Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4

Note: This review contains spoilers for Deltarune Chapters 1 & 2.

At the end of my review for Deltarune Chapter 2 (Chapter 2), I expressed hope that we wouldn’t have to wait another three years for Chapters 3-5. As it turned out, we had to wait four years for Chapters 3-4 and Chapters 5-7 are still in development. Despite this long wait, however, my hype never really went away, though it helped that I kept up with the development through Toby Fox’s newsletter. As promised, Toby Fox started charging for future chapters, though the price tag of $25 would ensure that those who paid now would get Chapters 5-7 for free when they officially released (as well as carry over their save data from the free version). Shortly after the website countdown ended, and after I managed to recover my saved data from a previous computer, I started playing Chapters 3-4 In earnest and did whatever I could to dodge spoilers throughout (I started grazing them towards the end, but nothing too major). While not without nitpicks, Deltarune proves itself worth the price of admission (so far).

Immediately after the events of Chapter 2, Kris and Susie wake up in a mysterious new Dark World, where they reunite with Ralsei. Ralsei’s heartfelt conversation with the duo, however, is interrupted by Ant Tenna, who reveals that they are unwitting contestants on a game show called TV Time in a TV-themed Dark World. After Susie’s outburst depresses Tenna, the trio continue the game show out of pity in the hopes of appeasing Tenna so they can seal the next Dark Fountain. Unfortunately, Tenna has no intention of letting them leave so easily. 

Although Chapter 3 doesn’t last as long as Chapters 2 or 4, I didn’t mind the pacing and thought it served as a good breather before the story ramped up during the final act. That doesn’t mean that Chapter 3 didn’t do anything, however. We not only get more development with the Fun Gang, including their relationships with each other, but also some more context for the game world, including the difference between Darkners like Ralsei and Lightners like Susie and Kris. This difference explains both why Ralsei can’t leave the Dark World with his friends and why Darkners resemble real world objects. I also appreciated the development of Susie and Ralsei, which sets up their further development in Chapter 4 rather nicely. 

Outside of the Fun Gang, I found Ant Tenna a memorable antagonist thanks to his personality and sympathetic backstory. Even if I disagreed with his actions, which made him a more possessive version of Mettaton from Undertale (both care about TV ratings and go through multiple genres, including a cooking show), I still got attached to him thanks to his character development. After witnessing the major cliffhanger that ends Chapter 3, I took a break as recommended by Toby Fox, which helped me process what I had seen and gave me time to reflect on my feelings.

From the beginning, Tenna makes an impression.

Like Chapters 1 & 2, Chapter 3 still had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and memorable gags (so many that I wouldn’t want to spoil any of them). Interestingly, there’s one line that I interpreted as a last-minute topical reference to Randy Pitchford commenting on the possibility of Borderlands 4 costing $80 (“If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”). However, this could just be coincidental timing.

You decide.

Gameplay in Chapter 3 feels similar to Chapter 2, though it plays around with the game’s mechanics the most so far. While the Fun Gang plays through each round of TV Time, they mostly play a game within a game called The Legend of Tenna, an homage to the original The Legend of Zelda that plays out like an RPG. Although I won’t go too deeply into the mechanics of the subgame, I will mention that you alternate between solving environmental puzzles, triggering fights in the Overworld and going through short Quiz Show segments. When not playing The Legend of Tenna, the Fun Gang must complete a Physical Challenge in the form of a unique minigame, each with their own rules. 

Although I don’t want to spoil the Physical Challenges, I did have one thing I wanted to mention about Lightners Live, the rhythm game seen in pre-release material. I didn’t have much of an issue with the gameplay itself and even did well thanks to years of playing rhythm games like Guitar Hero or Fortnite Festival, as well as my experience with playing real guitar. However, since I was laser focused on getting a high score, I couldn’t read the lyrics and missed the joke where Ralsei changed them while singing (I did see that he took issue with some of the words). It wasn’t the worst thing, but I only caught the changes because I recorded myself replaying the song with OBS and played it back later. This also reminded me of a similar annoyance in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: In splitscreen, the player fought off robotic Gekkos as Snake on the left side while Raiden fought Vamp on the right (without player input) and the only way to watch the right side yourself without splitting your attention was letting someone else play the left side for you or watching a recording later.

At least it shows up well in a screenshot.

Outside of TV Time, there are some other gameplay changes. This particular Dark World, for instance, uses Points as currency rather than $D (Dark Dollars) and you can convert between each one at certain machines. There’s one section that incorporates stealth in a way that feels like a commentary on slow and tedious stealth sections in games, as the characters move faster and the penalty for getting caught is a slap on the wrist. Overall, the gameplay variety on display in this Chapter, including the nature of the final boss fight, made me realize the effort put into Chapters 3 & 4 and why it took four years for us to get them. Having said that, however, I still had a couple nitpicks. There was one action required to progress through the game that I didn’t consider for a bit too long because when I tried it prematurely, it had a different effect than the one intended, which discouraged me from trying it again at the right time. Additionally, I only knew the controls for one action during the final boss fight because I had unlocked the optional third Physical Challenge beforehand, though I don’t know if the game would have bothered explaining the controls if I hadn’t. Either way, it’s something to keep in mind.

