’ friends and family the Uncanny Valley effect. 

Hmm…Ms. Boom (I assume) calls Berdly “Burghley”. 

Oh, the things the Booms say about the shelter are…ominous. 

Alphys, what even is your taste? 

I’m going to say “Put hat inside new house for Susie” just because I don’t know where the fuck it came from. 

Undyne and the Mayor are the only ones to enter the shelter since Alphys moved to town…hmmm…

And Susie drank all the red juice. 

Oh, are we gonna break into the Holiday’s house?

Oh, Susie, don’t give the poor girl a heart attack. 

God these two are terrible at conversation. 

Oh, I see. She’s trying to get an invite to the house…this could go very wrong. 

Okay, cool, Noelle’s okay with it. 

I better see Berdly at some point today, or I’m gonna start panicking. 

Asgore. My guy. Why were you in the tree-wait, gardener, maybe there’s an explanation. 

Asgore. Man. 

Hmm…is Asriel seeing the parents back to normal part of Asgore’s motivation? 

lol, nice change sequence. 

Ah. The Drakes are…visiting Crystal. 

The mayor…killed his briefcase…with a giant Katana…okay, so Mayor Holiday is 100% the Knight, then. 

OH THANK GOD THE CHICKEN NUGGET MAN IS ALIVE

So it’s confirmed, Monsters still become Dust. 

Weird-Not-Gaster-Follower-Library thing, you’re scaring me. 

Catti, your parents are weird. 

Welp, she hates Kris now. 

I should, check in with my town. 

Tem sing a bit of song! Cute!

Hmm…this leader egg has two eggs with it…concerning?

How did she get Tenna so fast?!

We are all Dark Heroes now. Susie and Kris carry our fate with the blade, and Ralsei records and faces the fate…I’m so scared. 

Susie explains the situation, and…Jazz?

Oh, Ralsei, you dork. 

And Ralsei is now flat in party. 

Huh, just noticed, Susie’s healing is 19. Her “OKHeal” might be interesting to use now. 

Now I need to edit the defenses because completion files and all. 

Oh, quitting to title shows the Rune, very, ominously. 

Okay, stats fixed, Ralsei deflattened. Let’s look around. 

The Music shop is closed, because everyone’s busy. 

Only two more Shadow Crystals, apparently. None past Chapter five, then?

Nubert, why are you?

Lancers on the Ramparts. 

Interesting. Top Chef doesn’t have a new cake for us, Chef Lancer won’t give us more cookies, and Malius has no new recipes. 

Mike?

What could the code be?

Huh. I can replay “Raise Up Your Bat”, “It’s TV Time”, and “Knock You Down” in the band minigame. Neat. 

Oh, Sweet and K_K are performing with Tasque Manager and a ShadowGuy. 

Hey, Susie caught Lancer. 

Hey, Susie and Kris share a room now!

A tea party…and Home’s music. 

Aw, this is sweet…I wish Kris didn’t seem ominously silent. 

And Ralsei tries his own cake for the first time. 

Huh. Lancer’s room now has a bit of the Field in it. 

Floor 3! Let’s see it. 

Huh. Ralsei’s room is behind tape…creepy. 

Oh, and Susie just broke it. 

Why do I feel like I just messed up by activating this?

And his room is, basically nothing. Not, surprising given what he said last chapter. 

And after all the softness and sorrow, Susie brings in the creepy Ice-E plush. Nice. 

TV room! Tenna is dancing, the Weather is together, our Coat/Hat rack multiplies, and Rouxls is a lamp. 

Okay, Rouxls is still hilarious. 

Queen, what are you doing?

And a mini-city to go with Lancer’s mini-field! Neat. 

Rouxls: bisexual king? Or, royal advisor, anyways. 

Huh. All but the Diamond king ran away. 

Lancer and his dad…

Oh, poor Tenna. 

Ah, physical comedy. Always works. 

Huh. The jester told the king about the Knight…

Did…did King never meet the Knight?

Alright, Dojo time! 

What…okay. Pippin and Bloxor. Sure. 

And apparently Cap’n and the non-lesbian heads of Clover are a thing. 

Now we can only fight lovers. I’mma fight the weather!

Okay, this new weather gimmick with the forecast is cool. 

Okay, that ending was funny. 

I think I’ve seen and done everything in Castle Town. Let’s go. 

Huh. The Black Shard…I’m terrified by the implications here. 

And Rudy’s back in the hospital after church. 

Festival tomorrow, in Chapter 5. Let’s go?

And some more ship tease between Susie and Noelle from Rudy…

What is wrong with these milk people?

Oh. Can save in Hometown. Next to the diner. Ominous. 

Yo. The Wizard. My guy. What are you doing to the sign. 

So, Bratty is catfishing Pizzapants with the reluctant help of Blue-ears. 

