Deltarune

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Deltarune is an episodic role‑playing game created by Toby Fox. It’s set in a parallel universe to Undertale and follows Kris, a human teenager, who teams up with Susie, a monster, and Ralsei, a prince from the Dark World. The game mixes exploration, story, and turn‑based combat with bullet‑hell elements. Like Undertale, you can fight or try to resolve conflicts peacefully, and some enemies can be recruited to join your town.

Gameplay and structure
- The game uses a top‑down perspective. You guide Kris through both overworld puzzles and battles.
- Enemies are visible in the environment, so you can avoid or engage them.
- In battle you choose actions such as Fight, Act, Item, Spare, and Defend. You dodge enemy attacks with a soul on screen, and you can increase a resource called TP to use special actions or spells.
- A key feature is recruiting enemies to live in your Castle Town, starting from Chapter 2.
- Chapters unfold the story in episodes. Chapters 1 and 2 were released as free demos, while Chapters 3 and 4 arrived in 2025 as a paid release. Additional chapters are planned as free updates, with more details released over time.

Story overview
- Kris and Susie fall into the Dark World with the help of Ralsei. They learn of a prophecy that the trio must seal Dark Fountains to stop threats from the Roaring Knight.
- The plot expands through multiple chapters, introducing new allies and adversaries, including Queen, King, and other Dark World inhabitants. Themes of friendship, choices, and reality-versus-dreams run throughout.
- Chapter 2 adds a notable alternate path called the Snowgrave route, and introduces new characters like Noelle and Berdly. The narrative continues to explore how actions in the Dark Worlds affect both worlds.

Development and release
- Development began in 2012. The first chapter released for free on October 31, 2018; it was later released on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2019.
- Chapter 2 released for free on September 17, 2021, with Switch and PS4 updates following on September 23, 2021.
- Chapters 3 and 4 arrived in 2025 as a paid package, with future chapters planned as free updates. The project is built in GameMaker Studio 2, with Temmie Chang as lead artist and Toby Fox as the main composer. 8‑4 handled console ports.
- Tenna, Spamton, and other characters appeared as notable additions, with the team refining how battles and story scenes flow across chapters.

Reception and impact
- Critics praise Deltarune for its music, humor, characters, and storytelling. The battle system is seen as a refined evolution of Undertale’s ideas, with fresh encounters and strategic depth.
- Some reviews note pacing and visual style differences, but the game remains highly regarded for its atmosphere and writing.
- The demo drew about 100,000 concurrent players on Steam, and the paid release for Chapters 1–4 was well received. The Switch 2 launch version became a top digital seller.

Ongoing plans
- Fox and the team continue work on Chapters 5 and beyond, with localization and console ports in progress. They have indicated that future chapters will continue to expand the world, with some chapters released as free updates and others as paid content.