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Undertale
The logo shows the text "Undertale" in white all caps pixel-art text, with a red heart making up the counter in the "R".
DeveloperToby Fox[a]
Publishers
DesignerToby Fox
Artists
ComposerToby Fox
EngineGameMaker Studio
Platforms
Release
September 15, 2015
  • OS X, Windows
  • September 15, 2015
  • Linux
  • July 17, 2016
  • PS4, PS Vita
  • August 15, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
  • September 18, 2018
  • Xbox One
  • March 16, 2021
GenreRole-playing
ModeSingle-player

Undertale is a 2015 role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical barrier. The player meets various monsters during the journey back to the surface, some of which may engage in combat. The combat system involves the player navigating through mini–bullet hell attacks by the opponent. They can opt to appease monsters in order to spare them instead of killing them. These choices affect the game, with the dialogue, characters, and story changing based on outcomes.

Outside of artwork and character designs by Temmie Chang and other guest designers, Fox developed the entirety of the game by himself, including the script and music. The game took inspiration from several sources, including the Brandish, Mario & Luigi, and Mother role-playing game series, bullet hell shooter series Touhou Project, role-playing game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, and British comedy show Mr. Bean. Undertale was originally meant to be two hours in length and was set to be released in mid-2014, but experienced delays.

Undertale was released for OS X and Windows in September 2015. It was ported to Linux in 2016, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2017, the Nintendo Switch in 2018, and Xbox One in 2021. The game was acclaimed for its thematic material, combat system, musical score, originality, story, dialogue, and characters, although reaction to the art style was mixed. It has sold at least five million copies. It was nominated for multiple accolades, including game of the year from several gaming publications and conventions, and is considered one of the greatest video games ever made. A game with a parallel story, Deltarune, released episodically from 2018 before its full 2025 launch; further chapters are in development.

Gameplay

[edit]
Fighting Toriel in Undertale. Toriel attacks a red heart, controlled by the player, with fire magic.
Undertale employs a bullet hell/turn-based combat system[4] in which the player controls the heart, avoiding attacks from enemies in between fighting, acting and sparing enemies, or healing.

Undertale is a role-playing video game that uses a top-down perspective.[5] In the game, the player controls a child and completes objectives in order to progress through the story.[4] Players explore an underground world filled with towns and caves, and are required to solve numerous puzzles on their journey.[4][6] The underground world is the home of monsters, many of whom challenge the player in combat;[6] players decide whether to kill, flee from, or befriend them.[4][7] Choices made by the player radically affect the plot and general progression of the game, with the player's morality acting as the cornerstone for the game's development.[8]

When players encounter enemies in either scripted events or random encounters, they enter a battle mode. During battles, players control a small heart which represents their soul, and must avoid attacks unleashed by the opposing monster similar to a bullet hell shooter.[4][6] As the game progresses, new elements are introduced, such as colored obstacles, and boss battles which change the way players control the heart.[9] Players may choose to attack the enemy, which involves timed button presses. Killing enemies will cause the player to earn EXP (in turn increasing their LOVE) and gold.[10] They can use the ACT option to check an enemy's attacking and defending attributes as well as perform various other actions, which vary depending on the enemy.[4] If the player uses the right actions to respond to the enemy, or attacks them until they have low HP (but are still alive), they can then choose to spare them and end the fight without killing them.[11] For some boss encounters to be completed peacefully, the player is required to survive until the character they are facing has finished their dialogue. The game features multiple story branches and endings depending on whether players choose to kill or spare their enemies; and as such, it is possible to clear the game without killing a single enemy.[12]

Monsters will talk to the player during the battle, and the game will tell the players what the monster's feelings and actions are.[13] Enemy attacks change based on how players interact with them: should players choose non-violent options, enemy attacks are comparatively easy, whereas they become less easy if players choose violent options.[6][13] The game relies on a number of metafictional elements in both its gameplay and story.[14] When players participate in a boss battle on a second playthrough, the dialogue will be altered depending on actions in previous playthroughs.[15]

Plot

[edit]
See also: Characters of Undertale and Deltarune

Undertale is set in the Underground, a realm where monsters were banished after war broke out with humans before the events of the game. The Underground is sealed from the surface by a magic barrier with a singular gap at Mount Ebott.[16] At the start of the game a player-named human child falls into the Underground from Mount Ebott and encounters Flowey, a sentient flower who teaches the player the game's mechanics and lies about "LV", or "LOVE", in an attempt to kill them. The human is then rescued by Toriel, a motherly goat-like monster, who teaches them how to survive conflict in the Underground without killing. She intends to adopt the human, wanting to protect them from Asgore, the king of the Underground.

The human eventually leaves Toriel to search for Asgore's castle, which contains the barrier to the surface world. They encounter several monsters, such as the skeletons Sans and Papyrus, two brothers who act as sentries for the Snowdin forest; Undyne, the head of the royal guard; Alphys, the kingdom's royal scientist; and Mettaton, a robotic television host Alphys created. Most of the monsters are fought, with the human choosing whether to kill them or to spare and possibly befriend the monster. During their travels, the human learns that many years ago, Asriel, the son of Asgore and Toriel, befriended the first human who fell into the Underground. When the child abruptly died, Asriel used the child's soul to pass through the barrier, intending to return the body to the surface. The humans living there attacked and killed Asriel, causing Asgore to declare war. In the present day, Asgore has collected six souls from fallen humans, and needs one more to destroy the barrier.

The game's ending depends on how the player handles encounters with monsters.[17][12][d] If the player killed some but not all monsters, or did not kill any, they experience the "Neutral" ending. The human arrives at Asgore's castle and is forced to fight him. Sans stops the human before their confrontation, revealing that the human's "LOVE" and "EXP" are acronyms for "level of violence" and "execution points", respectively.[e] Sans judges the human based on their accumulated "LOVE" and "EXP". The human then fights Asgore, but Flowey interrupts, killing Asgore, and transforming into a more powerful form by stealing the human souls. With the aid of the rebelling souls, the human defeats Flowey and can choose to either kill or spare him. The human then leaves the underground. They later receive a phone call from Sans, explaining the state of the Underground after the human's departure.

If the player kills no monsters before completing a "neutral" ending, they can reload their saved game to complete the "true pacifist" ending.[19][17] Flowey is revealed to be a reincarnation of Asriel accidentally created by Alphys's experiments. During the fight with Asgore, Toriel stops the battle and is joined by the other monsters the human befriended. Flowey ambushes the group, absorbing the souls of all the humans and monsters in order to take an older Asriel's form. During the ensuing fight, the human manages to connect with the souls of their friends, and eventually defeats Asriel: He reverts to his child form, destroys the barrier, and expresses remorse for his actions before leaving, revealing the human's true name as Frisk. The human falls unconscious and is awoken to see their friends surrounding them. The monsters peacefully reintegrate with the humans, while the human has the option of accepting Toriel as their adoptive mother.

