Deltarune facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deltarune |
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| Publisher(s) |
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| Director(s) | Toby Fox |
| Producer(s) | Robert Sephazon |
| Designer(s) | Toby Fox |
| Artist(s) | Temmie Chang |
| Writer(s) | Toby Fox |
| Composer(s) | Toby Fox |
| Engine | GameMaker Studio 2 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) |
Chapter 1
macOS, Windows
October 31, 2018 Switch, PS4 February 28, 2019 PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch 2
Chapter 2
macOS, Windows
September 17, 2021 Switch, PS4 September 23, 2021 PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch 2
Chapters 3+4
Chapter 5
macOS, Windows, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5
Chapter 6
macOS, Windows, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5
Chapter 7
macOS, Windows, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Deltarune is an exciting role-playing video game created by Toby Fox, an American game maker. It tells a story in parts, like a TV show with different episodes. The game happens in a world similar to his earlier game, Undertale, but it's a separate adventure. You play as Kris, a human teenager. Kris teams up with Susie, a strong monster, and Ralsei, a kind prince from a magical place called the Dark World. Together, they are meant to save their world.
As you play, your team meets many friends and foes. The game's battles are turn-based, meaning you take turns attacking or acting. It also has "bullet hell" parts where you dodge many enemy attacks. Just like in Undertale, you can choose to solve problems peacefully or by fighting. Deltarune shares some characters and ideas with Undertale, but it has its own unique setting and a new battle system where you control several characters at once.
Toby Fox first thought of Deltarune in a dream back in 2011. He started making it in 2012, but stopped for a while. Temmie Chang, who helped with art in Undertale, is the main artist for Deltarune. The game's story and characters are inspired by different things, like the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. After the first part of the game came out, Toby Fox got more people to help him finish it.
The first two parts of Deltarune were released for free in 2018 and 2021. The third and fourth parts became available in 2025 as a paid game. The fifth part was released as a free update in June 2026. The sixth part is planned for 2027, and a seventh part will come out later. The game first came out for computers (macOS and Windows). Later, it was also released for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2019, and for Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 in 2025. Many people have praised the game for its amazing music, interesting characters, fun story, and great humor.
Contents
Exploring the World and Battling Foes
Deltarune is a role-playing video game played from a top-down view. You control a human character named Kris Dreemurr. In battles, you also guide other characters in your team. The game has two main parts: exploring the world and fighting.
Adventuring in the Overworld
When exploring, you can solve puzzles, find useful items, and talk to different characters. You also interact with the environment around you. Each part of the game (chapter) brings new ways to move around. For example, you might climb things or the game might change to a 2D platformer style. In these platformer parts, battles are more about quick actions. Unlike Undertale, you can see enemies before a fight starts. This means you can sometimes choose to avoid a battle or start one on purpose.
Understanding the Combat System
The game uses a turn-based battle system. This means you and your enemies take turns. Each turn, you can choose actions like fighting, using an item, or trying to spare an enemy. You can also defend yourself. During enemy attacks, you control a small heart. You must move it to dodge incoming "bullets" or attacks. Getting close to an attack without being hit (called "grazing") helps fill a special meter. This meter is called the Tension Points (TP) gauge. When the TP gauge is full, your team members can use special spells or abilities. For instance, Ralsei can use a spell to calm down tired enemies.
Choosing Your Path: Peaceful or Powerful
You can use special actions and spells to spare enemies. This lets you avoid fighting them violently. In Chapter 2, you could even invite spared enemies to live in your Castle Town. If you choose to fight enemies, you also gain TP. Defeating enemies violently gives your team members more health (HP) and magic power after the battle.
The Exciting Story of Deltarune
The story of Deltarune unfolds over several chapters. Five chapters have been released so far. While it has characters and ideas from Undertale, it takes place in a completely different, parallel world.
