Toby Fox, the creator of hit indie titles like Undertale and Deltarune, just surprised his fans with a sudden announcement about the current development of Chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune on his personal Twitter/X account.

After sharing an illustration of Kris, Susie and Ralsei in Halloween costumes (Drawn by his colleague and the main artist for both games, Temmie Chang), Toby Fox updated his followers on the progress of the next two chapters of Deltarune. He said that he's eager to show people what he and his team ??made since 6 years ago, and confirmed that chapters 3 and 4 will "100% come out in 2025".

Curiously enough, he also explained that the specific time in which he will release these chapters will rely on localization and console porting, which is no surprise, considering that Chapters 1 and 2 of Deltarune are also available for free on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and that his team even localized them in other langu?ages, like Japanese.

Will Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 be free? Or paid content?

Needless to say, fans are ecstatic about this sudden announcement, seeing as Deltarune Chapter 2 came out in 2021, more than 3 years ago. In case you forgot, Toby Fox released Chapter 1 of this new project out of nowhere in 2019. While he claims that the world of Deltarune is seemingly unrelated to Undertale, this game still managed to grab people's attention for similar reasons, li??ke its memorable characters, its ??intriguing lore and its unique gameplay.

The first two chapters of Deltarune are 100% free, which fans all around the world certainly appreciated, but Toby Fox still hasn't confirmed whether Chapters 3 and 4 will also be free or not. Curiously enough, in the past, he has claimed that he wants to release C?hapters 3, 4 and 5 as a single paid title. Regardless of what he ends up going for, these are such fun and unique games that he definitely deserves the mon??etary support from fans, especially after giving away the first tw?o chapters for free.

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Deltarune, the successor to the glorious Undertale, caused quite a splash when its first chapter came out of the blue and free of charge back in 2018. Deltarune Chapter 2 kept the hype train moving when it came out in 2021, but we've since been waiting for Chapter 3. Here's what we know and what we think we know about the upcoming adventure in the Undertale-verse.

Deltarune Chapter 3 Development update

Back in February 2024, Toby Fox released a newsletter to inform fans that his team is working on chapters 3, 4, and 5 all at once. In it, Fox explained that the upcom??ing chapters will feature a greater level of complexity and that he's now working with more people to get the game done. That's likely why th??e development is taking more time, but Fox also assured fans that everything is now in place for development to get much faster. The update also said that the team is mostly working on chapter 4, as the third chapter only needs to conclude the Japanese localization and some bugtesting to be ready for release.

Deltarune Chapter 3 price

We know the upcoming chapters won't be free, but there's still no information on pricing regarding any of the upcoming episodes and the whole Deltarune package. If the original price point of Undertale is anything to go by, you shouldn't expect any of the upc??oming episodes to cost you more th??an $15 each.

We still don't know when Deltarune Chapter 3 will come out, but with what we know from Fox, that could be any moment now. Even if he announces a release date, he likely won't give more than a week's worth of a heads up. If you want to get up to speed with the previous chapters before Deltarune Chapter 3 hits like a meteor, you can get both for free on the Switch eShop or Steam.

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Among Us is having a massive collaboration and players will get the chance to rock some brand new skins and other cosmetic items because of it. This collaboration includes seven popular indie games, including big names like Undertale and Castle Crashers.

Alongside those two, the other games involved in this crossover are Celeste, A Hat in Time, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Untitled Goose Game, and Alien Hominid Invasion. Innersloth, the developers of Among Us, announced this massive collaboration on November 28 and it is live now, until February 28, 2024.

There are a total of 25 hats, 18 skins, 12 nameplates, 9 visors, and 6 pets included in this crossover. With the in-game currency—beans—players can head over to the shop and purchase a Cosmicube. The Cosmicube allows players to have access to all? cosmetics from each game for a m?ere price of 7,000 beans. Beans are earnable through gameplay, if you're finding yourself bean-less for this new cube.

Alongside this collaboration, Innersloth has also added in a number of different patches in order to improve Among Us. Since its release in 2018 and massive success it gained during the pandemic in 2020-2021, several updates have been released. The patch notes state that they’re falling behind because of all of the older?? versions of the game, so the team is re??moving older versions and encouraging players to update to newer versions for efficiency.

This collaboration will be the first update?? since The Fungle map was added to the game back in September of this year. The Fungle is the fifth map to be added to the game. It features a fungus-infested jungle for crewmates and impo?sters to explore.

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All of them, actually

I will never say no to a rhythm game spinoff. I am, of course, a loud and unashamed fan of the genre. I'm always down for more rhythm games, but I'm especially fond of titles that recontextualize the music found in o??ther games. I think nearly every video game would benefit from a supplemental mechanical examination of its soundtrack.

But obviously, some franchises are more suited to rhythm gaming than others. If I were to make a list of the greatest video game series soundtracks of all time, it would probably include Metroid and Halo, but those scores aren't exactly full of toe-tappers. So while I would play a rhythm game based on absolutely any soundtrack, I'd like to outline the franchises I think truly deserve the Theatrhythm treatment.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0IxUMu036k[/e?mbed??]

10. Shovel Knight

Jake Kaufman is a very prolific and accomplished composer. The Shantae series could easily have made this list, but limiting myself to one Kaufman-heavy franchise, I have to give it to Shovel Knight. These games, from Shovel of Hope to Shovel Knight Dig, emulate the strict and structured chiptunes of the NES era but with more contemporary musical stylings. These are perfect rhythm gam?e soundtracks because they're stable and rhythmically readable, even to the layman.

Plus, Shovel of Hope has a couple of tracks by Manami Matsumae, and I felt really bad about leaving Mega Man off this list.

[embed]//www.youtube.c????om/watch?v=UND5wgnIino[/embed]

9. Assassin's Creed

I don't play Assassin's Creed very often. It's just not my cup of tea. But I do listen to Assassin's Creed pretty regularly. A rotating cast of phenomenal composers has brought an awful lot of wonderful tracks to life. A lot of score pieces from the series' history are so driven and thumping that I can practica??lly see the beatmap in front of me.

I'm particularly fond of the Assassin's Creed Odyssey soundtrack, and I've found myself finger-drumming to the beat of "Legend of the Eagle Bearer" more than a few times. At the very least, we deserve a shanty-filled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag rhythm spinoff.

[embed]//www.??youtube.com/watch?v=NH-GAwLAO30[/embed]

8. Undertale

Across Undertale and the first two episodes of Deltarune, series creator/composer Toby Fox has established a coherent and delightful sound to accompany his series' world. Like Kaufman, Fox plays in the realm of chiptunes, and his are especially earworm??-ish.

Some of Undertale's bullet hell moments already feel like a carefully orchestrated dance set to one of the game's wonderful battle themes. Concretizing that comparison with a full-throated Undertale rhythm game would be pretty great. As an aside, you can get a pretty Undertale-ish rhythm game experience out of 2021's Everhood.

[em??bed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTLfV7Ru5VY[/embed]

7. Donkey Kong Country

We've gotten pretty close to a Donkey Kong Country rhythm game in the past - there were no fewer than three Donkey Konga games, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat almost counts - but there's never been a rhythm game solely focused on music from the actual DKC series.

Across the first three DKC games, David Wise, Eveline Fischer, and Robin Beanland redefined what Donkey Kong sounded like. Just about every track from the series is groovy and pleasant. To me, the beautiful soundtracks are the number one reason to return to Donkey Kong Country. A game dedicated to ??those soundtracks wo??uld be a dream.

[embed]//www.youtube.?com/watch?v=ikQHkhL8YMM[/embed]

6. Guilty Gear

The precise inputs fighting games demand make them feel like natural siblings to rhythm games, but Guilty Gear feels particularly suited to travel between genres. Music has always been central to the franchise—series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari has composed music for nearly every franchise entry, and as of Guilty Gear Strive, every character has an independent? absolute banger for a theme.

Guilty Gear is indebted to music on nearly every level. Characters like Axl Low take blatant inspiration from real-life rockstars, and there are probably more fans of the Guilty Gear soundtrack than there are fans of the act?ual ser??ies. A rhythm-based spinoff is an all-too-obvious pitch.

