Deltarune Chapter 2: Toby Fox’s New Game Review

Just one hour in Deltarune Chapter 2, “A Cyber ​​World,” the game’s surly hero Kris is negotiating a deal with a monster made of website pop-ups, hunting for blue checks (yes, the ones from Twitter), and playing video games with a game of struggle. -Robot Queen obsessed and wine drinker, whose favorite motto is “lmao”. Meanwhile, a catchy chiptune soundtrack plays in the background.

This sense of humor is part of the course of developer Toby Fox. In his latest release, Deltarune Chapter 2, Fox resumes after the suspension of the cliff of Chapter 1 only to launch players straight into a cyberspace-inspired city. The players are Kris, exploring the world with her friends, Susie and Ralsei, the same heroes from Chapter 1 – and fight your way through a series of tough hellish challenges. Although the battle mechanics feel similar, this chapter complicates the moral and ethical issues raised by the game’s predecessor. Under the story, while adding to the story that began in Chapter 1. Fox also sets the stage for a gigantic adventure, one that explores another section of Deltarunegrowing world. And despite being a tough challenge, it is a world that still feels very welcoming.

Although Under the story If you gave players the option to show mercy or to kill, the game sent a strong message against killing monsters. Under the story encourages a non-violent path, where none of the monsters must be defeated, and players are more aware of the impact of their choices. But this also made the game more challenging – when you don’t kill monsters, you don’t level up. Your basic stats, like health, remain unchanged, making it difficult to survive in later battles.

DeltraruneThe moral stance is not entirely different, but this time the players are alone in deciding when to show mercy to monsters and when to fight. On Episode 2 Certain enemies are worth killing, such as a despotic king who still retaliates when shown mercy. It is a contrast to Under the storyIt is a simpler game, purely pacifist.

Image: Toby Fox

Like the other Fox games, Deltarune Episode 2Battles are unique arcade bullet hells, where each monster’s quirks are expressed in their attacks and lines throughout the game. (And how Under the story, DeltaruneBattles become more difficult if players refuse to defeat their enemies.) In a boss battle, the three heroes battle three monsters that have speakers instead of heads and navigate a barrage of cool attacks that look like musical notes. For another boss fight, Berdly spamms you with deadly A + papers because he’s a know-it-all at school.

Fox’s bullet-hell RPG is as tough as ever, making it harder to decide whether to show mercy or fight monsters. These bullet hell battles feel even more difficult when the game is more morally ambiguous, suggesting that it’s okay to kill some monsters (which would make the fight easier). A boss fight with Spamton, the monster who spam you with nearly unreadable pop-ups with messages like “MEET THE LOCAL SINGLES” while fighting him, hit my butt more than once. I ended up finding him out, and I highlighted him for his golden personality. But it made me wonder if I would have the patience to figure it out with future characters, rather than just fighting them.

Episode 2 It gives players another factor to consider when choosing whether or not to forgive a monster. This last chapter introduces a “recruitment” system, which is similar to the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona series, where conserving monsters allows players to recruit them to the team. They can help us in some points, lending their power in a fight. As we recruit monsters by forgiving them, we populate a new city filled with all of our friends.

Image: Toby Fox

Still, despite the challenge, the game embraces the players with open arms. At the beginning of Episode 2, Ralsei makes beautiful rooms for Susie and Kris based on their favorite colors and tells them: “I would be happy if this place … could be like a second home for you.” These scenes did Deltarune Episode 2 feel like a kind of second home. Supporting the idea that these games can be an escape and a source of comfort, Fox launched Episode 2 free and before its initial release date. “The world has been really tough for everyone recently,” Fox said on the game’s website.

Of course, this is just one chapter. This is not the conclusion of a conversation, but the beginning of one. Fox takes us warmly to their worlds, but some fundamental questions remain: Which characters are comforted by these worlds? (Certainly not our dear hero, Kris). What are the implications of our actions? On Deltarune Episode 2 our choices matter. But the story is still ongoing and we don’t really know how these choices will affect the characters. For now, players will just have to wait until the next three chapters come out.

Deltarune Chapter 2 It was released on September 17 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC. You can find Additional information on Polygon’s ethics policy here. Vox Media has affiliate associations. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links.