Chapter 1: A New Adventure Begins
The game starts with a voice asking you to create a character. But then, it says you can't choose who you are. Instead, you control Kris Dreemurr, a human teenager. Kris is late for school. Their teacher, Alphys, pairs Kris with Susie, a monster classmate. They go to get supplies but fall into a strange place called the Dark World. There, they meet Ralsei, a prince. He tells them about a prophecy. It says three heroes must seal special geysers called Dark Fountains. These Fountains keep the Dark Worlds alive.
A new Dark Fountain has appeared, creating a Dark World ruled by the mean King. This threatens the balance of all worlds. Susie first joins King's son, Lancer, against Kris and Ralsei. But soon, both Susie and Lancer decide to join Kris and Ralsei's team.
Lancer doesn't want his father hurt. He also doesn't want his new friends hurt. So, he tricks the team and locks them up. After Kris and Ralsei escape, Susie fights Lancer. They make up, and Susie promises not to hurt King. The three heroes then face King and defeat him. Even after being spared, King doesn't change his ways. After sealing the Fountain, Kris and Susie wake up back in their school. The unused classroom is full of objects that look like the Dark World characters. That night, Kris returns home. They pull out their soul (a red heart you control) and lock it away. Kris then picks up a knife.
Chapter 2: A Cyber World Adventure
The next morning, Kris's mother, Toriel, scolds Kris for eating her pie with a knife. After school, Kris and Susie go back to Castle Town. Ralsei tells them to bring the objects from the unused classroom. This will help their Darkner friends get their forms back. Ralsei then sends them to work on a school project with Noelle Holiday and Berdly. But they find a new Dark World in the library's computer lab. This world is ruled by a laptop Darkner named Queen. She has teamed up with Berdly and taken Noelle.
After meeting Ralsei and Noelle again, the team splits up. Kris and Noelle become friends again while avoiding Queen and Berdly. Queen then betrays Berdly and captures everyone. Kris and Susie escape and convince Berdly to join them. They confront Queen. She reveals that a mysterious person, the Roaring Knight, created the Dark Fountains. Queen wants Noelle to open another Fountain. She attacks the team with a giant robot. But they convince her to stop. Berdly tries to create a Fountain for Noelle. Ralsei warns everyone that too many Fountains will cause a disaster called the Roaring.
After Kris seals the Fountain, they all wake up in the computer lab. Noelle and Berdly think it was just a dream. Kris goes home, and Toriel invites Susie to stay the night. While Susie and Toriel are busy, Kris takes out their soul. They lock it in the bathroom and leave for a moment. When they return, Toriel finds her car tires slashed and calls the police. After everyone falls asleep, Kris removes the soul again. They then create a new Dark Fountain in the living room.
Chapter 3: Late Night TV
Kris and Susie wake up in the new Dark World. Ralsei tries to explain that Darkners are just objects from the Light World. He says they shouldn't get too attached. As Susie tries to cheer him up, Tenna interrupts them. Tenna is a Darkner made from Toriel's old television. The team agrees to be on his game shows. But they sneak away and find a sleeping Toriel held captive. Tenna refuses to let them pass to the Fountain. He feels forgotten since the families drifted apart. He says the Roaring Knight promised him importance if he kept the Fountain open. The team defeats Tenna. Ralsei and Susie comfort him, promising to help him find a new home.
Tenna agrees to release Toriel and let them seal the Fountain. But then, the Roaring Knight attacks him. The Knight defeats the team and tries to capture Toriel. Police officer Undyne arrives, responding to Toriel's call, and stops the Knight. The Knight then kidnaps Undyne. Kris and Susie chase them across town to an old emergency shelter. This shelter holds another Dark World. The door closes before they can enter. They find the bunker needs three codes. Susie goes back to Kris's home. The bunker door opens for Kris. They decide to find the codes to save Undyne.