[embed]//www.yo??utube.com/watch?v=nO3Ap0xOcAE[/embed]

5. Chrono

The Chrono duology will get a bit of rhythm representation in the form of DLC for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but honestly, I'm not sure that that's enough. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross collectively pl?ay host to some of the greatest JRPG music around. Yasunori Mitsuda is an incredible composer and his work alongside the legendary Nobuo Uematsu elevates th??e first game to incredible heights (the second one is pretty wonderful, too).

The presence of these soundtracks in Theatrhythm proves that they translate into a gamified context, so I think it would be nice to see them in their own game entirely. If you'll permit me to dream for a moment, I'd love a rhythm game incorporating some of Chrono Trigger's classic dual and triple techs.

[embed]//w??ww.youtube.com/watch?v=e9r5hx47kxM[/embed]

4. Super Mario

I honestly can't believe this doesn't exist. If you ask a random person to hum a tune from a video game, good money says they'll go for the main theme from Super Mario Bros. There's no denying that the Super Mario series plays host to some truly iconic music.

After The Legend of Zelda got its own Crypt of the Necrodancer-themed rhythm spinoff, I figured Mario, king of the side-game, would follow close behind. But somehow, the series' soundtrack is still limited to cameo appearances in different rhythm games. I do want a Mario rhyt??hm game, but more than that, I'm just shocked that there isn't one yet.

[embed]//www.youtu?be.com/watch?v=N8OHSXvneOE[/??embed]

3. Celeste

I dig the soundtrack from the original PICO-8 version of Celeste, but the series' sonic identity really came into view when composer Lena Raine joined the team for the 2018 remake. Raine's music makes Celeste feel like a sincere musical adventure, and that feeling is only e?nhanced by the game's "B-Sides"—tougher takes on individual levels featuring brilliantly remixed takes on the original soundtrack.

Raine returned to score Celeste's DLC, Farewell, and she also wrote a couple of smaller tracks for the game's miniature PICO-8 sequel, Celeste 2: Lani's Trek. All of this music is phenomenal, and all of it ??would be as well-suited to a rhythm game as it is to a series of precision platf?ormers.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=55uDJ39W4i0[?/embed]

2. Sonic the Hedgehog

I'm not even gonna write anything fo??r this one. Just listen to it.

??[embed]//www.yo??utube.com/watch?v=9XV7TeThdVA[/embed]

1. Nier

Like the Chrono games, the Nier series will be featured in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but it deserves an awful lot more. Composer Keiichi Okabe's work is responsible for at least a solid 40% of my personal fondness for Nier, and I don't think it's a stretch to call it some of the best video game music ever??. Okabe's work is often melancholy and complex, but it's also frequently catchy and light.

The music of Nier is truly brilliant. I'd love to see it paired with a set of mechanics specifically built around it. The only issue I can see with this plan is that I would probably never play a?nything else again.

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The Undertale creator shares some of his latest musical creations

The latest Pokémon game is out in the wild, and players have been exploring the new region of Paldea. As it so happens, some of the tunes playing while they roam around this Pokémon world were penned by Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale.

Fox announced he'd be working on Scarlet and Violet's soundtrack before the game's release. Now, Fox has shared his exact contributions in a newsletter mailing list that he spun up for fans of Undertale and Deltarune. (Destructoid has received a copy of this because yes, I would like to receive news about Undertale and Deltarune.)

In it, the developer writes that he had the honor of making a few songs for the game. These include the tracks "Tera Raid Battles", the "Academy Ace Tournament", and "Battle! Zero Lab". (Beware of spoilers if you go digging into that l??ast one, by the way.)

Fox also composed "Area Zero", which was re-arranged by Pokémon composer Go Ichinose. Fox also apparently wrote a "majestic theme melody" for the song "Academy", which ended up used as a field theme for the g?ame. All songs using the melody were made by other composers.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK20iZfOU1k

Turn up the PokéTunes

I had a sneaking suspicion that certain tunes in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, particularly the ones that play during the endgame section,? had to include contributions from Toby Fox. So it's nice to have those gue??sses validated.

This isn't the first time Fox has contributed to a Pokémon game, as Sword and Shield also had tunes from Fox in the soundtrack. But it's nice to see this collaboration continue, and especially see how it's helped shape the sonic direction of Pokémon.

As for Fox's personal projects, Deltarune is still in development. We heard earlier this year that there won't be another chapter in 2022, and Fox confirms as much in his newsletter. There's a lot of minutiae in the update, but it sounds like progress is proceeding apace for Deltarune. Until then, we'll always have Area Zero? to hold us over.

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It's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel

A list of the most challenging boss fights ever is necessarily flawed. I, of course, have not played every video game, and I have not encountered every boss fight in the video games that I have played. I am also only one person, and I can only speak for my own experience?s. I have watched other playe?rs blitz through boss fights that took me hours and vice versa. By its very nature, this list is subjective and very personal.

Still, I've played an awful lot of video games, and I've bumped up against an awful lot of bosses. I may not be able to compile an objective, definitive list, but I think I can o??ffer a pretty good one. Wi?th that in mind, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the most frustrating big bads I've ever had the displeasure of fighting.

10. 50/20 - Ultimate Custom Night

Ultimate Custom Night acts as something of a digestif for the Scott Cawthon-helmed era of Five Nights at Freddy's. The game features a grand total of 50 discreet enemies whose behavior can be tweaked by the player. Setting all 50 enemies to level 20, their maximum level of aggression, allows you to try out 50/20, the most demanding single night in Five Nights at Freddy's history. It's pretty tough.

FNaF, at its best, is a series about balancing spinning plates, and playing through 50/20 means balancing a truly incredible number of plates. All 50 foes require different reactions, and it's nearly impossible to keep up with each of them at their most aggressive. It's a non?traditional "boss fight," but a trul?y challenging one.

9. Thunderblight Ganon - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I'm not a big fan of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's combat. The game is a wonderful physics sandbox, but I've always found it a bit lacking as an action RPG. My distaste for the game's so-so fighting is at its peak in the ridiculously frustrating Thunderblight Ganon fight. The other three Divine Beast Ganon fights are reasonably forgettable, ??but t??his one is memorable for its controller-smashing difficulty.

Thunderblight Ganon is incredibly quick and incredibly strong. Getting shocked in its first phase is basically a death se?ntence, which means d?odging and flurry-rushing is just about the only viable strategy. Later phases are even more irritating and gimmicky. This is one of those boss fights that's both very tough and very annoying.

8. Sephiroth - Kingdom Hearts

Speaking of tough and annoying...

Kingdom Hearts is another action RPG with c?ombat that I just don't jive with. The movement is subpar and the camera is utterly miserable. It's generally not too tough to push past those issues in the main game, but the optional bosses are downright irritating. Sephiroth is easily the most difficult of these, demanding that the player learn every intricacy of a distressingly inelegant com?bat system.

7. Starscourge Radahn - Elden Ring

Yes, of course FromSoftware is on this list. Not to spoil too much, but FromSoftware is actually on this list a few times. The studio's most recent game, Elden Ring, is littered with obscenely difficult boss encounters. Many will no doubt wonder how I could leave off legenda??rily tough battles with characters like Malenia, Blade of Miquella or the Elden Beast.

Truth be told, I can't include those fights on this list because I never got to them. I got stuck on Starscourge Radahn, who likes to obliterate my beloved horse without a second thought. I'm sure there are tougher boss fights in Elden Ring, ??but I'm not sure when (or if) I'll ever encounter? them. So Radahn gets the spot.

6. King Dice - Cuphead

There are plenty of ultra-tough boss fights in Cuphead, but the penultimate challenger, King Dice, has to be the hardest. That's because King Dice isn't just one delir??iously challenging enemy - he's somewhere between four and ten.

The King Dice battle is actually a boss rush comprised of randomly selected mini-bosses. There's an outside chance that you might get lucky and only face easy enemies during this fight, but you're much more likely to get wiped out over and over again, forcing you to start over from the beginning. The final battle in Cuphead is pretty tough, but this second-to-last fight is the one that truly tests you on the ski??lls you've de?veloped to this point.

5. Genocide Sans - Undertale

There are a few optional bosses on this list, enemies that you must seek out for yourself. Few bosses are quite as optional as Sans, though. In order to face Sans, you have to kill every single enemy in Undertale, undertaking the "Genocide Run," a route that is significantly more challenging (in terms of both gameplay and emotion) than anything else in Undertale.

