Media Review 1

Picture came from the "Undertale" page on Kickstarter.com

Hello Everyone! It’s Alyssa Fowler.

For my first media review, I have decided to talk about “Undertale,” a role-playing, indie computer game.

“Undertale” was created by Toby Fox and released on September 15^th, 2015. A short, public demo of the game was released on May 23^rd, 2013. Toby’s development for the “Undertale” was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.com that was launched on June 25^th, 2013 and ended on July 25^th, 2013. During this campaign, people who donated would have their names placed in the game’s ending credits, a CD of the game’s soundtrack, and to have their own custom characters be included as NPCs and bosses in the game. Toby’s initial goal was $5,000. However, due to the support from over 2,000 people, the total amount of money raised was $51,124.

The story involves you leading a human child named “Frisk” through the Underground, a world underneath the Earth’s surface that is filled with monsters. What makes “Undertale” different than many other role-playing games is that you can help or spare the monsters you encounter instead of mercilessly killing them. Also, the ending of each time you play through the game depends on how many “enemy” monsters and which of the main characters or “boss monsters” you killed.

Throughout the course of one year, “Undertale” gained a massive following and became a cultural phenomenon on art-sharing, social-networking websites; such as Deviantart, Reddit, Youtube, and Tumblr.

Fans of “Undertale” created:

•   Alternate universes with their own themes (Underfell, Outertale, Underswap).
• Fan theories about secret Easter eggs found in the game.
•  Comics and Animations that explain possible backstories of the main characters or put the characters in funny, heartwarming, slice-of-life situations.
• Remixes of music from the game’s soundtrack.
• Discussions on which people would be the best voice actors for the characters.

This is due to the fact that “Undertale” was influenced by the silliness of popular internet culture. Also, according to the “Undertale Dev: ‘Every Monster Should Feel Like and Individual’” article on EscapistMagazine.com, Toby stated that the atmosphere and elements of “Undertale” were based on those from past role-playing games. This included “Earthbound”, “Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga”, and “Shin Megami Tensei.” He also explained that the game’s battle format was based on bullet-hell shooters like the “Touhou Project” series.

To me, one of the best factors of “Undertale” is that all of the characters each have their own unique design, personalities, and desires. Also, with your help, they have their own personal growth and learn to be true to themselves. This makes them able to be cared about and relatable to the people playing the game. Another great factor of “Undertale” is that it teaches us life lessons, including believing that everyone does deserve a second chance and “staying determined” to keep yourself moving through the toughest of times.

With all of its positive reception, including winning the “Audience” award at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards and the “Best Story” award from IGN.com's Best of 2015 list, I can agree with many fans that “Undertale” is an indie game that will be remembered for generations to come.