A third ending, known by fans as the "No Mercy" or "Genocide" ending, ensues if the player kills every single fightable monster. They must repeatedly trigger random encounters in each area until no more monsters remain. This route changes aspects of the game: many characters evacuate to escape the player, and those that remain have modified dialogue reflecting the impact their actions are having on the game's world.[15][21] When the human reaches Asgore's castle, Sans attempts to stop them, but fails and is slain. Flowey kills Asgore in an attempt to obtain mercy, but is killed by the human. Chara, the first fallen child who befriended Asriel, then appears and erases the world. To enable further replays of the game, the player must give their soul to Chara, restoring the world and causing a permanent alteration to the true pacifist ending.[19]

Development

[edit]

Undertale was developed by Toby Fox across 32 months.[22] Development was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on the website Kickstarter. The campaign was launched on June 25, 2013, with a goal of US$5,000; it ended on July 25, 2013, with US$51,124 raised by 2,398 people.[23] Fox had little experience with game development; he and his three brothers often used RPG Maker 2000 to make role-playing games, though few were ever completed. Fox also worked on several EarthBound ROM hacks while in high school.[24] Before the release of Undertale, he was best known for composing music for the webcomic Homestuck, starting in 2010.[22][25] Undertale was the first full game that he wrote.[26] The name of the game: Undertale was inspired from Fox noticing that the names of EarthBound and Homestuck were both made up of two words stuck together.[27] Fox wanted the name of the game to be "similarly catchy".[27] Another inspiration of the name for Undertale comes from the game: Cave Story where Fox swapped out the name "story" with "tale" due to the words meaning the same thing and Fox replacing "Cave" with "Under" in the game's name due to the game taking place underground.[27]

According to Fox, he was casually reading Wikipedia in December 2012 when he found its article for array data structures, something Fox did not have knowledge of. After reading the page, he thought about how he could use it to create a text system for an RPG. After completing it, he came up with the idea of creating a battle system.[25] This system, which was created using the game creation system GameMaker: Studio,[28] informed how Fox wrote the story, as both are intertwined.[26] He wanted to develop a role-playing game that was different from the traditional design, which he often found "boring to play" despite his love for JRPGS.[24] He set out to develop a game with "interesting characters", and that "utilizes the medium as a storytelling device ... instead of having the story and gameplay abstractions be completely separate".[24]

Fox worked on the entire game independently, besides some of the art; he decided to do so to avoid relying on others.[22] Temmie Chang worked as the main artist for the game, providing most of the sprites and concept art.[29][3] Fox has said that the game's art style would likely remain the same if he had access to a larger team of artists. He found that "there's a psychological thread that says audiences become more attached to characters drawn simply rather than in detail", particularly benefiting from the use of visual gags within the art.[30] Retrospectively, Fox described Undertale as "a huge katamari of things that [he likes] that [he] combined arbitrarily", adding that part of the story "was almost written improvisationally at the last minute".[26]

Game design

[edit]

The defensive segment within the battle system was inspired by the Mario & Luigi series, as well as bullet hell shooters such as the Touhou Project series.[31] When working on the battle system, Fox set out to create a mechanic that he would personally enjoy.[32] He wanted Undertale to have a battle system equally engaging as Super Mario RPG (1996) and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003). Fox did not want grinding to be necessary at any point in the game, instead leaving it optional to players. He also did not wish to introduce fetch quests, as they involve backtracking, which he dislikes.[22] In terms of the game's difficulty, Fox ensured that it was easy and enjoyable. He asked some friends who are inexperienced with bullet hell shooters to test the game, and found that they were able to complete it. He felt that the game's difficulty was optimal, particularly considering the complications involved in adding another difficulty setting.[33]

The game's dialogue system was inspired by Shin Megami Tensei (1992),[31] particularly the gameplay mechanic whereby players can talk to monsters to avoid conflict. Fox intended to expand upon this mechanic, as failing to negotiate resulted in a requirement to fight. "I want to create a system that satisfied my urge for talking to monsters", he said.[6] When he began developing this mechanic, the concept of completing the game without killing any enemies "just evolved naturally".[34] However, he never considered removing the option to fight throughout development.[34] When questioned on the difficulty of playing the game without killing, Fox responded that it is "the crux of one of the major themes of this game", asking players to think about it themselves.[34] Despite not having played it, Fox was inspired by the concepts of Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (1997), which involved the player repairing the damage of the "Hero" and increasing their "Love Level" by helping people instead of hurting them.[35] Fox also cited Cave Story (2004) as a general inspiration for the game.[25]

Writing

[edit]

According to Fox, the "idea of being trapped in an underground world" was inspired by the video game Brandish.[3] Fox was partly influenced by the silliness of internet culture, as well as comedy shows like Mr. Bean.[22]: 1:27:30  He was also inspired by the unsettling atmosphere of EarthBound.[22] Fox's desire to "subvert concepts that go unquestioned in many games" further influenced Undertale's development.[34] Fox found that the writing became easier after establishing a character's voice and mood. He also felt that creating the world was a natural process, as it expressed the stories of those within it.[30] Fox felt the importance to make the game's monsters "feel like an individual".[31] He cited the Final Fantasy series as the opposite; "all monsters in RPGs like Final Fantasy are the same ... there's no meaning to that".[31]

The character of Toriel, who is one of the first to appear in the game, was created as a parody of tutorial characters. Fox strongly disliked the use of the companion character Fi in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, in which the answers to puzzles were often revealed early. Fox also felt that role-playing video games generally lack strong mother characters; in the Pokémon series, as well as Mother and EarthBound, Fox felt that the mothers are used as "symbols rather than characters".[24] In response, Fox intended for Toriel's character to be "a mom that hopefully acts like a mom", and "genuinely cares" about players' actions.[24] Initially, Toriel had to be killed in order to progress the game, but Fox changed it before the release of Undertale's demo.[26] He felt that it was wrong that the only way to progress was killing Toriel, this decision influenced Fox to implement the option to spare monsters as it made Fox understand what "Undertale was really about."[3][36]

Papyrus and Sans are named after the typefaces Papyrus and Comic Sans, and their in-game dialogue is displayed accordingly in their respective eponymous fonts.[37] Both characters are listed in the game's credits as being inspired by J. N. Wiedle, author of Helvetica, a webcomic series about a skeleton named after the font of the same name. Papyrus in particular was conceived as a sketch in Fox's notebook; he was originally a mean-spirited character named "Times New Roman" who wears a fedora.[38] Sans originally ran poker at a casino and was going to tell more puns but Fox knew that it would not be funny as he originally thought it would be.[3][39] The idea of Sans with a casino would be revisited in the Xbox One port, where Sans runs a casino at his and Papyrus's house.[40][unreliable source?] According to Fox, the most memorable part of making Undertale was when Papyrus rejects Frisk during their date. It was originally more harsh than in the final game, this was changed due to one of the game's playtesters, a friend of Fox and a fan who loved Papyrus' character crying during the Papyrus rejection scene.[41]

Undyne was difficult for Fox to write as a character; he tried to give her various accents and hobbies. The only detail that stayed consistent was that she was the first boss to actively want to kill the protagonist.[3][42] The final depiction of Undyne's character wasn't thought up until Fox was writing her monologue before fighting the protagonist in her boss fight in the neutral and pacifist routes where Undyne became a natural character for Fox write for.[3][42][clarification needed]

Alphys was originally depicted as a man but Toby grew to dislike it, so Alphys ended up as a woman and had eyelashes added to her design.[3][43] Asgore was initially intended to be an intimidating character but was changed to be more goofy, inspired by his friend, Reid Young, the founder of Fangamer.[3]

Music

[edit]
Main article: Undertale Soundtrack
"Hopes and Dreams"
"Hopes and Dreams", a song from one of the game's final boss fights, was praised for reintroducing many of the game's previous themes in a different style.[44][45]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The game's soundtrack was entirely composed by Fox with FL Studio.[46] A self-taught musician, he composed most of the tracks with little iteration; the game's main theme, "Undertale", was the only song to undergo multiple iterations in development. The soundtrack was inspired by music from Super NES role-playing games,[22] such as EarthBound,[47] bullet hell series Touhou Project,[48] and the webcomic Homestuck, for which Fox provided some of the music.[22] Fox also stated that he tries to be inspired by all music he listens to,[32] particularly those in video games.[47] According to Fox, over 90% of the songs were composed specifically for the game.[28] "Megalovania", the song used during the boss battle with Sans, had previously been used within Homestuck and in one of Fox's EarthBound ROM hacks.[45][49] For each section of the game, Fox composed the music prior to programming, as it helped "decide how the scene should go".[28] He initially tried using the music tracker FamiTracker to compose the soundtrack, but found it difficult to use. He ultimately decided to play segments of the music separately, and connect them on a track.[47] To celebrate the first anniversary of the game, Fox released five unused musical works on his blog in 2016.[50] Four of the game's songs were released as official downloadable content for the Steam version of Taito's Groove Coaster.[49]

