Undertale

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 45

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 45

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 45

A summary of the critical opinion for this game will be provided after release or a minimum of 15 reviews have been aggregated.

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Awards & Recognition

Critic Reviews for Undertale

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

Low Score - 65/100

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40% of scored reviews gave Undertale a perfect score (100/100)

Kallie Plagge (IGN)

10/10

“It’s hard to express just how much I adore Undertale without spoiling anything significant, but that’s what I love about it. It tells its story in such a dynamic way, and with such a great understanding of the RPG player’s mindset, that it couldn’t have been told in any other way. It’s a masterfully crafted experience that I won’t forget any time soon.”

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Tyler Hicks (GameSpot)

9/10

“Without spoiling the many ways it will screw with your expectations, it isn’t possible to truly capture how wonderful Undertale is. You wouldn’t know it with a passing glance, but it’s one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time, breaking down tradition for the sake of invention, with great success.”

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Bob Mackay (USgamer)

5/5 stars

“Regardless of its indie status, Undertale is one of the best and most inspired RPGs in years. By playing with traditional, turn-based mechanics, creator Toby Fox has crafted an experience with a legitimate surprise around every corner. If you have a PC and ten bucks, you owe it to yourself to play this amazing game.”

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Read the Reviews (45 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Attack of the Fanboy	Dylan Siegler	5 / 5 stars	08-19-2017	Undertale is a wonderful game on every level. The music is awesome, the gameplay is fun, the lore is deep, the characters are great, the humor is hilarious and the story is terrific.	Read review
CGMagazine	Jordan Biordi	9 / 10	10-05-2015	Undertale is like Earthbound if it were a Hayao Miyazaki movie: strange, interesting, and profoundly unique.	Read review
Chalgyr’s Game Room	Nick Herber	9 / 10	09-11-2017	Undertale is a fantastic RPG experience. I honestly had no idea what to expect going into it, as I missed playing this the first time around when it came out on PC. It was one of those games I always planned on picking up eventually, just to see if it could live up to the ridiculous hype it had received. So imagine my surprise when it succeeded in meeting, and maybe even exceeding my expectations.	Read review
Cubed3	Renan Fontes	9 / 10	12-29-2015	It’s very short. Even getting all the main endings can be done in under 20 hours, but aside from that, Undertale is a tour de force to be reckoned with. It’s filled with heart, humour, and raw emotion, while never forgetting that it’s a game. Its gameplay is just as strong as its stellar writing. Undertale is a crowning achievement in RPGs and games in general.	Read review
DarkZero	Tommy Daniels	9 / 10	02-16-2016	The script is fun and fresh and appropriate. The depth and the humor especially separate Undertale from the pack and give it a touch of class. I like games that don’t take themselves too seriously and there is a whimsicality to this game that I love. The experience of playing it is nothing short of enchanting.	Read review
Destructoid	Ben Davis	10 / 10	09-24-2015	Undertale is a clever and charming masterpiece, through and through. I didn’t look back at our original review until after beating it and deciding for myself what I wanted to say about it, but I have very little to add or modify. No game is perfect, but a very rare handful are special, exceptional examples of the best there is to offer, and Undertale stands proudly beside them.	Read review
DualShockers	Jordan Boyd	10 / 10	08-15-2017	I find it difficult to be critical towards anything about Undertale because it was designed with such a deft hand. It’s simply hard to find anything that feels out of place because it all feels so intentional. I’m happy I can finally confirm that Undertale is not just hype and while it’s available on PS4, PS Vita, and PC I couldn’t recommend it more. If you’re a fan of RPG’s or somebody who values a deeper experience, I think you’ll appreciate how beautiful this game can be.	Read review
Eurogamer	Martin Robinson	Recommended	08-18-2017	One of 2015’s very best gets a well-handled port to PlayStation	Read review
Game Informer	Daniel Tack	9.5 / 10	10-01-2015	Compelling characters and music come together with an eclectic and clever combat system. Undertale is an intensely curated experience that’s worthy of your attention.	Read review
Gamers Heroes	Casey Scheld	9 / 10	12-10-2015	Undertale has personality in spades, paired with one of the most unique hooks in recent history. Those looking for something new need not look any farther – Undertale is your game.	Read review
GamesBeat	Jeremy Signor	100 / 100	11-19-2015	It’s rare for a game to so ruthlessly and completely nail the altered reality games place us in the way Undertale does. Whether it’s the nameless NPCs you always meet in RPGs or the hundreds of mooks you mow down with gunfire in games like Uncharted, Undertale brilliantly demystifies these conventions and questions why games are still codified this way. But even outside of its ambitious themes, it proves to be a compact, perfectly paced RPG experience with hilarious, tense writing and endearing charaters.	Read review
