Summary
Back in 2015, visionary game developer Toby Fox, alongside a small team of talented people,revolutionized the indie gaming scene when they releasedUndertale, a creative, quirky and unique RPG that gave players the option to either kill or spare any enemies they encounter. It quickly became a critical and commercial success that accumulated a gigantic fan base.
A few years later, Toby Fox and his team released the first chapter ofUndertale’s spiritual successor,Deltarune.They followed it up with the second one in 2021, and finally released chapters 3 and 4 in 2025. This new project was received extremely well because it’s bigger, more ambitious, and more complex than its predecessor.Deltarunehas already surpassedUndertalein many different areas, with the following being the standouts so far.
8It Plays More Like A Real RPG
More Conventional RPG Mechanics That Enhance Gameplay
There’s no denying thatUndertalerevitalized theRPG genrewith its pacifist mechanics and unique combat systeminspired by the “bullet hell” genre. However, when those two elements are taken out of the equation, this game feels like a very simple turn-based RPG, which is especially evident during its infamous Genocide Route.
InDeltarune, Toby Fox and his team were able to further embrace the RPG genre. The game includes even more traditional, much-needed, mechanics that enhance the core gameplay. These include a party system, magic spells, a TP bar that allows the player to use special abilities when it’s fully charged, and a more. RPG fans may have already enjoyedUndertale’s unique gameplay, but its spiritual successor is on a whole new level.
7Expands On The Refreshing Pacifist Gameplay
The Combat System Is Even More Ambitious And Inventive
Deltarunenot only improved the basic RPG mechanics ofUndertale, but also expanded on everything that made that original game so special. The freedom to choose whether tokill or spareenemies, coupled with the bullet hell-like gameplay, madeUndertale’scombat fun and refreshing, especially during the boss fights that switched things up with their own gimmicks.
Deltarunedoes even more brilliant things with this unique gameplay. Every enemy has its own specific strategy that players have to follow if they want to spare or pacify them, most in the form of short but fun mini-games. The combat also plays around with the box in which Kris’ soul moves around. Enemies and bosses can not only change the box’s size, but also alter its shape and even move it around to make it even harder to avoid their attacks. As a result of these new additions,the boss fights inDeltaruneare even more fun, creative and memorable than inUndertale.
6More Things To Do In The Overworld
Not Just About Turn-Based Encounters
Theinventive turn-based gameplay was the main focus ofUndertale.While the game has a few interesting things for the player to do outside of combat, the exploration, puzzles, and mini-games left a lot to be desired, especially compared to other popular indie RPGs. To keep the experience ofDeltaruneengaging, Toby Fox and his team included a lot more things for the player to do whenever they’re not battling a wacky enemy.
As a result,Deltarune’s vibrant and massiveoverworldis actually quite interesting. The puzzles are more complex and clever, the exploration is more enjoyable, and there are even more fun mini-games (especially in Chapter 3). A few segments even switch up the main characters’ method of traversal, like all the climbing sections in Chapter 4. These additions add a lot more variety to the overall experience.
5It’s Way More Colorful
The Dark World Is More Vibrant Than The Underground
For such a short indie game,Undertalelooks beautiful,mainly thanks to theUnderworld’s remarkable locations and the excellent designs of its many characters. Nevertheless, this game’s presentation is held back by one important thing. Most of the adventure, especially the battles and the dialogue boxes, are almost completely in black and white. It looks good, but it can sometimes make the overall experience feel a lot less charming.
Toby Fox and his team must have been aware of this, because the moment the player boots upDeltarune,it’s evident how much more colorful this new game is. Its two main locations, theLight Worldand theDark World, are vibrant and beautiful. The characters are still expertly designed, and even the battles maintain a lot of their color thanks to the fully colored sprites and dynamic backgrounds. Both games have a solid presentation, butDeltaruneis a major upgrade.
4It’s Way Longer
Two Chapters Of Deltarune Are Longer Than All Of Undertale
Undertaleis a relatively short game that can take players less thanten hoursto complete. There’s no problem with this runtime, because this is not only a small crowd-funded indie game from 2015, but it also has many hidden details and alternate routes that encourage replayability. But Toby Fox ended up becoming a victim of his own success. This game was so addictive and distinctive that fans quickly asked him for more.
Deltarunehas been released episodically over the course of seven years, but every single chapter was packed with so many story beats, characters, enemies, and bosses that the first two alone took longer to complete than all ofUndertale. With the release of chapters 3 and 4, it now takes players approximatelythirteen hoursto beat the main story. What’s more, every chapter has side quests, alternative routes, and secret bosses that further lengthen the game. With chapters 5 to 8 coming out in 2026,Deltaruneis going to get longer very soon.
3A More Ambitious Story
The Story Of The Dark Fountains Has Higher Stakes
One of the many reasonsUndertalebecame so beloved was its emotional storyline. The game takes place in the Underground and is mainly centered on the tragic tale of its royal family, theDreemurrs, and the sudden demise of their two children, a monster namedAsrieland a human namedChara.This narrative is heartbreaking, but also quite wholesome and surprisingly funny, and it is still remembered as one of the most interesting plots in an RPG.
However, the main plot ofUndertaleis relatively low-stakes, which is why its spiritual successor is a lot more ambitious in comparison. InDeltarune, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei are tasked with exploring the mysterious Dark World to seal all theDark Fountainsand prevent the Light World from being covered by never-ending darkness. This high-stakes narrative quickly introduces even more epic elements, like alternate realities, legendary prophecies, and titanic beasts. Toby Fox and his team chose to tell a much more gripping and complex story with this new project.
2Better (And More) Music
These Legendary Composers Outdid Themselves
Another crucial factor inUndertale’s massive success was its incrediblesoundtrack. Toby Fox himself is a talented musician who single-handedly composed all the music in the game. As a result, every track is catchy, memorable, and perfectly conveys the feelings it needs to, whether they are emotional, funny, epic or creepy. Not to mention, they all make brilliant repeated uses of leitmotifs.
Toby Fox returned to compose all the music inDeltarune,but this time around, he got help from a few other talented artists from the gaming industry, like Laura Shigihara, Lena Raine and Marcy Nabors. Every chapter is filled to the brim with incrediple original music tracks. Toby Fox and his contributors outdid themselves with theDeltarunesoundtrack, and it can be considered one of the best original music scores in the entire gaming industry.
1It Lends Itself More To Fan Theories
The Episodic Release Has Allowed For All Sorts Of Theorizing
One thing thatUndertaledid way better than itsspiritual successor was its conventional release schedule: it’s just one, fairly priced, game that players can buy, enjoy, and complete however and whenever they want. Meanwhile, the differentDeltarunechapters have been released periodically over the course of seven years. To be fair, the first two were free, but most fans found the long wait between chapters to be tedious.
However, this unconventional release schedule has also made room for something that the fans of this franchise love to do:gather every detail in the game to come up with their owntheories. This is a huge part of the game’s community, since trying to solve its many mysteries with the help of other passionate fans before the next chapter is extremely satisfying and engaging. And none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t forDeltarune’s episodic release.
