Undertale is a game of choice, and each decision you make will have an impact on the ending you reach. There are 93 total outcomes, and more to find each time you play. The creator, Toby Fox, did an amazing job of showing the complex relationships between people, or more specifically, monsters. Through healthy and obsessive relationships, love is shown to be very impactful on the identities of both the player, and the characters themselves. The friendships made along the way range from obsessive and destructive, to familial in nature. Positive or negative, love and friendship both have a very big impact on identity.
“LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for “Level of Violence.” A way of measuring someone’s capacity to hurt.”
Undertale is set in a world where, for one, monsters do exist. Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, and each with their own personality. The humans trapped the monsters underground after a long and brutal war. You can befriend the monsters as you go along, or take a different approach. In the beginning, you play through a fake tutorial where a flower, called Flowey, tricks the player, but is sent away by one of the most important characters throughout the game, Toriel. She greets you kindly, as a mother would, and leads you through the beginning of the game, which is also the tutorial. At the end of the journey, you are forced to fight Toriel in order to progress. She can’t bear to kill you, and if the player chooses to spare her, she will inevitably let you pass.
The next area, Snowdin, is an adorable little town covered in snow. There are several characters you meet here, such as Sans and Papyrus, who tries to fight you, but isn’t quite as good at puzzles as he says he is. Papyrus truly only wants a friend, and the player, if they choose to spare him, goes on either a date, or gets to hang out with Papyrus, either way, you befriend the kind skeleton and his brother, and he allows you to pass. Next is Waterfall, a dark and eerie stage with glowing flowers and mushrooms. The echo flowers repeat the story of two childhood friends looking up at the stars, and wishing for escape. You try to hide from the guardian of the underground, Undyne, but are backed into a corner, but a friend you made along the way, Monster Kid, stands up for you. Eventually you cannot escape Undyne and must fight her. If you want to spare her instead of fighting, running away from her and ending up in Hotland, the next stage, will make her fall because of how hot her armor has gotten. Saving her by bringing her a cup of water, she stands, and no longer chases you, walking away.
You meet a scientist, Alphys, in Hotland. She explains there is a killer robot after you, and she has been watching you from cameras. She then offers to help you progress and defeat the robot, Mettaton. After a lengthy fight against the flashy and famous star, Mettaton, you get to the end. Going back to talk to Undyne in Snowdin reveals she wants you to take a note to Alphys. Mettaton tells us that Alphys is in love with Undyne, and the note from Undyne has a similar message. Delivering it to her ends up in them getting much closer, and agreeing to go on a date. After they are settled, the player moves to the final stages. Sans shows up right before the final battle with the king. If you have not killed anyone, he will tell you he is very happy and wishes you luck, but if you have killed people, he shames you, but lets you pass. However, if the player chose the incredibly difficult genocide ending, a final boss fight against Sans takes place.
In the end, you meet the king. He forces you to fight, regardless of the choices you have made so far. You can choose to spare him at the end, but he is killed by Flowey. Flowey explains how he wants to take all the power and become the strongest to destroy you, which he does. After a complicated battle, you see Flowey change into a small child, resembling both the king, Asgore, and his ex-wife, Toriel. He says his name is Asriel, and explains how he befriended the first human to fall into the underground, but she was evil, and betrayed everyone, nearly killing the king.
Choosing friendship throughout the game, the monsters are released, but if the choice is murder, then the monsters are stuck forever. It is difficult to explain the game because in all honesty, all of the endings will leave players with a completely different experience every time. This game is deep and well made, and does an excellent job of representing relationships.
Undertale. Version v.1.11 for Nintendo Switch, Toby Fox, 2018.