Helloooooooooooooooo! This is the final
segment of my recap of my first Undertale playthrough, and my initial thoughts
and experiences with the game. Hope you are ready, this is the biggest one of
them all, heh. Without further ado, let’s end this!
After I finished the game and read
about multiple endings, I returned, determined to finish things here and now.
The game had already went on much longer than I thought, so I thought it
couldn’t be much longer, right?
…..boy if there’s one thing I love
about Undertale, or at least my play of it, it’s that it does a remarkable job
of feeling like the end, but then continuing to go and go, so that it feels a
lot longer than the package actually is. This game felt as dense as 30ish hour
games I’ve played I swear.
Returning to the game, I heeded
Flowey’s advice and went back to the date with Alphys, where things returned to
the lighthearted nature seen in Snowdin and Hotland. I like how for this final
area, rather than sticking to being dramatic or lighthearted, it goes for both,
starting with the lighthearted date to ease tensions from those dramatic final
battles, before returning to the ultimate climax.
And hoo boy was this date silly and
fun, and in the best way possible. I laughed so much at so many parts of it, I
couldn’t believe what was happening. For starters, the date beginning with
Alphys simply asking you if you like anime and then agreeing and going straight
to awkward silence was amazing, and it only got better from there. The role
playing, papyrus, and of course, is anime real? Of course I had to say yes, and
this might have been the funniest scene in the game for me because oh man I was laughing so so much. Ah I loved that we
got to see a lot the of the characters shine in their own lovely ways, it made
this scene almost feel like a culmination that the previous dates had built up
towards.
However, this date also ended up being
a lot more dramatic than I expected, much like the one with Undyne. I remember the
moments in which you learn that Alphys struggles to be honest, how she lies to
Undyne to be likable, how it’s easier to not be herself around others because
she doesn’t like herself, that was…oof, that hit home so much harder than I expected. Good god, it was amazing to me how Alphys went from a silly cute character
to a suddenly super relatable character I’m now fully emotionally invested in.
I drew so many parallels with myself watching her deal with being herself and
not lying and oh man…what a scene for her. ♥
I remember too at the point in which
Undyne appears and asks where Alphys went when she hides, I spent a long time
thinking about just how to answer that. I honestly had no idea, like, I knew
that Alphys didn’t want to be seen, but I also knew that they both liked each
other from the letter and Alphys’ confession, and I also didn’t want to lie to
Undyne, especially after I saw how much Alphys struggles being honest, so I had
to think a lot for this one. In the end, I went with telling her where Alphys was, which
then made me laugh since your answer is super vague so that you don’t lie to
either of them and Undyne just runs off, oh Undertale.
For the role playing choices, I played
as Undyne, and I recall I chose the tame answers for Alphys, since well, she
seemed to be really struggling with this, so I wanted to be gentle and help her
to slowly come to understanding herself and being able to express herself more
easily.
Then Undyne came and well, the scene
was super heartwarming and aw I shipped them so so hard in that moment and I
still do, OTP <3
After that amazing scene that had me
laughing and smiling and feeling so happy for both Alphys and Undyne, both of
whom I now loved more than ever, I headed to the Lab for the final area. Hoo
boy, this final area, the True Lab, this definitely comes out of nowhere, and
in the coolest way possible.
I remember this place was a little
unsettling to me at first, and the lore took me by surprise. "What was this?
What is going on?"
But when I really started to get scared
was when the first battle began, because oh my god the battles here were
terrifying. I remember the music reminded me of Earthbound and Mother 3’s music
in the sound effects used during battle, specifically Cave of the Past from
Earthbound.
But boy these battles. I was able to
figure them all out, but I had to use an item for like each battle I think. The
one that was Shyren’s sister in particular, oh my god, with the giant teeth
attack that covers the whole box, that attack was so hard for me to dodge, and
I recall I game over’d to this enemy I think twice, oof. These things were
unsettling, and I thought this game was done being dark after Flowey! The dog
one especially with the noise it makes and sound effects was utterly
terrifying, geez. These things were so spooky, I think I may have been
shivering with fear at parts. ;-;
I remember too, I had a rather unique
reaction to one part of the Lab. There is one room in the lab that features the
ghost fight against the bird thing, mirrors, and…golden flowers. Seeing other
players’ reactions and thinking of the golden flowers in the room, I now know
that the notes in this room are referring to Alphys using the flowers as the
test experiments, which would eventually become Flowey.