The capstone to that incredibly difficult run is one last incredibly difficult fight. Genocide Sans is notoriously tough. If the philosophical weight of wiping out every charming character in Undertale isn't enough to deter you from a Genocide Run, Sans might be. Undertale's "combat" is mostly abou??t dodging, and Sans throws an incredible number of obstacles your way at an incredibly high speed.

4. Ornstein and Smough - Dark Souls

I told you FromSoftware would be back. "Dark Souls" is practically synonymous with "tough boss fights," and the double-header that is Ornstein and Smough might be the toughest boss fight in the entire series. In the first phase, you'll challenge two absurd powerhouses at once. After you bring down ??one of them, the fight gets even harder, since the surviving enemy becomes ultra-powerful in the second phase.

Ornstein and Smough is one of many choke points in Dark Souls. It's where tons of players bounce off simply because they can't progress (I'm happy to announce that, unlike Starscourge Radahn, I actually have beaten these two). Once you get past this point, though, you are truly ready for anything Dark Souls can throw at you.

3. Yozora - Kingdom Hearts 3

I promise the outsized presence of Kingdom Hearts on this list isn't just a consequence of my fondness for the series. Some of these boss fights really are astonishingly difficult. Yozora, the final boss of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind DLC, is one such duel.

The original Kingdom Hearts 3 is laughably easy. The game's impressive combat system is held back by the fact that there are very few?? compelling fights in the campaign. Thankfully, the post-launch DLC offers up plenty of excellent opportunities to flex your Keyblade mastery. Yozora is lightning-fast and his crossbow attacks deal a ton of damage, making?? this one of the most challenging boss fights ever. Also, he's voiced by Dylan Sprouse in English. Kinda weird.

2. Gabriel, Judge of Hell - Ultrakill

Ultrakill, the super-fast, super-violen?t indie darling FPS, has plenty of memorable fights. The most memorable, though, has to be Gabriel, Judge of Hell, the final boss of Act II. Gabriel is yet another super-quick high damage dealer who demands that you make the most of your toolkit.

Thankfully, your toolkit in Ultrakill is immense. Bringing down Gabriel by making the most of the weapons at your disposal is extremely satisfying - but you really need to know what y?ou're doing to? get to that point.

1. Isshin, the Sword Saint - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Bring it in for FromSoftware's third and final appearance on this list! Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might be FromSoft's most difficult game ever, and the final boss, Isshin, the Sword Saint, is the perfect culmination of the game. Sekiro really a?sks that you meet it on its terms, and Isshin exemplifies th?at philosophy expertly.

This fight demands a comprehensive understanding of Sekiro's combat, from parries to Mikiri Counters to lightning reversals. It is what all good final boss fights should be: a test to see what the player has l?earned. Remember: hesitation is defeat?.

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No more Deltarune until 2023

As a veteran of internet culture and creative, interactive storytelling, Toby Fox has been revered for years now as the creator modern classic game Undertale, as well as his newest game Deltarune. The first two chapters of Deltarune were released back in October 2018 and February 2019 respectively, so it's been quite a while since fans have seen an update on the game. This week, however, Fox took to Twitter to provide a much-needed Deltarune update.

"We don't be able to put out any new chapters of DELTARUNE this year," Fox said. Well, at least he's straightforward. Then he teases "something special" coming up to celebrate the anniversary of Undertale and Deltarune Chapter 2, so there's something coming relatively soon.

We'll just have to hold out a bit longer. For what it's worth, you can't really blame Fox for taking his time conside??ring he's pretty much the only one who works on these games. Making a game at all is an impressive enough feat, le??t alone doing all the coding, art, music, and so on completely by yourself.

//twitter.com/tobyfox/status/1566962055470784519

In the meantime, though you can get your next fix of Undertale at an awesome ??pop-up event ?�so long as you live in Southern California, anyway.

From September 15 through October 10, Requiem Café in Anaheim will be hosting an event in honor of Undertale'?s seventh anniversary, which includes special themed food and drink items like colorful macarons and milk tea, as well as exclusive merchandise like shirts, mugs, tote ??bags, and more. The café is not taking any reservations for the event, but walk-ins are of course welcome.

If nothing else, a delicious peach tea with strawberry and spicy mango and some chocolate blood orange donuts will be enough to get me by. Make sure to check out the menu, because it all looks amazing.

The post Toby Fox says not to expect another Deltarune chapter this? year appeared first on Destructoid.

More Toby Fox jams will back Pokemon Trainers' adventures

A new trailer for the next Pokemon entries, Scarlet and Violet, dropped this morning. Alongside the announcement, there was also confirmation that Undertale creator Toby Fox is lending his talents to the Pokemon series soundtrack again.

As confirmed on Twitter by Toby Fox himself, the composer put together the field music for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. "After creating a concept sketch, Game Freak arranged it into many versions that you'll hear throughout the game," Fox wrote. You can even hear a little bit of it in today's trailer.

//twitter.com/tobyfox/status/1532038920183205888

That's not all, either. In a follow-up tweet, Fox confirms that a "few more" of his tracks will appear in the game too. "This time, my music is not optional!!!" h??e writes.

Filled with determination

These contributions aren't Fox's first time working on the Pokemon series. The developer and composer contributed a song for Pokemon Sword and Shield's soundtrack, specifically the theme for the Battle Tower. It's a pretty great track too.

That's not a huge surprise, given Undertale and Deltarune fans will happily tell you that the soundtracks for those games are also stellar. The tunes are so good, people have been trying to get the Pope to hear them. Knowing Fox is on the Scarlet and Violet soundtrack,? and in a pretty substantial way, is exciting news.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7AmximCnRg

Fox has also had his work appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, after playing Smash with Sakurai no less.

As for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the reception to the trailer seemed pretty positive, especially for newcomer Lechonk. Which is fair, because Lechonk is??? adorable and perfect.

The new monster-training game debuted a host of new features this morning, including version-specific Professors, the new legendary Pokemon, and a focus on full-on co-op. Between the new generation and Pokemon Legends: Arceus launching earlier this year, it's going to be a Pokemon-filled year in gaming.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will launch on Nov. 18, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

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Bring it in

I admit it; I’m a hugger. Don’t make this weird. Keep it office appropriate, but bring it in. Maybe aft?er the pandemic has ended.

Just like any hugger, I spend a lot of time thinking about hugging other people, dogs,  crustaceans, and fictional characters. More than once have I been playing a game and thought, “I bet that character gives great hugs.�By “more than once,�I mean, like, constantly. When a new monster reveals itself from the depths, my mind immediately puts it on a scale for huggability.?? Great Grey Wolf Sif: Very huggable. Gaping Dragon: No.

So allow me to share my expertise with all the other huggers out there and bring your attention to some of my picks for ten of the best video game huggers out there. I know some of you are already searching your folders of Shin Megami Tensei games to find the most phallic creation that you want to pu??ll into your embrace, but this is serious business. You can’t just ?go through life making light of the important subject of hugs. Focus!

Mike Haggar

Can you truly look me in the eye and tell me you never wanted to hug Mike Haggar from Final Fight? Look at him, he walks like he’s inviting everyone on the street into his arms. It helps that the beat-’em-up genre is the hugging??est variety of games on the market. Most of the time, when a brawler gets close to an?other character, they immediately take them into their arms before driving their faces into the concrete.

There are quite a few characters that would fit in place of Haggar, including newcomer hugger, Estel from Streets of Rage 4, but Haggar has be??en hugging lo?nger than most. Plus, he’s willing to hug a city full of thugs to save his city and get his daughter back. That’s a man dedicated to hugging.

Yellow Devil

Jump, wait, hop, wait, wait, jump, wait, wait, jump (clear two), wait, wait, wait, jump, wait, wait, wait, hop, wait, and hug. Look at Mega Man's Yellow Devil, he’s huge. Maybe squishy. His stance implies that he wants a hug, but is too shy to commit to it. Those are hugging hands, ready for a soft embrace. Just don’t get too attached. Yellow D?evil is a heartbreaker. If you take your time and pause for effect, you might just crack? that squishy exterior.

