History NightmareFuel / DeltaruneChapter2ACybersWorld

The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfo0RjMxafo Weird Route]]"[[note]]also called the Pipis Route, the [=SnowGrave=] Route, Side B, and the Genocide Route (after the “Kill Everyone” route of ''Undertale'')[[/note]] may very well qualify for being ''the'' darkest thing Creator/TobyFox has created to date (and mind you, his [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} previous game]] had a route that involved the mass murder of innocent monsters). Once Noelle joins as a GuestStarPartyMember, you can make her freeze every enemy you come across using [[KillItWithIce Ice Shock]], the only move that will physically kill the enemies you encounter (since defeating enemies with the FIGHT command will [[NonLethalKO just make them run away]]). But since Noelle won't follow your orders right away, a little emotional abuse, mental manipulation, and {{gaslighting}} is necessary to make her obedient.\\\
The entire route is Nightmare Fuel, not only for the idea of freezing someone to death, but [[RealismInducedHorror how disturbingly realistically and how perfectly straight the emotional abuse of Noelle is played]].\\\

* At one point, you'll encounter the Pink Addison, who will ask you if Kris and Noelle are friends or if you're something else. If you froze ''every'' enemy, selecting the latter will allow you to get the [=FreezeRing=], which increases Noelle's attack and allows her to freeze enemies in one hit. The way you get this ring isn't pretty. The Addison always asks for the amount of money you have plus one Dark Dollar, so you'll never have enough. If you ask Noelle to "Get It", she'll act confused, restating that you don't have the money for the ring. If you ''keep'' asking her to "Get It", she'll become scared, asking you what you mean. Then, the screen turns black, there's the sound of her casting a spell, you get the [=FreezeRing=], and the Addison is just... gone.

** [[FridgeHorror Again, Noelle was just]] ''[[FridgeHorror thinking]]'' [[FridgeHorror this, but since those thoughts appeared in a dialogue box, the player/SOUL can see them and respond accordingly.]] This cruel yet creative twist on RPG storytelling only further sells how ''alien'' the SOUL is to this setting and how powerless Noelle is to keep them out of her head.
* You force Noelle to complete a puzzle by pushing her closer to a lightning barrier until [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening she freezes the whole thing]]. The command to do this is just one word: "[[DeadlyEuphemism Proceed]]". After that, when coming across the next puzzle, Noelle will think to herself that she just needs to listen to Kris, as they clearly know what's best for her because she's [[ArcWords getting stronger]] every time she obeys them. At that point, [[BlindObedience Noelle has become Kris's puppet]]. Or more accurately, they've both become ''your'' puppets.

* Once you've killed all the enemies that Spamton instructs you to, upon speaking to him again, he will offer you the [=ThornRing=], which halves the TP cost of spells at the cost of draining the user's HP. To progress with the Weird Route, you HAVE to equip this ring to Noelle. [[labelnote:note]]Interestingly, the [=ThornRing=] (which is only obtainable on the Weird Route) is one of the items needed by Malius to create the [=TwistedSwd=], along with an unknown item called a [=PureCrystal=].[[/labelnote]]

* In the battle proper, once you get enough Tension to use [=SnowGrave=], Noelle tries to get out of using it by repeatedly insisting she doesn't know that spell. When you press the option enough, Noelle finally snaps and uses the spell... which traps Berdly in a ''gigantic block of ice''. Noelle, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrified at what she's done]], simply walks away in a daze, and is never seen on-screen again until you all wake up in the Light World again.
** The animation for the [=SnowGrave=] itself. Noelle's eyes start [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing pure white]] as she slowly floats to the middle of the screen, followed by a '''massive''' blizzard washing over the entire screen ([[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou including the battle menu]]).

-->Noelle: I think
-->Noelle: I'm going to go home.