But on my first playthrough, when she
mentions giving souls to something that is neither human nor monster, I didn’t
even pay attention to the golden flowers or part about seeds, and my first
thought was a robot, or Mettaton! I
thought for sure that this was about Mettaton’s backstory, and that maybe he
has a ton of monster souls inside him. It was reinforced with the mysteries and
vagueness that comes from their connection and past, and then reinforced even more when
a later note in the Lab features Alphys talking about building Mettaton’s body.
So I thought that was kind of silly. It
means that I didn’t think she made Flowey, so then at the very end of the True Lab when she reveals that she in fact did create Flowey, and that he disappeared,
that blew my mind since I had never even thought of it, but I was also like
“wait what about Mettaton?” :p
I remember after I finished the True
Lab and had that final conversation with Alphys, I felt even more sympathy and
understanding towards her. I felt like I could understand why she’s been so
depressed and thinks so low of herself, knowing the horrible things she had to
do that always went wrong. Even her one experiment she got right, Flowey,
disappeared from her, seemingly as if it ended in failure. I was kind of amazed
at how in the short span of a date scene and dungeon I suddenly could emphasize
and understand Alphys so much, maybe even more than any other character, and
was now really really invested in and in love with her. I really loved the final
talk you have with her, in which she explains the ghosts, and how we’ve helped
her to change and believe in herself more and face the truth. Was real
heartwarming, especially for someone who’s had a similar journey. <3
Anyways, after that terrifying ordeal
with amazing lore and great atmosphere and a new love for Alphys, the final
stage was set, and hoo boy I was tense. I had no idea what to expect, or what
would happen, but I was so tense I can’t even.
I wasn’t really sure what was going on
or what to do, but I figured that with vines blocking the path back, I was
to head to Asgore, for seemingly the final showdown. I thought it was really neat how, last time
I walked through here, I was super tense because I knew exactly what was about
to happen. This time though, I felt the opposite. I had no idea what was going
on, who that voice was, why I was trapped, and what to expect. I felt
unbelievably tense, but in a…very different way. And I like that a lot, very
cool.
Anyways, I headed back to Asgore, ready
to do this battle again, see if anything changes…when suddenly!
Toriel, oh my god!!!!! I remember
getting emotional just seeing her and being like “aaah mom! I want to hug you
please, and I don’t know if I tried to hug my screen but I might have ssh.” ;-;
But then she was kind of being really
mean to Asgore and I was like “woh mom, it’s okay, let’s not be harsh, this is
an emotional reunion now, please don’t ruin it.” :p
Then everyone came back, and aaah, so
many great moments, Sans and Toriel got to meet, and everyone got to meet
Toriel, and everyone was together and happy saying they wouldn’t let us fight,
and gosh I really loved the reunion scene. It was so great to see all the
friends I’d made and bonded with come together, and it looked like everything
would be okay. I had made the loveliest of friends, and had somehow found a way
to see the good in them and love them all, and life didn’t seem so bad. Yeah,
things were going to be great…
……Then that freaking flower, and not
just the flower, but it used the realistic looking vine from his battle to trap
everyone, and that scared me so much oh my god, I didn’t want to have to fight
that again, I was so nervous and scared,
fuck you flowey god damnit. ;~;
But then…..I was saved from Flowey by
my friends! Gosh I loved seeing them all cheer me on in their own way and
aaaaah. I loved all their lines, Toriel being supportive and sweet, Papyrus
encouraging you to be confident, Sans nonchalantly reassuring you, Undyne
saying this’ll be cake, Asgore’s wise and slow words, Alphys’ nerdy words, god,
I think this is where I started getting real emotional. Everyone was there for me, and aaah I was feeling so
happy, yes, I can definitely do this, with all of their strength and love, I
can do anything…
But then Flowey turned things back into
his favor, as he absorbed everyone he could. I remember I was starting to
shiver and like oh my god I wasn’t ready what’s he going to look like now I
can’t take an even scarier monster aaaaah……
…..