Undertale's soundtrack has been well received by critics as part of the success of the game, in particular for its use of various leitmotifs for the various characters used throughout various tracks.[51][52] "Hopes and Dreams", the boss theme when fighting Asriel in the Pacifist route, interpolates most of the main character's themes, and is "a perfect way to cap off your journey", according to USgamer's Nadia Oxford.[45] Oxford notes this track especially demonstrates Fox's ability at "turning old songs into completely new experiences", used throughout the game's score.[45] Tyler Hicks of GameSpot compared the music to "bit-based melodies".[53]

The Undertale soundtrack has frequently been covered by various styles and groups. As part of the fifth anniversary of the game, Fox streamed footage with permission of a 2019 concert of the Undertale songs performed by Music Engine, an orchestra group in Japan, with support of Fangamer and 8-4.[54]

Release

[edit]

Undertale's first demo was released on May 23, 2013,[55] which at the time was said to account for about 25 percent of the full game.[56] It had an initial release timeframe of Summer 2014.[56] The game was released on September 15, 2015, for OS X and Windows,[57] and on July 17, 2016, for Linux.[58] Fox expressed interest in releasing Undertale on other platforms, but Nintendo 3DS and Wii U ports were not possible due to GameMaker's lack of support.[22][59] A patch was released in January 2016 which fixed bugs and included new lines of dialogue and secrets.[60] Sony Interactive Entertainment announced during E3 2017 that Undertale would get a release for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and a retail version published by Fangamer, which were released on August 15, 2017.[61][62][63] It contains exclusive unlockable achievements and new location, the Dog Shrine.[64] A Nintendo Switch version was revealed during a March 2018 Nintendo Direct, though no release date was given at the time;[65][66] Undertale's release on Switch highlighted a deal made between Nintendo and YoYo Games to allow users of GameMaker Studio 2 to directly export their games to the Switch.[67] The Switch version was released on September 15, 2018, in Japan,[68] and on September 18, 2018, worldwide.[69] It contains an exclusive boss fight against Mad Mew Mew.[70] The Xbox One version was released on March 16, 2021, and features a playable slot machine in the Dog Shrine.[71] All console ports were developed and published by Japanese localizer 8-4 in all regions.[1][2]

Promotion

[edit]

Other Undertale media and merchandise have been released, including toy figurines and plush toys based on characters from the game.[72] The game's official soundtrack was released by video game music label Materia Collective on the same day as the game.[73] Additionally, two official Undertale cover albums have been released: the 2015 metal/electronic album Determination by RichaadEB and Amie Waters,[74][75] and the 2016 jazz album Live at Grillby's by Carlos Eiene.[76] Another jazz duet album based on Undertale's songs, Prescription for Sleep, was released in 2016 by saxophonist Norihiko Hibino and pianist Ayaki Sato.[77]

A 2xLP vinyl edition of the Undertale soundtrack, produced by iam8bit, was also released in the same year.[78] Two official UNDERTALE Piano Collections sheet music books and digital albums, arranged by David Peacock and performed by Augustine Mayuga Gonzales, were released in 2017 and 2018 by Materia Collective.[79][80] A Mii Fighter costume based on Sans was made available for download by Nintendo for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in September 2019 alongside a new arrangement of "Megalovania".[81] Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai noted that Sans was a popular request to appear in the game.[82] Music from Undertale was also added to Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! as downloadable content.[83]

To celebrate the game's tenth anniversary, Fangamer and Toby Fox held a two day charity marathon livestream for Doctors Without Borders,[84] where they played through a modified version of Undertale.[85][86] It included new dialogue and visuals, several areas and boss fights. The livestream raised US$330,000;[84] the new fights were made available as a browser game, and the new songs and art assets were made available for download.[87][88][89][90]

Japanese localization

[edit]

After Undertale's release, a small Japanese fan community slowly emerged, leading to an unofficial fan localization patch being released in early 2016. Since Fox had envisioned a Japanese translation as an eventual goal while working on the game, he consulted a number of different companies, eventually choosing 8-4, which had previously translated Aquaria and Shovel Knight.[91][92]

To ensure a consistent voice for the game, 8-4 chose to employ only one primary translator, Keiko Fuchicho, even though it would lead to the Japanese version taking longer to release. She was supported by a small team of editors, proofreaders, and a programmer who modified the game to work with Japanese writing systems. Before the translation began in early 2016, Fox provided development notes and annotated dialogue to the team, and he continued to support and advise them throughout its creation.[92] As PC gaming is less prominent in Japan, they concurrently made the decision to release Undertale for consoles, with the porting also being handled by 8-4.[91][93] After the localization's announcement, many fans were surprised by the decision to use the Japanese pronoun oira (おいら) for Sans due to its connotation with rural life, leading to the term oira shock.[92][94] The localization was released for PS4 and Vita on August 16, 2017, and for PC on August 22.[95][96]

Reception

[edit]

Undertale received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[97][98][99] There, it is the third-highest rated Windows game released in 2015,[97] and among the top 50 of all time.[105] It was temporarily the highest-rated PC game of all time on Metacritic after release.[106] GameSpot's Tyler Hicks declared it "one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time",[53] and IGN's Kallie Plagge called it "a masterfully crafted experience".[18] The game has been cited to be among the greatest of all time, being ranked 20th in IGN's "The Top 100 Video Games of All Time" list in 2021[107] and 34th in Dexerto's "These are the 100 best games of all time" list in 2025.[108]

Daniel Tack of Game Informer called the game's combat system "incredibly nuanced", commenting on the uniqueness of each enemy encounter.[102] Giant Bomb's Austin Walker praised the complexity of the combat, commenting that it is "unconventional, clever, and occasionally really difficult".[101] Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of The Escapist commended the game's ability to blend turn-based and live combat elements.[109] IGN's Plagge praised the ability to avoid combat, opting for friendly conversations instead.[18] Jesse Singal of The Boston Globe found the game's ability to make the player empathize with the monsters during combat if they opted for non-violent actions was "indicative of the broader, fundamental sweetness at the core" of Undertale.[110] Games and Culture's Gabriel Elvery believed the general appeal of Undertale's pacifist route was the facilitation of parasocial interactions with its monsters, which was attributed to their simplicity and representation of daily human life, constrasted to the genocide route, where such interactions cannot happen, as the monsters have either fled or were killed by the player.[111]

Essayist Sean Travers in the Journal of Popular Culture described Undertale as a critique of the violent nature of mainstream role-playing video games, where players kill enemies in exchange for experience points. She noted the game's rather punitive nature towards those who choose to play through the Genocide route and ignore warnings, citing its progressive change in tone and disturbing imagery. Travers interprets this as the player becoming the antagonist or a "postmodern psychopath", which is described as a character who commits immoral actions for the sole reason being their consequences. She believed that Undertale is innovative in such games, due to the player's "degree of choice."[112] Kevin Vale of Convergence compared Undertale's management of accountability to that of Night in the Woods, citing the central role the player has in them, while contrasting their use of gameplay elements.[113]

Reviewers praised the game's writing and narrative, which IGN's Plagge labeled it as "strong" and "consistently funny" and noted how it "[built] on" Undertale's themes of humanity and morality.[18] The Escapist's Croshaw considered Undertale the best-written game of 2015, writing that it "is on the one hand hilarious... and is also, by the end, rather heartfelt".[109] Destructoid's Ben Davis praised the game's characters and use of comedy, and compared its tone, characters, and storytelling to Cave Story (2004).[4] PC Gamer's Richard Cobbett provided similar comments, writing that "even its weaker moments... just about work".[103] Undertale's absurd humor attracted praise; Kill Screen considered absurdity a signature quality of Fox's humor.[30]

