Undertale received critical acclaim, and was quickly considered a
cult video game by numerous publications.
[44][45] Review aggregator Metacritic calculated an
average score of 92 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 42 reviews.
[39] Metacritic ranks the game the third-highest rated Windows game released in 2015,
[39] and among the top 25 of all time.
[46] Praise was particularly directed at the game's writing, unique characters, and combat system.
GameSpot's Tyler Hicks declared it "one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time",
[31] and
IGN's Kallie Plagge called it "a masterfully crafted experience".
[14] By the end of 2015, in a preliminary report by
Steam Spy,
Undertale was one of the best-selling games on
Steam, with 530,343 copies sold.
[47] By early February 2016, the game surpassed one million.
[48]
Daniel Tack of
Game Informer called the game's combat system "incredibly nuanced", commenting on the uniqueness of each enemy encounter.
[41] Giant Bomb's Austin Walker praised the complexity of the combat, commenting that it is "unconventional, clever, and occasionally really difficult".
[40] Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of
The Escapist commended the game's ability to blend "turn-based and live combat elements in a way that actually fucking works".
[49] IGN's Plagge praised the ability to avoid combat, opting for friendly conversations instead.
[14] Jesse Singal of
The Boston Globe found the game's ability to make the player empathize with the monsters during combat if they opted for non-violent actions was "indicative of the broader, fundamental sweetness at the core" of
Undertale.
[50]
Reviewers praised the game's writing and narrative, with IGN's Plagge calling it "excellent".
[14] The Escapist's Croshaw considered
Undertale the best-written game of 2015, writing that is "on the one hand hilarious ... and is also, by the end, rather heartfelt".
[49] Destructoid's Ben Davis praised the game's characters and use of comedy, and compared its tone, characters and storytelling to
Cave Story (2004).
[2] PC Gamer's Richard Cobbett provided similar comments, writing that "even its weaker moments ... just about work".
[42] Breitbart's Ned Price commended the "soul and charm" that the game conveys through its writing, but noted that the dialogue often "borders on cringey random humor".
[51] - Wikepedia