Then ASRIEL WHAT O:
Man…the way it went from the soft
childlike sounds he makes when he talks to that loud scary noise as Asriel
Dreemur’s name is displayed got a jump out of me. I didn’t know what was going
on, or what would happen, but I knew with my friends help in my heart, now I
wasn’t just fighting and showing mercy for toriel, but for everyone, all the
friends I’d made, and I couldn’t have been more determined for this final
battle. It was amazing, and the ultimate climax was set and ready.
And holy fucking SHIT! I remember as
the battle begin, I thought “oh this is cool okay final battle nice nice I like
this”….and then…..and then........
Electric
guitars and rainbooooooows oh my gooooooood! I think I
actually said oh my god out loud and I was just blown away and shocked and
given shivers more than this game ever had in that way. I remember as this
happened I instantly turned the volume up, and oh my god I can’t listen to this song now and not just think of rainbows appearing everywhere, the volume
shooting up, and the sound of the STARS falling and then the sound the giant
star makes as they fly everywhere in colors and everything is magical and oh my
god it felt like I had entered nirvana, and it was the coolest thing ever holy
fucking shit. This moment I think just completely broke all emotional defenses
I had as I had what felt like the coolest gaming experience ever. Colors
everywhere, attacks with awesome sound effects, the greatest song, oh my god,
if gaming ever had a moment of perfection, it is this moment.
And then and then! I hoped! I
remembered why I was here and held onto my hopes. And I dreamed! I dreamed and
felt my inventory get smaller! And when I saw the item I was freaking out, and
then I used it and oh my god I was screaming internally, the dream came true!
Fuck that was the coolest thing ever, the way you’ve been hoping and dreaming
all this time of a bright happy future for all, and now they’re finally coming
true, oh my god I loved the act commands in this battle so much, and it just
added even more to this feeling that this was gaming nirvana, and aaaaaaaaah
this battle <3
And then right, you die, you die! But
it refused! Aaaaaaah, because you’re so determined you can just straight up not
die, aaaaaaah, I remember freaking out at that too, this entire battle I was on
the edge of my seat fully into the game like never before, and it felt so
amazing, like everything the game was building towards from a pure gameplay
perspective, and oh my god, it was soooooooooo wonderfuuuuuuul. I’m never
forgetting this battle. Undertale really saved its best for last, and my god
was it worth all the wait and more, I can’t think of a finale with such cool
finishes in gameplay and awesome moments, god damn. <3
Anyways! Then Asriel went super power
and I couldn’t move, and aaaah nooooooo! God I remember I struggled so much
with his attack during this phase, those rainbow wave thingies were so hard to
dodge!
And then…..I tried to reach my save
file…but I couldn’t, seems my determination might not be enough to save the
game. But maybe…with the determination I still have, the determination that
keeps me surviving Asriel’s power…maybe…I can save my friends!
And oh my god when this happened, and I
realized what was going on, I think, I'm not certain but I think, this
is where the waterworks started to flow, and I began bursting into tears of pure
emotion. Getting to see everyone you’ve befriend and loved, seeing their flaws
and insecurities, and the struggles they go through, and then being able to
help them again to grow, getting to relive all of their
character arcs...oh my god I loved this so much, you truly came full circle
and have all your friends with you as you remember all your adventures together
and everything you learned together and it was just aaaaah.
And what really got me, was how you do
it. You do things that you remember doing with them so they remember you. And
oh my god this was the best, this was the best and it just made me remember all
the great times we had and fall in love with them all over again.