The game's visuals received mixed reactions. Giant Bomb's Walker called it "simple, but communicative".[101] IGN's Plagge wrote that the game "isn't always pretty" and "often ugly", but felt that the music and animations compensate.[18] The Escapist's Croshaw remarked that "it wobbles between basic and functional to just plain bad".[109] Other reviewers liked the graphics: Daniel Tack of Game Informer felt that the visuals appropriately match the characters and settings,[102] while Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer commended the ability of the visuals to convey emotion.[103]

Sales

[edit]

By the end of 2015, according to a preliminary report by Steam Spy, Undertale was one of the best-selling games on Steam, with 530,343 copies sold.[114] By early February 2016, the game surpassed one million sales,[115] and by July 2018, the game had an estimated total of three and a half million players on Steam.[116] Japanese digital PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita sales surpassed 100,000 copies sold by February 2018.[117] By March 2019, Undertale was one of the ten best-selling indie games on the Switch.[118] As of August 29, 2024, Steam Spy estimates that Undertale has sold between 5 and 10 million copies on Steam.[119][f]

Impact and legacy

[edit]

Fandom

[edit]
Cosplayers portraying (from left to right) Sans, Undyne, Papyrus, Toriel, Grillby, and Napstablook at Tsunacon in Rotterdam

Undertale quickly developed a cult following.[120][121] About a year after release, Fox commented that he was surprised by how popular the game had become and though appreciative of the attention, he found it stressful. Fox said: "It wouldn't surprise me if I never made a game as successful again. That's fine with me though".[122] Ana Diaz of NPR stated that Undertale "shaped the entertainment tastes of an entire generation", and that it "took on a new life through memes".[26] Reid Young, CEO of Fangamer, said that the game became "an absolutely dominating force".[26] The character Sans has been well received by players, being the subject of many fan works.[123][124][125] Professional wrestler Kenny Omega has expressed his love of Undertale, dressing as Sans for the October 30, 2019, episode of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.[126] Sans's addition as a Mii fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate garnered positive feedback from fans, although The Commonwealth Times considered his addition to be a "potential problem" due to the decreasing nostalgia factor for each new character and ever-increasing size of the roster.[127] The Undertale fandom has also been noted for the creations of various fan games that offer unique stories and gameplay mechanics based on the Undertale world.[128] Among the most anticipated fangames was the spinoff Undertale Yellow, which after seven years of development was released in 2023 and met with immense popularity by fans on multiple social media platforms.[129]

Undertale's fanbase has also been subject to controversy, leading to it gaining a negative reputation. Part of it was due to the disagreement between fans over the correct way to play the game.[26][130] After the game's release, some live streamers were harassed by fans of the game for killing in-game enemies and attempting the "genocide" route. YouTuber Markiplier refused to complete his initial play-through of the game, stating that he was "not having fun" due to fan demands.[130]

In July 2016, during a summit about the Internet held at the Vatican, YouTube personality MatPat gifted a copy of Undertale to Pope Francis. MatPat explained his choice of gift by referencing the year 2016's status as the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and connecting this to Undertale's overarching theme of mercy.[131] Later, in January 2022, a circus troupe performed in front of the Pope during his weekly audience at the Vatican to the tune of "Megalovania", drawing parallels with MatPat's symbolic gift of the game to Pope Francis.[132][133] Christopher Cayari of the International Journal of Education & the Arts described Undertale's popularity as an example of video game music serving as a medium that could serve a great utility to music educators, citing the fandom's participatory culture.[134]

Accolades

[edit]

The game appeared on several year-end lists of the best games of 2015, receiving Game of the Month and Funniest Game on PC from Rock Paper Shotgun,[135][5] Best Game Ever from GameFAQs,[136] and Game of the Year for PC from Zero Punctuation,[137] and IGN.[138] It also received Best PC Game from Destructoid.[139]

Undertale garnered awards and nominations in a variety of categories with praise for its story, narrative and for its role-playing. At IGN's Best of 2015, the game received Best Story.[140] The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Undertale for Role-Playing/Massive Multiplayer Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, and the D.I.C.E. Sprite Award.[141] Undertale was nominated for the Innovation Award, Best Debut, and Best Narrative at the Game Developers Choice Awards.[142] In 2016, at the Independent Games Festival the game won the Audience Award, and garnered three nominations for Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Narrative, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.[143][144] The SXSW Gaming Awards named it the Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game, and awarded it the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award.[145] The same year at the Steam Awards the game received a nomination for the "I'm not crying, there's just something in my eye" award.[146] In 2019, Polygon named the game among the decade's best.[147] In 2021, IGN listed Undertale as the 20th greatest game of all time, while in Japan, a nationwide TV Asahi poll of over 50,000 players listed Undertale as the 13th greatest game of all time.[148][149]

Award Date of ceremony Category Result Ref(s).
British Academy Games Awards April 7, 2016 Story Nominated [150][151]
D.I.C.E. Awards February 18, 2016 Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year Nominated [141]
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Nominated
Dragon Awards August 11, 2016 Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC/Console Game Nominated [152]
Global Game Awards November 27, 2015 Best Indie Runner-up [153]
The Game Awards December 3, 2015 Best Independent Game Nominated [154]
Games for Change Nominated
Best Role-Playing Game Nominated
Game Developers Choice Awards March 16, 2016 Innovation Award Nominated [142]
Best Debut Nominated
Best Narrative Nominated
Independent Games Festival Awards Seumas McNally Grand Prize Nominated [155]
Excellence in Audio Nominated
Excellence in Narrative Nominated
Audience Award Won [143]
Japan Game Awards September 23, 2018 Award for Excellence Won [156]
SXSW Gaming Awards March 19, 2016 Game of the Year Nominated [157]
Excellence in Gameplay Nominated
Most Promising New Intellectual Property Nominated
Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game Won [145]
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award Won

Deltarune

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Main article: Deltarune

After previously teasing something Undertale-related a day earlier, Fox released the first chapter of Deltarune on October 31, 2018, for macOS and Windows for free.[158] Deltarune is "not the world of Undertale", according to Fox, though characters and settings may bring some of Undertale's world to mind,[159] and is "intended for people who have completed Undertale".[160] The name Deltarune is an anagram of Undertale.[161] Fox stated that this release is the first part of a new project, considering it a "survey program" to determine the project's future direction.[161] Fox clarified that Deltarune will be a larger project than Undertale, stating it took him a few years to create the game's first chapter, much longer than it took him to complete the Undertale demo.[159] Unlike Undertale, Deltarune is planned to have only one ending, regardless of what choices the player makes in the game.[159]

Chapter 2 of Deltarune was released on September 17, 2021, after Fox acquired a team to help him with further development.[162][163] Once all chapters are complete, the game will be released as a complete whole; Fox stated that he does not have an anticipated timetable for completion.[161][159] Though the first two chapters were free, the rest of the game will cost money.