* Before the version 1.0.5 patch, if you carried a Weird Route run up until you confronted Berdly, and then spared him, you could keep Noelle on your party with [=SnowGrave=], allowing you to backtrack with her and use [=SnowGrave=] on a normal enemy, which [[DevelopersForesight plays a unique animation]]: They [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hJCP8Bem4&t=254s outright die on screen]], dissolving in a blood-red haze. If you're used to them running away when their HP hits zero or simply freezing over in a non-violent fashion, seeing them fly apart in a more ''Undertale''-esque manner will shock you, all the more so since at least the death dust they turned into before was white, unlike how very evocative of blood this is.
* Kris's player-driven manipulation of Noelle is horrifying in its [[RealismInducedHorror realism towards actual abusive behavior]] — the key moment of starting this path is to invite Noelle to ride the Ferris wheel with Kris, then tell a nearby storeowner that they're more than just friends... after which Kris pressures Noelle into getting the overpriced ring until she snaps, blanks out, and ''is implied to be killing the storeowner'', trapping the two of them into a false relationship, with ''you'' being the puppeteer controlling them both. Special mention goes to the second mouse gate puzzle, where instead of doing it the proper way, Kris [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything forces Noelle to cheat to solve it while she clearly doesn't want to with a curt, one-word "proceed" over and over while Noelle begs them to stop pressuring her, all the while they're getting more and more into her personal space]] until she gives in and freezes the puzzle. From that point on, all the puzzles will be pre-frozen similar to Flowey's vines solving them in ''Undertale''[='=]s genocide route, removing their comedic aspects from the run. It hits all the beats of an abusive relationship — possessiveness, coercion, conditioning, and Noelle's attitude towards Kris flip-flopping from idolization to fear.

* Compared to the Genocide run in ''Undertale'', where your requirements are simply to Kill everyone, you need to be actively going for the Weird Route in order to complete it. Besides killing every enemy, you must also backtrack to all the requisite locations, buy or take the necessary items, choose the correct dialogue options — if at '''any''' point you decide to relent and pick the kinder option, you get booted back onto the normal route. In fact, you get booted back onto the normal route if you defeat any enemy through melee attacks or sparing; Noelle must '''freeze every enemy to death'''. It drives in the point that you are '''purposefully''' inflicting emotional torture on both Kris and Noelle, and that there's no possible justification for your actions.

* Each time you fulfill one of the criteria to continue the Weird Route, the game plays [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbl2Q5VrZ4w a short, out-of-tune jingle]]. While it serves as an [[AntiFrustrationFeatures Anti-Frustration Feature]], it's also incredibly ominous, as if [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the game itself is warning you]] that something terrible will happen if you continue.[[note]]If you make a decision that aborts the Weird Route, the game plays a different, more upbeat-sounding version of the jingle, as if expressing relief.[[/note]]

* Once you've killed all the enemies that Spamton instructs you to, upon speaking to him again, he will offer you the [=ThornRing=], which halves the TP cost of spells at the cost of draining the user's HP. To progress with the Weird Route, you HAVE to equip this ring to Noelle. [[labelnote:note]]Interestingly, the [=ThornRing=] (which is only obtainable on the Weird Route) is one of the items needed by Malius to create the [=TwistedSwd=], along with an unknown item called a [=PureCrystal=].[[/labelnote]]

** It's also possible to make Kris [[https://streamable.com/9vhs53 creepily walk closer and closer to Noelle during the hospital scene]], likely traumatizing the poor girl even further. Even worse, when you regain control of Kris, they are close to a wall, implying that they didn't only walk in Noelle's direction, but also [[WallPinOfLove pinned her into the wall]].

** It's also possible to make Kris [[https://streamable.com/9vhs53 creepily walk closer and closer to Noelle during the hospital scene]], likely traumatizing the poor girl even further.

* His looks are unnerving in itself. He's an overanimated puppet reminiscent of [[Film/{{Saw}} ​Billy]], that glitches out all the time when you talk with him in the shop.

** The animation for the [=SnowGrave=] itself. Noelle's eyes turn [[MonochromaticEyes completely white]] as she slowly floats to the middle of the screen, followed by a '''massive''' blizzard washing over the entire screen ([[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou including the battle menu]]).