Hey, we got Tenna adopted! We don’t see Metta, but still nice. 

Huh. The flowers in the trash are being watered. 

Ah. The mirror text…I don’t know what to think. 

Oh. I just tried equipping the shard, and…+16 attack. In the Light World. No thank you. 

A save point in the bedroom too. Makes sense, I think. 

And now Susie is helping Kris clean up the bloodstain. 

Susie gives us a star for being her friend…sure it was technically stolen from Asriel, but still. 

And we borrow some money for the Diner. 

Treating Susie to lunch. 

Aw…the adults in town really do care about Susie. 

Okay. Cute relationship tease between Susie and Kris. Now time for Onyum. 

Aw…where’s my giant sea monster friend? They’re busy today? Shame. 

Alright. Holiday time. 

And Susie gets the rose. And holds it in front of Noelle. And eats it. 

God I’m tense right now. I’m calling a break at the next save point.

Wow, this yard alone is ostentatious. And the house is…ridiculous. 

Oh. Kris used to pretend to rip out their heart…oh dear. 

Kris is such a troll. To me and Susie. 

Hey. A grand piano. Kris, I’m sorry if this is bad. 

Oh, they’re, not even gonna try. 

Save point in the kitchen, I guess. 

…I’ll wait for the dark world save point. 

So I guess Among Us is canon. 

Got a holiday pencil! Neat. 

Aw, Susie likes goth Noelle. 

Alright. Study time?

And Noelle gets a call from Berdly. 

Huh…why is Berdly asking Noelle to the festival, exactly?

Okay. Susie yells at Berdly for Noelle. Now it’s time for Kris to snoop. 

Dess’ room…

Dess has a traced image of a dragon?

Shelter code in the Guitar, and Kris is…oh no. 

Oh. They’re doing this. 

Where are you go…oh. The gift box. Fair enough. 

Huh?! There’s…okay. Let’s vent. 

They’re drinking Chocolate milk while listening to something. Or someone. 

Oh, police sacrifice next week. Church tonight. 

Kris. Show them. 

No…Kris. Please, just tell them what’s going on. 

At least they get to play piano. 

Both Susie and Noelle wishing Kris was there is interesting. 

I don’t want to do this. I know what I’m meant to do, but…I can’t. I can’t ruin things for them…

Okay. Fine. 

They’re going to see. They’re going to see it. 

Nope. Noelle’s bringing it outside. 

Can I genuinely choose not to move when Susie tells me not to? Or do I have to ruin things? Is there no way I can just let them be happy and free?

Okay. There you are, Kris. 

Kris, just…I know it’s scary, but…

Tell them?

Well…at least Susie got the guitar?

Kris, can you at least talk to me?

Or not. Talk to them again, then put me back. Fine. 

And there she is. The ice queen. Carol is definitely the Knight. 

I’m…I’m uncomfortable. 

Ah. So either Kris or I are welcome anytime…

Kris, don’t Lawnmower your friend.

And now it rains. Oh dear. 

Okay. I’m gonna save in “Hometown”, sleep, and return in the morning. This is…a lot. 

(The next day) 

This game’s doing heinous shit to my sleep - anyways, let’s storm the church. 

Oh, poor Blue Ears…and Pants, for that matter. 

Welp. Here goes nothing, I guess…wonder if Toriel’s awake this time. 

Oh this is horrible…Kris, I hope you know what you’re all doing, because I don’t. 

I’m…probably gonna take a break from notes and just appreciate playing the game, but…this is already all so creepy. 

Susie and Kris both got more guts, though. And her healing improved again. 

Oh, NOW we can actually control how you play. Alright. 

The…the Knight? But I thought Carol…how…what?

Oh…oh Kris, I’m so sorry. 

This is all…a lot. Again, pause on the liveblog, but Kris bleeding is…is this my fault?

Oh. Now Susie doesn’t want to use Heal…which…fuck. 

And Ralsei has no guts once more. 

G-Gerson?!?!

Okay, that’s a cool mechanic for him. Sorta support, sorta not. 

Everyone on my team is either incompetent or ominous. 

Okay. Never mind. All incompetent. 

Oh. Rip van Winkle was a…Bibliox?

Okay, the parallel parking joke got a chuckle. 

Swear, these blue attacks ain’t what they used to be. 

Okay, so recap: lots of stuff we can’t climb yet, played notes to move shelves and open a gate, and now I’m exploring more in case that’s critical path. 

Exploration done, gonna take the path laid out before me. Let’s hope everything’s okay. 

What is with these kids and falling. 

Oh, I really don’t want Ralsei and Susie to fight…

Darkness, and a poorly spelled voice. Huh…

I like the Jackenstein! Cool concept, cool execution, dig the spook tune. 

Aw…Susie. 

Gerson stealth mentor moments?

Dude can teleport. Which, I mean, ghost, sure. 