Chapters 3 and 4 were released on June 4, 2025, and a day later in Japan.[164][165] All future chapters will be released as free updates.[166][167]

Notes

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References

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Further reading

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Undertale

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Undertale is a developed and published by American indie creator . Released on September 15, 2015, for Windows and macOS via , it features a player-controlled human child who falls into an underground world inhabited by monsters and must navigate puzzles, dialogues, and encounters to escape. The game's innovative battle system allows players to resolve conflicts through combat, mercy (sparing enemies via negotiation or puzzles), or a bullet hell-style dodging mechanic, emphasizing non-violent choices that influence the narrative and multiple endings. Created primarily by Toby Fox over two years with contributions from a small team on art and music, Undertale features hand-drawn , an original soundtrack composed by Fox, and a story blending humor, emotional depth, and meta-elements that subvert RPG tropes. The game has been ported to platforms including , Nintendo Switch 2, , and , with a physical Collector's Edition released in 2017. It received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, characters, and replayability, earning an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam based on over 311,000 user reviews, and has sold over 7 million units across platforms while generating approximately $50 million in revenue, establishing it as a landmark indie title. Undertale was nominated for multiple awards, including the BAFTA Games Award for Best Story in 2016 and Best Independent Game and Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2015. The game's influence extends to inspiring fan works, merchandise, and Fox's follow-up project , while its themes of and have impacted discussions on narrative design in video games.

Gameplay

Core mechanics

Undertale employs a hybrid combat system that blends traditional turn-based RPG progression with dodging mechanics, setting it apart from conventional games. During encounters, battles unfold in two phases: an offensive turn where players select actions such as FIGHT to deal damage, ACT to interact with enemies, ITEM to use , or to spare foes, and a defensive phase where the player's SOUL—represented as a controllable heart—must evade patterned bullet attacks launched by opponents. This integration encourages strategic depth, as sparing enemies through ACT commands can resolve conflicts non-violently, while killing advances RPG elements like experience gain and equipment upgrades, though the game emphasizes alternatives to violence. The system draws inspiration from titles like for its dodging segments and Shin Megami Tensei for negotiation mechanics, allowing every monster to feel distinct rather than generic foes. Inventory management supports both exploration and combat persistence, with players limited to eight slots for carrying items such as healing foods, weapons, and key objects that influence interactions. Items can be acquired through scavenging, purchasing from vendors, or receiving as gifts, and their use restores health or provides temporary buffs during battles or overworld navigation. Excess items are stored in Dimensional Boxes accessible at certain locations, preventing clutter while maintaining accessibility for strategic planning. This system ties into RPG progression by enabling equipment swaps that alter stats like attack and defense, reinforcing the game's focus on player agency without overwhelming complexity. The game's world facilitates non-linear exploration across the subterranean Underground, divided into interconnected regions like the , Snowdin Forest, , Hotland, and , where players navigate branching paths influenced by prior actions and choices. Movement occurs in a top-down 2D plane, with interactions revealing hidden areas, puzzles, and dynamic NPC encounters that alter the environment based on player persistence. This structure promotes replayability through meta-elements, such as the SAVE/LOAD system at glowing points that not only records progress but also enables resets—erasing the current timeline to restart from the beginning—allowing experimentation with different paths while acknowledging the consequences of prior playthroughs via file manipulation and "true reset" options that wipe persistent data for fresh starts. Moral choices in encounters can subtly shift available routes, enhancing the sense of a living world without mandating violence. Undertale includes a hidden Debug Mode, accessible by modifying the game's files, such as using a hex editor to alter specific offsets in data.win or employing tools like UndertaleModTool. Once activated, it provides keyboard shortcuts for various functions, including teleportation to specific rooms using the Insert and Delete keys, battle manipulation, and toggling debug flags for testing gameplay elements. This mode enables access to inaccessible or unused rooms, such as room_gaster, allowing players to explore developer-intended but unreleased content and facilitating advanced experimentation with the game's mechanics.

Combat and choices

Undertale features a turn-based system that integrates elements of gameplay, where players control a red heart representing their to dodge enemy attacks within a confined box. During the player's turn, four primary options are available: FIGHT to deal damage, ACT to interact with enemies through dialogue or actions, ITEM to use consumables, and to spare foes after weakening or befriending them. This setup draws inspiration from games like Shin Megami Tensei for negotiation mechanics and for defensive dodging patterns, emphasizing timing and over raw power. The option enables pacifist resolutions, allowing players to resolve nearly every encounter without violence by selecting specific ACT commands that reveal enemy vulnerabilities or build rapport, contrasting sharply with traditional RPG focused on killing. , the game's creator, designed this to make each monster feel like an individual rather than generic foes, fostering as players uncover backstories through non-lethal interactions. Successful sparing depletes the enemy's will to fight without reducing their health to zero, and repeated pacifist choices across encounters unlock friendship opportunities that alter and NPC reactions. Player decisions in combat—particularly kill counts and interaction depth—determine one of three main routes: the Pacifist Route, achieved by sparing all enemies and befriending key characters; the Neutral Route, resulting from partial sparing or selective killing, which leads to variations based on the number of monsters killed, culminating in battles against Asgore and then Flowey (who transforms into Omega Flowey), with the player escaping the Underground alone and receiving a variable phone call from Sans depending on actions; and the , triggered by exhaustively eliminating every possible monster. These routes lead to branching consequences, such as modified boss attack patterns, altered environmental states, and distinct endings, without relying on traditional leveling or grinding for progression. For instance, aggressive play in the Genocide Route intensifies enemy desperation and changes core game flags, while the Pacifist Route rewards empathy with cooperative resolutions and positive narrative shifts, and the Neutral Route offers 93 possible endings without unlocking additional content like the True Lab, encouraging players to explore different combinations of choices across multiple playthroughs. Released in , this choice-driven system highlights , encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore outcomes.

Exploration and puzzles

Undertale employs a room-based system reminiscent of classic RPGs, where players navigate a series of interconnected screens forming the Underground's diverse regions: the ancient , the snowy Snowdin Forest, the luminescent , the volcanic Hotland laboratory, and the mechanical Core. Each region features thematic environmental designs, such as leafy foliage in the or glowing mushrooms in , with hidden secrets like secret rooms and side paths that reward thorough investigation with optional items or dialogues. This structure promotes non-linear discovery within constrained spaces, allowing players to backtrack and uncover missable content without in early areas. Progression relies heavily on puzzle-solving, categorized into environmental riddles that use clues from signs or echoes, switch-based challenges to activate paths or disable hazards like spiked floors, and cooperative mini-games involving NPCs, such as pushing snowballs in Snowdin or racing snails in . These puzzles vary in complexity, from simple pattern-matching in early rooms to multi-step sequences in later regions, often requiring of the environment or timing-based actions. Save points, depicted as floating golden stars, are scattered throughout rooms to heal the and manually save progress, emphasizing strategic placement near challenging sections. Exploration is enhanced by interactive elements like accessing mysterious Dimensional Boxes to store excess items across regions to manage inventory during extended delves, and collectibles such as sticky dog residue obtained from hidden statues or scattered golden flowers that serve as minor environmental storytelling devices. Key items, such as the Mystery Key purchased from vendors Bratty and Catty for 600G, allow players to unlock hidden areas like the house adjacent to Napstablook's in Waterfall, revealing six diaries that provide additional lore on characters such as Mettaton through environmental storytelling. Puzzles frequently integrate humor and character-driven moments, blending mechanical challenges with whimsical interactions; for instance, reaching Temmie Village—a hidden side area in —leads to comedic exchanges with eccentric NPCs, where progression through shop purchases humorously demands grinding for gold via repetitive tasks.

