UNDERTALE

[Garamonde]

I haven't played Undertale and I saw that it was getting Five Nights at Freddie's/Steven Universe levels of fandom and it was really turning me off of the game, because Those people are insane.

But I started watching videos on it and reviews, and then playthroughs, and I'm ready to call the game what it is: A masterpiece. It takes everything you know about RPG conventions and it plays with them. It defies expectation, it warps gameplay mechanics to keep you guessing and laughing, it has characters who are all bright and colorful and interesting and unforgettable, and it has weight to it. It's Don Bluth-ian to a point; It's cutesy and well made, but not afraid to shy away from some very dark themes and ideas.

While Earthbound (And Mother 3) played around within the confines of a jRPG, Undertale breaks through the confines when it suits its purpose in order to shock the player. It's brilliant watching Papyrus's "bullet hell" screen expand as your little heart leaps over the bones. It's clever, it's unexpected, and it destroys the preconception of what an RPG needs to be. Anyone who is still waffling should look up the segment of the game in the snow town. The whole bit is so well-written and funny that it just left me feeling inadequate.

Undertale succeeds where many Earthbound-inspired games have failed. When "Citizens of Earth" came out, people were hailing it as the next Earthbound. It was funny, quirky, had a silly story, etc. But CoE missed one vital thing that made it feel empty and artificial: The heart. Undertale is so overflowing with love for its player, its characters, and for video games in general, that it's no wonder that people are flocking to this thing in droves. Give it a shot. It's the Mother game for a new generation, and a very tough act to follow for video games in general.

^ This post right here. Just, this. Thank you. This is probably the best review for a game without having played it I've ever seen.

As I was discussing with a couple friends earlier, what makes me fucking angry is how shitty-ass fandoms tend to drive people away from things. Genuinely good things that they could get really into, but they either let the fans' manchildish behavior over the content in question leave a bad impression on them, or the overbearing hype makes people sick of seeing it and not want to bother.

It's a crying shame because in certain cases, such as SU, it causes the content to lose support. People look at the actions of the fanbase, they use it as a token to judge the content (because surely if so many awful people like a thing it must be awful in itself, right?????), are convinced not to give it a fair chance and finally, form prejudice against all fans including the actual good ones.

In Undertale's case, it mainly seems to be the relentless hype driving people away which sucks balls because it's a really well-crafted game that I feel is pretty widely-appealing. I can understand how seeing it everywhere can deplete it of its novelty and impact, but... I would just appreciate if people who are on the fence with trying the game due to that to consider giving it a chance once the burning hype flames start dying down. It would be really unfortunate for people to miss out on a potentially moving experience that they could rave to their friends about just because other people soiled it for them.

(Mighty Jetters actually posts a serious discussion post in game discussion??? woah)