All of your theories are wrong.

Okay maybe that was unnecessarily harsh. Please don’t leave. I was only half-joking.

What I mean to say is that all of the theories surrounding this game are completely missing the bigger picture. There may be some that are ‘correct’ in the sense that they’re right about some specific elements or plot points, but of all the theories I have come across, I have yet to see anyone come up with a comprehensive explanation of what the game is about, where it’s going, and who the main character is. I have answers to all of these.

You see, you were all looking in the wrong places. You were looking for something hidden. A good story, however, doesn’t hide its best parts. It leaves them all in plain sight. More interesting still, some of the biggest keys to this puzzle aren’t even really in the game. They were given to us directly by Toby himself. It all starts with a Q&A post he wrote shortly after release.

You can and SHOULD read it here BEFORE moving on, but I will cite it soon: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqn3p9

I’ll get into the significance of the post in a second- but first, before diving into the similarities, I want to touch briefly on the differences.

Undertale is a game about games.

More specifically, Undertale is a game about you, the player, and how you play games and how the choices you make reflect on you as an individual.

It is natural, then, for audiences to come into Deltarune with some expectation that it will expand upon the themes of the first game in some way. After all, it still features the ACT/FIGHT system from the first game, however, I think its inclusion in the game, in Toby’s own words, is vestigial. A friendly nod to Undertale, but ultimately there is a satisfying conclusion to be found no matter how you act.

The game even goes out of its way to say that your choices don’t matter, and I don’t have any reason to believe this is some sleight of hand. Your choices really don’t matter. Save for a few variations in dialogue, you cannot kill anyone and the ending largely remains the same.

Toby seems to think as much, anyways.

And, you know, the game seems to think so, too.

It’s almost as though Toby himself wants to drive the point home that this isn’t Undertale and you should abandon any expectations you had for the game to be a follow-up in that sense.

Then what is Deltarune about? Where is this crazy train going?

I’ll tell you: Like Undertale, it is also a game about games, but unlike Undertale, it’s not about you, it’s not about the people who PLAY games.





It’s about the people who MAKE games.

Let the man himself speak:

Part of where most ‘theories’ get it wrong on Deltarune is that they’re trying to force a direct narrative connection between it and Undertale, hoping to find some sort of alternate-universe time-hopping gaster-related shennanigans that will tie Deltarune and Undertale into a convoluted homestuck-level web of a story. They’re hoping that Toby Fox left some clue in Undertale or Deltarune that will finally connect all the dots and reveal the beautiful labyrinth that is the Undertale-Deltarune expanded cinematic universe of their dreams.

It doesn’t exist, not in the way you think it does. I am sorry.

The answer has been in front of us since the game dropped and nobody noticed because they forgot that a real human person made the game, not a space-time travelling jester.

Now that doesn’t mean that Toby isn’t doing anything clever here, but I think there’s a very good reason these two games are completely different stories and yet share, at least partially, the same cast of characters. Part of that has to do with the genesis of Deltarune and the time it was conceived.





The Big Reveal

I urge you to read on even if it doesn’t immediately make sense, because I’m going to back it up, I promise.

The Darkner’s world simply isn’t real, or at least not in the literal sense. It is either a magical manifestation (if magic exists in the world) OR (in my personal opinion) a completely fictionalized and embellished representation of a role-playing game, and Kris is effectively its dungeon master.

Whether you choose to believe it’s magic or simply a shared vision, the one thing that’s consistent is that there are no physical consequences of being in the Dark World other than the normal passage of time, only emotional ones.

Kris has invented this game to play with Susie as a means to earn her friendship and to convey his feelings about his troubled past.

Aside: I’m referring to Kris as a male for simplicity. Please don’t scream at me.

Creating games to share how we feel. does that sound familiar? If it doesn’t, you skipped parts of this essay and you ought to be ashamed.

So I’m sure by now you’re thinking, “people who write long rambling essays really piss me off.”

Okay, so I know I said I already dropped the big one, but here’s another kick in the nuts:

Deltarune is the story about the life of the protagonist, “Kris”, his unlikely friendship with the town Bully Susie, and the adventure they shared together that ultimately helped him reconcile his troubled past. Through his imaginary (or semi-magical) adventures with her, he wages a campaign against his own his own emotional demons, and in defeating them (however he chooses), so too defeats the growing hatred that dwells within him.

It is the story of a fictional young man who would eventually go on to create a game called “Undertale” inspired by these events…

Because Kris likes to make games.

So that you know what he’s thinking, and how he’s feeling.

Because if he doesn’t…

…He’ll lose his mind.