Hestu

Damn! Talk about tree-hugging! While his bark-covered exterior may not make for the most comfortable embrace, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Hestu's round shape is pleasing to the arms. He also really kn?ows how to shake it, so if you’re the type to go out da??ncing, Hestu will shake it with you. I’m not the dancing type, but I respect his hobbies.

Sheeva

The first thought a lot of people probably had when they saw the four-armed Goro in the first Mortal Kombat was, “Damn, I want a hug from that guy.�The problem is, like so many fi??ghting game bosses, the dude’s a cheater. He’s fast and does stupid amounts of damage. Sheeva is a much better option.

First appearing in Mortal Kombat 3 as the first playable Shokan on the regul?ar?? roster, Sheeva’s skimpy outfit and impressive musculature confused me as a pre-pubescent child. She has beckoning arms, unlike Goro’s “I’m going to crush you�physique.

DoomGuy

I can’t really imagine a scenario where Doom's DoomGuy would be looking for a hug. He’s pretty fixated on demon killing, but he did take time out for his pet rabbit, Daisy, so maybe there is a comforting embrace in him somewhere. All I know is he’s a passionate individual, and if he could somehow swap hi??s demon-killing hands for hugging hands, it would be a hug for the ages. Just look at those arms! They’re as big as my waist.

Alucard

Dracula’s half-human spawn is something of the dramatic type. Alucard from the Castlevania series presents himself as equal parts sullen and stoic, he’s like the ideal persona of a shoegazing band frontman. More than anyone on this list, however, the guy needs a hug. He misses his mom and has severe daddy issues. It might be difficult to get him to throw open his cloak, but if you can somehow convince him to take you into his dhampir? arms, he’d probably have tr??ouble letting go.

Andre (Blacksmith from Dark Souls)

There were few truly friendly faces in Dark Souls. One wrong move and someone you thought was your friend would be at your throat. Not Andre, though. Guy just sits in the basement of a church, blacksmithing all day. He wishes you well with a cheerful demeanor, a welcome change from the morose or plainly insane. Plus, those calloused hammering hands are primed for hugging, and an embrace from Andre would definitely make the world of Dark Souls a lot less bleak.

Shoutout to Stockpile Thomas from Demons Souls. He’s got a h?eart of gold that could probably benefit from a hug, but he ??loses points because he’d probably start crying down your back.

Kazuma Kiryu

The Yakuza series�mainstay protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, reminds me a lot of my dad. Hyper-competent, good-hearted, and endearingly out of touch. Do you know who gives great hugs? My dad. And while my dad has arms honed from working in a lumberyard for most of his life, he doesn’t quite have Kiryu’s chiseled physique.

Plus, despite his expressionless exterior, he is a bit of a soft touch. He takes care of orphans (while absolutely sloshed if you play Yakuza like I do) and even loves an?imals. He’s not so manly he can’t take time to play with toy cars, so you can bet a hug from him will be slightly awkward b?ut palpably comforting.

Garrus Vakarian

Uuunng, Garrus~

Toriel

If given the choice, I probably wouldn’t have even started Undertale. I would have just accepted Toriel’s offer of motherly love and butterscotch pie. I hate butterscotch. It was pretty mean of Undertale to start the game by forcing you to break the heart of a kindly woman. I fought it, but it leaves you no choice. Thankfully??,? if you play your cards right, you might get another chance at that matriarchal embrace.

However, if you chose to kill Toriel, we can’t be friends anymore.

The post Ten of the Best Video Game Huggers appeared first on Destructoid.

A somewhat unconventional Turkey Day spread

I don't think I'm alone in saying that as far as its origins go, Thanksgiving is by far the worst holiday of the latter part of the year. ??In light of this, I do my best to forget how the celebration got its start, and instead focus more on how much I love the food that I could eat year-round if I wanted, but only choose to eat on this holiday because it feels more special. Video games are known to have some of the most delectable-looking food that I'll sadly never get to eat, but I can at least compile a list of all the virtual Thanksgiving dishes I wish I could down this year on my food holiday.

7. Fried Chicken - I Love You, Colonel Sanders!

[caption id="attachment_297593" align="alignnone" width="1200"] [Image Source: Gamebyte][/caption]I learned recently that KFC is a big holiday tradition in Japan, so I'm gonna go ahead and say that's fair game for the sake of this patchwork list. Now as far as how good this chicken looks in the game, I don't think they could have made it look more tantalizing if they tried. It's also presented to us in the format of a dating sim, which somehow makes it look even more dream??y and amazing. Honestly, screw a turkey this year, this game that was created solely for the purpose of ?selling me chicken has done an excellent job of making me want said chicken. And those mashed potatoes? Say no more.

6. Pumpkin Pie - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[caption id="attachment_297595" align="alignnone" width="1024"] [Image Source: Amino Apps][/caption]The desserts aren't something to make super often in this game, because they don't have a ton of utility and their ingredients are often valuable and hard to come by. Did I make them anyway simply because they look amazing and I have?? a sweet tooth? Absolutely, yes. It feels like a special little treat to give Link a cake after he narrowly escaped death after running through a field of Guardians. It feels only fair. All of the desserts in Breath of the Wild look amazing, but I'm gonna have to go with the pumpkin pie ?on this one for obvious reasons. Plus, it'll give me an armor buff for when those Thanksgiving tensions start rising, am I right?

5. Stupendous Stew - Super Mario Odyssey

[caption id="attachment_297598" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: IGN][/caption]When I was playing the Cookatiel boss fight in the Luncheon Kingdom, I swear I could barely focus �all I could think about was how good that stew looked. I love a good cream-based soup, and those big chunks of potatoes, carrots, corn, and zucchini looked amazing to me. The only thing it's missing is a little bit of protein to give it that rich flavor, but I assume that's what the Cookatiel is for. This is one of those recipes that gets replicated online a lot, and for good reason. I might just? have to try and make my own Stupendous Stew for my own Thanksgiving celebration.

4. Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie - Undertale

[caption id="attachment_297586" align="aligncenter" width="488"] [Image Source: An Undertale Lover][/caption]Okay, I know the circumstances surrounding this pie are�questionable, but you cannot tell me that it isn't your dream to wake up from a nap and have the most incredible, warm, ooey-gooey butterscotch cinnamon pie just sitting out for you. It sounds cozy, and it's exactly what I would want if I found ?myself in some mysterious underworld that was full of monsters. To be honest, neither butterscotch or cinnamon are usually something I'll go out of my way to eat, but in this case, I just have to make an exception.

3. Stuffing - Stardew Valley

[caption id="attachment_297589" align="aligncenter" width="493"] [Image Source: Stardew Valley Wiki][/caption]Stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving staple, and one of my personal favorites, so I couldn't very well leave it out. It's simple, sure, and the low-res pixel art doesn't do it many favors, but when you take into account that it's going to be made with fresh ingredients right off of your farm, you know it's gonna be delicio??us. The recipe is simple �bread, cranberries, and hazelnut �and while that doesn't quite stand out as the most involved stuffing recipe I've ever received, the thought of it somehow still makes my mouth water. Plus, you get a +2 defense bonus. What is it with all these Thanksgiving foods giving me de?fense buffs?

2. Sweet Potatoes - Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends

[caption id="attachment_297602" align="aligncenter" width="250"] [Image Source: Cooking Mama Wiki][/caption]Let's be ?honest, I could have included pretty much ??any dish from any of the Cooking Mama games, but I chose Dinner With Friends because it was the one I played growing up. Now these sweet potatoes are certainly one of the more simple dishes you can make, but that's part of what makes them look so tasty. You're really taking your time to make sure they're slow-roast??ed to perfection, and that you get that nice sweet glaze on top. This is a much different way to prepare sweet potatoes than I was used to growing up, but I honestly think I would prefer it. Mama knows best, which means these bad boys have got to be incredible.

1. Ambrosia - Hades

Alright, I'll admit that this one is a bit of a wildcard, but I mean, come on. Never has a video game food or drink drawn me in with its siren song li??ke the Ambrosia from Hades. In real life, ambrosia is a horrifying monstrosity of?? a dessert that mixes fruit, marshmallows, and sour cream. Who does? that? No, no, no, I want whatever sweet, golden liquid is in those fancy ?glass bottles. I once had this amazing drink made of fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, and it was probably the closest thing I'll ever get in this earthly realm, goddamn it was so good. The fact that there is no real-world equivalent to this truly breaks my heart.

