Undertale
Toby Fox built a game where the most radical option is refusing to fight. Undertale takes that idea
completely seriously: every monster has a name, a joke, and a way to be spared — and the game never
lets you forget the ones you didn't.
What worked
- Combat that doubles as conversation — bullet-hell dodging paired with acts of mercy.
- A soundtrack that leitmotifs its characters so tightly you feel them before they speak.
- Writing that is funny, then tender, then quietly brutal about your own choices.
What didn't
The pixel-art presentation undersells how much is going on, and the first hour can read as merely
cute before its hooks land. Stay past that, though, and few games reward attention like this one.