Still not convinced? That’s fine! I wasn’t done talking your ear off… or writing your eyes off. I promised I’d get more into the specifics of the game itself, and I intend to. Just so you know, there’s still an even bigger reveal here that everyone has missed. Keep reading.

First, let’s look at the song. There’s a lot of meaning packed in here:

When the light is running low

And the shadows start to grow

And the places that you know

Seem like fantasy

There’s a light inside your soul

That’s still shining in the cold

With the truth

The promise in our hearts

Don’t forget I’m with you in the dark.

Taken at face value, this is likely a sweet little song about remembering someone important to you who is gone when things look grim. I think there’s a deeper meaning here that isn’t quite as obvious.

In this song, Light represents two things. The first of these is hope. The second and less obvious meaning (which is more tied to the game) is that the world of Light is the real world. Why light? Because it’s the world we live in when our eyes are open. It is the place where the _places that we know _exist. So too here are our real life burdens, our responsibilities, and the consequences of our actions.

Dark, by contrast, represents our dreams. The world of darkness, similarly, is the world of dreams, it is our imagination. Through dreams and imagination, we can visit the places we know from our present, our past, (but it is always slightly off, like a fantasy), or we can even invent ones that are yet to, or never could possibly be seen.

In the world of Light, we can lose people. People die, people change, people hurt us, people leave. This is an unfortunate reality that every mortal faces at some point in their lives with no exception. One day, you will bury your mother and your father (and in a grim way, you’re lucky if you get that chance).

But no matter what happens to the people who are lost to us: Don’t forget, they’re with you in the dark, in your dreams. They are the little light that glows when the shadows start to grow. We can remember them when they were at their best, and these memories give us the strength to continue to move forward even when everyone looks bleak.

Light and Dark. Hopes and Dreams.

If you think this interpretation is a stretch, something to consider. We can generalize that “light” and “dark” have a creator-creation relationship. Light creates shadow, dreams are born from reality, and people create stories, toys, and games.

If we examine the “prophecy” through the dark/light metaphor, specifically the fear of the Dark overtaking the light, we can intuitively understand WHY an imbalance would be disastrous. It isn’t a literal end of the world, but the end of YOUR world. Every mind is a world of its own, after all. One who dwells too heavily in the world of dark becomes detached, aloof, uncaring of reality, and abandoning it for a more suitable imagined one. In the world of the games we play in our minds, our actions have no consequences. Our choices do not matter, and our protagonist, Kris, has likely felt this way his entire life. After all what can a child do when he loses his family, has to watch his new adoptive parents fight and divorce, then see the only companion he’s had leave him to go lead his own life?…

Is it any wonder then that Kris is such a little troublemaker?

And make no mistake. Silent protagonist he may be, Kris has a well-defined character that exists independently of your choices. He’s solitary, quiet, and regularly engages in all manners of mischief and rude language.

He’s the creepy quiet kid. People might pick on him occasionally, but nobody ever gives him too much grief for it because he has a super cool, handsome, and popular older brother.

Well, you know, the other one.

As the only human in a town of monsters, he was adopted into the Dreemur family at a young age. While the monsters respected the Dreemur family and tried their best to welcome young Kris into the community with open arms, it was probably hard to convince the younger kids to be sensitive to our boy. No doubt he was teased some some, but thanks to Asriel it was probably never too bad. All the same, Kris had already come into this new world, the world of monsters, with the sense that he was discarded and out of place.

Kris hates humans. He regularly fantasizes about murdering them, or monsters, or both (in the dark, his wildest fantasies). The thought keeps him up at night, but eventually he gets it under control and thinks better of it in the morning, only acting out in childish japes and petty acts of selfishness.

Toriel loves Kris as best she can, difficult as he may be, but she can’t resist sheltering him, either. After all, he’s an emotionally damaged child, he’s different. While Toriel isn’t Kris’s mother she is trying what she believes is her best to support him.

Kris and Asriel were inseparable, though perhaps Toriel simply made it a rule that Asriel watch out for him, nonetheless the two got along well. Asriel was a constant companion who always tried to bring out the best in Kris, and Kris found in him a true friend…

…And then the divorce happened.

And of course, Asgore being Asgore being the big fluffy pushover that he is, goes out without a fight.

You haven’t earned it!!!

It didn’t help that as time went on, Asriel began to grow up, focus on school, sports, and eventually leave for college. It left our boy Kris with a pretty big empty hole in his life.

But life goes on, family drama no doubt took its toll but Kris is still, if nothing else, a functioning little sociopath. And this little sociopath’s story begins on a regular day at school, where he shows up late.