So, what video game foods would you want to add to your Thanksgiving plate? What ??real-life foods do you look forward to during the holiday se??ason?

The post 7 video game foods I want to gobble down th??is Thanksgiving appeared first on Destructoid.

And finishing up Undertale

Welcome back! Tonight on Twitch will be a blast since we're finishing Undertale for the first time as well as starting our Ori and the Blind Forest stream. I've been absolutely loving Undertale's characters and music, so I'm excited to hop right in and see how the story for this run wraps up (I've been mostly pacifist). On the other hand, I haven't seen much gameplay for Ori, but fro??m what I have seen it's a gorgeously immersive game.

Swing by to sit back, relax, and enjoy fresh experiences of these iconic games with us! Drop by Destructoid’s Twitch channel every Friday starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern to join us.

Miss last week’s stream? Catch the video-on-demand for Superliminal and Undertale.

The post We’re streaming Ori and the Blind Forest appeared first on Destructoid.

Back for round two

DELTARUNE IS SO MUCH FUN! We burned through the first chapter last week and dabbled in the second, so tonight we're seeing where the last of the demo ends with another Deltarune stream.

More chapters will presumably be released with the full game and I absolutely can't wa?it. This game legit makes me laugh so hard I cry, the characters are loveable and hilarious, the music is great, the art is super well done. It's just SO creative, I'm totally hooked.

I hadn't played Undertale all that much before, but chat's been telling me they're very similar games (duh) so if we finish up chapter two tonight I might dig into Undertale to see what that's all about. So glad you guys recommended me this game! We've got some puzz??le games we could crack open as well. See you tonight!

Drop by Destructoid’s Twitch channel every Friday starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern to join us.

Miss last week’s stream? Catch the video-on-demand for Deltarune chapter one.

The post We’re playing Deltarune on tonight’s stream appeared first on Destructoid.

Chapter 2 is available now on PC

Toby Fox, the brains behind beloved RPG Undertale and its follow-up, Deltarune, has announced his intention to develop three more chapters for the latter, following on from the successful PC launch of Deltarune Chapter 2 last week.

Speaking in a brand new blog post, Fox thanked his team of collaborators and revealed his plans to develop Deltarune chapters three, four, and five all for release on the same day. At that time, Fox will sell Deltarune's first five chapters for an undisclosed price �though Fox noted that Deltarune will cost more than Undertale d??id at launch. Chapters 1 & 2 are currently free to download, with Fox deciding to give away the latter chapter gratis as "the world has been really tough for e?veryone recently."

"Originally I had planned to release chapters only when all (of) them are finished, but honestly, it's hard both for creators and fans t??o go a long time without a release," says Fox in the blog post. "So, I changed my mind. I think most people will be happy about this[...] So, next time you want to ask "when's chapter 3", you can ask "when can I buy Chapter 3/4/5? I'll give you a lot of money... I won't know the answer until it's done, though."

While Deltarune chapters 1 & 2 can be downloa?ded for free, Fox notes that this is not usually the case for indie releases. "If you can afford it, spend the money you saved from getting this game for free by supporting other indie devs," he suggests.

The post Toby Fox confirms at least three more Deltarune ch?a??pters are on the way appeared first on Destructoid.

Surprise announcement from Undertale developer

Yesterday saw insanely popular RPG Undertale celebrate its sixth anniversary and, to mark the occasion, developer Toby Fox emerged from the shadows to announce that the second chapter of its follow-up Deltarune will be drop in the immediate future. The very i?mmediate future, in fact, as the dramatic adventure co??ntinues tomorrow, September 17.

The Deltarune Chapter 2 reveal came at the end of a Fangamer playthrough of Deltarune Chapter 1, which you can check out below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rksOYId-cNA

This sudden reveal is very much in keeping with the launch of Deltarune Chapter 1, which suddenly dropped out of nowhere one foggy October morn in 2018. Deltarune Chapter 2 will be made available to download on PC from 17:00 PT / 20:00 ET / 01:00 BST. Such is the way of Toby Fox's carny ways, the new chapter is completely shrouded in mystery, creating an atmosphere of intrigue and curiosity that will no doubt lead the entire fanbase to eagerly bagging the new episode and unlocking it??s secrets as soon as it becomes available.

Players can expect more oddly unnerving yet wholesome imagery, some soul-searching dialogue, a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek comedy, and no doubt an excellent soundtrack. As for anything else, frankly, it's a dice roll. The Undertale universe is nothing if not wholly unpredictable. You can check out the "details", for what they're worth, on the official site.

//twitter.com/UnderTale/status/14383??30666869878787?s=20

The post Deltarune Chap?ter 2 will be dropping tomorrow, September 17 appeared first on Destructoid.

Toys to fill you with DETERMINATION

Two more legendary faces from the world of video games are joining the mammoth Nendoroid figure range. As revealed this morning by merch-makers Good Smile Co., the rascally duo of Sans and Papyrus from popular RPG Undertale will soon be given the dinky Nendoroid treatment, ready to sit on your bookshelves and offer y??ou the worst ??life advice.

Unfortunately, Good Smile did not have any prototype images to show off, but the bony brothers were revealed on Twitter with an artist's impression of their final forms. Fans can expect the two figurines to stand around four inches in height, and they may even be packaged with alternate fa??ceplates and other accessories, such is the way of the Nendoroid range. Good Smile Co. listed the two figurines as "Coming Soon", but I wouldn't be surprised if we're looking at late-2022.

The Nendoroid range continues to conquer pop culturedom with its huge range of chibi TV, movie, and video game stars. Among globally recognized characters such as Zelda, Link, Hatsune Miku, and Disney Princesses, the range also features lesser-known characters from franchises such as Sakura Wars, Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin, Hololive, RWBY, My Hero Academia, Persona, and many, many more.

The Nendoroid figurines feature an intricately de?tailed design, with a charisma that I think puts them head and shoulders over the similar Funko POP toys, although this is reflected in a higher price-point, with the average Nendo retailing around $55 USD.

We'll be sure to keep you posted when the Undertale Nendoroids are up for pre-order.

//twitter.com/GoodSmile_US/stat??us/1438095386376351746?s=20

The post Sans and Papyrus of Undertale fame are?? in line for Nendoroid figures appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh, now I get why people went nuts over this thing

Have you ever been too intimidated to play a video game? I think I’m mature enough to say that I have been on multiple occasions. Usually, it’s with a survival horror title. I’m a sucker for the stories of those games, but a massive coward when it comes to the actual scares. To give you an idea of how easily I frighten, I barely made it through Gone Home. I’m sure there are many great games and narratives I’ve missed over the years because the expectation of jump scares and pure dread intimidated me too much to actually ??give it a go.

Undertale was another title that intimidated me. Not because of its content, of course. I’ve known since before it released it was an RPG inspired by the likes of Earthbound and Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, which are both right up my alley. But eve????ry time I approached the possibility of popping the game into my Switch, I’d have people giving me a reason not to. Namely, the fanbase.

We are long past the point when Undertale was at the center of the gaming zeitgeist, but at the height of its popularity, some fans on the internet took their obsession with it way too far. A cursory Google search of �em>Undertale fans toxic�will bring up a wide variety of articles and videos on?? the problem. I was warned that I shouldn’t talk about the game on Twitter if I wasn’t doing a pacifist run, lest I invoke the wrath of strangers with an internet connection and way too much time on their hands.

In hindsight, I should have realized nobody gives a shit about my Twitter account and just done it anyway. But at the time, that was enough for me to never open my Switch copy. It’s sat on my shelf ever since, accumulating dust and hopefully, a respectable resell value on eBay. As the years passed and the frenzy over the game subsided, the itch to play it stayed with me. Seeing Sans appear in Smash Bros. only added to that desire, but it was after I went through Moon last year that I realized I'd waited long enough. I made a pact with myself to play the game within the year, and when it was added to Xbox Game Pass back in March, I knew the time had come.

If you don’t know what Undertale is about, honestly, stop reading this and just play it. It’s only about seven hours long, and like with Twin Peaks, it’s best to go in wi?th as little knowledge as possible. If you read my lede and are worried you might play the game wrong, don’t be. For starters, you can always delete your save file if you mess up. But more important than that, you can easily get the best ending possible if you just follow directions.