GameSpew	GameSpew	9 / 10	12-29-2015	Every moment in Undertale is made special by the superb artistry that has been put into the music; it’s far from a second thought and it shows	Read review
GameSpot	Tyler Hicks	9 / 10	08-19-2017	Undertale exceeds expectations, when it isn’t busy subverting them.	Read review
GamingTrend	Eric Van Allen	100 / 100	09-30-2015	Undertale is one of the most unique efforts seen in indie gaming. Combining a love for the old with a willingness to innovate and utilize game mechanics to express ideas, rather than a binary input-output, this game should be on any and every one’s radar.	Read review
Geeks Under Grace	Michael Mendis	9.5 / 10	07-23-2018	Undertale provides an experience unlike anything you’ll find in the AAA space. It’s a game you shouldn’t miss out on, and one that will stay with you long after you’ve completed it.	Read review
Giant Bomb	Austin Walker	5 / 5 stars	09-25-2015	Undertale combines charming characters, smart writing, and a unique combat system to make one of this fall’s biggest surprises.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mikhail Madnani	9.5 / 10	12-30-2015	A masterclass in storytelling with its memorable characters and soundtrack. Undertale is a phenomenal experience overall.	Read review
IGN	Kallie Plagge	10 / 10	08-15-2017	It’s hard to express just how much I adore Undertale without spoiling anything significant, but that’s what I love about it. It tells its story in such a dynamic way, and with such a great understanding of the RPG player’s mindset, that it couldn’t have been told in any other way. It’s a masterfully crafted experience that I won’t forget any time soon.	Read review
IGN Italy	Alessandra Minuz	9 / 10	01-15-2016	Undertale is a fresh and original indie adventure: great story, great characters and a wonderful soundtrack.	Read review
Kill Screen	Jake Muncy	65 / 100	10-13-2015	Its charming, morally earnest rhetoric of Undertale conceals the coercive weaknesses of its systemic approach to those same moral issues. Its limited combat options and often obtuse puzzle solving, alongside the sheer endurance required to survive boss fights long enough to end them, add up to a system that doesn’t point to any elaborate moral insight. It simply points to itself.	Read review
KnowTechie	Josh Knowles	10 / 10	10-01-2015	With masterful story writing, epic music, awesome gameplay and enjoyable puzzles, you organically move through the game until you reach the finale you earned. Undertale looks cheap and simple at a cursory glance but in the end turns out to be one of the most detailed games I’ve played in my entire life.	Read review
Kotaku	Nathan Grayson	Recommended	10-31-2015	Wonderful characters, ample secrets, tons of replayability. Boss fights can be tedious. A subversive spin on role-playing games that’s packed with heart and humor.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	9 / 10	08-16-2017	Undertale is a superb indie role-player that proves once again that it’s not graphics that make a game entertaining but gameplay and great ideas.	Read review
MonsterVine	Spencer Legacy	5 / 5 stars	11-06-2015	Undertale is an absolute masterpiece that blends gameplay and story in an original and poignant way.	Read review
New Game Network	David Will	87 / 100	09-28-2015	The first game in a very long time to put an honest smile on my face. Smart, silly, and unfailingly creative from beginning to end. It’s not much of an RPG, but only because it’s too busy accomplishing so much more.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Cody Long	9.8 / 10	12-17-2015	I found myself smiling through a majority of my time with this game, unable to put it down until I’d beaten it. For only $10 USD (or your regional equivalent) on Steam, it’s hard not to recommend at least giving it a try. For me, it might just be my game of the year.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Mitch Vogel	9 / 10	09-14-2018	Undertale is a brilliant and smartly designed game that understands well what makes a good RPG work; so much so that it can upend expectations and deliver something that’s almost a satire of the genre. It’s been a long time since we’ve played a game that manages to surprise so often and in so many unique ways, and even if it doesn’t look like much, Undertale has way more going for it under the surface. Excellently written characters, a genre-bending battle system and a solid soundtrack make this one an easy recommendation, especially to RPG lovers. Do yourself a favour and give this one a download.	Read review
Nintendo Wire	Ben Fruzzetti	10 / 10	09-14-2018	It asks you to be kind, even though it knows how hard that can be. It is aware that some wicked beings will never be receptive of your good intentions, and cautions you appropriately. It proposes that being good — while difficult — feels good.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	David Lloyd	9 / 10	09-14-2018	Going through the experience today, it’s easy to see why Undertale was the talk of the town two years ago. It’s not an overly long playthrough, but it’s an impactful 7+ hours. A slow burn that starts off cute, but builds up to an absolutely thrilling last couple hours. I’m not sure if the Pope has gotten around to playing it yet, but he would be doing himself a disservice if he hasn’t.	Read review
