Yesterday the gaming world was shocked by the surprise release of Deltarune, a new role-playing game from Undertale creator Toby Fox. Considering it was teased by the official Undertale Twitter account, many thought that it would have something to do with the original, and that becomes quite clear after the opening scene. Familiar faces start to pop up, but it’s clearly not a sequel considering the events of the original. Instead, it seems to take place in an alternate world, but one that shares characters and themes with the classic RPG.
Note: This post includes spoilers for both Undertale and Deltarune, so make sure you have completed the first chapter of the new game before reading.
This Isn’t Susie’s Debut
One of the new characters in Deltarune is Susie, a tough delinquent student that likes to act first and ask questions later. Watching her character development is some of the most satisfying parts of the first chapter. However, those with a sharp eye will know that the character was teased in Undertale.
While in Waterfall players can talk to Clam Girl to find out about a character called “Suzy.” Clam Girl tells the player that they should become friends with Suzy, and her name appears in yellow text like other important characters. If you talk to Clam Girl after the game is over she says that she’s disappointed that you never met up with her. However, in the Nintendo Switch port, she has new dialogue that further hinted at Deltarune. “So, you never met my neighbor’s daughter,” says Clam Girl. “But please don’t despair because the time that you will meet her is fast approaching.”
That certainly is the case as Deltarune released just a little over a month after Undertale released on Nintendo Switch. Toby Fox gave us a clue and followed up on it. This attention to detail is key as everything has meaning in Undertale, and by examining the first game more closely we can learn even more about this sequel and/or spin-off title.
What Is The Delta Rune?
While Deltarune is the title of the game (and an anagram of Undertale), veteran players should be familiar with the “Delta Rune.” It’s the emblem that is seen all over Undertale including on Toriel’s robe as it’s the Dreemurr royal family’s crest. It is an orb with wings that has three triangles beneath it, not unlike the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda.
The rune itself symbolizes the prophecy that the events of Undertale eventually confirm. The bottom triangle represents the monsters of the underground. Meanwhile, the winged orb is the angel, a surface dweller that returns to bring either freedom or death. As such, players that undergo the pacifist will bring savior, while the genocide route fulfills the “angel of death” prophecy.
Familiar Faces
Deltarune is filled with familiar faces from the first game. After all, players are immediately greeted upon by Toriel once the game actually begins. However, she lives in a very different place than before, and she drops the player off at school. These are Undertale characters, but this clearly isn’t the same world.
While one might think that the game is some sort of sequel or prequel at first, the character interactions don’t match up for that to be the case. For example, if players bring up Alphys (who is now a school teacher rather than a doctor) to Undyne (who now serves as a police officer), she won’t be aware of her love interest in the prior game. Interestingly, though, the characters’ personalities seem to be intact in each world as they still act and behave as one would expect them to.
The first chapter ends with the player getting to explore the town, and this is where a lot of the returning characters can be seen. This includes Sans, the wisecracking skeleton that became Undertale‘s mascot. This incarnation just as happy to make jokes, and he winds up teasing an important return for the yet to be released chapter two: his brother Papyrus.
Sans tells the player that his brother is new to the area and thus doesn’t have any friends. The skeleton then invites them to come to his house tomorrow, and that they can finally meet. It’s an interesting tease, and one of the few known details about what will happen in the second chapter of Deltarune.
Also of note is that while Kris’ brother Asrial is mentioned several times, he’s nowhere to be seen. However, the dark world prince Ralsei is his name scrambled. This could be a major hint, and makes sense considering he reveals himself to be a goat near the end of the chapter.
The Deltarune Undertale Connection Is To Be Continued…
Considering only the first chapter of Deltarune is available, its connections to the original game are only starting to be deciphered and understood. More will become clear over time, but currently, there are more questions than answers. That’s a good thing, as discovering the surprises that Toby Fox has in store for players is part of the fun!
Hopefully, this will have given you a head start on figuring out all of the wonderful Deltarune Undertale connections in the role-playing game. Considering the incredible twisted ending of the first chapter, the story is just getting started.
