What is Undertale?
Undertale was a originally a Kickstarter project with a goal of $5,000, although the campaign resulted in a astounding $51,124 being raised by 2,398 backers.
Toby Fox, the game's Developer, Publisher, Writer, Composer, and Artist (along with some minimal help from Temmie Chang) originally stated that the game took about two and a half years to make.
Plot Summery
The player controls a human child that fell into "The Underground", basically a huge pocket under the earth that the humans threw the monsters in because of a war waged between the monsters and the humans that took place upon the surface. The game is based solely upon choice, and throughout the game the player is given the choice to either spare or kill them. These choices, no matter how small, effects the end of the game in bigger ways than you could imagine.
Gameplay
The player controls a heart and is given the choice throughout confrontations to either fight or befriend the opposing enemy. Combat is very influenced by Bullet Hell, where the player uses the heart and dodges attacks while either attacking or talking with the monsters. Dialog is deep-rooted in role playing and ultimately, choice.
Sound
With the entire soundtrack being composed by non other than Toby Fox himself, the songs are actually a very good fit for the mood of the game or the situation that it represents. I found myself humming some the the tunes outside of the game very often, and enjoyed the music as a whole.
Now the sound design for the game isn't overwhelmingly amazing, it fits the mood of the setting perfectly. And I'd personally rather have it that way.
Graphics
The graphics are of course 2D pixel based, and reminiscent of a simpler time where games weren't based on the look, but rather the story and gameplay.
Don't let the graphics shy you away, you play this game for a story, for the rememberable experience, not flashy textures and polygon counts.
Replayability
Depending on your decisions you made throughout the game, you could replay the game a dozen times and still get an enjoyable experience out of it. I've played and beat the game a few times and still plan on coming back and replaying the game again.
The Verdict
This is a very special game, crafted through blood, sweat, and tears, and you can feel it. Even with the aged look of the game and minimal graphical design. It is still a piece of art, and I haven't felt this passionate about a game in a long time, and that's the kicker.
You are doing yourself and injustice as a gamer and a human being not to give this game a shot.