Kitty reviews… Undertale
Hello kittens! I’m Kitty Powers, drag queen game developer extraordinaire, famous for my series of arcade relationship simulator games, and other triple A games such as the Burnout series, Need for Speed, Tearaway and the fabulous Dreams which is currently in Early Access from Media Molecule!
When the lovely Robin told me about this new magazine, I thought who better than me to pass judgement on video games in the name of gay gaming!
As a drag queen game developer and also an expert in the field of love, I’ve decided to judge these games like I judge my dates.
First impressions will be judged initially, are they all mouth and no trousers or could they do with a makeover? Then it’s staying power, can they keep me entertained? Finally, is the climax satisfying? Does it take too long to get anywhere, or is it all over too quickly?
Ratings will be on a three-point scale:
- Toss – toss it back where it came from
- Trade – play it once then trade it in for a different model
- Treasure – put a ring on it and keep it forever
First in the hot seat is the critically acclaimed Undertale from indie dev Toby Fox. It was originally released in 2015 but I hadn’t actually tried it myself, so I thought since it’s popular with the LGBT community I’d give it a whirl!
First Impressions
Well to be honest, the low budget retro look isn’t always my cup of tea. We’re talking four colours on screen and pixels a go go. If this had been a real date I’d have raised an eyebrow, I can tell you. It does have a charm though, in a ZX Spectrum kind of way, that took me back to my distant childhood. And we’re talking distant here, Jet Set Willy distant (Google it kids!).
They do a lot with that limited palette, conjuring all sorts of weird and wonderful environments in the underground monster realm that the main character finds themselves in. The characters are very characterful and charming for all their 16×16 pixel goodness.
Staying Power
Pretty early on the story is pretty captivating. The game regales you with it’s crazy tale, leading you on a Labyrinth style quest to return to the human world after falling down a hole into monsterville. The strange characters you meet have witty banter, and amusing and relatable neuroses, as well as stereotype busting gender presentations in a lot of cases.
Speaking of neuroses, what I love about the game is the unique idea that you don’t have to kill the wandering monsters you encounter. Sizing them up and figuring out their individual social inadequacies (just like most of my dates) enables you to ‘handle’ them in such a way that they can usually be tamed without stabbing them in the face (always useful on a date).
The Climax
How do I feel about the game having played it? Well the entertainment is consistent, with great writing all round. Characters have decent arcs, and the various areas you pass through each last about the right length of time to keep you wanting more. The story pans out in unexpected ways, better than in most games I’ve played, and believe me I’ve been around the block a few times. The game even has multiple climaxes, which frankly is a dream come true in a relationship scenario, if you know what I mean.
Overall, I’d have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Undertale. A trip to the nether regions is rarely so much fun. I’d have to give Undertale a resounding…
TREASURE!
Buy it and keep it in your library. It’s a classic, and at this stage it’s out on pretty much every platform so there’s no excuse!
Until next time kittens! Meow! Xoxo
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