On the evening of Undertale's sixth anniversary, creator Toby Fox and his friends at Fangamer hosted a celebratory stream. Over the course of about four hours, the crew played through Toby's most recent game, Deltarune Chapter 1, which is a month shy of being three years old. At the end, Deltarune Chapter 2 was finally given a release date, and it was only two days after the September 15 stream. Even better, it was confirmed that this second chapter could also be played as a free standalone chapter like the first, though it is assumed that the player is familiar with its opening installment.
While many fans have no doubt pulled out their old copies of Deltarune to refresh themselves on the goings-on, not everyone has that luxury. As Deltarune was designed with a strong element of mystery, players may want a few more hints as to the true nature of its meta-plot. The whole cast is also decidedly charming, which means that fans want to see their stories continue as well. A recap of Deltarune Chapter 1's events is in order, but in order to properly review the whole plot, SPOILERS FOR DELTARUNE CHAPTER 1 must be discussed.
Deltarune's Story as Presented
Deltarune's story can be quickly summarized as an isekai story where two social outcasts become heroes in another world and learn important life lessons along the way. After a bizarre, fake character creator where the player is told they will have less control over events than they'd wish, players are handed control of Kris. Kris is the sole human inhabitant of an all-monster town, having been adopted by Toriel and Asgore Dreemurr. Kris is driven to school, where they are forced to pair up with the resident bully Susie for a project. The duo end up falling through a portal in the school's supply closet and are brought to a "Dark World".
They meet Ralsei, the friendly Prince of Darkness, and are told of a prophecy involving them saving the Dark World. This is described as "destroying the Angel's Heaven," but actually manifests as defeating the mad Spade King and destroying a destabilizing Dark Fountain that has been erected in his kingdom. Susie struggles to cooperate with the other heroes, but resolves to change her ways after befriending the King's son Lancer. The Delta Warriors prove victorious, possibly resulting in an open rebellion against the King if they were nice enough to enemies, and Kris and Susie return home after seeing Ralsei's familiar face. Susie leaves for her house, and Kris is left to explore their familiar yet strange hometown before ending Deltarune in bed.
The Mysteries Behind Deltarune
That strangeness pervades all of Deltarune, and is part of the game's intrigue. Right from the get-go, the player seems to be constructing their fake avatar under the guidance of a mysterious voice, possibly the dummied-out Dr. Gaster from Undertale. Then, after it's made clear that the player is represented by the heart-shaped SOUL and not Kris, they are thrust into a world populated by Undertale characters that seem to act differently in an almost calculatedly wrong manner. While Toby Fox has firmly stated that Deltarune and Undertale are separate entities, there still appears to be deliberate links between the two that fans want to know more about.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the teasers for future elements. A "Knight" is apparently the culprit behind all of the Dark World's troubles, and defeating the bonus boss Jevil also yields reference to a "Queen." A mysterious door emanating odd sounds is found at the southern end of Kris' town. An NPC whom bears resemblance to a ghostly Easter egg NPC in Undertale bars entry to the town library's second floor, but mentions some sort of special book. Asriel, who Ralsei resembles for some reason, is returning home from college in a few days, which has Undertale fans anticipating what he's like.
Finally, on top of several townsfolk noting that Kris doesn't seem like themselves wile under the player's control, Chapter 1 concludes with a scene of a now-sinister Kris imprisoning the SOUL in a cage. What this all means may not be answered in Deltarune Chapter 2, but fans will surely be able to find some answers now that the sequel has finally been released.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is available now on PC.