RPGs have a long history of making players jump through flaming hoops if they want to see the best endings to their stories, so the lack of some substantial requirements here was something of a surprise. But the further I ventured through the Underground, the more I realized it wouldn’t make sense to gatekeep such a conclusion behind absurd tasks. Because Undertale is fundamentally about one thi??ng: listening. You listen to monsters when they’re your enemies and you listen to them when they’re your friends.

Taking their words to heart will help you solve their issues and ultimately guide you toward the preferred conclusion to this ??tale. Hiding the best ending behind some ridiculous collect-a-thon wouldn’t make much sense for a game that rewards players for having a sympathetic ear.

I will say, had I played this before Moon, the idea of treating monsters like they’re not your enemy might have had a bigger impact on me. It’s still something of a revolutionary idea in an industry that’s always thinking of bigger and bloodier ways to dispose of your opponents, but it wasn’t as fresh as it might have been. However, the experience still impacted me due to the themes sewn throughout the game. Kindness, determination, and non-violence are all prevalent, but it’s Undertale’s message of courage that perhaps resonates the most, and nowhere is that better illust?rated than with Dr. Alphys.

All the principal characters you meet have to muster up some form of courage for you to reach that true ending, such as the courage to let go or the courage to admit defeat. For Dr. Alphys, the Underground’s neurotic royal scientist, it’s the courage to be herself, which, for many people, is a lot harder than it sounds. As somebody who has been massive twine-ball of self-doubt for all of his life, her story arc spoke to me as if Toby Fox had secretly monitored my life like I was the subject of The Truman Show. Sure, my past blunders don’t have the extensive consequences of hers, but they still ??eat at me like Joey Chestnut at Nathan’s Famous??.

I think that’s one of the things Undertale does better than the games that inspired it. The denizens of Moon were mostly just kooky characters that made you laugh, but the monsters of the Underground are like celebrities in Us Weekly �they’re just like us. They may look different and eat questionable food, but when you take a step back, it’s easy to see these monsters are no different than the humans, and boy, is that a lesson?? a lot of people in this world could use right now.

Certainly, one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing through Undertale is the fact that it tries to make you a better person when you put the controller down. You don’t really get that a lot in this industry, so for one title to have so many morals is substantial. Play through and you’ll learn about the power of love, the importance of giving people a chance, and the fact that doing the right thing isnâ€??™t always the easiest. In fact, sometimes it can be downright difficult if my many deaths at the hand of Undyne are any indication.

While it may not be easy to do what's right, it certainly is rewarding, and Undertale does a great job of showing players the positive consequences of their pea??cenik ways. As much as I appreciate the game for providing players with a visual cau??se and effect of their actions, I do think there is one instance where it can be too demanding of the player's virtue.

Very early in your adventure, when most players are still getting their bearings, you come across a bake sale by spiders for spiders. You have the opportunity to purchase one of the two items, but chances are the first time you reach the bake sale, you won’t have enough money for either. That’s what happened on my first attempt at beating the gam??e. Without enough money, I just moved on. I didn’t return when I had enough funds, and I certainly didn’t think to grind for cash in a game where you’re not really supposed to grind. Besides, it’s just an item shop. What’s the worst that could happen?

A few hours later, I got an answer to that question. Deep in the Hotland section of the Underground, you’ll encounter a second spider bake sale where both items are probably well beyond what you have in your wallet. A hop, skip, and a jump after that, you’ll walk into a spider lair, home of the arachnid Muffet. While she's technically a miniboss, she is, without a doubt, the most difficult opponent I faced in Undertale.

I lost count of how many times I died trying to spare her in my first run through the game. You have to survive 17 increasingly difficult rounds wi?th her without giving in to the temptation of bashing her head in with a burnt pan. Eventually, I had to give up, delete my save file, and start from scratch, this time making sure I bought something from that first bake sale. Because if you do that, you avoid this battle altogether.

It’s frustrating to know that you can do everything right in this game �help the monsters instead of killing them, go back and make friends with your would-be enemies �and still be subject to an excessively difficult battle all because you missed your opportunity to buy a spider pastry hours earlier in an area you can’t return to once you leave. I can totally understand why people get a neutral ending their first time through because I wanted to kill that damn spider after a dozen deaths. Ultimately, the point of the spider bake sale is to show players that every little thing you do matters, and you should always support the most vulnerable among us. But, surely, there is a better way to get that message across than subjecting us to that infuriating encounte??r.

Thankfully, once you get past Muffet, the pacifist run is smooth sailing. After making my way back to that point, it was only a couple of hours more before I reached the eyegasmic final battle and the True Pacifist Ending. And I gotta say, even with that restart, this game floored me. It started out good, and then it just got better and better until it was blowing my mind at every corner. Undertale is an immaculate game and easily one of the best adventures I've ever been on. It's the type of experience that makes me want to create a game of my own even though I know that will never happen.

Now that I've seen it through to the end, I'm actually quite glad I waited to play this. Had I started it five years ago, it definitely would have had the same effect on me as it does today. It's just that good. But had I played it then, I probably would have been sucked into the culture surrounding it. I would have been in forums and comment sections arguing with the more toxic members of the fanbase, and that would have led to me to resent the game. So I'm just glad I got to skip all that drama and enjoy Undertale for the masterpiece that it is. And having beat it, I can't wait to play Deltarune...

...in 2027.

The post Why did I wait so long to play Undertale? appeared first on Destructoid.

Despite everything, it's still Undertale...

Spread the word, because it's actually happening. As of tomorrow, March 16, Toby Fox's highly regarded indie RPG Undertale will finally be arriving on Xbox. Microso?ft announced that Sans, Undyne, Flowey and friends will be making their presence felt on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and the Xbox Game Pass service. A physical ??edition will be released by Fangamer at a later date.

Originally released for PC in 2015, before being ported to almost every contemporary platform under the sun, Undertale is a dramatic, evocative, funny, and surprisingly r??esonant adventure which takes place in a subterranean fantasy kingdom. Controlling a young protagonist who wanders into the bizarre realm, players will meet a cast of strange and memorable characters, confront demons external and internal, and perhaps even learn a little about themselves.

No introduction necessary, frankly. But check out?? the new announcement trailer below.

The post Undertale finally co??mes to Xbo?x and Xbox Game Pass tomorrow appeared first on Destructoid.

You're (not) gonna have a bad time

Believe it or not, it's already been five years since the launch of Undertale. A blend of visual novel, RPG, and retro arcade action, Toby Fox' labour-of-love won over an army of fans with its emotional narrative, iconic cast of characters, and g??reat chiptune soundtrack.

To celebrate five years of Flowey, Papyrus, Undyne, Sans and pals, Fox and Fangamer are teaming up to present a free online "concert stream," with select tracks from Undertale's great OST being performed live by MUSIC Engine. The concert is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, with festivities kicking off at 19:00 PT / 22:00 ET. Fans can watch the concert on the official Undertale website and YouTube channel.

On the same day, a selection of new Undertale merchandise will also be released. The new range will include a "Stay Determined" shirt, among other items. Proceeds from merch sales will be donated to the United Way COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Undertale is available now ?on PS4, PS Vita, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

//t.co/CiqBCnPvlA has been updated! First announcement...

♪UNDERTALE 5th Anniversary Concert Stream♪
(organized by Fangamer & 8-4)

On 9/15 at 7PM PDT (10PM EST), we'll be streaming a free orchestral concert by MUSIC Engine! Check out //t.co/CiqBCnPvlA for details! pic.twitter.com/CGqrAJQ1wx

— tobyfox (@tobyfox) September 8, 2020

The post Undertale anniversary celebrations to? ??include free concert stream and new merch appeared first on Destructoid.

This week, Destructoid is made possible by Boot Hill Bounties, a throwback RPG in the style of 16-bit classics like Chrono Trigger and EarthBound. Gather your party and head out on a massive, spaghetti western adventure, now available on Nintendo Switch and Steam. This is a sponsored post.

In honor of the Switch release of Boot Hill Bounties, we're taking our hats off to games developed by a single person - or, at least, mostly by a single person. From Papers, Please to Stardew Valley, we have ?seven games that show just how far the determination of a developer can go.

