When it comes to indie games, it’s the ones that truly stand out that make gamers from all over want to play them. And that is most definitely the case with Undertale. From the moment this game was released, critics and gamers alike loved it. They loved the look, the gameplay, the story, and more. And it’s been a hit everywhere it’s gone. Now, it’s released on the Nintendo Switch, which has been a boon for various indie game titles, so there’s a big chance it’ll do really well here.
With the launch, the creator of Undertale, Toby Fox, talked with Nintendo (via the Switch News channel), and he revealed the origins and inspirations of the game. Which was, I could you not, Wikipedia:
I hit the random button on Wikipedia and came up on the article about arrays (basically a list of variables in programming). Learning that those existed made me realize that I could make some kind of text system. After I made that, I started to make a game. So it was totally arbitrary.
So the game was a complete accident, that makes a lot of sense! But he took that accident and made it into a very popular title. Fox noted that he was also inspired by many games, such as Shin Megami Tensei, which had a big influence on him in terms of game mechanics. But that wasn’t the only game that inspired him:
I’m influenced by every game I like – for example, EarthBound, Shin Megami Tensei, Mario & Luigi, Touhou Project, etc. I guess as a specific example, I really liked how Metal Gear Solid had all these strange, game-breaking moments within the series.
Fox also went on to praise indie games because they don’t have to follow a “structure”, and don’t have “oversight” from various companies (within reason of course). He also admitted that at first, he didn’t really have a plan for Undertale, but as time and development went on, he made one.
You can get the game now on Switch, as well as other platforms.
