Seriously, don't read if you haven't played. But here's my previously-promised word vomit re: Deltarune:

Okay, so, first off, I was initially super unimpressed with Deltarune's story. It was fun and charming but it was no Undertale, and the whole Lightener/Darkener storyline was pretty uninspired after the monster/human one. But I just shrugged it off as a decent way to spend Halloween.

THEN there was the Asriel reveal, and I was like "Oh, okay, there he is. He was the Bat Boy all along" (who, btw, both Wit and I were screaming about how much we didn't want him to be evil because he was so precious and fluffy.) So okay.

THEN I wandered around the town. Because I know Toby Fox and I know you have to look at EVERYTHING. Gerson was a dead historian, but okay whatever. And then Undyne didn't know Alphys, which seemed weird. And then Bratty and Catty hated each other and that's when I knew something was up.

After catching someone be like "lol it's Toby Fox making fun of AUs," though, it clicked. That's what this is.

It's an AU.

Specifically Suburban AU. (Or Teacher AU ha haaaa.) But it has the framework of Undertale but trying to fit characters in places that almost work. Toriel and Asgore are divorced parents. Asriel's gone because he's at college. Sans and Papyrus are the new kids (?) in town–and probably the intended main characters in this AU because of course they are, they always are.

PLUS it makes the whole Lightener/Darkener plotline make so much sense. In my post-playthrough screaming session with my friend/cowriter Wit, I was saying that it's basically Undertale-lite in every sense. There's bits and pieces of Toby Fox here or there, but the non-party characters aren't as endearing (save for Rouxls, who is a GIFT), the conflict isn't as tense, and it even ends with a "was it all a dream?" cop-out. Super not Toby's style. But if it's an AU, then it makes total sense.

(Also, worth noting, when I say non-party characters aren't as endearing, Lancer is not included. Lancer is a wonderful boy, and his friendship with Susie was my favorite part.)

ANYWAY. Deltarune is definitely Suburban AU. But then what happened with Kris at the end?

I have a theory.

Multiple timelines are canon in Undertale. In Sans' Genocide fight, he says that timelines are being eaten up by the anomaly, which he reads as Frisk–but, in actuality, is you the player. (I had my own headcanons about what that meant, but those don't matter right now.) The anomaly is going through and destroying timelines and has made it to Undertale's.

So what I think we're seeing is the carnage that came before we got to Undertale. We're watching timelines get destroyed.

My issue is, who's the anomaly? Is it us, or is it an outside force taking a hold of the vessel?

I think it might be a little bit of both.

In Undertale, there was a lot of debate over whether Chara (who uses the name you give) is the main antagonist of genocide or if you are. The general consensus is that you're the one who makes the choices that enables Chara to come out and finish the job. And I think Deltarune leans more into that.

In the beginning, you're asked, as the creator, to give your name. That's the name used on the save files. So the game knows you're there and it's addressing you as the controller of what happens in the game–it's following the same kind of thought as OFF had with the "puppeteer". It also tells you over and over that your choices don't matter.

What's interesting about Deltarune is that there really is no choice. Most people, of course, played Pacifist, because we all know Undertale and are used to our choices changing the outcome of the game. But in Deltarune, there's no way to play Genocide. Your enemies flee before you can kill them. Everyone lives regardless of your choices. No matter what, you're playing Pacifist.

And I don't think Kris likes that.

After the initial screaming at the SOUL-ripping scene, I thought it was INCREDIBLY obvious what it was supposed to mean. You control Kris via SOUL. They rip out their SOUL and throw it into a cage, freeing themself from your control before having a knife materialize in their hand.

And you have no choice but to accept it, because you as the player have no power here.

I don't know where Deltarune's going to go, but I think it's going to involve you going head to head with the Anomaly to save the timelines. And I'm super excited to see that storyline.

...also fuck Jevil.