Gameplay Narrative & Arc: Undertale starts with a brief explanation of how the Underworld came to be. Humans and monsters lived peacefully together. One day the humans waged war and decided to drive all monsters underground, sealed off with a magical barrier that can only be crossed by an individual with one human and monster soul, or broken in its entirety with seven human souls. This is because human souls don’t dissipate immediately after death as monster souls do. We begin the game as Frisk, a human child that has fallen into the Underworld. A goat-like mother figure, Asriel, greets us and says she visits the ruins (where we fell into) each day to help any humans who happen to have fallen. She begins to “train” us for our journey through the Underworld in search of King Asgore's castle. Along the way we discovery pivotal details in the history and plot of our game world. Long ago, Toriel and Asgore's son, Asriel, had befriended a human that had fallen into the Underwolrd, later adopted by Asgore and Toriel. The human abruptly died, and Asriel used the human soul to assend into the human relm in efforts to return the body. Asriel was then killed by the humans, causing Asgore to declare war and begine collecting the seven human souls in order to break the barrier. In the current timeline in which we play. Asgore has collected six human souls. Each monster we pass in our joureny to the castle may opt to battle, in which our options vary from avoiding attacks, seeking friendship, using mercy, and many others depending on the monster. Along the way we can be “filled with determination,” and must protect our hearts in each battle (symbolized by an actual heart you must control and dodge attacks from). Each attack we earn "level of violence" and "execution points" (LOVE, and EXP). Endings vary, but the overarching theme is the determination of the human spirit, and how valuable it is. In this case, to free the monsters from the Underworld. As the story unfolds, we experience complex narratives with how discrimination (Monsters vs. Humans) can change an individual, and what lengths one must go to achieve liberation. Each ending highlights a moral compass, or manner of working through issues: Neutral, Pacifist, and Vengeful.
Frisk encounters many monsters such as: Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys. Frisk has the option to kill or spare these monsters. At the end of the journey, Frisk encounters Asgore at the barrier. We then meet Flowey, a sentient flower, with the power to reset timelines. Flowey interferes by killing Asgore and absorbing the 6 human souls he had obtained. Frisk escapes the Underground, leaving the fate of the monsters that inhabit it unknown (Terracorrupt).
In this ending, our character Frisk is influenced by Chara, the vengeful spirit of the first fallen human into the Underworld. Frisk continues the same journey, choosing to kill every monster they encounter. Chara becomes stronger after each kill, further driving Frisk to violence. At the end, Flowey assists Chara, who then betrays and kills them. Chara reveals their true nature, and gives Frisk the option to erase the world. Chara erases the world regardless of the decision Frisk makes (Terracorrupt).
In this run, Frisk befriends all the monsters they encounter; Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys. Frisk helps Undyne and Alphys express their feelings towards one another, leading to the discovery of Alphy’s failed experiments in trying to combine monster souls with the determination found in humans. Frisk confronts Asgore, but Toriel and all the other monster friends intervene, advocating for peace. Flowey appears capturing all the monster's souls, and transforming into Asriel Dreemurr, Asgore and Toriel’s deceased son who was reborn into a flower. Frisk fights Asriel and wins, appealing to his remaining compassion. Asriel breaks the barrier, freeing the monsters. Frisk can choose to stay with Toriel or be free with their monster friends (Terracorrupt).
The Neapolitan Chord: Built on the lowered second degree, this chord creates a sense of unease and foreboding (Yard). This can be seen in Undyne’s music theme, which can translate to intimidation and danger for the player.
Theremin: Undyne’s theme also contains a theremin-like melody. This sound can introduce a humorous or playful tone, hinting at a deeper complexity to Undyne’s character (Yard). Listen here
Spear of Justice Battle Song: This musical motif contains key changes, often associated with surprise and excitement that can translate to the player's emotional investment (Yard). Listen here
Our journey through the underworld we are faced with many complicated issues that reflect our real-world experience such as: prejudice and discrimination, war and its consequences, fear and misunderstanding, and the power of empathy and compassion. As we play through and discover a “simple” and lighthearted game turns into that of serious discussions, we become emotionally invested in the characters and their own journeys in this world. The heartache, the joy, and anger they feel is a reflection of our own personal beliefs and values. After completing the game and its various endings, we are left to ponder our own existence and which characters we loved/hated that we feel most connected to. Just as an infant understands itself as separate from the world, we contemplate our own influence both in-game and post-game. (Lacan).
Lacan, Jaques. The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience, 17 July 1949.
Terracorrupt. “UNDERTALE Timeline(s) and Story EXPLAINED!!!.” YouTube, YouTube, 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbi7vT90LMA.
Yard, Alex. “Music Theory: Undertale’s Undyne Themes.” YouTube, YouTube, 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVoAr1QjvUc.