Popular game developer Toby Fox released a free playable demo of his most recent project via Twitter: a chapter-organized RPG named “Deltarune,”on Oct. 31. 

The game was cryptically announced only 24 hours before its release. On the Undertale/Deltarune Twitter page, viewers were instructed to return in a day. 

When they did so, they were greeted with an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise: several hours of free gameplay, with new original characters, music, and story.

“Deltarune” is intended for those who played Fox’s debut game, the  wildly popular “Undertale,” which introduced a whole new level to RPG gaming, video game soundtrack and story. 

It left players captivated with three different endings, and some intense fourth wall breaks. It was released in 2015 and gamers still talk about it.

In “Deltarune,” players play as a human child named Kris, who, along with their companion Susie, must find a way out of the dark world and back into their own. 

Players will dodge a red heart around projectiles in battle with the enemies they encounter along the way. There is also a high emphasis on how the player’s choices don’t matter, and characters from the previous game, Undertale, even return as fun background characters you can converse with.

The gameplay is similar to “Undertale”, with beautiful soundtracks, clever puzzles, and quirky NPCs (non-player characters).

As it also is in Undertale, the comedy of certain scenes often times helps draw the viewer’s attention away from the eerier parts of the game, where it steps into horror game territory for brief moments.

Moments like these include some surprising visuals, static-wrought phone calls, and a mysterious cutscene just before the credits (spoilers!).

General movement around the world is simple: use keyboard controls. The player maneuvers the main character, Kris, around the screen with the arrow buttons on the board. 

Holding ‘x’ makes Kris sprint, and pressing ‘enter’ allows the player to interact with almost anything they encounter.

Fox spent much more time working on Deltarune Chapter One than he did working on Undertale, so he was able to pour more care into the visuals for “Deltarune.” 

Together, he and he his friend, Tenmie Chang, who is also an animator, created most of the sprites and visuals in the game. 

Overall, “Deltarune”was an unexpected, yet beautifully crafted demo that left players excited for the release of the next chapter.

Red Dead Redemption II

“Red Dead Redemption II” is riding in as one of the biggest games of the year. 

“Red Dead Redemption II” (RDR2) was released in October and had eight nominations for The Game Awards, an international annual awards ceremony that honors video game and content creators across console, mobile, PC gaming, and esports. 

The game had also been nominated for The Game of the Year, an award that recognizes a game that delivers the best experience across creative and technical fields. Beyond the mentioned awards, it was also nominated for awards such as Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Action Adventure, and many more. 

The game has improved greatly since the first version, “Red Dead Redemption” (2010), which was created by Rockstar Games, a company that has developed many franchises such as the “Grand Theft Auto” series.

It follows character Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who lives somewhat off the land and does missions around the map to try and provide for his gang. Arthur describes himself as neither a good nor bad guy, but he often has run-ins with the law. Living off the land includes camping in secluded areas, hunting for food, and constantly being aware he could be attacked by a cougar at any time. 

Although the game was already highly detailed, Rockstar has gone above and beyond with the latest version. Unlike the original “Red Dead Redemption”, “RDR2” is updated so strangers in towns remember who players are and the trouble they made the last time they were there. 

“RDR2” has even added new controls and changed the previous ones to feature new or more uses than before. 

Game designers have added new details such as players being able to get more involved and bond with their horse, and choosing what you want to say to characters while on specific missions. 

This game is also the perfect example of how to include fictional history with reality. “RDR2” is more inclusive than the previous version because it  includes African-American, Native American, and Mexican cowboys. The game also feature a suffragette protesting for a woman’s right to vote. 

The representation is also noteworthy. The game introduces Mexican-American non-playable characters who speak Spanish in the game, which makes a huge difference. 

The representation in the gaming community is severely lacking and to see more people of color  in such popular games as “RDR2” is awesome.

The online version of “RDR2” isn’t as wildly popular as the story mode version. I was disappointed to see that the only options for characters’ ethnicity were white, black, or Asian, and there were only three skin tones to choose from.

The online version has also been critiqued for its disproportionate economy as well. For every mission or treasure found, players gain only a few dollars or cents at a time, which doesn’t make up for the expensive store prices in the game. 

Player earnings in the game aren’t enough to add up to all the money they must spend to buy food, new horses, and supplies.

Although there were a few flaws, such as the tutorials providing very little help,   I ultimately loved the game. Being able to enjoy the nature design of the game and all the new extra details were some of the best parts. 

“RDR2” could be a gateway for more games taking the time to add extra details that make a huge difference for players.

– Ceci Musgrove, Staff Writer