The Magic of Undertale & Deltarune

 

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 gamers have played Undertale for the first time, allowing us to relive our 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.

This 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.

A Comparative Analysis of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi Brothership

Recently I completed The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It was great, I had a lot more fun with it then I expected. But one thing that struck me was that while playing it, I kept feeling a sense of deja vu, and thoughts of Mario & Luigi: Brothership entered my head. After much thinking, I've decided it would be fun to try something new, and do a comparative analysis of the two games. The more I thought about it, the more I realized these games actually have a lot in common. So, for a fun spoiler free look at both titles, they're similarities and differences, and which one succeeds more, head on down below!

Same Brothers, New Adventure - Mario & Luigi Brothership Review

 

After 9 years of the series' absence, the Mario & Luigi series is back on the Switch with its sixth installment: Mario & Luigi: Brothership. It marks a thrilling conclusion to what could be called the revival of the Mario RPGs. Remakes of the beloved Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door showed a renewed interest in the series, and now, with a brand new Mario & Luigi title, it feels as if the Mario RPGs are back.

But this isn't about the Mario RPGs, this is about one game, and one game alone. After spending months playing through it, with a final playtime over 45 hours, I have completed Mario & Luigi Brothership. It has been wonderful to play a new Mario & Luigi, and I have had so many thoughts swirling through my mind since I first started it. So, let's get into it, how did this long awaited installment fare, how does it compare to previous titles, and what do I think of it overall? Head on below for my spoiler free review of the game:

My Top 15 Games of 2024 (part 1)

It is time for my annual post discussing all the games I've played this year, ranking them, and reflecting on the year in general. The second half of this year was very busy for me, which is why this blog has been so quiet, sorry about that. I will continue to be busy during the first half of 2025, but I'd like to at least make this post, as I was surprised to find I had played 15 games in 2024. With such a neat number, please enjoy this look back at the video games I played in 2024. Spoiler, I didn't play any of the games in the image above, so they won't be here, sorry!

My Top 15 games of 2024 (part 2)

 

Hello, and welcome to the second part in my ranking of the 15 video games I played in 2024. If you've gone through the first part (which can be found here if you haven't) then you know how this is going, so let's just continue on.