It’s hard to say but I recall I first
saved Toriel (and Asgore). I remember for the first action, I hugged her, and told her I was
going to see her again, which you might remember was what I kept telling myself
when you fight her in the ruins, as it was the only way I could bring myself to
leave her, and oh fuck this got me crying. And then with Asgore I told him I
wouldn’t fight him no matter what, and the memories came back of how hard I
tried not to fight him and how many times I died, and oh my goodness…
Next I saved Undyne, whom I fake hit,
remembering our entire fun experience. That scene, the one that completely changed
the way I saw her, the one that allowed me to express my strong fun silly side and
bond with her, and the one in which we became great friends, it all came flooding back. I remembered this even more
when I asked her about cooking, remembering how we burned her house down, but
had a wonderful time, and aaaaaaah.
Next I can’t quite remember, but I think
I saved Sans (and Papyrus). I remember telling a joke to Papyrus, and chuckling
at his lack of enjoying it, while Sans did, remembering all their fun banter. I
told Sans to take a break, remembering all the wonderful cutscenes we had, from
grillbys to MTTs to the hall of judgement, and remembering all he’s taught me,
and oh goodness.
And last but definitely not least was
Alphys, the newest member who I’d just fallen for. I asked about anime,
remembering all the fun phone calls she gave me during Hotland, and how much I
enjoyed them, and saw some of myself in. Then I said I would support her,
remembering everything I’d just seen in the True Lab and dating scene, her
struggles, her insecurities, all of it. I remembered how shockingly relatable
it all was, and how more than anything, it made me determined to do everything I
can to help her to be happy and love herself for the wonderful person she is.
And this just…oh my goodness,
remembering the journey I had with all these characters, the things we did, the
ways we bonded, the ways I slowly came to love and understand each and every
one of them, I just…oh man, this was the best thing ever, and I’m sorry for
gushing so much but aaaaah, this really made everything all the more powerful
and wonderful. ;---;
Getting to re fight them all too and do
their boss battles was wonderful, and just, oh my god, it really was the final
culmination, in which everything you’ve done and learned comes back for this
finale, and aaaah, the ultimate full circle is here. You remember everything
your friends taught you, all the wonderful monsters out there, the beautiful
ones you got to befriend, and from all this, you couldn’t be more determined
and ready to win the final battle!
And then….when you save someone
else…heh, I knew who it was instantly. Of course, this is a game in which I’ve
saved and befriended everyone. Surely, even the most evil and cruel of
creatures deserves to be saved too….and geeez the way this was done. The way
you see flashbacks of Asriel first meeting the first human, the way his attacks
get weaker, the way he slowly breaks down, and says he’s so lonely and afraid,
and not ready to move on. Oh goodness…the tears did not stop, and I loved that
I finally got the chance to understand Asriel, and save him. He really was
someone who just…had been hurt more than anyone, and needed love and compassion
more than anyone…
I don’t really know what to say other
than that but…gosh, all the dialogue that comes after the battle broke me so
much. He was so cruel because he had no soul, but that now he has his
compassion back and more, he can feel all the love the characters have for me.... The barrier is broken, and Asriel says he doesn’t deserve forgiveness…..oh man,
when you do, and you hug him, and he says he doesn’t want to let go, aaaaah the
feels, all of the feels everywhereeeeee ;~~~;
And that final line…take care of mom
and dad for me…. ;-;
I really love too, what Asriel
represents. In a game that breaks the fourth wall constantly and feels more
like its own world, Asriel is the perfect finale. Because he doesn’t want to
lose to you more than anyone, he doesn’t want the game to end more than anyone,
and above all…he cares about you more than anyone. He loves you and doesn’t
want you to stop playing with him in this wonderful game…it’s kind of beautiful
really, the ultimate force stopping you from finishing the game does so from
love, and deep sadness and regret. Aaaaaahhhhhh ;~~~~; <33333
And…….with that, the battle was over.
