Deltarune: Why You Should Play It

Xavier Micka ’23

Do you like games with a deep story hidden beneath a lighthearted exterior? If your answer is yes, then Deltarune is definitely the game for you. The most recent product of the mind of Toby Fox, Deltarune follows a human and their monster friends who are destined to save the world. With fun gameplay, memorable characters, and a story that can take many turns, this is the best game I have experienced this year. Before diving into why I love this game so much, it must be mentioned that the game is not yet finished. There are 7 chapters planned, and currently only the first 2 have been released. On the bright side, you can play the first 2 chapters for free on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. 

The story of Deltarune follows Kris, who unexpectedly discovers a hidden world with school bully Susie. The pair meet a prince named Ralsei, who tells them a legend about how when the harmony between Light and Dark shatters, it falls to a trio of human, monster, and a prince of the Dark to seal the Dark Fountains and save the world. The two chapters focus on different sets of characters, with amazing music and Toby Fox’s unique form of comedy and hidden symbolism to compliment both the story and gameplay. The game is short, but it offers an impressive amount of content.

The gameplay of Deltarune mainly revolves around combat and exploration. The combat system combines old school turn-based combat with bullet hell gameplay to dodge enemy attacks. Similarly to Toby Fox’s other game Undertale, you can either fight or spare enemies, but for your first playthrough I’d recommend that you spare all enemies. The exploration portions consist of a variety of puzzles and more bullet hell gameplay, used to dodge certain obstacles on the map. There are many secrets that can net you hidden items and equipment, and you may even discover a secret boss fight or two.

Deltarune is truly a wonderful game that everyone should experience. Give it a try, it’s free and you may end up falling in love with it like I have. It will be a long wait for the next chapter, but it’s exciting to think about what else this game will have to offer in the future.