History VideoGame / Deltarune

** The Weird Route deconstructs OffTheRails as well. Sure, it allows you to actively defy the game's CentralTheme of your choices not mattering, but in order to do so, you have to do some downright awful things in order to cause things to go OffTheRails, and the end result is way, way less pleasant than if the player had just gone along with the main plot. The FinalBoss of the Chapter 2 weird route even spells it out for Kris and by extension, the player, that taking this route may have given them some freedom, but will more than likely come back to bite them later on.

** The Weird Route deconstructs OffTheRails as well. Sure, it allows you to actively defy the game's CentralTheme of your choices not mattering, but in order to do so, you have to do some downright awful things in order to cause things to go OffTheRails, and the end result is way, way less pleasant than if the player had just gone along with the main plot. The FinalBoss of the Chapter 2 even spells it out for Kris and by extension, the player, that taking this route may have given them some freedom, but will more than likely come back to bite them later on.

* TechnicalPacifist: One way you can play the game, since you cannot actually kill anyone. You can just force your way through every enemy encounter with no impact on the plot, since all of the enemies just run away when out of HP. In Chapter 1, the only differences it makes are that [[{{Superboss}} Jevil]] will reward you with different equipment depending on whether you won violently or nonviolently, and the cutscene with the King changes but still has the same outcome. In Chapter 2, however, beating up an enemy violently (even non-lethally) prevents them from being recruited into Castle Town.

Gameplay fundamentals have changed little from ''Undertale'' (with TimedHits and the ability to non-lethally defeat enemies being core parts of the system), though it has changed to accommodate three party members, each with their own classes and abilities. The game also introduces a TP[[note]]"Tension Points" instead of "Tech Points", though a couple [=NPCs=] make [[FunWithAcronyms the obvious "toilet paper" joke]][[/note]] system for combat, allowing the player to build up a special gauge by guarding, taking damage, attacking or grazing bullets, with excess TP converted into money after battles.

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: Until the fight with Sweet Cap'n Cakes, Kris is the only one able to ACT, meaning the party can only do so with one enemy at a time. Since Sweet Cap'n Cakes can only be defeated by ACTing with all three of them within two turns, [[HopelessBossFight there is no way to defeat them]] until Susie just decides there's no reason for Kris to be the only one who's allowed to ACT and promptly "learns" to do it herself, and then makes Ralsei learn it as well [[UnwantedAssistance even though he didn't want to]].

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: Until the fight with Sweet Cap'n Cakes, Kris is the only one able to ACT, meaning the party can only do so with one enemy at a time. Since Sweet Cap'n Cakes can only be defeated by ACTing with all these of them within two turns, [[HopelessBossFight there is no way to defeat them]] until Susie just decides there's no reason for Kris to be the only one who's allowed to ACT and promptly "learns" to do it herself, and then makes Ralsei learn it as well [[UnwantedAssistance even though he didn't want to]].

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* BoringButPractical: The DD-Burger/Double Darkburger is a fairly plain healing item but one of the best available in the early game. For just 140 D$, two Darkburgers from Seam's shop can be combined into a single DD-Burger by Malius, healing 60 HP upon use and turning into a Darkburger that heals 70 HP, similarly to the Bisicle from ''Undertale''. Since the party can only hold a limited amount of items at once, DD-Burgers allow them to carry a lot more mid-strength heals, with the only disadvantages being that Noelle dislikes them (only healing 20 HP per use) and that they can only be made between Dark World visits.

* HelloInsertNameHere: Defied in the vessel creation intro in Chapter 1. The player is given the choice to enter multiple values for their character, only to have ''most'' of them discarded before the game starts. However, the name inputted as the player's own name becomes the name of the save file itself, which starts by overwriting a pre-existing file labelled "Kris".[[note]]Only on a never-used save slot; an erased save slot shows as "[EMPTY]".[[/note]] The save file name is also used in the Castle Town, named [name]Town.

* HelloInsertNameHere: Defied in the vessel creation intro in Chapter 1. The player is given the choice to enter multiple values for their character, only to have ''most'' of them discarded before the game starts. However, the name inputted as the player's own name becomes the name of the save file itself, which starts by overwriting a pre-existing file labelled "Kris".[[note]]Only on a never-used save slot; an erased save slot shows as "[EMPTY]".[[/note]] The save file name is also used in the Castle Town, named [name]Town.