Of course, Kris doesn’t care about a hecking thing other than doing what he wants. He lives a life free of consequences, which consequently leaves him also free of friends. Nobody wants to partner up with Kris, until fortune gifts him the best partner in the universe.

Yeah, I feel the same, Alphys.

In comes Susie, the school bully. She’s terrifying, she’s tall, strong as hell, and Kris has had the good fortune to partner up with her for a totally lame school project. Actually, I suspect the nature of the project is probably creative and when probably thematically significant, which is why it was deliberately not mentioned. MOVING ON… So our girl Susie’s not very popular among her peers.

Bring back the kill option, Toby.

Now at first glance, you’d think these two ought to be kindred spirits. They’re both quiet, disaffected delinquents with no friends.

And yet Kris just pisses her off. Why?

Because Susie has seen the motherly warmth and sweet goodness that is Toriel the schoolteacher. Where does this punk get off? What does he know about real pain? His mom is the best!

Oh, but dear reader, Kris understands true pain. They’re already living in a post-streaming world.

And dad? He’s a pillar of the community. He gives away flowers, for FREE. He makes the town a more beautiful place out of the goodness of his heart. So maybe they divorced, so what, they’re both still here and they both still love him!

And Asriel? He’s the hometown hero. He’s good at everything, evidently. Nobody in their right mind would mess with you, Kris!

Get a load of this toothpaste nerd.

Yep, Kris has everything he could ever want…

…you know, except his real parents…

…and other humans…

…and toys…

…friends…

…Noteworthy achievements…

Owned.

So Kris understandably balks at the suggestion. You’re wrong, Susie, dead wrong. You think my stepmom’s amazing? She’s not. She’s always babying me around and being totally embarrassing with her preachy lecturing, my new family is broken and my stepdad’s too depressed to move out of his mattress and clean his room. You don’t KNOW her. You don’t know my family. You don’t know how much my life sucks. JEEZ! At least, that’s what Kris wanted to say, but he didn’t. He doesn’t exactly have a way with words.

He’s on FIRE.

But Kris, as it happens, has a very vivid imagination. When Alphys sends the pair to the supply closet to retrieve some chalk, here he has an opportunity to put on a performance for a captive audience. He’s going to show Susie how he feels, and he’s going to do it using the power of imagination, and he’s going to make that a lot cooler than it sounds…

Dark places are where Kris’s soul really comes alive. He doesn’t really know how to talk to people, but games? Kris is great at games. He’s been playing them ever since he was a kid.

SANS UNDERTALE CONFIRMED FOR SMASH ULTIMATE DLC.

Darkness is practically calling to him, beckoning his entry, but he hesitates. This is an intimate place, it’s his place, whatever he creates in there is going to be a reflection of himself and he’s letting someone else in for the first time. He is understandably guarded.

Thankfully, Susie gives Kris the courage to step inside. No going back.

He’s taking a chance on this Susie girl, but only because he’s going to show her that she’s wrong about him… Kris is going to show Susie that they are more alike than she could ever know.

Dark, Darker Yet Darker Still…

We fall into the Dark World, or rather I should say Susie falls and Kris does… Well, look:

I mean, look at Susie over here. Hardened bully, hands grasping for purchase on something, anything. She’s desperate. Now look at Kris.

He doesn’t give a heck. He knows exactly where he’s going. Actually, looking at it, it kind of looks like he’s doing a trust fall.

Symbolism? Okay, might be reaching. Back to plot specifics.

In the introductory area, we get a pretty early bit of flavor text hinting at this being an imaginary world.

To play a game, one must use their imagination, one must dream. To really get into the spirit of a good role-playing game, one has to first blind themselves to reality and substitute it with the imagined. This is one of the first things you read in the game. I think It’s pretty on the nose.

We go through a few screens of bullet-dodging and finally meet our fluffy boy

Ralsei

He speaks first before we can introduce ourselves, and again, something is clearly up…

He knows your names. He never asked you your names, but he knows them. Suspicious? Maybe. But consider that all of this is spawning from Kris’s mind so all of the characters born of the Dark know everything they need to know to fulfill their purpose. In this case, Kris wants a familiar companion. He is, after all, still very vulnerable venturing into this territory with Susie, who is still very much a stranger to us.

Ralsei was made in the image of Kris’s absent brother, albeit aged down a bit. Why? Well, we already know Asriel is supposed to be of college age. As the brothers grew older, Asriel became a high-achieving hometown hero and the Dreemur family’s pride and joy. This understandably created something of a rift between the two.

Nonetheless, Kris misses Asriel, but he doesn’t want that Asriel on his journey. He is gone now.

