Work Text:
Undertale and Deltarune are video games, both created by Toby Fox.
I find it difficult to fully convey the impact their stories and characters have had on my perspective on storytelling and creativity. The themes and ideas in these games continue to resonate with me long after my first encounter, and I often return to them in thought or draw inspiration from them in my own creative work. Their narratives explore concepts such as morality, empathy, and the consequences of choice in ways that remain deeply memorable and lasting. Still, I doubt I could ever fully express what these stories truly mean to me.
Part of what makes these games so meaningful to me is the way they combine relatively simple mechanics with deeply emotional storytelling. At first glance, they may appear to be small independent games with modest graphics and a straightforward structure. However, the more time you spend with them, the more layers begin to reveal themselves. Characters that initially seem humorous or light-hearted gradually show unexpected emotional depth, and narrative moments that appear simple at first later gain entirely new meaning. Because of this, the experience of playing these games often continues long after the player has finished them. Their stories linger in memory, encouraging reflection about the themes they present and the choices they ask the player to make.
I first played Undertale in 2017, after discovering its soundtrack online. One track, The Place Where It Rained, appeared in a YouTube video and immediately caught my attention. The atmosphere created by the music was striking, melancholic, reflective, and emotionally evocative. Hearing that composition sparked my curiosity and motivated me to explore the game. Even without any visual context, the music alone seemed to suggest a story filled with quiet emotion and subtle meaning.
Music often has the ability to communicate feelings in ways that words sometimes cannot, and this track was a perfect example of that. It carried a sense of nostalgia and mystery that made me wonder what kind of world it belonged to. I remember replaying the piece several times before even learning anything about the game itself. Eventually, my curiosity grew strong enough that I decided to find out where the music came from, and that decision ultimately led me to play Undertale for the first time.
I was intrigued.
The story begins in a manner reminiscent of a traditional fairy tale; the narrative opens with the words ‘Once upon a time’. This introduction establishes a deceptively simple tone while beginning the story of a human child who falls into the Underground, a hidden world inhabited by monsters. From the very beginning, the game presents a narrative structure that feels familiar yet subtly subverts expectations, revealing a deeper and more complex story than the opening might suggest.
The world of the Underground is presented as mysterious but strangely welcoming. Instead of immediately portraying the monsters as frightening or hostile, the game introduces them as individuals with their own personalities, emotions, and motivations. This approach immediately challenges the player’s expectations about what a typical game narrative might look like. Rather than focusing purely on conflict or danger, the story emphasises relationships, empathy, and understanding between characters who initially appear to be very different from one another.
Undertale was also my first encounter with meta-narration, something I quickly grew deeply fond of. The idea that a story can acknowledge its own existence as a story and use that awareness to convey something more feels incredibly special to me. Moments in which the game seems aware of the player’s actions create a sense that the narrative is not entirely confined within the screen. Instead, it feels as though the story is interacting directly with the person experiencing it.
This kind of storytelling made a strong impression on me because it expanded my understanding of what narratives could do. Rather than simply presenting a fixed sequence of events, the game created a relationship between the story and the player. It suggested that the player’s choices and awareness were part of the narrative itself. That realisation opened my mind to the idea that stories can exist on multiple levels at once, blending fiction and self-awareness in ways that traditional narratives often do not attempt.
As I played the game, I became completely immersed in its narrative.
I found myself genuinely caring about the characters and their fate. It might sound a little silly, but through the story, I felt a sense of recognition and belonging. The characters felt vivid and human despite not being human themselves, and the emotional sincerity with which they were written made it easy to connect with them.
I think there is one scene in particular that is largely responsible for that feeling. At the beginning of the game, in an area called Home, there is a mirror you can interact with. When you do, a line of text appears: ‘It’s you!’ Later, at the very end of the game, in an area titled New Home, you can find another mirror. This time, when you inspect it, the narration says, ‘Despite everything, it’s still you.’
These two short lines of dialogue are remarkably simple, yet they carry a surprising emotional weight. By repeating the same interaction in two different moments of the story, the game subtly reminds the player of everything that has happened in between. The journey through the Underground, the relationships formed with characters, and the decisions made along the way all become part of the meaning behind those words.
I find this line deeply comforting because it suggests that no matter what happens, no matter how much you struggle, change, or what you go through, you are still yourself. There is something reassuring in the idea that you persists even after everything you experience. I remember crying the first time I read this quote because it felt strangely personal.
It was not only the words themselves that affected me, but also the moment in which they appeared. After everything the player experiences throughout the game, seeing that message creates a sense of recognition and reflection. It feels as if the story is acknowledging the journey both the character and the player have taken. That simple line of text manages to capture an entire emotional arc in just a few words.
