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Remember your Gbatemp 2015 Game of The Year everyone? It just turned 1 year old today!

Ah Undertale. Easily one of the biggest shocks to grace everyone's gaming pallet of last year. It dared to do some things simply, differently, and exponentially. Undertale just had this magnetic draw to it with everything that it did in writing and character creation that had us all latching on to it when it released.

And who could really blame you for doing so? A game that gave you the option to kill everyone or not a single entity. A game with a Dog Knight that stretched all over the screen and had one of the most memorizing songs I've ever heard in gaming. A game with two brothers that aren't Mario and Luigi but made themselves just as iconic through silly puns and bone-dry humor. (I'm so sorry, how could you not make that joke?)

Undertale was truly special for a number of reasons, but I think the word that truly describes what made it phenomenal is what I've echoed so many times already in this writing. Simplicity.

Undertale dared to show us that simplicity at its finest can make a game fantastic. Undertale was by no means graphically intensive and it was obviously inspired by so many other games to make it what it turned out to be. But what it turned out to be was a rock-solid story driven experience that played with your emotions, played at your humor, played with your mind and made you question every decision.

The impact Undertale had last year made a small little indie title a colossal titan in name. Every gaming outlet had it on its GOTY battles or were writing pieces on it. The Undertale fandom took the game and ran with it as far as they could, much to the ire of the rest of the internet. Even within our own community there was a clear divide between the ones that made the game their everything and those that couldn't handle the intensity of the fandom.

Despite what you might think of it, many of us today stand by the greatness of Undertale and what it delivered. You can read our official review here, see our heated Game of The Year discussion here, and find the official steam page for the game here.

Undertale pushed boundaries and became a big name for itself by doing what games are supposed to do better than what newer games were doing around it.

Entertain you.

And that's why we celebrate its release a whole year later, and celebrate the power of the indie community. Because in the end, we all just want experiences we can enjoy. And boy do we enjoy Undertale.

 

[xfxmrl]

The reason why it's barely a video game is that it doesn't explain its own rules to the player. It gives you a basic run-down, sure, but most of the mechanics have to be "discovered" by the player, except the game doesn't give you clues, it just kinda assumes that you'll do the guesswork and figure out how to play the damn thing. It's like giving someone a football, telling them that we're going to play football now and straight up bashing into them like a steam train. "Choo choo, motherf*cker, you better learn how to "play the game" real quick, because I'm beating you pretty badly!" - that's not a game, that's just taking advantage of someone who doesn't know the rules. It's mostly trial and error, so it's hardly the gaming masterpiece everybody touts ot to be.

You just described gameplay elements of shin megami tensei, and reason why people love it.

 

[Swiftloke]

Snip cuz spoilers

That really needs to be put in a spoiler...
Yes, I know, actually using the spoiler functions for spoilers. Ironically, that's about the one thing the spoiler function isn't used for.

 

[CeeDee]

That really needs to be put in a spoiler...
Yes, I know, actually using the spoiler functions for spoilers. Ironically, that's about the one thing the spoiler function isn't used for.

Gimme a sec...

 

[Foxi4]

You just described gameplay elements of shin megami tensei, and reason why people love it.

Absolutely false. Shin Megami Tensei extensively explains each and every gameplay mechanic, and I don't necessarily mean tutorials - certain things are also explained through gameplay. FNAF on the other hand throws you in at the deep end assuming that you'll just carry on replaying the same segment eight billion times, dying each time until you "learn something", or just get lucky. The first game had relatively good audio cues, but the later sequels drastically dropped in quality specifically in that area.

 

[Deleted User]

Undertale is fantastically amazing!! I fell in love with its characters the moment I saw it!

Jacksepticeye is amazing at lip-dubbing the game!!

 

[Empu1]

The mother series multiple times tries to make you guilty for defeating specific enemies. And besides 1 mechanic doesn't define a game. The quirkiness that is symbolic of mother is clearly borrow by UT. Although clone is a stretch.

It's pretty much the defining thing about Undertale to me though (well that and how it tries so hard at being funny. Conveniently shaped lamp, are you kidding me?). I didn't connect with the story or characters either and the whole spare your enemies thing gets rather annoying too.

Spoiler

- Is killing things really necessary?
- So you went the whole way through without killing... And then you decided to kill ASGORE? What the hell is WRONG with you? You COMPLETELY missed the point.
- THIS time, you've GOT to become friends with everyone. OK? If you DON'T, you'll be miserable FOREVER.

And then there's this gem

- Don’t kill, and don’t be killed, alright? That’s the best you can strive for.

As for EarthBound, well, I'm not a big fan of that either. I mean, I appreciate what it did back in its time but even then, I'd still much rather prefer playing other RPGs in the same console, such as Super Mario RPG, Breath of Fire II and perhaps my favorite of them all, Chrono Trigger.

 

[DarthDub]

It's a good game, but has a really cringey fanbase.

