(**WARNING** – THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE NEW DELTARUNE CHAPTERS, I know I mention that in my Q&A section, but I wanted to re-emphasize that since the game came out just a few weeks ago)
Deltarune has been a part of my life since Chapter 1 released all the way back in 2018. Back then, I was just 11 years old and probably discovered the game through Game Theory. I really enjoyed the game, but took a break for a while as discourse died down and the years passed, only for my interest to come roaring back with the release of Chapter 2 in 2021. It’s been 4 long years since then, and although I changed a LOT as a person during that time, I still consistently kept up with development. Well, Chapters 3 / 4 finally released on Jun. 4, and… I’m very happy with how they chose to continue the story! I was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to surpass Chapter 2 since I have a ton of nostalgia for it at this point and I loved the setting / characters, but Toby still managed to outdo himself.
Starting with the stuff that applies to both, the graphics have gotten a major upgrade. The characters are far more expressive and emote more, the backgrounds are more detailed, there are way more visual effects, sprites for items and enemies look more distinctive, the game just looks cleaner and more professional on the whole. Almost HD-2D in how everything pops out. I also liked how there was more experimentation surrounding the gameplay. In Chapter 1 & 2, you’re just walking around, talking, and battling for the most part barring a few pretty short segments. In comparison, you’re constantly changing gameplay modes in Chapters 3 & 4; whether they’re playing Zelda, juggling dishes, rocking out on the guitar, or climbing up walls, the characters are far more dynamic in how they move through the world. That’s actually about it for shared stuff, both chapters are very different (wow, different chapters are different in a chapter-based game, get a news chopper out here) so I’ll be covering both separately from here on, starting with Chapter 3.
Despite most people online not seeming to like Chapter 3 as much, it was actually my favorite of the two, with it being neck-and-neck with Chapter 2 for the top spot. I absolutely loved the zany atmosphere the game show and Tenna created; it felt like a perfect fit for how excited I was to have more Deltarune content. Going through the first 8-bit Zelda level was incredibly fun, I played Link’s Awakening when I was younger, so noticing all the references was really nostalgic, and the dialogue / movements really made it feel like I was playing right alongside Ralsei and Susie. Then right as I was starting to get a bit bored, bam! A really engaging food minigame started. The chapter does an incredibly good job of maintaining the energy of a high-stakes game show, which is aided by Tenna’s emoting. The 90s pre-rendered CGI was such a good choice that gives him an incredibly unique look. I always looked forward to seeing what wacky pose he would put on next as he desperately tried to keep the audience’s attention. Things do admittedly slow down with the 2nd round, the guitar minigame was really fun, but the second Zelda level (and the segments you’re forced to play after) kinda overstay their welcome. The game does a decent job introducing new mechanics as time goes on, like allowing you to switch characters to use different abilities, but at a certain point I got a bit tired of the puzzles and just wanted to get on with the real game. After round 2, you snoop around a bit and discover the fountain as well as Toriel asleep, subsequently being caught by Tenna and forced into a third round where you can’t control anything. I’m not going to go through the play-by-play of the rest of the story, but suffice to say that I found it very enjoyable, particularly the whole Rouxls Kaard subplot and the final fight with Tenna, which was pretty challenging (only hung on with Susie having 4HP), witty, and creatively used the various minigames. Then the twist ending… I kinda figured something would happen, the reference to the Knight was a major red flag for me and everything seemed to be wrapping up a bit too cleanly, but I wasn’t expecting such a bombastic appearance. All the sudden the whimsy, Chapter 2-esque tone vanishes and everything becomes a lot more urgent. The Fun Gang isn’t just messing around and going on wacky adventures, Undyne is straight-up kidnapped and Toriel nearly is as well. The abrupt ending further communicates this, things aren’t wrapped up with a neat bow and Kris going to bed, serious stuff is going down now.
That brings us into Chapter 4, which despite not quite reaching the highs of Chapter 3 for me, was still super enjoyable. First of all, we finally get to explore Hometown again, I was worried we wouldn’t get the opportunity with how urgent the plot was at the end of last chapter, but it was nice to be able to talk to everyone again and see how things changed. Unfortunately, Berdly doesn’t seem to have changed as much as I hoped, but all the dialogue and gags were a great bit of a levity in-between the dark atmosphere that precede and follow the segment. After that, we get to go to the Holiday household, which was by far my favorite part of the whole chapter. It has it all, attention to detail that gives us insight into Noelle and her family, conflict between Kris and the soul, hilarious gags, and the finishing touch, Carol’s appearance. Essentially every Deltarune character aside from the King in Chapter 1 has been pretty welcoming, which makes her all the more intimidating. You don’t need the game to tell you that the temperature drops when she walks in, and the tension was so thick while she was talking I could cut it with a knife. An absolutely chilling end to a great section. After that, the Fun Gang heads into the church dark world, which I found solid. It bordered on being a little too grim at times for my taste, but Gerson and gags like the Jackenstein battle kept things from feeling too monotone, though I was pretty frustrated how the game kept the final part of the prophecy hidden during the climax.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the new chapters, it was amazing being able to revisit the world of Deltarune after so many years of waiting, and the content completely lived up to my expectations. I’m excited to see what Chapter 5 holds in 2026!