2025 has been a special year for Toby Fox fans like myself. It was the 10th anniversary for Undertale, and the for the occasion Mr. Fox and fangamer ran one of the best celebratory streams I've ever seen, complete with amazing merch, sets that changed, and new content and insight into this magical game. Everyone that loves the game to death like me came together to remember how special this game is.
As if that wasn't enough, 2025 also saw the release of not one but two chapters of the Undertale sequel Deltarune. There's a high chance this is the only time that happens, and with so much content to consume and discuss, the deltarune fandom has gone absolutely crazy since then, with tons of theories and speculation abound.
With these two events coalescing, it has been a magical time. Tons of younger newer streamers and gamers have played Undertale for the first time, allowing us to relive our own first experiences. Additionally, many have decided to finally play all of Deltarune for the first time, providing further enjoyment in seeing how newcomers find not just the third and fourth chapters, but the first and second as well. It has been wonderful.
With all this going on, I cannot help but reflect on these games that mean so much to me. Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time, and I can see Deltarune being similar by the time it finishes. There's just something magical about the way Toby Fox makes games.
Which got me thinking, what is it about these games that makes them so special? Why are they so beloved, what is at the core of this magic? In this analysis, I aim to propose my own theory, based off of a common piece of praise I have heard for these games, something I don't often hear when praising a game: that they make you want to create a game.