Paste Magazine	Bryce Duzan	9 / 10	10-09-2015	Undertale is a special game, the likes of which come along only once in a great while. It’s a look into a parallel universe—one where videogames have realized a bit more of their potential than, say, the AAA industry has in our world. It’s a game that can make you laugh while teary-eyed, where both competing emotions are natural and genuine. It’s fun, it’s sweet; it’s an experience that will stay with you long after you’ve put the game away.	Read review
PC Gamer	Richard Cobbett	91 / 100	09-29-2015	A hilarious JRPG romp with far more than laughs on its side.	Read review
PC Invasion	Tim McDonald	10 / 10	09-23-2015	Entertaining, surprising, mind-breaking: Undertale is a labour of love that inspires exactly that emotion.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Tyler Treese	9.5 / 10	08-28-2017	Nearly two years have passed since Undertale originally released, and it still manages to be an incredibly fresh experience. Every battle is a unique puzzle that the player has to solve, and it’s impossible to count how many times I laughed at the bad jokes of Sans. I’ll never see all that the game has to offer, but that’s okay. I’d rather make friends than destroy them.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Neil Bolt	9.5 / 10	08-24-2017	Two years old it may be, but Undertale arrives on PS4 feeling as timeless and inventive as ever.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Rodrigo Ribeiro de Oliveira	95 / 100	08-23-2017	If you missed the opportunity to play Undertale on PC and you’re a fan of retro games that learn from past mistakes of their genre and talk to the player through their mechanics, this game is undoubtedly a modern classic that is essential to you.	Read review
Push Square	Matt Adcock	9 / 10	08-22-2017	Undertale is landmark RPG for those who appreciate something a little different – a game that wrong foots you and delights with the way it mixes up the tried and tested formula which so many adventure games stick so tightly to. A rare pleasure.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Jack de Quidt	Recommended	09-22-2015	The brilliance of Undertale, its delicate balance that it manages for most of the time you’ll spend playing it, is that it understands how to be scary and funny all at once. Inside the Snowdin library there are leather-bound books that contain strange prophecies, books that say profound and disconcerting things about the human soul.	Read review
Saudi Gamer	عصام الشهوان	8 / 10	08-23-2017	A simple and compact game that is big in its characters and interactions, that is full of surprises and secrets. One that has a unique take on the genre making it worth playing even for those who aren’t usually fans of RPGs.	Read review
TechRaptor	Alex Santa Maria	10 / 10	10-05-2015	An unforgettable journey that will shape storytelling in games, Undertale effortlessly resonates with players and fills its world with depth and joy.	Read review
The Escapist	Angelo D’Argenio	5 / 5 stars	11-20-2015	Undertale is fantastic in ways that are hard to describe. It’s a love letter to RPGs, gamers, and gaming in general.	Read review
The Jimquisition	Jim Sterling	10 / 10	09-19-2015	Despite having beaten it, it’s exciting to know that there’s so much more than simply what I’ve seen. The complexities woven deeply into this initially unassuming RPG are enough to keep you invested long after y0u’ve watched the end credits for the first time. It’s been a long, long time since this style of RPG has grabbed me as Undertale has, and even longer since a small independent effort has been so ambitious, impressive, and unquestionably successful.	Read review
Twinfinite	Zhiqing Wan	5 / 5 stars	08-16-2017	Though the game does have its shortfalls, like a lackluster tutorial zone and some infuriating boss mechanics, Undertale is undoubtedly a real stroke of genius. The game plays around with conventions and tropes normally associated with RPGs and subverts them in clever ways, all while telling a deeply personal story that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives.	Read review
USgamer	Bob Mackey	5 / 5 stars	09-30-2015	Regardless of its indie status, Undertale is one of the best and most inspired RPGs in years. By playing with traditional, turn-based mechanics, creator Toby Fox has crafted an experience with a legitimate surprise around every corner. If you have a PC and ten bucks, you owe it to yourself to play this amazing game.	Read review
Wccftech	Rosh Kelly	9.5 / 10	08-28-2017	This game is totally deserving of the hype its received since it first launched on PC two years ago. Although its not the prettiest, it is one of the most original.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

A small child falls into the Underground, where monsters have long been banished by humans and are hunting every human that they find. The player controls the child as they try to make it back to the Surface through hostile environments, all the while engaging with a turn-based combat system with puzzle-solving and bullet hell elements, as well as other unconventional game mechanics.

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Undertale

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Where to Play

Awards & Recognition

Critic Reviews for Undertale

Platinum TIER

Game Info

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