 

[xfxmrl]

Absolutely false. Shin Megami Tensei extensively explains each and every gameplay mechanic, and I don't necessarily mean tutorials - certain things are also explained through gameplay. FNAF on the other hand throws you in at the deep end assuming that you'll just carry on replaying the same segment eight billion times, dying each time until you "learn something", or just get lucky. The first game had relatively good audio cues, but the later sequels drastically dropped in quality specifically in that area.

Usually all explanation comes down to "know your enemy and search for their weakness", and then begins trial and error, if you playing it first time. Maybe you talking about Persona? I didn't play those yet. Anyway, i'm here to read why people like Undertale, because i didn't play it yet, but looks like hype over it is still big to this day

 

[Foxi4]

Usually all explanation comes down to "know your enemy and search for their weakness", and then begins trial and error, if you playing it first time. Maybe you talking about Persona? I didn't play those yet. Anyway, i'm here to read why people like Undertale, because i didn't play it yet, but looks like hype over it is still big to this day

The hype over many games remains high for extended periods of time, that doesn't make them good. "Know your enemy" is better than "know your enemy or you will die instantly have to start over", there has to be some clue to the madness. In SMT you can tell relatively easily what course of action will be effective based on the mob's alignment and in the worst-case scenario the demon will just hit you or flee - you have an opportunity to learn. In FNAF you just lose, the game actively discourages you from playing it, but that's neither here nor there, we can go back to Undertale now.

 

[Shogun Emblem]

Just to toss in my two cents:

I enjoyed Undertale immensely when I played it the first time, and I still enjoy it now. There is a depth and complexity to UT in the story, setting, characters, and gameplay that its simplistic look belies. The experience is not for everyone though, and Undertale does tend to suffer from (entirely understandable) hype backlash. I suppose I should count myself fortunate to have avoided the truly cringeworthy segment of the UT fan base based on some of the comments I have seen here and elsewhere.

 

[MionissNio]

Love the game hate the fans.
The game proved that indie developers are not bad and can surpass AAA guys and that graphics don't matter, but by no means Toby fox is a messiah and only he can make good games and that he undertale is second coming of gaming.

I mean I know a friend of mine who makes game and his game got reviewed on steam saying it ain't as good as undertale story wise and game play involves no pacifism, like wtf?! I know it has lowered down since then but still. It was supposed to be unique man not t9 ruin gaming for those who kill all in gta v .

 

[kirokun]

In my opinion, those that hate it based on the fandom, are imbeciles. It's like if all of a sudden there's this new invention called "Pizza" and the whole world is going nuts about it to the point of fanboyism. You heard about this pizza and decide to not even try it because everyone is going crazy over it. It's very easy to avoid any fanbase.

 

[osaka35]

In my opinion, those that hate it based on the fandom, are imbeciles. It's like if all of a sudden there's this new invention called "Pizza" and the whole world is going nuts about it to the point of fanboyism. You heard about this pizza and decide to not even try it because everyone is going crazy over it. It's very easy to avoid any fanbase.

Well, if a douchebag with raybands(sp?) and a monster truck told you that you totally have to try this new amazing beach because it'll change your whole universe...well, you might question whether you'd actually like it or not. Though...your point probably still stands.

 

[kirokun]

Well, if a douchebag with raybands(sp?) and a monster truck told you that you totally have to try this new amazing beach because it'll change your whole universe...well, you might question whether you'd actually like it or not. Though...your point probably still stands.

Sorry but that's false equivalency.

It's simply not the same/similar scenario, is there such a thing as beach fandoms for one?
We are talking about something people hate, without trying, based on their opinions of others. Simply ask them why they hate the game w.o resorting to "teh fanbase" and you will get a more clear answer.

 

[osaka35]

Sorry but that's false equivalency.

It's simply not the same/similar scenario, is there such a thing as beach fandoms for one?
We are talking about something people hate, without trying, based on their opinions of others. Simply ask them why they hate the game w.o resorting to "teh fanbase" and you will get a more clear answer.

lol false equivalency. Come on now. The point is if you don't like the person/group, or type of person/group, then an opinion coming from them makes you far less likely to take that opinion seriously. It's still very silly, but it's a very human reaction and something us humans have to fight against. Everyone does it

 

[kirokun]

lol false equivalency. Come on now. The point is if you don't like the person/group, or type of person/group, then an opinion coming from them makes you far less likely to take that opinion seriously. It's still very silly, but it's a very human reaction and something us humans have to fight against. Everyone does it

and that's just some shallow bullshit.

It doesn't stop being bullshit just because we humans have to fight against, it still bullshit. If anything, that's how you fight it, by letting them know.

My point stands, in the case of this argument, if you simply dislike it based on the fandom, your opinion is shallow.

 

[Demifiend]

My opinion on spoiler.

Spoiler

This game is a mixed bag imo, when i first played it and completed it i had decent fun, but decent to the point of being average fun, like the kind of game you play once or twice to see what it has, and then forget its existence and moving on, the more time passes, the more ridiculous for me Undertale looks, specially considering that is mostly a text-based game.