Chapter 4: The Prophecy Unveiled
The next morning, Kris and Susie go to church with Toriel after sealing the living room Fountain. They think Noelle's mother, Mayor Carol Holiday, might know the bunker codes. While searching Holiday Manor, Susie distracts Noelle. Kris finds a code inside the guitar of Noelle's missing sister, December. However, Kris removes their soul before it can be read. The player's soul goes into the vents. It overhears Kris talking to someone unknown. This person tells Kris to stop Susie from finding the guitar. Kris fails to stop Susie and Noelle from playing the guitar. Kris then takes back the soul. Carol returns home and sends Susie away before she can see the code.
Kris and Susie return to the church. It has changed into a Dark World showing the prophecy. They meet a Darkner based on the late Lightner Gerson Boom. He encourages them to challenge their predicted future. Ralsei finally admits he has been hiding the true prophecy from Kris and Susie. This includes its sad ending.
After exploring three Dark Worlds in the church, the team faces the Knight. The Knight opens another Fountain, creating a Titan. This Titan is a huge monster that signals the Roaring. With Gerson's help, they defeat the Titan. To Ralsei's shock, Susie accidentally sees the prophecy's ending. She smashes the image before the player can see it. She says it's something the team would never let happen. They seal the Fountain and return to Kris's home. They find Toriel partying with the grocery store janitor, Sans. Susie feels uncomfortable and leaves. Kris later gets another phone call. As Kris climbs out the window, the unknown caller reminds them of a secret promise.
Chapter 5: Festival Day and New Dangers
The next morning, Kris returns home and puts the soul back. The Castle Town Darkners are getting Susie ready for a date with Noelle at Hometown's Festival. After spending the day together, Susie and Noelle share a sweet moment by the lake. But Noelle leaves when she hears her father, Rudy, "fell down" while working on lights. With Susie busy, Kris removes the soul. They create a Fountain inside their father Asgore's flower store.
Asgore is taken by Flowery. Flowery is a human-like Darkner made from a preserved golden flower in Asgore's shop. While trying to rescue Asgore, the team meets six more flower Darkners. They serve Asgore because he kept them alive in the Light World. Ralsei also shows jealousy towards Flowery for not following the Dark World's rules. Asgore kicks Kris and Susie out of the Dark World. They return to find him obsessed with finding out about the Fountains and the Knight. The flowers are upset by this.
After the team defeats the flowers, Asgore stops fighting. He apologizes for his actions. He hints at a past tragedy in Hometown connected to the Dark Worlds. Kris seals the Fountain. But everyone is shocked when a second Fountain suddenly opens. The Knight appears, kidnaps Asgore, and escapes after hurting Flowery. Flowery warns the team of a growing darkness under the town. In the Light World, Kris finds another shelter code hidden in the golden flower's pot. But Susie takes it before Kris can destroy it. Kris goes with Susie back to the school supply closet. Susie suggests telling Noelle about the Dark Worlds. As she and the Darkners prepare Castle Town for Noelle, Kris quietly leaves.
How Deltarune Was Made and Released
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The idea for Deltarune came to Toby Fox in a vivid dream in 2011. He saw the end of a video game and wanted to create it. He also got ideas from playing card designs by artist Kanotynes. He started making the game in 2012 but stopped before finishing the first room. Some music from this early attempt was later used in Undertale. For example, the main battle theme became "Bonetrousle."
During the fundraising for Undertale in 2013, Fox decided to return to Deltarune. He planned to combine his original ideas with Undertale concepts. Deltarune was harder to make than Undertale. It had better graphics, a new battle system, and Fox had more responsibilities after Undertale became popular. After Chapter 4 was released, he said each chapter felt like a full game. He described the first four chapters as being like "two and a half Undertales." When explaining the story to his team, Fox would act out a "live radio drama" for them. He even let them make choices during the story.
Deltarune is being made using GameMaker Studio 2. The game's new battle system is similar to games like Final Fantasy. This is different from Undertale's combat, which was more like the Mother series.
Art, Characters, and Storytelling
Temmie Chang, who helped with art in Undertale, is the main artist for Deltarune. Toby Fox designed Susie after playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He first imagined her as "nice and cute." But as he worked on her, she became more of a "thug." Ralsei's name comes from a character in an old game Toby Fox's brother made.