After finishing the game, I remained at the title screen for a long time, perhaps an hour or even longer. I wish I could say that I spent that time thinking about something in particular, reflecting on the narrative or analysing its themes. However, I do not believe that was the case. Instead, I simply sat there, staring at the screen, attempting to process everything I had just experienced. The emotional impact of the story was overwhelming. I felt many different emotions at once, though I could not easily name them.
Moments like that are rare in any form of storytelling. Usually, when a story ends, you can quickly move on to something else. In this case, however, I felt unable to immediately leave the experience behind. It was as if the story needed time to settle in my mind before I could fully understand what it meant to me.
Thinking back to that moment, I think I was mostly amazed. I felt pure amazement that was accompanied by many different feelings. I was happy that I experienced this story, and I was sad that it just ended. The ending carried a quiet sense of finality that made the experience feel complete, yet that same sense of completion also created a feeling of loss.
Then, unexpectedly, out of nowhere, I said: ‘I want to create a story.’ I do not know exactly what prompted me to say those words, nor why that thought appeared so suddenly. What I do know is that in that moment, I felt an overwhelming desire to create something of my own, something capable of making another person feel what I had just felt. That desire remained with me. It did not diminish with time or fade into a temporary fascination. Instead, it became a persistent motivation that continues to influence my thinking and creative aspirations.
In many ways, that moment was the beginning of my own interest in storytelling as a creative pursuit. Experiencing a narrative that powerful made me realise that stories can do far more than simply entertain. They can inspire, comfort, and challenge. They can do so much more than I initially thought they could do.
My desire to create grew even stronger when I later played Deltarune, another project by Toby Fox that expands upon many of the ideas present in Undertale. Although I cannot recall the exact year in which I first played it, I clearly remember the sense of fascination it inspired. The game reinforced my admiration for Fox’s approach to storytelling and deepened my appreciation for the creative possibilities within interactive narratives.
While Deltarune differs from Undertale in several ways, it still carries the same distinctive sense of humour, emotional sincerity, and narrative experimentation. The characters are equally memorable, and the story hints at mysteries that invite the player to think deeply about the nature of the world presented within the game. Playing it felt like returning to a familiar creative spirit while also discovering something entirely new.
Last year, in September 2025, Undertale celebrated its tenth anniversary, marking a decade since its original release in September 2015. To commemorate the occasion, Toby Fox held a livestream during which he played through the game while commenting on his work and reflecting on the development process. The version of the game he played was slightly altered and included several additions that had not previously been accessible to players.
Watching that livestream felt like revisiting an important memory. Hearing the creator speak about the development of the game provided a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind something that had meant so much to me. It also reminded me how much passion and dedication can be involved in bringing a personal project to life.
At the end of the livestream, he delivered a speech that unexpectedly brought back the same feeling I had experienced after completing the game for the first time. When asked about the new additions to the game, he explained that some elements were intentionally left inaccessible, emphasising the role of imagination in interpreting the world of the game. He said:
‘It never wasn't there, and it will never not be there. The underground is a wide place; the only limit to all of this is your imagination. My goal these days wasn't to show you a new hidden truth you will never be able to access. My goal is to remind you that you have always been able to go if you just hold the key of asking what's there, what's under the bridge, what's beyond the horizon? This is just one interpretation. The underground is as big as you want it to be, and I invite you to come behind the wall with me.’
I find myself thinking about these words frequently. They serve as a reminder of the feeling of inspiration that first emerged when I finished the game years earlier. Whenever I return to them, they help me reconnect with that. The idea that imagination itself can expand the boundaries of a story is something that deeply resonates with me.
For this reason, I believe that Toby Fox is a truly inspiring individual. He began working on his games at the age of twenty, despite having no prior experience in programming or in writing a full narrative for a game. Nevertheless, Undertale and Deltarune became remarkable creative works that have brought hope, inspiration, and emotional connection to millions of players around the world. They were created simply because one person wanted to make a game and decided to pursue that idea.
His story demonstrates that creativity does not always require perfect preparation or extensive experience. Sometimes it begins simply with curiosity and determination. Seeing what he accomplished encourages me to believe that meaningful creative work can emerge from passion and persistence.
Toby Fox has also stated that the initial inspiration for Undertale originated from a dream he had in 2012. From that single dream, an entire story began to form. In many ways, this origin makes the project even more meaningful to me. The idea that something as fleeting and intangible as a dream could eventually lead to a work that resonates with so many people illustrates the unpredictable nature of creativity itself.
Sometimes, all it takes to begin creating something meaningful is a single moment of imagination. Reflecting on everything I've learned from Undertale, Deltarune, and their creator, I am committed to trusting those moments of inspiration and using them as a starting point for my own projects. I want to challenge myself to turn creative impulses into actions, to create stories that might one day inspire others as these have inspired me.