Deltarune

Note: This entry and its image gallery contain spoilers.

About

Deltarune is an independent role-playing video game being developed by Toby Fox as a sequel to the indie title Undertale. The story starts off in an alternate version of the world of its predecessor.^[1] On October 31st, 2018, the first chapter of the game was released for free on PC and Mac. On February 28th, 2019, a console edition of the first chapter was also released for free on Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4. Chapter 2 of the game was released on September 17th, 2021.

History

On October 30th, 2018, Toby Fox posted a tweet in the first-person perspective stating that an unnamed individual wants to speak to the viewer (seen below).

Undertale Twitter Account Takeover

Later that day, the Undertale Twitter account's name was changed to "██████" and featured both a blank icon and blank banner. The account then posted a series of tweets from an unnamed individual that said the viewer needed to return in 24 hours so that they can ask the viewer a few questions (shown below, left). On October 31st, the Undertale Twitter account announced Deltarune's first chapter and linked a website that hosted a free download to the game's first chapter (shown below, right). The Deltarune website initially mentioned to not discuss the game for 24 hours.^[2]

The account username was later changed to "UNDERTALE / DELTARUNE," and the icon was changed to the logo of Deltarune.

For Undertale's sixth anniversary, on September 15th, 2021, 10:38 P.M. EST, Toby Fox publicized new information surrounding Deltarune. In this announcement, he revealed that Deltarune Chapter 2 was scheduled to release on September 17th, 2021.^[7] On his Deltarune Chapter 1 livestream on September 15th, 2021, Fox showcased a teaser for the game's second chapter.

Premise

The game takes place on the surface in an alternate version of the world of Undertale. The main character Kris is awoken by his mother Toriel so that they won't be late for school. After Kris arrives late to school, they need to find themselves a partner for a group project. Kris ends up with Susie, a notoriously violent student whose demeanor is akin to that of a bully. After they're sent to find more chalk in the supply closet, they both find that the entrance to this "supply closet" opens to an abnormally dark room. Soon after they both hesitantly enter, the ground beneath them vanishes and they fall into a black abyss. They both find themselves in a strange new world, mysteriously wearing new attire and gear. They are met by Ralsei, who appears to be a kind and somewhat childlike character. Ralsei explains that the three of them are the "Delta Warriors," prophesied heroes that are destined to save the world.

Gameplay

The gameplay deviates a bit from that of Undertale's, with the main difference being the implementation of a new partner system. The player is given the ability to use multiple characters for each turn, with the exception of Susie for most of Chapter 1.

Chapter 2

On September 15th, 2021, Toby Fox announced that Chapter 2 of Deltarune would come out in two days.^[8] Chapter 2 – A Cyber's World was released on September 17th, 2021.

The update was quickly a smash hit with fans of the series, as fan art of new characters Spamton and Tasque Manager was quickly produced (examples shown below).

On September 18th, 2021, jacksepticeye posted a playthrough of the chapter, gaining over 1.4 million views in three days (shown below, left). It was also streamed by user KreekCraft, gaining over 430,000 views (shown below, right).

Online Presence

Ralsei

Ralsei is one of the three Delta Warriors, referred to as the "Prince of the Dark."^[3] He wears a green wizard's hat, a pink scarf and glasses. The character quickly became the inspiration of many memes and fan art. In the former category, KnowYourMeme user NottaWatta posted a Pledge to Protect meme with the character, gaining 48 likes (shown below, left). Tumblr user velvetart posted a Ligma joke about the character, gaining over 870 notes (shown below, right).

Examples of fan art for the character include a post by Twitter user @catteboots which managed to get 800 retweets and 2.900 likes (shown below, left), Tumblr user kilinah that gained over 1,400 notes (shown below, center). Twitter user @gunmouth posted art that gained 81 retweets and 326 likes (shown below, right).

Ralsei's Gun

One of the more popular subgenres of Ralsei fan art depicts the character wielding a gun underneath its coat, in contrast with his sweet demeanor. On November 3rd, Tumblr^[6] user bran-draws-things posted a drawing of Ralsei holding a gun underneath his coat (shown below).

This led to further depictions of Ralsei wielding a gun. Some popular examples include a piece of fan art by DeviantArt artist Neloku in which Ralsei had several chain guns (shown below, left) and a Reddit post by user Vyralys that gained over 500 points (shown below, right).

Jevil

Jevil is a secret boss in chapter 1 of Deltarune.^[4] He appears as a jester character. The character's mischievous nature led to parodies of the character, particularly his line, "I can do anything." For example, a user on /v/ posted a joke about the character (shown below, left). Imgur user Deaconsbluesclues posted a Pull My Devil Trigger GIF of the character, which gained 50 points on /r/TwoBestFriendsPlay (shown below, right).

Krusie

Krusie is the online name given to a ship between the characters Kris, the main protagonist of Deltarune, and Susie, an NPC who joins the player's party. Susie is generally depicted as being reserved within the ship, attempting to keep her composure to Kris' forward advances. DeviantArt user JustAGirlOnline drew such an example of the ship (shown below, left). Many examples of Krusie fan art can be found on Tumblr.^[5]

Spamton NEO / Now's Your Chance to be a Big Shot / BIG SHOT

Now's Your Chance to be a Big Shot (also referred to "BIG SHOT") is a phrase associated with the character of Spamton G. Spamton/Spamton NEO, a boss within Chapter 2 of the game. His Spamton NEO form is a secret boss featured within the game. The boss fight has received a lot of praise and critical acclaim since the game's initial release. The boss fight has accumulated over 210,000+ views^[9] and the soundtrack accompanying it, "BIG SHOT", has garnered over 300,000.^[10]

Kris, Get the Banana / Potassium

'Kris, Get the Banana' refers to a scene in Deltarune Chapter 2 where the Queen tells Kris to acquire a banana in the midst of a high speed car ride. This exchange has sparked a lot of memes ever since September 18th, 2021, and to this day, continues to receive traction. The scene is appreciated primarily for how wacky and absurd the scene is, in the context of the situation. The scene has been re-uploaded and remixed in memes. A clip of the scene online has received over 279,000+ views and counting.^[11] In a similar vain, a video compiling 'Funny Queen Moments' from Deltarune featuring this scene has also garnered a sizeable viewership of 247,000+ viewers and counting.^[12]

Search Interest

External References