* GISSyndrome: PlayedForLaughs with the stock image of an almond milk carton that pacifist-enforced bosses (K. Round and Sweet Cap'n Cakes so far) use to [[HealingBoss restore their health if they take damage]]. A stock explosion GIF is also used in place of proper art whenever an explosion happens.

* RecurringRiff: Just like in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', there are riffs that are used throughout the entire soundtrack, including a few from ''Undertale'' itself. The most used riff so far seems to be of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDXl3rUHWDE Gaster's theme]].

** Photorealistic .gif explosions are used instead of pixel art every time something explodes, with a stock explosion sound accompanying them.

* AfterCombatRecovery: After combat ends, any downed party members will revived at 12.5% of Max HP.

* RegeneratingHealth: When a party member's HP is depleted, their HP will be set to -50% of Max HP which regenerates by 12.5% each turn, reviving them in four turns (assuming no external healing is in play).

* AfterCombatRecovery: Any party members with negative health will be set to 1 HP after combat ends.

* EmergencyEnergyTank: [=ReviveMints=] fully restore the HP of a party member if they're knocked down, but only two are available in each chapter.

* RegeneratingHealth: Downplayed, in that if a party member is [=KOed=], they go into negative HP which slowly recovers with each turn. If you can survive long enough, you don't even need to use an item to revive them-- but they'll come back into play with so little HP that one more hit will likely send them deep into the negatives all over again.

** You only get two Revive Mints (which revive a downed party member to full HP) across the Card Kingdom, and two more in Cyber World, with no way to get more. Naturally, you'll likely want to save them for the {{superboss}}es of the game.
** There's only one Revive Dust (which revives all downed party members to 25% HP) in the game, found in Queen's mansion. Just like the mints, you'll want to have them on hand for either the {{superboss}} of Chapter 2 or bosses in future chapters.

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* StealthSequel: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. At first glance, it appears to be a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'''s [[GoldenEnding True Pacifist Ending]]. However, as you get the opportunity to explore the Hometown towards the end of the first chapter, it becomes clear that events simply don't correlate and that the casts of ''Deltarune'' aren't the same people as their ''Undertale'' counterparts.

* AscendedMeme:
** Fans were tickled pink by the bizarre option to have Kris eat moss at one point in Chapter 1, and referenced it often in Kris fanart and comics, embracing it wholeheartedly as part of Kris being a lovably strange weirdo. Chapter 2 runs with it, establishing that, in this case, you're not forcing them to do anything against their will, Kris ''likes'' eating moss. It gets referenced in several pieces of flavor text and [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Susie wanting to eat moss too]].
** Kris' love for [[SweetTooth chocolate]] is mentioned in multiple places by the narration and people who know them well, with Toriel even having to hide chocolates from them so they don't eat them all at once. Being a CompositeCharacter of [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Frisk and Chara]] at least in design, this appears to be a reference to the ''Undertale'' fanbase having fun portraying Chara, whether [[AmbiguouslyEvil good OR evil]], as a [[NotSoAboveItAll ravenous chocolate-loving maniac]] based off a single line in the game.
** After Chapter 1's shocking ending led to many questions about [[AmbiguouslyEvil Kris' true nature]] and whether they were [[DevilInPlainSight actually evil]] [[RestrainingBolt outside of player control]] or had fallen under DemonicPossession courtesy of Chara, many fans believed the game would pick up to reveal that Kris had murdered some residents of Hometown after the end of the first chapter. A section of fans instead [[PlayedForLaughs Played It For Laughs]] by joking that Kris was only conjuring a knife and looking gleefully sneaky because [[PokeThePoodle they wanted to cut a piece of pie for themself]]. To the surprise and absolute delight of the latter group, this joke ''actually became canon'' with the start of Chapter 2, as offscreen Toriel first seems to react like she's being attacked by Kris with a knife, only for it to turn out she's scolding Kris when she catches them red-handed and figures out they ate the entire pie by themself last night.[[note]]Granted, that was offscreen and the ending for the second chapter confirms Kris (seemingly, along with Ralsei) is up to ''something'' they're not telling the player. However, the love they have for their family and friends in the first two chapters at least makes it clear that, whatever their plan, they're not some heartless murderer plotting to kill everyone.[[/note]]
** The Poppup fight has lighthearted allusions to all the party members' [[YourHeartsDesire interests]] with its pop-up ads, with Ralsei's and Kris' in particular clearly nods to the fandom from Chapter 1 memes.
*** Ralsei was seen as such a cute, wholesome character in Chapter 1 that of course fans started making memes of [[CuteAndPsycho him]] [[MemeticPsychopath wielding a gun and being an adorable badass terror]]. The Poppup ads for him riff on it by having him trying to click on innocent things (like a bunny teaching you [[IJustWantToHaveFriends how to make friends]]) and accidentally clicking on ads for machine guns and bazookas instead.
*** Again like Chara, depictions of even good-hearted takes on Kris as having an obsession with knives took hold after the [[SignatureScene memorable]] twist ending of Chapter 1 had them materialize one and then [[SlasherSmile grin]] with [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. In the Poppup fight, one of the flavor texts for the Click act is Kris "unconsciously" clicking on "a video about making knives out of spaghetti." Their room in Queen's mansion also shows they look up videos about making jello in the shape of various knives.

