The rest of the soundtrack fits perfectly into the weird and strange atmosphere creating some intense battles, scary environments, bizarre plot turns, and some truly beautiful and heart-wrenchingly sad moments
RPG’s need to have a good battle theme, since it is the song you’ll be hearing most throughout the game, and Undertale nails it, creating a beautifully 8-bit battle theme that’s punchy, upbeat, and always fun to listen to. Undertale’s soundtrack is simply astounding, and where the game’s Earthbound inspiration really shines through. Enemies in battle have a detailed-yet-simplistic “paper doll” look which allows for them to have movement, but for that movement to feel off and unsettling. Like Earthbound, environments are beautifully crafted or often very empty, creating a hollow, vast atmosphere that works well given the cavernous setting. While Undertale takes a very simple 8-bit style, it does a lot with colour and detail while maintaining an aesthetic of simplicity.
Small touches like that add to the overall experience of the story and connect to the player in a deeply profound way. When I re-loaded my file before the conversation had taken place, the character again asked me my preference, this time saying “I have a feeling it’s butterscotch isn’t it?” then proceeding to say our meeting was strange, like she’s seen me before, or known me for a long time. My answer was obviously butterscotch, but after the conversation had ended, the game unfortunately crashed. One particularly noteworthy moment being when a player called me in-game asking if I preferred butterscotch over cinnamon. It honestly seemed like every small thing I did affected the game in some way and the game (and even characters) adapted to this in some way. Undertale is also very Meta in its design, making the exploits of Psycho-Mantis look pale in comparison. It’s incredibly challenging and extremely satisfying, with harder fights creating the perfect level of frustration vs reward. There is a serious undercurrent of morality within the game and its battles and players may find themselves cross when it seems they’re essentially murdering an enemy that has no interest in fighting, or trying to find a way to get out of situations that seem like it’s kill-or-be-killed. What makes it more difficult is that fighting monsters is the only way to earn EXP. When the enemy attacks, the game becomes a bullet-hell and players must keep a little heart away from damage.
When attacking, players can choose to attack traditionally, or find a nonviolent alternative to battles. However, Undertale isn’t like your traditional RPG while being aesthetically similar to Earthbound’s battles, Undertale puts a very unique spin on the entire thing. Players traverse a beautiful and kooky world with a few random turn-based battles peppered in for good measure. Undertale is an RPG and very reminiscent of the SNES Earthbound. Alternatively, the choices you make can affect how each character reacts to you, and what could be a pleasant experience for one player might be a horrible experience for another. While none of them join your party, they add a lot of colour to the game’s story and leave lasting impressions on the player. Along their journey, the player will meet several interesting, funny, and extremely likeable characters.