The second chapter of Deltarune has arrived and it has raised the bar in terms of gameplay and story since the first entry in the series.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is an RPG developed and published by Toby Fox, which is now available for free on PC. The second chapter of Deltarune has raised the bar in terms of gameplay and story, leading to a game that begins to match its esteemed predecessor in terms of quality.
The original chapter of Deltarune unexpectedly released in 2018. It takes place in a world that appears to be in a parallel universe to that of Subtitle, where the monsters lead essentially idyllic lives, but there seems to be only one human. The lonely human is Kris, the silent protagonist who resembles Frisk / Chara from Subtitle. The second chapter of Deltarune (out of seven planned chapters) involves Kris and his friends entering a new world created by a dark fountain, this time in the city library. The chapter mostly takes place in a world that feels like inside cyberspace, where they must face enemies based on hardware and computer programs, as they seek to shut down the next dark fountain and learn more about it. who creates them.
Deltarune Chapter 2 develops the gameplay concepts defined in the original game. As in Subtitle, the characters in Deltarune Chapter 1 could kill or spare their enemies. This barely made an impact on the game, as enemies would run at the last second, preventing them from actually being killed. In Deltarune Chapter 2, this mechanic now has a goal. The Dark World of the first game now hosts a city, and if the player saves enough from a specific type of monster during the game, then they will be recruited and hang out in the city. There is also a chilling variation of the genocide route from Subtitle in Deltarune Chapter 2, but it’s a little harder to find in this game than it was in Subtitle, and to say more would be to step into spoiler territory. The addition of recruiting makes the combat system a lot more interesting this time around, as there is a tangible benefit for the player to go out of their way and befriend monsters, unlike in the first game, where it didn’t matter, unless mechanically.
The combat system in Deltarune develops the style of bullet hell Subtitle, with the player able to gain TP (the source used to power special abilities) by narrowly dodging enemy attacks. Party members now have unique actions they can perform in combat, using their own variant of the Kris’ Act command, allowing for more possible solutions when trying to gain the trust of enemies. The game features a few minor puzzles when exploring the dungeons, but these are mostly played for a laugh and shouldn’t be too difficult for players to solve.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is notably much easier than Subtitle, as the game distributes healing items and money that can be spent on items on a regular basis. The fact that there are healing spells available for the party that can be used over and over while cultivating TP in combat also makes things a bit too easy. There are still five chapters of Deltarune go, so maybe this prepares for more difficult battles, but Chapter 2 isn’t particularly difficult, especially for a series that stands out for its brutal boss fights.
As is the case with Subtitle and the first chapter of Deltarune, writing in Deltarune Chapter 2 is stellar, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments spread throughout the game. Deltarune Chapter 2 answering a lot of questions about the original game, but it gives more information about the biggest threat to the world and the path the story is likely to take. The best thing about Deltatune Chapter 2 is its characters, with many townspeople from the first chapter having more time in the limelight to flesh out, and several new characters threatening to completely steal the show, with the click-bait vendor Spamtom standing out from the crowd as the one of the strengths of the game.
It only takes a few hours to complete Deltarune Chapter 2, unless those who wish to go back and play the different routes. The quality of the experience matches that of a full-priced game, and that makes it even more difficult to wait for the next chapters. Deltarune Chapter 2 improved the foundation laid by the original game, proving that the characters and setting of this world have what it takes to match those in Subtitle. There are still five chapters of Deltarune go and it remains to be seen if he can really get out of Subtitleshadow, but Deltarune Chapter 2 feels like a game more confident in its direction and more willing to let players shape the fates of its characters.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is available now on PC.
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