Story and characters

Plot overview

Undertale's story centers on child who falls through a cavernous hole in Mount Ebott into the Underground, a vast subterranean world inhabited by monsters banished there centuries ago after with humanity. The monsters, led by King Asgore, are confined by an impenetrable magical barrier erected at the mountain's base, which requires the souls of seven humans to destroy and allow their return to the surface. The child's journey unfolds across distinct regions of the Underground: the ancient , the snowy Snowdin Forest, the humid caverns, the volcanic Hotland laboratory district, and the mechanical Core leading to New Home. Throughout these areas, the encounters quirky and varied monsters, resolving conflicts through a bullet-hell style combat system that allows options to attack, flee, or act mercifully—such as sparing foes or befriending them via and puzzles—which profoundly influences relationships and progression. Exploration also allows the discovery of key items, such as the Mystery Key purchased from vendors Bratty and Catty for 600G, which unlocks a house near Napstablook's home containing six diaries that reveal backstory lore about monsters' lives and histories, including details on Mettaton's origins. The adventure culminates in a tense confrontation with Asgore in his castle at New Home, where the fate of the barrier—and the Underground's inhabitants—hangs in the balance based on the souls collected and alliances formed. Player choices determine one of several branching paths, including the merciful Pacifist route, the balanced Neutral route, and the destructive route, resulting in 93 possible endings that underscore the consequences of actions taken. The Neutral route, achieved through a mix of killing and sparing monsters without fully committing to pacifism or genocide, features a confrontation with Asgore followed by a battle against the transformed Flowey as Omega Flowey; the protagonist escapes to the surface alone, leaving the monsters trapped underground, and receives a variable phone call from Sans providing updates based on the player's actions and kill count.

Main characters

Frisk is the protagonist of Undertale, depicted as a silent who falls into the Underground world of monsters. The character's design features a simple pixel sprite intentionally made to look "terrible" to avoid setting high expectations for personality, enhancing player immersion through a blank for identification. Frisk's name is customizable by the player, with "Frisk" as the default, and the character remains unnamed in the game's narration to maintain ambiguity. Among the allies encountered are several distinct monster characters who embody various caretaker and companion roles. Toriel, a goat-like figure, serves as an overprotective maternal presence, with her design drawing from Mimigas in Cave Story and evolving from an early humanoid goddess concept. Her theme music, "Fallen Down," originated from a 2013 EarthBound fan project collaboration. Sans, a laid-back skeleton, is characterized by his humorous, pun-loving demeanor and perpetual smile, appearing reliably throughout the adventure with a mysterious undertone; his early concepts included more extensive skeleton jokes, later scaled back for better pacing. Papyrus, Sans's enthusiastic brother, was redesigned from an initial creepy, fedora-wearing version inspired by the OFF character Dedan into a more redeemable, puzzle-obsessed personality that fits the game's tone. Undyne, a fierce fish-like warrior, has a design refined over a long development process, incorporating a helmet and dramatic lighting to heighten her intimidating presence; Toby Fox noted that her dialogue came naturally once her core traits solidified. Alphys, a timid dinosaur scientist, features the most expressive faces in the game and underwent a gender shift from an early male concept, with added eyelashes for a cuter, more anxious appearance; her triangular silhouette was iteratively simplified. Asgore, the regal goat-like king, combines elements from Brandish characters Sinistral and King Berebus, with his blonde hair and facial hair adjusted for visual clarity in pixel art. Antagonistic and neutral figures add layers of contrast and spectacle. , a seemingly innocent flower, emerged fully formed in concept with a creepy aesthetic inspired by elements like the "Face" from a story, remaining largely unchanged during development. Chara, the first human to fall into the Underground, is adopted by the Dreemurr family and forms a close bond with Asriel Dreemurr. Chara and Asriel devise a plan to break the barrier containing the monsters by collecting human souls; this involves Chara consuming buttercups to poison themselves, allowing Asriel to absorb their soul and cross the barrier. In the game's narrative, Chara plays a significant role, particularly in the Genocide route, where they are revealed as the entity embodying the player's destructive choices and narrate certain events. Design-wise, Chara's appearance shares ties with the evolution of Frisk's sprite, though development commentary on Chara remains minimal. Mettaton, a flamboyant robotic celebrity, draws inspiration from the robot in Wallace and Gromit's , shifting from humanoid ideas to a showy, destructive form; concepts like sparkling tears were ultimately dropped. His backstory, revealed through diaries unlocked by the Mystery Key, indicates that he was originally a ghost and cousin to Napstablook, who suffered from depression in his ghostly form, befriended Alphys through a Human Fanclub, and had his consciousness transferred into a robotic body to fulfill his dream of becoming a star. Overall, the characters' pixel art designs reflect influences from games like and webcomics such as , blending retro RPG aesthetics with unique, expressive traits. The game employs no traditional , relying instead on text-based dialogue, sound effects, and music to convey personalities and emotions.

Themes and narrative structure

Undertale's central themes revolve around versus , the consequences of actions, , and the illusion of player agency. The game critiques conventional RPG mechanics by prioritizing non-violent resolutions, where sparing enemies fosters emotional bonds rather than rewarding kills with experience points, thereby subverting player expectations of as the default path to progress. This emphasis on highlights 's ethical toll, as aggressive choices lead to isolation and irreversible shifts, encouraging reflection on real-world decision-making. emerges as a counterforce to conflict, with interpersonal connections building toward themes of reconciliation and community. The illusion of player agency is deconstructed through mechanics that make choices feel empowering yet binding, revealing how perceived freedom can trap players in cycles of regret or repetition. Narrative techniques in Undertale employ fourth-wall breaks and unreliable to deepen its meta- layers. Characters directly address the player about prior playthroughs, such as referencing specific deaths or spared encounters, blurring the boundary between game world and external reality to heighten awareness of agency. Unreliable manifests in shifting character perspectives—particularly through antagonists who adapt their stories based on player —creating doubt and inviting reinterpretation of events. Post-game content, including hidden areas like the True Lab, uncovers suppressed and moral ambiguities, reinforcing the game's exploration of hidden truths and ethical complexity without resolving all tensions. The narrative structure follows an episodic progression across distinct underground regions, each functioning as a self-contained chapter that advances the overarching story while allowing for branching paths. Flashbacks interweave past events, such as ancient wars or personal tragedies, to contextualize current conflicts and character motivations. Multiple timelines, generated through the capacity to revisit and alter outcomes, enable the examination of "what if" scenarios, with echoes of previous runs persisting to underscore permanence amid apparent resets. functions as a pivotal , symbolizing the willpower that drives timeline manipulation and player persistence, intertwining personal resolve with broader philosophical inquiries into control and fate. Characters often embody these themes, as their evolving relationships reflect the interplay of and consequence.

Development

Concept and game design

The concept for Undertale originated from Toby Fox's earlier work on ROM hacks, particularly his 2008 EarthBound Halloween Hack, a submission to a Starmen.net forum competition that explored themes of fear, emotional whiplash, and player-character separation through a modified storyline. This project laid foundational ideas for blending humor with psychological depth, which Fox later refined in Undertale. In 2013, Fox launched a campaign to fund the game's development, raising over $51,000 from backers to support his vision of a traditional RPG where no one has to get hurt, drawing influences from the series, , , and Shin Megami Tensei. Following the campaign, Fox released a public demo in September 2013, which covered the area and allowed early playtesting; feedback from this demo helped refine combat mechanics, puzzles, and narrative elements while building anticipation among backers and the indie community. Fox's design philosophy centered on subverting RPG tropes, such as generic monster encounters and mandatory violence, by emphasizing player choice in sparing enemies and building relationships, which adds emotional weight to decisions beyond numerical progression. He aimed for a concise experience, initially prototyping a roughly 2-hour game that expanded to 6-10 hours in the final version to allow for meaningful pacing and narrative depth without grinding. This approach sought to humanize monsters, making each feel like an individual with unique dialogues and behaviors, fostering and reflection on in games. Early prototyping focused on the combat system's defensive phases, inspired by 's bullet hell mechanics, where players dodge patterned attacks in a limited box, but balanced for accessibility by incorporating timing-based elements like stationary-safe blue bullets rather than pure reflex demands. Fox iterated on these to ensure the system was approachable, prioritizing over elite skill, while integrating puzzle-like negotiations to resolve battles non-violently. Undertale was primarily developed by using Studio, where he handled programming, writing, and music composition solo, with limited collaboration on artwork from artists including Temmie Chang, who contributed key character designs like those for and the Temmie villagers after being approached via . This small-team structure allowed Fox to maintain creative control while leveraging external input for visual polish.