All my friends appeared, they were okay…and god, everything was amazing. I had
become Frisk, I had saved everyone, and the completed journey and ending was
wonderful. I remember talking to all 6 of the mane cast and just loving their
dialogue so much. I smiled and laughed so much and oh my god they were so
wonderful and cute together and ugh I love them all so much. ;-;
I remember too when I saw that if you
flirt with Toriel and call her mom, that text comes back right here, that made
me laugh so hard, that was wonderful. So many great moments from all of them,
god I just spent a while with them smiling, loving them, being happy I got to
know them… <3
After that I listened to
Undyne’s suggestion and went to see Napstablook, my old dear friend. It was
nice to see him again…and I was so touched that he says he won’t forget that
moment I cheered him on, as that’s a moment I definitely won’t forget either…I
had missed him. <3
Afterwards I wanted to go around and
see everyone once more. A friend of mine though convinced me to just see the
ending first…not knowing that if you do you can’t see that amazing easter egg
at the very first area. I scolded him so hard for that. :p
But aw man, the ending was great. I
remember I chose to stay with Toriel of course, though I thought a lot about
it. I mean, if it was an analogy for the real world, which it was, then my
journey was over, and now I had my own adventures to get to in the real world,
so maybe yeah, I won’t be seeing her again…
But I thought you know what? I’ll
always have this game. Maybe I can play it again too (which I’m slowly doing
right now), I don’t think I want to leave it just yet, so Toriel, I will stay
with you. My sweet goat mom, who is the whole reason why I went full pacifist
<3
And with that…the game was over, and
the credits rolled. I recall I got yellow names for all the monsters and bosses
except hm….4? Shyren, Ice Cap, Lesser Dog, and another one I forget… But ah the
credits were lovely and created such a nice ending…I loved Undyne and Alphys
happy together, Napstablook too, and then when Toriel’s theme kicked in and you
saw her, aaaaah ;~~;
AND THEN ASRIEL. Oh my god when he
appeared I got so tense for a moment and was like “no no no why fuck why
nooooooo argh I hate thiiiis”…and then I was trolled so hard, god damnit :p
Thus concluded my first playthrough of
Undertale. I eventually went back and went through the entire game, talking to
every NPC I could, calling Toriel (and Sans) on their phone as much as I could,
and geez I had such a great blast with this game and it’s story and characters.
Altogether, with how much backtracking I did, I was so surprised to see others
say this was a 5 -10 hour game. My first playthrough took I think…20 hours?
Maybe a little more?
Overall, it was probably one of the
most powerful and memorable experiences I’ve ever had with a video game. Where
I loved Mother 3 for having an amazing emotional final battle, Undertale
somehow managed to have multiple battles that felt just as powerful as that
one, if not more, and my word I don’t think I’m ever going to forget like,
every part of this game. If I may channel my inner gamer fanboy for a moment, I
can say with certainty that Undertale is the first game I have played that I
actually think might top Majoras Mask as my new favorite game of all time. I
loved it that much. The experience is going to be one of my most treasured, and
god…I really hope one day I get to experience something like this again. I
suppose the fact that I can recall so much of my playthrough and what choices I
made long after I beat is a show of how memorable it all was.
In fact, I love how Undertale is one of
the few games in which it feels like your choices matter, and it had tons of
choices I had to think about. Where Bastion had its one final amazing choice I
thought so long about that made it one of my favorite games, Undertale had tons
of those in every battle and interaction. Even choosing to get game over felt
like an actual choice rather than something unintentional, and aw man, I love
how I can like, see so many elements of my favorite games in Undertale, all
mixed in and tied with a bow of love on top, it’s just…. ♥
Undertale was amazing, and I loved
everything about it. Getting to discuss it with friends too, how our
experiences were, how they differed and why, and what we thought of it all, was
so fascinating and wonderful and just oh my god.
And that’s not even counting all the
great fan theories and analyses I’ve seen, the backstories and lore I’ve read
about, the amazing fan works, it’s just….all so wonderful, what a game this is,
what a game…
With that…I hope you enjoyed reading
about my silly journey with this game and my silly thoughts. In conclusion, I
love Undertale, and I’m never going to forget it. Thank you to everyone who
introduced me to do this and encouraged me to play it, those who I’ve had
lovely discussions with about this, and just…thanks for joining me in this
wonderful experience that I will always treasure. And above all, thank you so
much Toby Fox <3
Image Source: http://boonanasplits.tumblr.com/post/136649675201/i-love-undertale
Image Source: http://boonanasplits.tumblr.com/post/136649675201/i-love-undertale
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