Now we can claimb! 

Aww, Susie! 

The sound effects in the dark bell room are…creepy. 

Huh. Second tea party of the chapter. 

Why the hell not indeed, Susie. 

Doubt and irony poison the story, alongside predictability, huh?

Well, this organ looks important…said the incompetent surgeon. 

Doing this again, huh Ralsei? Being extra conspicuous too…but sure. I’ll play along. 

Oh, he…walked away?

I like Gerson a lot. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be evil. 

Okay, taking photos of the sheet music. 

I…um…let me double check. 

Oh. 

Oh. And now, they play. 

It’s beautiful, Kris. 

Now, where the hell are those Southern towers?

Holy Water and Miss Mizzle…aight. 

Alright, I’ve recruited all five enemy types I’ve encountered in the Sanctuary. Let’s see what’s atop tower number 2!

…well that was creepy. Anyways, music time. 

Huh. The Fireplace went out and grew. Interesting. 

My guess is either Secret Boss time, or just a really important/cool piece of equipment for Susie. 

Alright, Gerson, what you got?

Wait, he dodged?

Susie alone versus Gerson?! Alright!

YES! Green!

Holy hell, turtle man! Yeah, Gerson’s definitely the secret boss. Alright. Let’s try again. 

Wait, what?

Oh, okay, we are gonna rematch. 

Damn, old Man, you’re good at this. 

Wait…there were only six chapters in Gerson’s book? 

Oddly enough, the tone of the fight being a lot more light-hearted really makes it easier to handle. 

Also, that inferno of jealousy he mentions is…worrying. Kris? Susie? Berdly? NOELLE? 

Swear to god, the Block sections of this fight are based on Ribbit’s Undyne mini-section. 

Okay, but this fight is so cool. Taking Undyne’s Green Soul mechanics, mixing it with Mario Bros inspired attacks, and fleshing it out with building up to the counter Rude Buster or OKHeal? Awesome. 

Now if only my timing wasn’t dogshit. 

Actually, I think maybe his chapter summaries are based on the Crystal holders…or the Shadow Mantle for Chapter 3. 

A VERY interesting thing about this fight; every time Susie uses “OKHeal”, it improves and gets cheaper. And because Gerson doesn’t kill us, just gives her another chance, the more I use it in his battle, the better it gets…that’s why even Seam had hope for us doing this, ain’t it?

I DID IT! I think. Yes, yes I did. 

Susie. Axe of Justice. Faces fate with the blade. Fuck yeah. 

Wait, so, Dragon Blazers is based on Lord of Justice, which was based on the Prophecy, which is based on us, and ahhhh. 

Alright. Time to face destiny. What you got for us, Holiday?

Oh, and he gave Susie the letter to pass on. 

Huh…the Knight changed rooms?

Time to seal the fountain…why do I get the feeling it won’t be so easy?

We’re here…

Oh, we, are? We sealed it?

TWO?!

Why…why does Alvin have it in his desk?

Yeah…Gerson…Gerson’s gone. 

Oh, I’m concerned by this train of logic. 

I’m so worried right now…this isn’t going to end well. 

Everything’s different…oh dear. 

2nd Sanctuary…how close are we, Kris?

W-winglade? Like, Kris’ current weapon?! 

Not touching Kris being called a Cage. 

Got a revivemint for donating. Neat! 

This “the girl” thing is setting up for a painful bait and switch, isn’t it?

Oh, no, Gerson…

Directional audio?

Okay, this is really cool, and goddamn creepy as hell. Mr. Boom, on behalf of the kids, I’m sorry. 

Oh…Ralsei saved us, and…broke him. 

Susie…she’s calling him out…

Oh no, Ralsei…

We…we aren’t going to win, are we?

Okay…let’s try and stay positive…

So, the code is 2202, and it was written on the Extinguisher…okay then. 

Also, based on what Ralsei said, the prophecy is very Gender-normative. 

Seal the second fountain, now, it’s just…the main sanctum. 

We can go to the Old Man’s Study one last time before…the finale. And…he’s gone. 

Okay…I think…I think it’s ready. I didn’t find the egg, but, maybe another time. Another file. 

3rd Sanctuary. Let’s see. 

Alright, you wanna challenge?! Let’s go!

Recruited everyone. Now then…let’s see who’s up top. 

Jackenstein!

Damnit, Knight! Nothing’s gonna stop us!

Being nice pays off sometimes. 

The light’s running low…

Fuck…

Okay, that sequence? With the dark, the soul, the swords, and everyone jumping in? Fucking phenomenal. 

Last Chamber. We made it through everything you through at us, Roary. What else you got?!

Learned to dodge the Buster, huh? Not gonna help you for long…

Oh no…

You’ll bring…the Roaring. 

MOTHER

FUCKER

WHAT?!?!?!