Writing process

Toby Fox primarily wrote the script for Undertale on his own, developing dialogue that emphasized pun-filled, character-specific humor to create a distinctive voice for each monster encountered by the player. This style incorporates absurd and situational gags, such as the vendor's offering of a "Bisicle" or the Hotland lab's "Dog Residue" that unexpectedly transforms into "Dog Salad," blending silliness with the game's underground world logic. The humor, which Fox termed "Toby Humor," balances lighthearted puns with deeper emotional resonance, ensuring character interactions feel sincere amid the whimsy. Branching dialogue was integral to the script, with lines adapting to the player's action history—such as past kills or friendships—to deliver personalized responses that heighten immersion across routes like the pacifist and paths. drew inspiration for these meta elements from webcomics like , where discovery and player-like agency influence unfolding events, allowing Undertale's to break the through reactive scripting. During iteration, Fox refined the script through self-testing and feedback from close collaborators, using personal amusement as an initial gauge for jokes before validating them with friends during playtests; if a line failed to elicit laughs, he revised it repeatedly to achieve the desired emotional and comedic payoff. Character personalities, such as Papyrus's boisterous enthusiasm, emerged from real-time role-playing sessions in messaging, where Fox experimented with traits to ensure they fit the branching structure without spoiling key twists. Key challenges included maintaining ambiguity in elements like the fallen human Chara's role while balancing spoilers across multiple playthroughs, as playtesters in 2014 and 2015 provided insights that helped calibrate the pacifist route's emotional climax without undermining replay value. Fox emphasized player choice in responses to testers, underscoring the script's design to reward non-violent paths with heartfelt resolutions tied to accumulated history.

Music composition

The soundtrack for Undertale was composed entirely by Toby Fox, who created over 100 tracks to accompany the game's narrative and gameplay. Working primarily with FL Studio, Fox blended diverse musical styles including chiptune for retro-inspired sections, jazz elements in character themes, and rock influences in high-energy sequences, drawing from his early self-taught piano background and inspirations like Final Fantasy and Super Mario RPG. Fox's process typically involved outlining story events first, then crafting music to evoke specific emotions, with some tracks originating as pre-existing pieces adapted to fit scenes for seamless narrative integration. Key tracks highlight Fox's evolution as a composer, such as "Megalovania," which originated as the final boss theme in his 2008 EarthBound ROM hack titled EarthBound Halloween Hack and was later repurposed for Undertale's intense confrontations. The soundtrack employs recurring leitmotifs to associate musical phrases with characters and themes, enhancing emotional depth; for instance, variations of Sans' laid-back motif appear across multiple tracks tied to his presence, creating continuity and foreshadowing. Tracks like the title theme "Undertale" symbolize hope through its uplifting melody, mirroring the game's core message of mercy and redemption, while battle remixes and credits arrangements adapt base motifs into dynamic, evolving forms. The Undertale original soundtrack was released digitally on September 15, 2015, via Bandcamp, featuring all 101 tracks in high-quality audio and quickly becoming a standalone success for its evocative design. To mark the game's 10th anniversary, the 2025 live orchestral concert event The Determination Symphony showcased arrangements of Undertale music alongside selections from Deltarune, performed on June 22, 2025, at the Eventim Apollo in London to celebrate Fox's contributions to video game scoring.

Release

Launch and platforms

Undertale launched on September 15, 2015, exclusively for Microsoft Windows and macOS via the digital distribution platform, priced at $9.99. Developed single-handedly by under his independent publishing label, the game arrived as a complete title without any ongoing development indicators, allowing players immediate access to its full narrative and mechanics from day one. Unlike many contemporary indie titles that employed 's program for iterative feedback and funding, Undertale skipped this phase entirely. Fox opted for closed private testing in the months leading up to release, sharing late-stage builds with a small circle of trusted friends and collaborators to refine , endings, and bug fixes. This approach ensured a polished product at launch, with the final prototype compiled just one week prior, emphasizing Fox's commitment to delivering a cohesive experience without public previews. The game's debut was bolstered by organic word-of-mouth promotion within online communities, fueled by its innovative RPG elements and emotional depth, leading to swift commercial traction. By late December 2015, estimates indicated over 500,000 copies sold on alone, a remarkable figure for an unmarketed indie release that highlighted player-driven discovery over traditional advertising.

Localization efforts

The original version of Undertale was developed entirely in English by its creator, , who handled the scripting process himself during development. While managed the core writing, the English text benefited from involvement in and testing phases, drawing on feedback from early playtesters to refine and narrative elements. The most significant official localization effort focused on Japanese, prompted by the game's popularity in that market. approached localization studio 8-4 in 2016 to adapt Undertale for Japanese audiences, leading to a full released on August 15, 2017, alongside PS4 and PS Vita ports. Translator Keiko Fukuichi handled the project solo, starting in late January 2016 under tight deadlines set by 8-4, which involved meticulously adapting the script while preserving the game's tone and humor. This process included re-recording the game's single voiced line—delivered by himself in Japanese—to ensure cultural fit. A key challenge in the Japanese localization was translating the game's extensive , particularly Sans' skeleton-themed puns, which rely on English-specific phonetic and visual humor that lacks direct equivalents in Japanese. For instance, Sans' comic-inspired and font-based jokes required creative adjustments, such as substituting culturally resonant references, contributing to delays that pushed the release nearly two years after the English debut. provided detailed notes to 8-4, including explanations of concepts like "determination" to guide accurate conveyance of thematic nuances. Beyond English and Japanese, Undertale has no additional official localizations, as confirmed by the developer; the console ports, including the version, retained support only for these two languages. However, fan communities produced unofficial translations in languages such as Spanish and French, addressing the demand for broader accessibility through patches that adapt puns and cultural elements while maintaining the original's spirit. These efforts highlight the game's appeal but underscore the challenges of indie localization without dedicated resources.

Ports and updates

Undertale expanded to consoles following its initial PC release. The and versions launched digitally on August 15, 2017, with cross-buy functionality allowing purchase on one platform to grant access on both. These ports included minor enhancements for controller support and quality-of-life adjustments tailored to the hardware. A port arrived on September 18, 2018, bringing the game to Nintendo's hybrid console with touch controls and portable play in mind. This release timed closely with the October 31, 2018, debut of Chapter 1 on PC, which itself launched on Switch in 2019, amplifying interest in Toby Fox's portfolio within the ecosystem. The and Xbox Series X|S versions followed on March 16, 2021, debuting day-one on and featuring optimized performance for Microsoft's consoles. No official mobile port exists for Android or devices, as confirmed by the game's availability listings on its official website, though community-driven unofficial adaptations have circulated among fans. Post-launch updates have been infrequent but impactful. In August 2017, coinciding with the PlayStation ports, a PC patch (version 1.05) introduced full Japanese localization alongside surprise additions like an expanded Annoying secret with new and . For the 10th anniversary on September 15, 2025, and hosted a two-day charity stream on September 20-21, showcasing a build with new areas, revised , and subtle narrative tweaks that hinted at deeper ties to ; the event raised $361,407.76 for Doctors Without Borders, though this enhanced version was not publicly released.