Games are rarely brought to market by a single person, though, so keep that in mind as we make our way through. For instance, Boot Hill Bounties developer David Welch received help from chip-tune extraordinaire Jake Kaufman on the game's soundtrack, whose credits include Shovel Knight, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and DuckTales: Remastered.

Boot Hill Bounties – David Welch

Boot Hill Bounties takes the tried and true formula of 16-bit era JRPGs and brings it into a whole new setting. It's an isometric RPG with up to 4-player co-op in the style of Final Fantasy III/VI and EarthBound. However, it?? ditches the high fantasy setting in favor of a Wild West spin.

Boot Hill Bounties came out on Steam a few years ago, but it just recently released on Switch, and the classic RPG experience pairs perfectly with Nintendo's handheld. Even if you haven't played its prequel, Boot Hill Heroes, you can still play Bounties. Welch developed the game w?ith past?? and new players in mind, allowing anyone to jump in on the spaghetti western action.

Welch founded Experimental Game Studios in order to work on games that capture the same spark that made him fall in love with titles like Final Fantasy III/VI and Chrono Trigger. After releasing Boot Hill Heroes, Welch started development of Boot Hill Bounties, eventually counting down to release day with 50 unique blog posts. These posts, colloquially known as the Corral Countdown, provide a rar??e glimpse behi??nd the curtain of a solo game dev.

In looking back on the experience, Welch had this to say: "The great thing about being a solo dev is that you can be proud knowing that the work is entirely your own, but that can also be scary." Given the breadth of content in Boot Hill Bounties, that's an impressive feat.

Undertale – Toby Fox

Undertale comes from developer Toby Fox, who worked on the game alone outside of some art assets. Although Undertale was Fox's first claim to fame, he had been working on retro-inspired RPGs for some time. Growing up, he used RPG Maker 2000 to create games with his brothers, and he produced ROM hacks for EarthBound in high school.

Following the tradition of weird, Fox went on to develop his own RPG, taking all of the conventions of 16-bit classics and flipping them on their head. Since then, Fox has released the start of another game, Deltarune, though most of his work is focused on composing now. He has composing credits on Little Town Hero, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Stardew Valley – Eric Barone

Stardew Valley was created by Eric Barone, who released the game under the alias "ConcernedApe." Originally intended as a way to bolster his resume, Barone set out to create a "fixed" Harvest Moon, feeling that the series had "gotten progressively worse after Harvest Moon: Back to Nature."

What started as a side project to show what Barone was capable of quickly grew into something much bigger. Although Stardew Valley is a very different game than Undertale and Boot Hill Bounties, Barone still cites the same references. Growing up, his older brother introduced him to Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and EarthBound.

Papers, Please – Lucas Pope

Like David Welch, Lucas Pope is also the developer of two successful games (technically three, though one is a small, browser-based game). After working on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2, Pope ?split from his position as a systems programmer at Naughty Dog to pursue his own creative aspirations, usi??ng the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" as his lighthouse.

Pope and his wife, Keiko Ishizaka, used that phrase to develop Mightier before creating a mobile game and browser game. Their first commercially successful game, though, was Papers, Please, propelling Pope into indie dev stardom.

Iconoclasts – Joakim Sandberg

Joakim Sandberg, who develops his games under the name "Konjak," has actually released six games, though only one of them is still readily available to download. Iconoclasts debuted on Steam's Greenlight program in 2015, though the game had been in development far before that. All the way back in 20??12, S??andberg was allowing players to try out an alpha demo.

It wasn't until 2018 that the Metroidvania platformer hit virtual shelves. Pulling on his experience developing for the Game Boy Advance, Sandberg created a game that feels ripped straight out of the handheld's days, just with updated visuals. With his time at WayFoward, Sandberg worked on games like Contra IV and X-Men 3.

Braid – Johnathan Blow

Johnathan Blow has a long history in the video games industry, though not one directly working on games. After porting Doom to a set-top? box, Blow founded a game studio in 1996, which went bust a few years later. With assets at the ready, Blow worked with IBM to turn the game he and his team created into a demo for the Cell processor, the computing unit featured in the PlayStation 3.

Although the demo was successful, the full game was not. Blow found himself in Thailand in 2004, $40,000 in debt with a stroke of inspiration. He created a time manipulation puzzle platformer demo, which would eventually turn into Braid. Upon release, the game quickly became the starchild for indie titles on console, eventually funding Blow's next project, The Witness.

Axiom Verge – Thomas Happ

Axiom Verge started as a side project for Petroglyph Games engineer Thomas Happ. Petroglyph Games is best known for its work on real-time strategy games like Star Wars: Empire at War and Grey Goo. Starting in 2010, however, Happ began work on Axiom Verge, hoping to release it that same year. It wouldn't be until 2015 that the game? would see the light of day, though.

Instead of just a small homage to Metroid, Axiom Verge turned into a true spiritual successor. Following the release on PC in 2015, the game has since been ported to countless other systems, including the ??Switch, Wii U, Vita, and PlayStation 4.

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Take care of yourself, kid

Pro-wrestler Kenny Omega has never been shy when it comes to combining his love of his profession with his love of video games. Ever since he blew up in Japan with the popularisation of Street Fighter moves such as the Hadoken and the Ultimate Atomic Buster, (as wel??l as some amazing i??n-ring performances), Omega has squeezed gaming references into his matches whenever possible. And now, as one of AEW's top stars, he gets to do that on a more mainstream stage.

Last night, AEW ran a Halloween theme for its weekly Dynamite show and Omega, true to form, came out sporting a fantastic cosplay of Sans the Skeleton from Toby Fox's beloved RPG Undertale. If the 1:1 look wasn't enough, then Omega even used "Megalovania" from the game's soundtrack as his entrance theme. The entrance was preluded with a smart Undertale-style intro video, that referenced both Omega's past wi??th New Japan Pro Wrestling and his DDT "Golden Lovers" partner, Kota Ibushi.

You can check out the full entrance in the video below, from YouTuber Mr BN King.

AEW itself has been making murmurs about producing its own wrestling video game at some point in the future. Given the current state of this year's WWE 2K20, it seems the market is screaming for some mainstream competition and, given the passion for gaming many members of the AEW roster share, any such proje??ct would be worth keeping an eye on.

AEW Dynamite is screened Wednesday nights on TNT.

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Sound of the Underground

Indie developer Toby Fox, who found fame in 2015 with his emotional RPG Undertale, is currently busy beavering away at his next title, the equally strange and intriguing Deltatrune.

Fox took to Twitter this past weekend in order to share with his followers how development is proceeding with the highly-anticipated pseudo-sequel. "The design of the actual game and the specifics of what happen are going really well," said Fox. "I have a lot of confidence in the game that is currently written in my notes. ??At least, I think people that enjoy th?e things that I make, will enjoy it. That's all I'm ever aiming for."

Of course, essentially creating a game single-handedly, especially with the weight of your prior success hanging over your head is no easy feat. And it appears that Fox has hit some snags typical of all game development, but seems confident that they will be overcome.

Fox then rounded off the update with the release of two tracks from Deltarune's OST: the upbeat "Welcome to the City" and the much more melancholic "Lost Girl". Both tunes feature simple, sublime melodies not dissimilar to those that scored the player's journey through Undertale. You can check out both tunes below.

Deltarune ??is currently in development for an undisclosed rele??ase date.

🎵Welcome to the CITY🎵 pic.twitter.com/991qL2j977

— tobyfox (@tobyfox) September 15, 2019

Lost Girl (Noelle) pic.twitter.com/Dd2Gt7UWCr

— tobyfox (@tobyfox) September 15, 2019

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Moar Lyke Toby ROCKS!

In a curious but not unwelcome crossover, Bandai Namco has announced that a selection of tracks from super-popular hug-fest Undertale will be made available in Japan as DLC for cute drumming games Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!

The three tracks chosen from Toby Fox' acclaimed OST are "Heartache", "Megalovania" and "Hopes and Dreams". These tracks are part of a DLC pack will be made available to purchase on October 10 for Drum 'n' Fun! and October 24 for Drum Session! Bandai Namco has unfortunately not co?nfirmed a western release for this particular DLC, but fingers crossed.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! are available now for Nintendo Switch and PS4, respectively. Undertale is av??ailable now on P??S4, PC, PS Vita and Nintendo Switch.

