Anti-RPGs For Fans of Undertale

Toby Fox's smash hit 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Undertale touched hearts and minds alike when it debuted in 2015. It's often been called an "anti-RPG" for the way it completely subverts the standard expectations of the genre. However, unless you dedicate yourself to both the pacifist and genocide runs, it's not a very long game... and even then it's still on the shorter side.

And that's fine! It's a wonderfully unique experience, but Undertale's brevity has left fans with a new itch to scratch. Here are a few of the games that will (mostly) appease your need to listen to Megalovania for the thirtieth time in a row.

Updated on November 6, 2021, by Cameron Roy Hall: With the release of Deltarune's second chapter, it was time to take another look at this list. We've added a few more games in the same vein as Undertale that maybe will be new to you. And, hey, even if they aren't, hopefully, it'll warm your heart to see the games that you know and/or love given the attention that they deserve. Here are fourteen anti-RPGs that you should play if you're having Undertale withdrawals.

14 Deltarune

For a charming taste that's almost indistinguishable from Undertale, you might try out Deltarune. It's the second title in Toby Fox's personal library of creations. So far, he has released two of the seven planned chapters, each providing incredible depth for anyone comfortable with Toby's style.

Undertale's optional focus on pacifist combat solutions also makes a return, as do many cast members, though your main characters are all brand new. As it stands, Toby Fox stated that the next batch of chapters will be released simultaneously, as opposed to the one-at-a-time approach he began the project with.

13 🌃 West Of Loathing

Perhaps lightly inspired by Undertale's flagrant abuse of the RPG formula, 2017's West Of Loathing isn't exactly an anti-RPG per se, but rather more like a parody of RPGs. All of the standard fare is still present; the core gameplay is still turn-based strategy battling, you still 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:delve into character classes, you still 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:forge strong bonds with wacky co♕mpanions, you still explore a rich o🧜verworld full of lively NPCs and stat-boosting items, it just so happens to all be done under the guis𝓀e of silly stick figures in cowboy hats.

And if you don't think that's enough to subvert the expected ambiance of a largely dramatic genre, well, you're still encouraged to give it try.

12 Everhood

Everhood (also known by its full title of Everhood: An Ineffable Tale Of The Inexpressible Divine Moments Of Truth) is a sort of synthesis of Undertale and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Guitar Hero. The Undertale influence is clearest In its overworld, with the player character maneuvering through a strange fantasy land and talking to quirky inhabitants, but ༒in combat🅺, the game places you on a note highway as attacks rain down in columns like guitar hero notes.

The game's story, involving malicious dwarves and sentient wooden dolls, is also suitably loopy for fans of more surreal RPGs.

11 OneShot

Predating Undertale by approximately a year, OneShot has you joining forces with an omnipotent god/narrator figure known as the Entity to guide a child named Niko on a mission to save a mysterious world's dying sun. The Entity functionally breaks the fourth wall a number of times, like chiding you for bad choices, or by changing your computer's wallpaper.

And the title (in older versions at least) was quite literal. If you closed the game before the story's completion, it ended that playthrough, and the Entity would tell you that Niko is dead and that you killed him. In the updated version, saving is an option and an achievement titled "OneShot" is rewarded to anyone who can beat the game without triggering any fail states.

10 Child of Light ⛄

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Child of Light, which came out in 2014, is a classic RPG story of a young girl battling her way through a strange fantasy world of magic and monsters. While it isn't quite as subversive in its source material as Undertale is, the game is full of beautiful art and memorable party members, like a cowardly circus clown or merfolk.

The game's combat also involves player characters and enemies positioned on a timeline, which adds a nice wrinkle of strategy to the flow of combat.

9 ⛎ Heartbound

Similar to Deltarune, Heartbound is a multi-chaptered title that's still in progress. That being said, Heartbound is a little closer to completion, with four of its five planned chapters currently available to the public. In this particular story, you play as Lore, a troubled young man whose struggles are pretty much in your hands.

Heartbound's goal is to make every single choice matter. Whether it's about your score on a minigame or the order in which you talk to NPCs, or just how long you spend in any given area, all of these actions are intended to have consequences down the road. It's a daunting, horribly fascinating premise that fans and reviewers alike have shown a deep love for.

8 Off

Off, which was released in France in 2008, is an extremely weird RPG about a baseball player who is tasked with "purifying the world." The game's story, setting, and characters all have a distinct edge to them, and the game's unique art style gives the entire game a very sharp, stylized aesthetic.

The game has a very passionate cult following, which has only increased since the release of an official English translation in 2011. The game's off-kilter aesthetic and bizarre visuals hint at a similar connection to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mother/Earthbound series, which also inspired Undertale.

7 ♈ Wande💙rsong

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Wandersong is a game about a peaceful, fun-loving Bard as he tries to stop God from waking up and destroying the entire world. The game is more an exploratory platformer than an RPG, with no combat to be found due to the Bard's kind and loving nature. Instead, players sing different notes to interact with the world around them and solve puzzles as your Bard travels across the world to protect the peace.

The game is definitely a positive, heartwarming affair, but it's not afraid to dig into existential terror either. Like Undertale, there is a lot of warmth cozied up to pitch-black terror and weirdness, making a game that plays like a fantastic animated series in your hands.

6 Lisa: The Painful 💎

Lisa: The Painful is not a game for the faint of heart. It's a post-apocalyptic story about a violent man crossing a violent world to rescue the girl he's taken to raise like a daughter — she also happens to be the last woman on earth. Despite the game's grim subject matter, it has a delightful streak of dark humor running through it, which helps make the more macabre moments a little more bearable.

Like Undertale, Lisa: The Painful is a game about player choice and the purpose behind the violence, simulated or otherwise. It's a lot more brutal of a gaming experience and it arrives at some surprising conclusions, but it definitely leaves players satisfied, if not a little shaken.

5 Indivisible 🧸

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Indivisible is an action/platforming RPG from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Skullgirls developer Lab Zero Games that is clearly influenced by the fighting game genre, with specific credit given to the Valkrie Profile series. Your party's attacks rely on mechanics pulled directly from the stereotypical brawler, and can even be strung together for real-time combos.

The story involves recruiting other team members as your main character Ajna reckons with being a partially-reincarnated god of destruction. Like Undertale, it's full of beautiful art, memorable characters, and a distinct spin on the usual turn-based RPG combat.