The gameplay was very shallow, it was just avoiding things that the enemies throw at you, is definitely no Dodonpachi or even Ikaruga, but it goes even blander than Space Invaders (yeah, i say that SI has more in-depth gameplay when it comes to the main part), it is kinda like one of those flash games you see on the Internet, only multiplied by the amount of monsters you encounter, feels pretty cheap.

The point i strongly disagree with it is how the game handles the endings and its requirements, in this case, to get the "Pacifist Ending" you need to get 0 XP, date two monsters, get a letter and so, then get the Neutral ending, for there continue to obtain the best ending, i felt like it was more of a chore than anything else.

But my bother is not with the pacifist ending, is with Genocide, i know the game trailers published this game as "The game where you can befriend monsters!" but it was never clear in "What if i just kill them", this is where shit went down to me, the game tries so hard to encourage you to not take the "Wrong path" but why?, is a videogame, i paid 10 dollars (original price of this game) to see a full fledged game, if there's something i want to unlock, i wanna have it.

And so, during the Genocide run things like the slow grinding, everyone insulting you, blablabla, etc. only that during the end you get an ending where the best ending is "locked", unless you wanna stare at a game for 10 minutes, which is very annoying to do, this is kinda like a mother that tells your children to not harm others, be nice and sweet, in videogame form.

I know this game wants to keep its message clear, and i get it, but there were ways to make it subtle, going full commando instead just makes it bland, forgettable, etc. You can't sacrifice gameplay for the sake of getting your message clear, because if you do, the more predictable, shallow and boring this game gets, and that's not the path you should walk when making a single game.

While i see this game as something that should've been on those rpg maker sites where they encourage an specific message, UT features good music, i could say that squeezing those soundfonts from FL Studio really gave the game its (by far) best aspect, single handedly, otherwise, is just as basic and simple as it gets, with no real-depth behind.

 

[osaka35]

and that's just some shallow bullshit.

It doesn't stop being bullshit just because we humans have to fight against, it still bullshit. If anything, that's how you fight it, by letting them know.

My point stands, in the case of this argument, if you simply dislike it based on the fandom, your opinion is shallow.

o..kay. Well, to help with your anger there, I think it'd be helpful to not take someone at their word that they "hate" the game based on the fanbase.

If they haven't tried the game, then they obviously can't hate the game. They're misplacing their anger, which is the bullshit thing you're picking up on. They hate the fanbase, and they're conflating the game with the fanbase. But they only know the fanbase, so they can't possibly hate the game.

Basically, If they hate the fanbase, liking something that created that fanbase gives that fanbase validation. They just don't want to play the game and justify the shitty behaviour of the fanbase. They don't hate the game. They fear they'll actually like the game. It doesn't have anything to do with the game, it's alllll about the fanbase and not wanting to validate their crappy behaviour.

And that's assuming the people we're talking about actually care about games and don't just want to be mean to people.

and like I said:

your point probably still stands.

 

[Foxi4]

We are talking about something people hate, without trying, based on their opinions of others. Simply ask them why they hate the game w.o resorting to "teh fanbase" and you will get a more clear answer.

There's a small issue with your assessment. Let me quote a piece of dialogue with a certain Internet celebrity...

"Tell me what crap tastes like."
"You tell me how crap tastes like."
"Probably bad. I don't need to eat it to figure it out."
"Probably bad! Until you've tasted it, you don't know."
"Yeah, no. Until you've tasted crap, you're a smart person. Once you've tasted it you're a moron for eating crap."
"What makes you think I haven't tasted crap?"
"Yeah, well, you probably have. Uhm..."
"And if I have, wouldn't that give me the authority to tell you the taste?"
"No, that would make you a crap eater."

There are certain situations in which you need to try something to have an educated opinion. You'll never know if you like a certain dish until you try it. In others, you know right off the bat that you won't like something as it bears all the qualities of something you wouldn't like. You don't have to take a bite out of a piece of crap to know it doesn't taste good - you can already smell it and you know it's crap.

 

[MionissNio]

There's a small issue with your assessment. Let me quote a piece of dialogue with a certain Internet celebrity...

There are certain situations in which you need to try something to have an educated opinion. You'll never know if you like a certain dish until you try it. In others, you know right off the bat that you won't like something as it bears all the qualities of something you wouldn't like. You don't have to take a bite out of a piece of crap to know it doesn't taste good - you can already smell it and you know it's crap.

I tasted crap once I was a child, a small amount of it, only like a splinter was there and I can tell you it was.......different.


Anyways on topic of fan base, yes you can definitely avoid it, like I avoid mlp which I loathe BTW, but when undertale was popular I saw nothing but undertale in my Deviant Artist home page. as well as youtube recs just cause I watched the game play for once.
Even now on doom soundtrack I read some comments saying "Who listens violent soundtrack liek dis?" And naysaying doom soundtrack. Well imo undertale soundtrack might be better but what Mick Gordon did was also awesome.

Tl;Dr
Undertale fans want to shove undertale on to you.

Do not use the word Determination, skeletons, spiders etc spaghetti etc