Chapter 4 picks up right after the cliffhanger of Chapter 3 and has a meatier story. After spending almost all of Chapter 3 in the Dark World, Chapter 4 spends more time in the Light World, which allows for further exploration of different character dynamics and fleshing out the town and its people. In particular, we get a lot more development for Noelle and her obvious (still unrequited) crush on Susie, as well as her relationship with Kris. Some of the developments here may be contentious, but I find it difficult to feel too harsh about any of them because the remaining three Chapters could still address them more. In any case, we also get some development on the true relationship between Kris and the player, firmly establishing them as two separate beings and exploring Deltarune’s commentary on the player controlling a character with their own thoughts and feelings. At the same time, you get the impression that something more is going on with Kris and I felt tense at multiple points when Kris rejected my presence.

More Noelle is always nice.

While the Fun Gang is in the Dark World, we get no shortage of revelations about not only the characters and their relationships, but the prophecy that guides them, enough to keep fans busy with speculation until the release of Chapter 5. As with Chapter 3, there are also some new and endearing characters, including one who adds to Susie’s character development as a mentor figure. I won’t go into too much detail in my effort to not spoil anything, but the game does also present some situations throughout that can make certain players feel uncomfortable or hit close to home, which feels rather bold even if I’ve never experienced those situations myself. It’s also clear by the ending that things may get worse for our heroes before they get better.

I did, however, have a couple notes. One was that I ran into a moment where I thought I was done, but it kept going. As much as I liked what came after, I did wonder when I would actually be done. On a more minor note, there is a subtle nod to Among Us, which I worry may date the game along with other nods to games like Minecraft (though one could also interpret the Minecraft one as a reference to the infamous Minecraft with Gadget video).

We also have a timeless Looney Tunes-style gag.

Due to the nature of Chapter 4, the player gets far more exploration of the town, which I enjoyed, including some handy SAVE points, which I appreciated. Once inside the Dark World, the game plays closer to Chapter 2 in terms of variety, but there are still some differences. For example, the Dark World Town has some additional features and activities, including extra songs for the rhythm game from Chapter 3. There are also a number of creative music and light-based puzzles, as well as some climbing sections that eventually add a third dimension for a unique challenge. However, this Dark World felt much more nonlinear, so I repeatedly questioned if I was going the right way or running into a secret area.

As for the bosses, I found the Secret Boss tough but fair and persisted due to how it not only taught me the value of persistence, but Susie as well. One other boss had “Secret Boss” energy despite being a regular boss, but did prove effective at teaching the player how to defeat the final boss for the Chapter. Interestingly, neither the final nor secret bosses allowed Mercy, but approached the limitation in different ways. I only wish that one more SAVE point was placed close to the final boss fight to avoid redoing a lengthy climbing sequence, as I was forced to take a break that undid minutes of progress.

Now, there is one other boss that Toby Fox brought up before the game’s release, which takes place in a room designed around the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2, which came out one day after the release of Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4 on all other platforms. Since I didn’t plan on buying the console, I opted for the PC version, partly because I put the most time into that version of Chapters 1 & 2 and because Toby Fox considered it the closest to replicating the Switch 2 version of the Secret Room (accessible through a method that seems completely obvious in hindsight). I don’t want to spoil the identity of the boss in this room, but I will mention that the PC version not only requires a mouse, but also an external microphone (my laptop had a built-in mic, but it wouldn’t register). For best results, I would also recommend plugging in a pair of headphones, as the mic may pick up the sounds from the game. In case you don’t have a mic, or perhaps have some sort of physical disability, the game also lets you map noise generation to a button or key press, but doesn’t recommend it. Either way, since the fight is based around making noise and moving/clicking the mouse, your physical capabilities matter a lot more than they would in other fights. Fortunately, if you can’t do this effectively for one reason or another, you can simply ignore it.

Also make sure you plug in your preferred mic before launch.

Between both Chapters, the game looks and sounds as good as always, with some new banger tracks that I can’t wait to own physically. I will mention though that Chapter 3 not only has a much more interesting bootup screen than Chapter 2 did, it starts pushing the envelope more with the in-game sprites. In particular, we start seeing a greater variety of one-off animations that add more character to the cast and Tenna is rendered with a 3D model and he has some unique text, which adds a sense of whimsy while also making him unsettling at times, depending on the scene. Chapter 4 continues the use of 3D through the climbing segments in a way that adds spectacle without disrupting gameplay and includes a fully animated moment that helps sell the mood.

Since Deltarune isn’t quite finished yet, it’s admittedly difficult to fully critique, since future Chapters can still address any gameplay or story concerns players may have. What we have now, however, is still very high-quality, certainly higher than a lot of big budget games on the market right now, and is so far worth every penny for those who have played Chapters 1 & 2. I can only hope now that Toby Fox will stick with the projected release window for Chapter 5.