RAV: Undertale

Hello, I'm the Rebel Angel, and I'm here to bring you the best of heaven, and the worst of hell. Now, over the few reviews you've had me for, I've been doing movies. But, today, I've decided to do something a little different. I'm reviewing a VIDEO GAME! And an indie one at that. Now, in RPGs, you're usually not given a choice. You have to kill every monster you come against (Or make them faint if you're playing Pokémon), or run away from them. But, what if you had another choice in battle? A choice to SPARE them? And what if your choices effected not only the current file, but the files in the game you would play in the future? This is the game of Undertale, developed by indie programmer Toby Fox. Now, I will warn you... there are SPOILERS in this review, so, if you haven't played this game, or plan to buy it soon, I suggest you not view this review.

Okay, the story is as thus. A long time ago, humans and monsters lived in harmony. But then, for reasons that aren't elaborated on, humans and monsters waged an epic war. Though suffering great losses, humanity did manage to pull out a win, and banished the monsters underground, sealing them off with a barrier. However, atop the large mountain of Ebott, there is an ENTRANCE to the Underground. And it is rumored that humans that dare climb Mt. Ebott NEVER return. That's where your character comes in. Now, Toby Fox has recommended that you name the "Fallen Human" your OWN name. Now, in the Underground, you first meet with the cheery Flowey, who offers you some "LV," or "LOVE," via his "Friendliness Pellets." However, it turns out to be a ruse, as Flowey believes in the philosophy of Kill or Be Killed. He tries to kill you, but you are saved by Toriel, a Boss Monster, and caretaker of the ruins. She takes you in and teaches you the importance of Mercy over killing. Now, in the Ruins, these are defining factors. You can either be a total monster and kill every monster you encounter, or you can spare them, for you see, what happens in the ruins will dictate what path you take when you get into the game.

There are two paths you can take. The Neutral path doesn't really count, since it's just a bridge to one of the two. First there is Pacifist, which is the ticket to the best ending. In order to get this, you have to SPARE every single monster you encounter, not gain ANY LV or EXP, and complete the Neutral Path. Trust me. THIS is the path you want to take. But... to those that are more traditional RPG players, there's always the Genocide path. In order to get this, you have to slaughter all before you in the ruins, and kill Toriel. Once you do that, Flowey will tell you that they should destroy this world. This path is NOT one you want to take, because if you do, it will affect every save file you make afterwards, specifically if you DO decide to do a Pacifist run.

In the game there are various characters, such as Sans and Papyrus, two skeletons that speak in the type face they're named after, Mettaton, a robot built for entertainment and human extermination, Undyne, the captain of the royal guard, who acts sort of like an anime hero, Alphys, Undyne's love interest and royal scientist, who is a bit of an otaku, and of course, Asgore, the King of all Monsters. However, this is not counting the various monsters and NPCs you will be meeting.

Now, on to the bosses. When you get to New Home, it seems Asgore will be your final boss in Neutral, but then, after you beat him, FLOWEY kills him, and steals the 6 human souls he's kept stored, to become Photoshop Flowey, and you have to go through a sort of Bullet Hell. However, there IS good news. If you save a number of souls, and die, you start out with that number of souls saved. You won't have to go back to the beginning. When you do beat him, you're given the option to spare him or kill him. I would spare him, myself, but it's up to you.

Now, I can't say too much about the other two bosses, without giving too much away. Trust me when I say that you will have to buy the game to find out... or just look it up on Youtube if you don't have the money. Anyway, on to my rating. This game is perfect, another great Indie smash. Not to mention it's already got some merchandise, and a MASSIVE fanbase in the short years it's been out. If you have the means, I'd pick it up! You will NOT be disappointed. All in all, I give this game a 10 out of 10. Until next time, this is Rebel Angel, and I'll see you next time!

Pros of Undertale:

• The gameplay is simple
• The music is memorable
• The characters are endearing
• The twist ending is amazing
• It really tugs at your heart strings

Cons of Undertale:

• It's an Indie game, and not many people will play those kind of games
• The fight screen is a bit simplistic
• Not much else.

1. Undertale was released on September 15th, 2015.
2. Monsters in Undertale are made of magic and love.
3. Toby Fox has also composed music for Homestuck, Alternia, and more.
4. Toby Fox also conceptualized many of the monsters, including Sans and Papyrus
5. Megalovania is one of the most recognizable tunes in Undertale.