As I considered this Hot Topic, I realised how many of the usual suspects still held up. The sinister sophistication of Silent Hill 2, the satisfying character arcs of Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness, the immaculate plotting of Skies Of Arcadia. They still hold up. And, if I remember right, I usually pick Skies Of Arcadia for these topics.
But now? Now I have played Undertale. It is pretty much perfect. No, I’m selling it short: it actually is perfect. From a storytelling point of view. Mechanically, the environs may leave you feeling a bit cold but this is still a great setting. The world is as alive and rich with lore as, say, Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask or Dark Souls. In fact, the royal cities in both are somewhat reminiscent of each other.
The plot is compelling and inventive, still leaving room for player choice to direct it and the characters are among the most fascinating and loveable you will ever meet. To the point where I could never, ever imagine myself doing a genocide run.
I killed Toriel in my first playthrough because I wasn’t sure how to get her to back down, so I just kept attacking. No, I thought, she’s got to back down any moment now. Any moment. She’s down to her last few HP, she’ll surrender now and applaud my tenacity or something. I’ve played role-playing games before! I know how this kind of scenario ends! But, like most players, I got a very nasty shock when Toriel doesn’t back down. Well, she dies. I was more upset than should be possible.
So Flowey mocks me – just to rub salt into the wound. But I take the little jerk’s advice and reload my game. Then I realise, after a certain point, Toriel’s attacks no longer touch. So the answer is… to do nothing! Ha!
And then she lets you go, off on your adventure to save the underworld. Or not. But not before giving you that iconic, powerful hug. The notion that you could harm any of these wonderful oddballs is so unconscionable that it makes you question the kinds of violent acts that would normally be deemed heroic in most other games. What? You killed Papyrus? You monster!
Yes, who is the real monster? Which could be too on the nose but it’s more like the La Marseillaise scene in Casablanca. On paper, it shouldn’t work. It should all be too corny. But it works perfectly. Yes, Undertale is the Casablanca of video game narratives. Of all the Temmie shops in all the world…
DMR
