Recent reviews by SquidVaporeon

Undertale has become one of the most hyped games in recentl months, and was recomended to me by a friend. I figured that it sounded fun, and ten dollars for a game isn't too bad, so now I'm here writing this review. I will be splitting this up into three catagories; Presentation, Fun, and Story. If you don't like my opinion, that's ok, just please don't try to shove your opinion down my throat.

Presentation: Visuals and Audio
The game is obviously going for a retro look here, and this is because it's trying to reference old rpgs like Gen 1 Pokemon and Earthbound. My biggest problem with this style is that it's an easy cop out for game makers to be lazy and just say it's "retro" or "minimalist" in response to criticism. Now to be fair, some games can make it work, but most don't. Undertale does manage to pull it off well in some areas (like Waterfall and Hotland which are lovely) but in others is either unoriginal or looks lazy (Snowdin is admitally very pretty, but is basically every winter level in every RPG ever made. On the other hand, The Ruins has the opposite problem in that it is an intresting concept, but looks incomplete in many areas.) In terms of character designs, everyone is recognisable and looks nice, basically doing what they are supposed to do. Other than that, there isn't much to write home about the art style. The soundtrack is where the game really soars, and is easliy one the best parts of the game. My only complaint about the music is that I feel it would have been better with real instruments instead of chiptune. Overall, Presentation gets a 8/10.

Fun: Controls and Gameplay
The controls do what they do, but there really isn't much else to say about it though. Out-of-combat gameplay is bare bones, but definetly where I had the most fun, Everything and everyone can be interacted with, and while it isn't the height of comedy, some of the quips can be funny, and the game does a good job of giving exposition without shoving it down your throat. Puzzles on the other hand are a bit too easy, and I would have liked more of a challenge. In-combat gameplay is unfortunatly borin though. Basically you and your opponent take turns. On yours you can either use healing items, spare them, act, or fight. Fight to deal damage, Act to pacify monsters. Wash, rinse, and repeat until you kill the monster or you spare them. Now, this woulld actally be pretty fun, becuase each type of monster requries a different act combo to pacify them, and they each have different attacks to avoid. Unfortunately, the fights are ruined because the same enemies keep popping up over and over again. Soon, fights that were fun at first quickly become boring and annoying. This is made worse by the fact that random encounters are used, so you can't even avoid enemies. Fun gets a 6/10.

Story: Characters and Plot
This is where Toby Fox really put in the most effort. The characters are mostly likeable, and it helps make some of the worst gameplay bearable (especially because repetition and random encounters don't apply to bosses, who are all main characters or important side characters). Unfortunately, with the exception of four or five characters, it feels like character depth and growth was sacrificed for "quirky" humor like pop culture references and internet memes. While, slapstick, witty comments, and bad puns also are used and they are actually funny, it isn't enough for me to overlook some of the lame jokes made. As for the story, it isn't as complicated as fans would like you to think. While there are some plot twists and multiple endings, the story is fairly straightforward. However, if you want to get the good ending, you have to reload your save after the neutral ending and go do stuff that should have been available the first time around, and if you want the bad ending, you have to do it last, or all other endings are ruined for you. This is bad game design, and enjoyability shouldn't be sacrificed for innovation when it comes to video games. But, the biggest flaw is the moral. Throughout Undertale, you are encouraged to be peaceful to solve problems, and are treated like a villain if you use violence. This wouldn't be a problem, except in most of these situations, the enemy is trying ot kill you, and you would be justified if you used violence to defend yourself. This very naive view of morality is also extended to the backstory of the game. It felt kind of like I was listening to propaganda when learning about the history of the world, even though the creator of the game makes it obvious that this is what happened. Overall, Story gets 7/10.

Conclusion: Undertale is a game that tries to criticze the gaming industry and community. While it does succeed in many areas, it also relies a lot on of the same mechanics and cliches it criticizes while also sometimes tripping it's own ambition. Now, I feel that the circumstances surrounding a creation has an effect on it. Undertale was mostly made by one person, and that is why I am being a bit lenient here. Undertale's final grade is a 7/10. If you're looking to have a good time, go ahead and buy this game. There are worst things to spend ten dollars on. If your're looking for the next Earthbound or Final Fantasy, look elsewhere.