* In an [[SurpriseCreepy uncharacteristically disturbing moment]] that quickly sets the tone of the scene and subsequent battle, once he pulls himself together, Spamton NEO lurches forwards towards Kris, [[MadnessMantra chanting their name over and over again with each lurch]], pushing them back into a corner and insisting he needs their SOUL, so they can become "SO BIG WE'LL STAND UP TALL AND SEE PAST THE DARK". Thank goodness [[BigDamnHeroes Susie and Ralsei arrive just in time]].

* Directly after this comes the puzzle where the switch has to be stepped on to disable a lightning barrier. Unlike in the normal route, Noelle suggests she stands on the first switch while you go and press the second. After you pass it, Noelle mumbles to herself that getting the ring was a good thing, and that she needs to stop thinking about ''stepping off the switch and letting Kris get electrocuted''. In fact, if you walk slowly enough over to the other switch, you can see Noelle suddenly begin fidgeting as you pass where the lightning would be, showing just how close she came to following through on this train of thought. She berates herself her thinking of something so horrible, and one of the options you can pick in the upcoming dialogue tree is to tell Noelle such thoughts are natural. It's the first bit of mental manipulation that you can put Noelle through, which starts her down the path of GainingTheWillToKill. At this point, enemies actually ''run away'' from you on the overworld once they notice you, overworld [=NPCs=] disappear, and certain parts of the map are frozen over, automatically disabling certain puzzles.

** Throughout this scene, we have the song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Eyk5Hg7v8A Flashback]]", which is probably one of the creepiest songs in the whole series, sounding like an unholy combination of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBXTxJQGwjw Small Shock]]", "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-n6HhNO57E THE HOLY]]", and Gaster's theme, played on a [[OminousMusicBoxTune broken music box]] and complete with a heavy TwistedChristmas vibe. Unlike a lot of the creepy songs from ''Undertale''[='=]s Genocide Route and ''Deltarune''[='=]s Weird Route, it's an entirely original piece rather than being a distorted or slowed-down version of a preexisting song, making it all the more terrifying. In case what you did to Noelle wasn't evident enough already, the song definitely has the vibes of horror, trauma, and corrupted innocence. The pitch-black screen makes the whole scene [[NothingIsScarier even more terrifying]]. Then the song [[SuddenSoundtrackStop suddenly cuts]] during the climax of the conversation.

** ...but this doesn't count. The pink citizen WANTED to be a Werewire.**

-->* It's what they call 'you'.

* The horror factor is even worse when you consider that Spamton, as an anthropomorphic version of spambots, [[RealismInducedHorror acts like a real scammer]], even in the Normal Route. His complicity with Kris is only made by meeting them alone, forcing them to accept his offer, and isolating the lonely teenager from their real friends. Sincere or not, il still happens to be a way to reach his own goals by (as any good salesman knows) making them desire it, and he always expects more and more to Kris by making them risk their life in a theft, then killing the teenager when they [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness have reached their usefulness]]. If that hopefully doesn't happen, even the NEO fight can be seen as a last chance Spamton lets Kris to join him for good by making his last appeals to pity and threatening Susie and Ralsei to make his choice the most "reasonable" for all.

** At first sight, it can be really jarring to see him, of all people, as the FinalBoss in a plot where RealismInducedHorror is firmly in play, but it's actually really fitting. Spamton acted like a professionnal scammer in the Normal Route, creating a fake complicity with Kris to reach his goal, and expecting more and more until he got what he wanted. There, he found a way to get more than he could ever dream of, and so acts like a first-class criminal who reveals a more menacing side when his partner, Kris, reveals to be more ambitious than he expected, just like a powerful gang leader would act whenever a hoodlum they raised starts to walk on their toes.