For a mini-boss in Chapter 2, Fox asked artist Nelnal to design a "musical enemy." This became Sweet Cap'n Cakes. The artist designed three characters. Fox liked them all, so he put them together in one battle. Fox wasn't sure if players would like Spamton. Some test players thought he looked scary. But Spamton became very popular, and his merchandise sold out quickly.
Toby Fox originally wanted to make a 3D model for Tenna himself. He even bought a special camera in 2016 to help with the animation. He planned for Tenna to look like a "lineless 3D" character, inspired by Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. But he thought it looked "tremendously bad" and changed his mind. Chelsea Saunders, who worked on Undertale promotions, created the final model. Fox also thought players might not like Tenna. He worried they would see him as a "budget Spamton." But he was happy that players enjoyed the character.
The Game's Music
Toby Fox composed most of the game's music. The soundtrack includes new musical themes for Deltarune. It also uses some themes from the Undertale soundtrack. Each chapter has its own soundtrack album. These albums feature other talented musicians like Laura Shigihara and Lena Raine. All the music albums are released by Materia Collective.
First Announcement and Releases
After hinting at something new, Toby Fox released the first chapter of Deltarune for free on October 31, 2018. It was first called a "survey program." It was meant for people who had finished Undertale. Originally, all the remaining chapters were planned to be released together. Fox realized he needed a team to finish the game, as it was a bigger project than Undertale. The first chapter was later released for free on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on February 28, 2019. This was announced at a Nintendo Direct event. The console versions were made and released by 8-4.
Work on the second chapter began in May 2020. Toby Fox spent time trying different game engines. He wanted to make sure the story and characters were just right. He decided that GameMaker "still felt like the best fit." Using the first chapter as a base, he started working in May 2020 with Temmie Chang and other team members. At the time, Fox said Chapter 2 would be the biggest chapter. It had the most cutscenes and many characters.
During a livestream celebrating Undertale's sixth anniversary in September 2021, Fox announced Chapter 2. It was released for free on Windows and macOS two days later, on September 17. He mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic made the world "really tough." The Switch and PS4 versions were updated to include Chapter 2 on September 23.
Paid Release and Future Content
The Deltarune menu shows there will be seven chapters in total. At first, chapters three, four, and five were planned to be released together as a single paid game. By 2022, work on these chapters was happening at the same time. In September 2023, Chapter 3 was fully completed. Because development was taking a long time, Fox announced in October 2023 that the first paid release would only include chapters three and four. He hired Robert Sephazon as a producer in early 2024. His team set a goal to finish Chapter 4's main content by September 1, which they met. Having Sephazon helped Fox add more people to the team. Due to wrist problems, Fox used speech-to-text software for writing. Other team members helped with programming.
Later in 2024, Fox shared that the next two chapters were being translated into different languages and prepared for consoles. They were released the following year. He also said that Chapter 5 had started production. As development continued, a part of Tenna's game show in Chapter 3 was removed to make the game flow better. During a Nintendo Direct presentation in April 2025, it was announced that a paid version of Deltarune would be released on June 5, 2025. It was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. A version for the PS4, Switch, PS5, and Windows was released earlier on June 4. This release included the first four chapters. Future content was planned as free updates.
The credits of Chapter 4 stated that Chapter 5 would be released in 2026. On Undertale's tenth anniversary in September 2025, Fox mentioned that work had also started on bullet patterns for Chapter 6. By December 2025, Chapter 5 was being translated. Fox said work was going "excellently." During a Nintendo Direct in June 2026, it was announced that Chapter 5 would release on the 24th of that month. After Chapter 5's release, Fox said he plans to release Chapter 6 in 2027. Work on Chapter 7 might begin before the end of 2026. He also stated that chapters 6 and 7 would be released separately.
See also
In Spanish: Deltarune para niños