* CriticalExistenceFailure: Downplayed by the game's HP and revival mechanic. A party member's HP going to zero or lower causes a NonLethalKO that lasts until it's brought back up to the positives, [[SurplusDamageBonus requiring more healing the farther HP went into negative numbers]]. The implication is that one can fight unhindered to the point of collapsing, but not dying, and need to recover more the further they're pushed past that point.

* SurplusDamageBonus: Damage to player characters can reduce their HP to negative numbers. Reviving them without a dedicated revival item requires enough healing to bring it above zero, thus enemies damaging them more makes them harder to revive.

* EyeMotifs: Eyes and vision are central themes, tying in with the overarching light/dark dichotomy. Among other instances, Several characters (e.g. Kris, Lancer, and Susie in Chapter 1) have HiddenEyes that only rarely become visible, the player has to blind eyes as part of a puzzle to enter the Dark World, Ralsei wears large glasses that accentuate his eyes, and in Chapter 2, Susie's eye-obscuring bangs shift to bangs outside of battle to cement her HeelFaceTurn.

* EyeMotifs: Eyes and vision are central themes, tying in with the overarching light/dark dichotomy. Among other instances, Several characters (e.g. Kris, Lancer, and Susie in Chapter 1) have HiddenEyes that only rarely become visible, the player has to blind eyes as part of a puzzle to enter the Dark World, Ralsei wears large glasses that accentuate his eyes, and in Chapter 2, Susie's eye-obscuring bangs shift to PeekABangs outside of battle to cement her HeelFaceTurn.

* PausedInterrupt: A notable aversion, due to being a text box based game. Occasionally Kris will be given an option to answer a question, only for someone, usually Susie, to interrupt them anyway. Then there's when Susie interrupts the fanfare when a piece of candy "joins" the party. Both of these examples don't have any pause within them.

''Deltarune'' is an {{episodic|Game}} RolePlayingGame by Creator/TobyFox for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and PC. A successor and [[AlternateUniverse "parallel story"]] to ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', Fox describes it as, "a game you can play after you complete ''Undertale'', if you want to."

* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment:
** Defeating Spamton violently will lock the player out of his sidequest, preventing them from fighting [[spoiler: Spamton NEO]] and obtaining his unique equipment and Shadow Crystal.
** Several on the SnowGrave Route in Chapter 2:
*** Swatch's shop and several parts of Queen's Mansion will be blocked off, preventing the player from obtaining several helpful items and armor pieces.
*** [[spoiler: At the end of the route, Kris will be forced to fight Spamton NEO alone, making the fight significantly more difficult than the Normal Route. He also cannot be spared, making Dealmaker unobtainable ]].
*** The player will not be able to bring recruits from Chapter 2 over to Castle Town, leading to much more somber dialogue from Queen and other NPCS. ''King'' of all people will even gleefully call out the party for their cruelty.

* TeamMercyVsTeamMurder: This is a large part of the conflict between Susie and Ralsei. While Ralsei believes everyone can be spared and given mercy Susie prefers attacking everyone to the point of refusing to listen to Kris' orders for the majority of Chapter 1.