Reception

Critical reviews

Undertale garnered widespread critical acclaim upon release, achieving an aggregate score of 92 out of 100 on for the PC version, based on 43 reviews, with critics frequently praising its innovative mechanics and emotional resonance. The game's subversive approach to RPG tropes, blending humor with profound themes of choice and consequence, was highlighted as a standout feature, earning it "universal acclaim" status. Reviewers commended Undertale's storytelling for deconstructing traditional RPG elements, such as combat and progression, while emphasizing player agency through multiple routes that alter the outcome. awarded it a perfect 10/10 score, lauding the "clever understanding of the RPG mindset and fantastic writing" that deliver consistent humor alongside touching moments, making choices feel meaningfully impactful. Destructoid also gave it 10/10, emphasizing the witty dialogue, memorable characters, and innovative battle system that rewards over violence. These elements were seen as elevating the game beyond typical indie titles, fostering replayability to explore different paths. Despite the praise, some critics noted minor shortcomings, including the game's relatively short length—typically 6 to 10 hours for an initial playthrough—which could limit depth for players expecting a longer RPG experience. The absence of was occasionally cited as a drawback, relying instead on text and unique sound effects for character expression, which some felt diminished immersion compared to fully voiced contemporaries. Additionally, the route drew criticism for its abrupt difficulty spikes, particularly in boss encounters like Sans, which could frustrate players due to the steep learning curve in bullet-hell segments. In 2025 retrospectives marking the game's tenth , critics reaffirmed its lasting impact; for instance, Dexerto ranked Undertale #34 among the best games of all time, applauding its ability to confront players with the consequences of their actions in a genre often defined by mindless violence. Inverse echoed this in a feature, highlighting the enduring appeal of its subversive combat system, sharp humor, and emotionally resonant narrative as reasons it remains a benchmark for indie storytelling.

Commercial success

Undertale experienced substantial commercial success, selling over 3.5 million copies worldwide by 2020. As of mid-2024, estimates indicate around 6.3 million units sold on . The game generated over $50 million in gross revenue across platforms as of 2025, bolstered by its ports to consoles and other platforms, which accounted for a significant portion of total sales. Key milestones included becoming one of the top-selling indie games on in 2015, ranking among the platform's overall best-sellers that year. Following the release of Chapters 1-4 in June 2025 and the 10th anniversary celebrations, total sales across platforms have exceeded 7 million units as of late 2025. The game's accessible $9.99 price point on PC facilitated broad reach, while its DLC-free model emphasized complete value without additional monetization.

Awards and recognition

Upon its release, Undertale received widespread industry recognition, particularly for its innovative indie design and narrative structure. At , the game was nominated for Best Independent Game, highlighting its creative achievements as a solo-developed title. It was also nominated in categories such as Best Score and Sound Design, and Best Performance, underscoring the impact of its music and Toby Fox's multifaceted contributions. In 2016, Undertale earned further accolades at major events. The Independent Games Festival (IGF) awarded it the Audience Award, while nominating it for Excellence in Design and Excellence in Narrative, recognizing its subversive gameplay mechanics and emotional storytelling. At the 16th Annual , it received nominations for Game of the Year, Best Debut (), and Best Narrative, affirming its influence on role-playing game conventions. Additionally, the (BAFTA) nominated it for Best Story, praising its unique approach to player choice and moral complexity. The game's soundtrack garnered specific honors, with the track "MEGALOVANIA" certified by as the most streamed song from a on , amassing over 200 million streams as of late 2025. These awards, alongside consistent critical praise for its narrative innovation, positioned Undertale as a landmark in development.

Cultural impact and legacy

Fandom and fan creations

The Undertale fandom rapidly expanded in the years following the game's release, fueled by vibrant online communities that produced a wealth of creative content. Fans embraced alternate universes (AUs), reimagining the game's world and characters in diverse scenarios, such as darker or inverted interpretations of the Underground's inhabitants. This creative output extended to full fan games, with Undertale Yellow serving as a notable example; developed over seven years by a dedicated team, it was released on December 9, 2023, as a prequel exploring the story of the sixth human to fall into the Underground, complete with multiple routes and bullet-hell combat mechanics faithful to the original's style. Fan theories form a cornerstone of the community's engagement, delving into interpretive elements like the distinct roles of protagonists Frisk and Chara, as well as the mechanics of timeline resets and their philosophical implications on choice and consequence. These discussions often spark passionate debates, including early controversies around character relationships, such as the 2016 that highlighted tensions over romantic pairings within the . While some theories reference the game's music to support interpretations of hidden narratives, the focus remains on expanding the canon through speculation rather than alteration. Conventions and events further nurtured this growth, with dedicated gatherings allowing cosplayers and creators to connect, though specific instances like fan-led panels emphasized collaborative over commercial promotion. Toby Fox has actively supported the fandom's non-profit endeavors, particularly in response to challenges faced by fan projects. In January 2024, following a dispute over music usage in Undertale Yellow, Fox donated $20,000 to the AbleGamers charity—selected by the fan game's developers—as a gesture of solidarity and issued guidelines to clarify permissible audio use in fan works, stating that fans should be "supported at every opportunity." This endorsement aligns with his broader encouragement of community creativity, exemplified during the 10th stream on September 20 and 21, 2025, where a live Q&A session with Fox engaged thousands of viewers, raised $361,407.76 for Doctors Without Borders, and featured unreleased content to inspire ongoing fan contributions, reminding participants that "the only limit to all this is your ."

Influence on indie games

Undertale significantly shaped the landscape by popularizing choice-driven narratives that emphasize player agency and moral consequences, allowing outcomes to persist across playthroughs and challenge traditional RPG conventions. This meta approach, where the game directly addresses the player's actions and discourages resets, influenced subsequent titles like Omori (2020), which adopted similar subversive combat mechanics and emotional depth in exploring player choices. By blending bullet-hell dodging with dialogue options, Undertale demonstrated how indie developers could innovate within RPG frameworks, inspiring a wave of meta-narratives in smaller-scale projects. The game's success as a solo endeavor by further motivated independent creators, highlighting the viability of one-person teams in producing emotionally resonant experiences that rival larger productions. Undertale's emphasis on heartfelt character interactions and subtle level design to evoke has been referenced in game development discussions on crafting emotional , encouraging solo developers to prioritize over technical complexity. Its 2015 release, amid rising accessibility, contributed to the post-2015 indie boom by proving retro and simple mechanics could drive massive engagement, with sales exceeding 530,000 copies by the end of 2015. Undertale revived interest in retro styles by reinterpreting 8-bit aesthetics and turn-based systems from classics like , making them fresh through modern psychological depth and non-violent paths. Analyses in 2025 credit it with sustaining the indie surge, as its model of accessible tools like empowered creators to experiment with nostalgic visuals while focusing on innovative themes. This legacy extended to media crossovers, notably with the inclusion of a Sans Mii Fighter costume in in 2019, integrating Undertale's iconic character into a major franchise.

Connection to Deltarune

, developed by as a to Undertale, was first announced via a surprise on October 31, 2018, coinciding with the free release of its demo chapter for PC and Mac. Chapter 2 followed as another free release on September 17, 2021, also for PC and Mac. In a June 2025 , Fox confirmed that Chapters 3 and 4 would launch as paid content on June 5, 2025, across PC, Mac, , , , and as a launch title for the 2. Chapters 3 and 4 received critical acclaim upon release, praised for deepening the narrative on choice and control while maintaining the series' blend of humor and emotional storytelling, with scores averaging 92. The game shares numerous elements with Undertale, including its distinctive style, recurring musical leitmotifs that remix familiar themes from the earlier title, and meta-narrative techniques that engage directly with the player. However, Deltarune features an original story set in an alternate world, centered on new protagonist and exploring themes of choice and control distinct from Undertale's narrative. Developmentally, reused the Studio engine originally employed for , facilitating similarities in gameplay mechanics like bullet-hell combat and moral choice systems. The project also incorporates in-game references that playfully address fan theories positing direct crossovers or sequels between the two titles, such as dialogue acknowledging perceived connections without confirming them. Additionally, a charity initiative during Undertale's 10th anniversary event in September 2025 raised $361,407.76 for Doctors Without Borders.

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