Deltarune Chapter 2 is an RPG developed and published by Toby Fox, which is available now for free on PC. The second chapter of Deltarune has raised the bar in terms of gameplay and story, leading to a game that is starting to match its esteemed predecessor in terms of quality.
The original chapter of Deltarune was released unexpectedly in 2018. It's set in a world that appears to be in a parallel universe to that of Undertale, where the monsters live a mostly idyllic life, yet there only appears to be one human. The lone human is Kris, the silent protagonist who resembles Frisk/Chara from Undertale. The second chapter of Deltarune (of a planned seven chapters) involves Kris and his friends entering a new world created by a Dark Fountain, this time in the town's library. The chapter mostly takes place in a world that resembles the inside of cyberspace, where they must contend with foes based on computer hardware and programs, as they seek to close the next Dark Fountain and learn more about what is creating them.
Deltarune Chapter 2 expands upon the gameplay concepts laid down in the original game. Like in Undertale, the characters in Deltarune Chapter 1 could either kill or spare their foes. This barely impacted the game, as enemies would run at the last second, preventing them from actually being killed. In Deltarune Chapter 2, this mechanic now has a purpose. The Dark World from the first game now hosts a town, and if the player spares enough of a specific monster type during the game, then they will be recruited and will hang out in the town. There is also a chilling variation of the Genocide route from Undertale in Deltarune Chapter 2, but it's a little harder to find in this game than it was in Undertale, and to say any more would enter spoiler territory. The addition of recruitment makes the combat system a lot more interesting this time around, as there is a tangible benefit for the player to go out of their way and befriend the monsters, unlike in the first game, where it didn't matter, at least mechanically.
The combat system in Deltarune expands upon the bullet hell style of Undertale, with the player able to gain TP (the source used to power special abilities) by narrowly dodging enemy attacks. The party members now have unique actions they can perform in combat, by using their own variation of Kris' Act command, allowing for more possible solutions when trying to win over the trust of enemies. The game has a few minor puzzles when exploring dungeons, but these are mostly played for laughs, and shouldn't be too hard for players to work out.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is notably a lot easier than Undertale, as the game doles out healing items and cash that can be spent on items on a regular basis. The fact that there are healing spells available to the party that can be used repeatedly by farming TP in battle also makes things a little too easy. There are still five more chapters of Deltarune to go, so maybe it's building up to tougher battles, but Chapter 2 isn't particularly challenging, especially for a series that's notable for its brutal boss fights.
As is the case with Undertale and the first chapter of Deltarune, the writing in Deltarune Chapter 2 is stellar, with many laugh-out-loud moments spread through the game. Not only does Deltarune Chapter 2 answer a lot of questions about the original game, but it gives more information about the greater threat to the world, and the route the story is likely to go. The best thing about Deltatune Chapter 2 is its characters, with many of the townsfolk from the first chapter having more time in the spotlight to be fleshed out, and several new characters threatening to steal the spotlight altogether, with the clickbait-spouting salesman Spamtom standing out from the crowd as one of the highlights of the game.
It only takes a few hours to complete Deltarune Chapter 2, barring those who wish to go back and play the different routes. The quality of the experience matches that of a full-price game, and it makes the wait for the next chapters even harder. Deltarune Chapter 2 has improved upon the foundation laid down by the original game, proving that this world's characters and setting have what it takes to match those of Undertale. There are still five more chapters of Deltarune to go and it remains to be seen whether it can truly step out from Undertale's shadow, but Deltarune Chapter 2 feels like a game that's more confidant in its direction, and more willing to let players shape the fate of its characters.
Deltarune Chapter 2 is available now on PC.