Delta Rune

Toby Fox the creator of cult hit Undertale has released a new, free game called Delta Rune. And yes, it's as funny, subversive and thought provoking as it's predecessor.

Delta Rune (which is an anagram of Undertale) is very much like it's predecessor in terms of its gameplay. This is not your typical JRPG, for while you can simply FIGHT and defeat your enemies you also have the option of taking a more pacifist route by complimenting, pacifying and sparing your enemies. There are also the odd unique actions you can take to win the battle that are unique to the enemy you face. Battles also contain the element of "bullet hell" dodging but once again this is handled in such a creative and out-of-the-box way.

The art style is once again the 8bit blocky style of Undertale but it does feel elevated in Delta Rune with a few beautifully detailed images and backgrounds.

The Delta Rune itself is something that featured in Undertale, as mention in the Wiki:

And so it is recommended that you have played Undertale prior to giving Delta Rune a go. The game is effectively a first episode in what looks like to be an ongoing project.

Playing Delta Rune, I was reminded of why I enjoyed Undertale so much. It's the clever ways that Toby Fox subverts the RPG norms, the entertaining and yet so very "human" characters that he creates and the joy of discovery amidst mystery that his stories bring. All that and the genuine, sincere humour.

You can download Delta Rune for free from deltarune.com - just a heads up, the download will trigger Windows security warnings, these can be safely ignored, but also note Toby Fox's warning to not use the uninstaller:

Hey apparently the uninstaller for DELTARUNE just deletes the entire directory the uninstaller is in. Depending on where you installed it, this could have some consequences. I recommend you don't use the uninstaller.

— tobyfox (@tobyfox) October 31, 2018