Taiko no Tatsujin x Undertale [Japanese Nintendo]

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Custom music, too

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is going to keep the DLC coming, it seems. During an extended breakdown of Banjo and Kazooie's move set, Smash director Masahiro Sakurai confirmed more Mii Fighter costumes would be coming to the game. Surprising everyone, Sans from Undertale is getting some representation as a cos??tume for the Mii Gunner.

Going further, Undertale creator Toby Fox will be providing a remix of "Megalovania" for Smash, which is the battle theme used for Sans during the Genocide Run. Little things like that are what make me love Smash Bros. so much. That layer of ??authenticity an??d genuine passion is rarely seen in gaming nowadays.

Also, Sakurai flexed about playing Smash with Fox. Lucky bastard, haha.

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Fu Hu Hu

We recently heard that the first chapter of Deltarune, the follow-up to Toby Fox' much-loved RPG Undertale, would be arriving on Ninte??ndo Switch later this month. It's since been announced, via Twitter, that PS4 players will also be able to dive into its weird worl??d on the same day.

Deltarune first appeared as a strange and spooky viral game, that appeared on a mysterious website one October morning. After playing through the trippy adventure, fans soon came to realise that it was essentially the first chapter of a pseudo-sequel of sorts to Undertale,?? a retro-styled RPG that ??tugged heartstrings back in 2015.

The first chapter of Deltarune is free for all, but the following chapters will arrive as paid episodic content. You can check out Deltarune Chapter 1 on PC right now, the PS4 and Nintendo??? Switch ports will be available to download February 28.

ニュースです！PS4版DELTARUNE Chapter 1は、Nintendo Switch版と同じく、2月28日に配信を開始することが決定しました！ そちらを遊ぶ前に、ぜひUNDERTALEをチェックしてみてください。PS StoreとeShopで2月27日までセール中です！ pic.twitter.com/LdHDuBhd7n

— UNDERTALE / DELTARUNE (@UndertaleJP) February 21, 2019

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Chapter 1 for free, others not so free

It turns out the excellent Undertale spin-off/sequel, Deltarune, will be heading to Nintendo Switch soon. The first chapter will be hitting the eShop ?on February 28, 2019, for free. The teaser trailer confirmed that the rest of the game will be coming, as well: it just won't be free.

I don't know a whole lot about Deltarune, but the teaser is sufficiently spoiler-free. If you want to take a gan??der, feel free to watch the clip and then patiently wait for the game to arrive.

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DELTARUNE is an anagram of UNDERTALE *boom*

[Update: So, as noted in the comments below and now by developer Toby Fox, Using the Deltarune uninstaller could possibly wipe files from whatever folder the Deltarune uninstaller is located. Do not use the uninstaller, delete the Deltarune folder itself. An unfortunate epilogue to what is otherwise a clever bit of ma??rketing.]

The official Undertale Twitter, which has been in blackout recently, has just updated? with a repetitive link, which leads to a website and a downloadable .exe file known simply as SURVEY_PROGRAM.exe.

The download page merely offers a few simple warnings, written in stark capital letters and in keeping with the old-school text font of the popular and dramatic RPG. "There may?? be moving or flashing imagery... You may have to override security protocols to use the program...?? For public safety, you are advised to refrain from discussion of the program for 24 hours."

This ends with the ominous message: "You will accept everything that will happen from now on". The mysterious program can be downloaded now from Deltarune.com. Buyer beware, guys 'n' gals, we take no responsibility for what may happen... The perfect ??day for it though...? right?

DELTARUNE [Official]

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SANS information, though

Undertale's creator Toby Fox is teasing something big for tomorrow. In a very vague Tweet, the indie dev has told users that have finished the game to return to the official Undertale Twitter account after 24 hours. It? seems he is working on a new game and is looking for feedback from all fans.

If you'd like to participate in whatever he is planning, you'll need a PC or Mac computer. My guess is it will be a survey linked to a video, but it could even be a playable demo for Steam owners of Undertale. We'll just have to wait and see.

tobyfox [Twitter]

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Suzy, are you there?

Undertale released on Switch just a few days ago, and it seems to be a solid port of an incredible game. Undertale is three years old at this point, and the Switch version is just the same ?game on a n?ew platform. Well, almost the same.

There's one dialogue change that might hold a massive hint as to what developer Toby Fox is working on next. Here's the breakdown, as outlined in a ResetEra thread. This is what conversation wi?th an NPC named Clam G?irl normally looks like:

She talks about her neighbor's daughter Suzy and how you should become friends with her. Suzy isn't actually in Undertale. It's j??ust Clam Girl who talks about Suzy. When you talk to her after the game's over, Clam Girl laments that you and Suzy never met up.

Her??e's what the post-game dialogue? looks like on Switch:

"So, you never met my neighbor's daughter," she says. Flashing a disturbing shade of gray, Clam Girl finishes with "But please don't despair. Because?? the time that you will meet her is fast approaching."

This could be classic misdirection but it doesn't really feel like that's the case. The build has been too long and the new dialogue is too pointed. It's impossible to say what Toby Fox's next game will be. But it sure seems like an Undertale sequel or a spinoff within the same universe. Whatever it is, it'll be hotly anticipa??ted.

Undert??ale Switch seemingly has hint/tease for Toby Fox's n?ext project [ResetEra]

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Despite everything, it's still Undertale

What can I really say about Undertale that hasn’t already been said? For me personally, having Undertale on another platform with a clean slate is already a huge advantage given the onset of guilt that comes from a certain ??garden plant, but we won’t be going into that today.

For first time players, I can’t say enough about starting your experience on PC for the “true experience.” Howe??ver, if you’re adamant, the Switch version will do just fine. There are even a few little extras you won’t find in the original PC version, including a secret room full of puns and gags and a boss battle that takes full advantage of the Switch Joy-Con controllers.

For the most part, Undertale for Switch plays just as it would on PC and remains fairly unchanged, with the exception of the aforementioned additions. I thought the secret room was cleverly positioned, and the new battle was a fun way to expand on Undertale’s gameplay by incorporating two separate dodging mechanics that are tied to each Joy-Con joystick. These new mechanics did, howev??er, leave me wi??shing they were implemented into existing battles to jazz things up from the original version.

I was also curious how Undertale would handle the end game, given some of the interesting mechanics t??hat occur in the PC version. Without going into spoilers, it did fairly well replicating some of those surprises within the constraints of the Switch. I was also happy to see the borders from the PS4 version made their way over to the Switch port, which adds a bit more flavor to the visuals.

The only minor hiccup I came across was with the reaction times on the Switch controllers -- I’ve found that since the signal on these things are much more vulnerable and error-prone, especially in regards to connectivity and batteries, which doesn’t mesh well with Undertale’s fast-paced and precise gameplay mechani??cs. One minor pause or signal drop on your controller could mean the difference between li??fe and death in this game, so handheld mode may be the better route when fighting bosses.

On top of that, there are a few battles that become tricky with the use?? of a joystick compared to arrow keys. For example, blocking the arrows in Undyne’s battle is nearly impossible given the precision required and the amount of leverage it takes to move the joystick quickly enough. Despite Undyne&??rsquo;s battle being one of the earlier battles, it ended up being the hardest from that perspective.

Other than these minor adjustments, Undertale was still just as enjoyable and memorable as ever. I’m hoping tha??t we’ll see a continuation of this world and these characters down the line, as I’m feeling quite ??determined to see the underground again.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Obligatory: Nice

Undertale is celebrating its third birthday by releasing on Switch n??ext month. Although no exact date has been nailed down, that hasn't stopped preliminary sales of its very nice collector's edition.

Fangamer just opened pre-orders for the collector's edition of Undertale on Switch. This $69 bundle comes with a physical edition of Undertale, a story booklet, a two-disc soundtrack, sheet music for six of the game's songs, and a gold-plated brass music box locket. This is the same collector's edition that was released for the PS4 version.

There's also a physical non-collector's edition that retails for $29. This comes with the Switch cartridge and the story booklet. But anyone who wants to show all their LOVE for Undertale knows which edition they gotta buy.

Undertale Game Physical/Collector's Editions [Fangamer] 

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