Celebrating 10 Years Of Undertale

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

On Sept. 15, 2015, independent game developer Toby Fox released Undertale and instantly changed the world of video games. To celebrate the passing of Undertale’s 10th anniversary just a few weeks ago, people should learn about the history and impact of the game.

Undertale is an RPG, or role playing game. The player is in control of the main character, a young child named Frisk, who has mistakenly fallen into the “Underground.” Throughout the game, another character helps Frisk survive and navigate their new environment, which functions as a massive prison in which humans sealed all of monsterkind many years ago. Despite being classified as monsters, the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Underground are friendly, and, while wary of humans, become warm and welcoming once Frisk is able to communicate with them.

That is, if you decide to help Frisk communicate with them. One of the main aspects of the game that garners so much interest are the hundreds of playable routes and outcomes based on a player's actions. If a player decides to have Frisk embark on an endeavor known as the ‘Genocide Route’, the seemingly cutesy game gets very dark very quickly. If a player kills any certain character, the rest of the game is altered and the ending is changed. There are hundreds of endings, but my personal favorite aspect of the game is that there is only one happy ending.

Throughout the story, Frisk and the player see firsthand the misery of living in the Underground, and almost every major character will, at some point, voice their great desire to leave it. In all but one outcome of the game, it ends with the player receiving a phone call from their monster friends Underground, who try and fail to put a brave face on their situation. The only way to avoid this miserable ending is to go through the game showing mercy to every enemy encountered, and not killing them even when convenient or when another video game might reward you for it.

This is the aspect of the game that makes it so important. In most video games, even most RPGs, an outcome won't be altered by just one action, and killing those who try to fight you isn't really a big deal. By subverting this, Undertale imitates real life, and highlights the idea that mercy is much more powerful than destruction.

Knowing more about its uniqueness and heart, the game's massive sales performance and cult following will not be surprising. With roughly 11 million copies sold, it is one of the best selling games of all time, and one of the top reviewed. Shortly after release, Metacritic ranked it as the best indie game of all time. Standout features of the game include the soundtrack, composed entirely by Toby Fox, for its continuity throughout the game and the atmosphere it adds. Its character interactions have also been heavily praised, due to the charm of the Underground’s inhabitants. 

There is no better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Undertale than by joining the community of players. The fanbase is still active and welcoming even after 10 years have passed. And even if fan culture isn't for you, the game itself will welcome you with open arms and make you feel right at home.