I’m not really gonna comment on this sequence. Not out of fear of spoilers, I don’t care, hell, I was spoiled on it, but because I can’t do it justice. It’s something you need to experience. 

Okay, fuck it, it’s BlackShard and Shadow Mantle time. 

Purify 2. Let’s do it. 

All I can say is…GET DUNKED ON!

The last prophecy…

Oh, she’s-she’s bleeding. 

There’s blood on his face…

And Kris hugs him…I didn’t make them do that, did I?

The one ending…I don’t know what to do. 

Someone will be lost, won’t they? Who will it be?

Susie…that’s not stupid. 

Fuck. This goddamn game…

What the fuck, Sans?

Kris…

Hey, Kris, I’m…I’m sorry. 

Kris…please, tell me you can stick the landing, at least?

This credits theme is very different…

Halfway?

It’s still waiting…

NEXT FUCKING YEAR?!?!

[sorio99]

Having now done more important stuff, I must reiterate

What the fuck?

So, uh, just beat Deltarune Chapter 3 for the first time. Know for a fact I didn’t get even close to all the important stuff, but I did see the credits, and

What the fuck?

[sorio99]

So, uh, just beat Deltarune Chapter 3 for the first time. Know for a fact I didn’t get even close to all the important stuff, but I did see the credits, and

What the fuck?

[sorio99]

Can’t kill myself yet. Deltarune tomorrow.

[sorio99]

So

I sent my laptop in for repairs

Because the screen wasn’t turning on

They sent it to a warehouse that apparently nobody can contact

Completely wiped all of the data from it

And sent it back with a little “enjoy” note

That laptop had on it

All of my WIP from across over a decade of writing

Every outline and idea I’ve written

A script I was in the process of writing when the screen broke

And, no exaggeration, over a million words of my writing

And it’s all gone

Everything’s gone

Everything

[sorio99]

BTW, here's the script I used for this, since some people were interested in the text, plus some of it might not be the easiest to understand.

Anyways, here's my take on the Kriselle ship during canon, with some additional exploration of Kris, the Holidays, and the Dreemurrs.

[sorio99]

Throwback Thursday: Hey, remember when I was writing an Undertale fanfic in late 2017, and a major plot point was Gaster learning that their world was a video game, this realization partially driving him mad, and then the final beat of the story was the implication that Gaster was directly affecting the player's computer and fucking with them?

Remember how this was almost a full year before Deltarune Chapter 1 dropped?

[sorio99]

Anyways, here's my take on the Kriselle ship during canon, with some additional exploration of Kris, the Holidays, and the Dreemurrs.

[sorio99]

Whatever happened to third entity theory? You used to love third entity theory!

[sorio99]

Hometown serves an interesting role in Deltarune, and I’m very curious how things will develop there.

In terms of the game’s structure, Hometown feels like it should be a relieving place to return to each chapter; for all the chaos and danger of the Dark Worlds (and there is chaos and danger in the Dark Worlds), every adventure ends with coming back home, spending time with friendly faces and loved ones once again, a danger free stroll around a familiar place. We even have returning faces from Undertale, just to drive home this idea! By all accounts, the light world should be a place where the player and the party relax after a long day.

But it isn’t like that, is it?

For the player, while the music is soft and cheerful and most of the people are nice, there’s an ongoing uncanniness for anyone familiar with Undertale. The returning characters are almost all completely different; the same name, same basic design, similar personalities, but having lived completely different lives, serving completely different roles. The whole world is so distinctly different but similar compared to Undertale, most players’ first impressions upon seeing the initial driving cutscene in Chapter 1 is confusion. It’s to the point that things that are more familiar, like Sans, seem almost sinister, whether they actually are or not.

For Kris, meanwhile, all these characters should be significantly MORE familiar…and instead it’s THEM who’s different. The Light World segments, more than anything in the game, hammer home the differences between us and Kris. Characters question why Kris seems so unfamiliar with them despite knowing them for years, their ability to play piano is somehow completely gone, there’s a whole history Kris has with this world that we are clearly unfamiliar with. And it’s clearly something that upsets them, even with our only real clue to their inner thoughts being other characters mentioning their facial expression. The Hometown segments of each chapter make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that we are not Kris: there is a distinct barrier between us, with the player as their own separate entity turning Kris’ childhood home into a waking nightmare.

And even beyond all of that, things in Hometown just seem wrong in general. There’s an ominous bunker south of town that Kris seems to be afraid of, people mention tomorrow constantly in a way that seems ominous, there’s clearly underlying tensions between several people that isn’t played for laughs, and that’s not even mentioning whatever Onion is hearing.

It all leaves an interesting contradiction, where what should be the safe harbor after a dangerous adventure becomes an uncomfortable obligation after a fun trip to another world.

Which could mean ANYTHING, really.