But the old Asriel may be gone, he’ll be with you in the dark…

His background is, in a word, shallow. It’s so shallow, in fact, that it has lead many people to believe that he’s not to be trusted.

The real reason will melt your heart.

I want you to imagine yourself a lonely orphaned boy. You are adopted into the Dreemur family, and you meet their son, Asriel, for the first time. He is a stranger to you, a monster… and yet…

He already knows your name without introduction.

He greets you timidly, but with a warmth that you’ve never known before.

He speaks:

Hi, I’m Asriel. I, um, never had a brother before, but I’ve been waiting my whole life for one.

It’s all the backstory you need. You have a big brother now, and he loves you and will go everywhere with you. He’s going to try his best to be the brother you never had.

That’s the Asriel Kris remembers, and he’s brought him back to join us on his journey. A little light in the dark.

SO BACK TO SUSIE

Remember this girl? The one who was all like:

…when she thinks you’re going to snitch on her.

And then she’s all like:

…when she has to go into a dark closet with someone to get chalk.

And now she’s supposedly in an alternate dimension where a war is being waged for the fate of the world, with an army and a mad king out to kill her, and she’s all like…

It’s just a game. And she’s not really digging it yet.

Susie isn’t really sure where any of it is going and just wants to move it along, fate of the world be damned…

…that is, until she starts fighting. Susie likes fighting, she’s good at it. Maybe even too good. Like, unreal good. She likes fighting so much you can’t even control her, she just attacks everything. Why does she know how to use an ax? Because she wants to, that’s why. It’s a game, that’s how she wants to play it.

When you picture Susie as a reluctant participant in a weirdo’s little fantasy roleplaying game, her eagerness to kill and savagely attack everything makes sense, and it makes even more sense that this is played for laughs. She’s playing a game where Kris is giving her the choice to act our her violent fantasies in a safe environment with no consequences. It’s exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to someone with that kind of pent up rage. Anyone familiar with real pen and paper role-playing games probably knows this person, the flippant newbie or reluctant player who is abuses the freedom they’re given by murdering the first NPC they find in the campaign before they realize you can… you know… talk to them.

Screw that, Susie is a total griefer, and she loves it.

I love her.

Meanwhile she’s getting IRL hungry, but nothing she eats seems to help. It’s clear that the characters still have physical needs, but the food here is… well… imaginary.

But I forget myself… I skipped over someone important.

Lancer isn’t Sans. Stop it.

That’s right. It’s time to talk about Lancer, because he is one of the big keys to the puzzle.

Consider everything we’ve established so far about the characters. Little Asriel never got a backstory because he simply didn’t have one. Lancer, on the other hand, is the single most fully realized character in the chapter. Almost everything he says adds to a picture of his life.

From the dialogue, we can infer all of these things without speculation

Born into royalty.

Very young, but articulate for his age.

Super impressionable.

Only child.

Enjoys the idea of doing mischief, but doesn’t actually know how to do it right.

Ultimately good-natured.

Expected to support his father’s crusade against the lightners.

Nonetheless is expected to obey many of the same rules a child.

Isn’t personally watched over by his father much, but does have a sort of caretaker in Rouxls.

He doesn’t have any real friends and his father is very particular about the company he keeps.

He still loves his father, wishes for his approval, and doesn’t want any real harm to come to him…

…but ultimately, he fears his father and what he may do.

This little guy has a lot going on, and this is based only on what he says, personally. When you get into the King’s dialogue, there’s even more, but for now we already can see that this is someone Kris knows

really

REALLY well.

His entire backstory is beyond something a child could conjure purely from imagination…

Unless he had lived it.

Lancer is Kris’s childhood memories in his human family. He is the childhood that Kris left behind in the Dark.

The King of Chaos, then, is Kris’s real father. He is the tyrant king of humans who hated monsters and wanted nothing more than to groom his son to be a weapon of destruction.

A little game of word replacement, if you will indulge me:

Even more compelling is when you realize that if Kris is a prince, it completely makes sense of why Ralsei is also prince.

This is a young child who has only ever known the royal life coming into a new family.

What else is a father but a king?

A mother, his queen.

A brother, a prince with no subjects.

And a new family, a new kingdom.

And the former prince who fled his kingdom is a prince no longer, for he is not the true-born heir to the new throne…

becomes

A Knight

A knight who has endured the torment of a mad king who hoped to raise a weapon of war. One with no attachments, one with no soul.

This is Kris’s ultimate struggle. He is in danger of losing his humanity to the painful memories that still fester within his mind.

He loses sleep over it.

He needs

a friend

to see this part of himself so that maybe she can help him.

And a little light in the dark from his brother, an incorruptible memory…