Intro: The world is built on chaos and having good in there to balance it out begs the question do we need to be evil to live? Or can we live harmoniously without ever having conflict? Undertale takes a look at the human condition, the fragility of the human spirit, and how it can become twisted or stay in this passive state of wearing rose-colored glasses.
Stay Here and You Won’t Get Hurt: from beginning to end this game is an emotional rollercoaster of finding yourself through the characters you meet, running into enemies whom you can fight with or spare to have a more “pacifist” ending. The way this game goes about its method of choosing leaves the option completely up to the player in the sense where the game doesn’t guilt you into making a specific choice; it allows you the freedom to make the choice that suits your play style best. In undertale as a human that wants simply to go home, we have the choice to along the way be merciless in our appetites, killing and spilling blood or living in an idealists world, and not kill anyone. This concept goes into how our minds work, and what happens when we are confronted with chaotic situations. Fight or flight.
Fight or flight (also known as the acute stress response) refers to a physiological reaction when confronted with something mentally or physically terrifying. Each encounter in this game mimics a fight or flight response in that, plainly you have the option to fight and be present in the situation, or leave. You have another option to spare those you are fighting within an act of mercy alluding to the idea that the monsters are actually afraid of the human.
The Souls Story: The story in this game is a special one. It’s a sophisticated one that carries a timeless message. Many have come before the human we play as, and the fact that our soul, alongside others' souls, is what broke evil, that is a timeless message. Good always triumphs over evil in the simplest sense of healing from a broken heart to the most draining, dealing with mental trauma. Being patronized in the game mimics reality to an extent. Some experience being put down and looked down on for who they are their goals, their dreams, anything that is unexpected or out of the norm is something that is condemned. But also in the game, as in life as well you come across those who are genuine and actually want to help you.
By the end of the game, I was questioning the story, I was questioning all the twists and turns. All of it. in order to cross the barrier into the human world, you have to kill the king (Asgore) and have all souls required. So essentially what the game is saying is that you need both good and evil to have a balanced existence. You need to suffer, to experience joy, and you need to understand the dark things in life before you can overcome pain.
In The End…. In the end of it all, through the pain, through the misery through the varying emotions this game is in my top ten of favorites that I have played thus far in my gaming journey. The dialogue is sarcastic, funny, and emotional. The characters have life and are vividly three-dimensional. You form a bond with these characters and grow to mold with them as if they were an extent ion of you. Despite everything, it's still you.
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