* On a meta-level, the entire run just feels… ''wrong''. In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', the Genocide run nets you different dialogue, different interactions, and even two unique boss fights, pretty much an entirely different story. In the [=SnowGrave=] route, it feels more like the game itself doesn't know how to react to what you're doing. Entire plot beats and almost the entire castle level are skipped because you killed the characters, the final fight with Giga Queen doesn't happen because Noelle has disappeared, instead inexplicably replaced by Spamton NEO, who normally requires a lengthy sidequest to activate, and back in the Light World, nobody seems to really react to Berdly being most likely ''dead''. In a game like ''Deltarune'', where your choices explicitly don't matter, a situation where they ''do'' matter, and have ''very serious'' consequences, feels ''incredibly'' jarring. Your choices on their own may not matter, but with the addition of ''manipulation'', even this rule can be twisted and broken to the point that something effectively broke within the game ''itself''.
** Alternatively, the game says your choices don't matter, [[ExactWords but never said anything about other people]].

** [[FridgeHorror Again, Noelle was just ''thinking'' this, but since those thoughts appeared in a dialogue box, the player/SOUL can see them and respond accordingly.]] This cruel yet creative twist on RPG storytelling only further sells how ''alien'' the SOUL is to this setting and how powerless Noelle is to keep them out of her head.

* Compared to the Genocide run in ''Undertale'', where your requirements are simply to KillEmAll, you need to be actively going for the Weird Route in order to complete it. Besides killing every enemy, you must also backtrack to all the requisite locations, buy or take the necessary items, choose the correct dialogue options — if at '''any''' point you decide to relent and pick the kinder option, you get booted back onto the normal route. In fact, you get booted back onto the normal route if you defeat any enemy through melee attacks or sparing; Noelle must '''freeze every enemy to death'''. It drives in the point that you are '''purposefully''' inflicting emotional torture on both Kris and Noelle, and that there's no possible justification for your actions.

--> ''[[KillEmAll (X) LEFT]]''

* The horror factor is even worse when you consider than Spamton, as an anthropomorphic version of spambots, [[RealismInducedHorror acts like a real scammer]], even in the Normal Route. His complicity with Kris is only made by meeting them alone, forcing them to accept his offer, and isolating the lonely teenager from their real friends. Sincere or not, il still happens to be a way to reach his own goals by (as any good salesman knows) making them desire it, and he always expects more and more to Kris by making them risk their life in a theft, then killing the teenager when they [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness have reached their usefulness]]. If that hopefully doesn't happen, even the NEO fight can be seen as a last chance Spamton lets Kris to join him for good by making his last appeals to pity and threatening Susie and Ralsei to make his choice the most "reasonable" for all.

The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfo0RjMxafo Weird Route]]"[[note]]also called the Pipis Route, the [=SnowGrave=] Route, Side B, and the Genocide Route (after the KillEmAll route of ''Undertale'')[[/note]] may very well qualify for being ''the'' darkest thing Creator/TobyFox has created to date (and mind you, his [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} previous game]] had a route that involved the mass murder of innocent monsters). Once Noelle joins as a GuestStarPartyMember, you can make her freeze every enemy you come across using [[KillItWithIce Ice Shock]], the only move that will physically kill the enemies you encounter (since defeating enemies with the FIGHT command will [[NonLethalKO just make them run away]]). But since Noelle won't follow your orders right away, a little emotional abuse, mental manipulation, and {{gaslighting}} is necessary to make her obedient.\\\

--> ''[[KillEmAll (X) LEFT]]''

* What's scarier than this, however, is the interactions with him ''after'' the fight. He asks Kris to come alone to his store in the trash area and IF you do, not only do you see his jerkily animated movement and up-close appearance translate to being [[UncannyValley very, very off next to any other shopkeep throughout the two games]], but you may quickly notice his shop theme incorporates part of the melody of "THE WORLD REVOLVING"... Jevil's theme.

** Coincidentally or not, those who have read about ''WebOriginal/TheBackrooms'' will readily associate the smile with… well, a [[https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Smilers Smiler]]. To put it simply, these entities [[TheDarknessGazesBack hide in the darkness]] with only their [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes]] and [[SlasherSmile smile]] lightened up. This describes exactly how the creepy smile in the basement looks like. Be grateful it's not even an enemy and merely a JumpScare, [[ParanoiaFuel or else...]]

* The horror factor is even worse when you consider than Spamton, as an anthropomorphic version of spambots, [[RealismInducedHorror acts like a real scammer]], even in the Normal Route. His complicity with Kris is only made by meeting them alone, forcing them to accept his offer, and isolating them from their real friends. Sincere or not, il still happens to be a way to reach his own goals by (as any good salesman knows) making them desire it, and he always expects more and more to Kris by making the teenager risk their life in a theft, then killing them when they're [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness not useful to his plan anymore]]. Even the NEO fight can be seen as a last chance Spamton lets Kris to join him for good by making his last appeals to pity and threatening Susie and Ralsei to make his choice the most "reasonable" for all.

-->''[[HarsherInHidsight Spamton begs the audience to stop taking the furniture out of his room.]]''

* The horror factor is even worse when you consider than Spamton, as an anthropomorphic version of spambots, [[RealismInducedHorror acts like a real scammer]], even in the Normal Route. His complicity with Kris is only made by meeting them alone, forcing them to accept his offer, and isolating them from their real friends. Sincere or not, il still happens to be a way to reach his own goals by (as any good salesman knows) making them desire it, and he always expects more and more to Kris by making them risk their life in a theft, then killing them when he doesn't need them anymore.

-->''Spamton begs the audience to stop taking the furniture out of his room.''

* The end of the fight brings a HopeSpot if you manage to cut his cables loose rather than fight him directly, as it seems like Spamton might actually achieve true freedom for himself instead of this tortured existence. [[MoodWhiplash Then the background turns black as he collapses to the ground,]] a puppet with the strings cut loose. It just lingers like this for several seconds with no sounds, no movement, [[NothingIsScarier nothing]]. Sure, you get to actually prop him up and hear some proper last words, but with how creepy he's been so far, some players might be expecting a JumpScare.

* In general, Spamton's entire role in the Weird Route just doesn't feel right. The guy that is meant to be, depending on your choices, either a BigLippedAlligatorMoment or the {{Superboss}} suddenly gets promoted to BigBad and FinalBoss status with little to no fanfare, and loses his LaughablyEvil and JerkassWoobie qualities to become a FauxAffablyEvil, MoralEventHorizon-crossing AssholeVictim with no redeeming qualities. It feels like the game knows that the first Queen fight can't happen with Berdly being dead, and that Noelle might kill Queen if she goes into her HumongousMecha and starts threatening Kris, but she ''needs'' to survive to pull off her HeelFaceTurn and be recruited into Castle Town. So, as the next best thing, it replaces Queen with Spamton, changes his motivation from "Achieve freedom" to "TakeOverTheWorld", erases any redeeming qualities and shoves him into the story at the last second, so there would be even a slightly understandable plot in this story-ruining shitshow of a route. And if you abort the Weird Route at the last second, the game will make one off-hand reference to buying the [=ThornRing=] from him just to point out this all really happened. Well, either that, or apparently Spamton has enough MediumAwareness to quite literally force himself into the plot just to get what he wants; and if this is so, then he's also willing to [[LossOfIdentity throw himself away]] as he exists in the normal route [[TheUnfettered just for this chance at greatness even if it's as a straight-up villain]]. It's really jarring to see him, of all people, in a plot where RealismInducedHorror is firmly in play.

* Susie and Kris see a strange portal in the library, where Noelle and Berdly were supposed to be and Susie notes that ItsQuietTooQuiet. She's right; there is usually a crowd of people in the library. While Kris can suggest that they use the Dremurr computer at home, Susie says that she's not going to skive off on an adventure. They then see Werewires being forcibly assimilated...and Noelle running to them calling for help. Cue a floating cage capturing her and spiriting her off. You can't blame Susie for screaming after Noelle in alarm.