This review contains spoilers
i have a few complaints about this game, but let me be clear: it is a VERY good fan-game. this game is incredibly high-fidelity: it's a full-length experience, completely for free, which introduces new regions of the Underground, new characters, battles with unique bullet-patterns and enjoyable mechanics, underscored by beautiful art assets and a fantastic soundtrack. there are unique endings and boss battles in not only the pacifist and genocide route, but also the neutral route, which i think really shows the amount of love and effort (i should emphasize, the SEVEN YEARS of love and effort- which is crazy for a fan-game!!!) that went into producing the final product. alongside the game's little secrets and fun value surprises, Undertale Yellow has a lot of unique detail and charm. if you haven't played it already, i absolutely recommend it.
(spoilers ahead)
i'm speaking from my perspective only having finished True Pacifist, but i really struggled to connect to the characters in the first half of the game- specifically, Dalv and Martlet. i know Martlet has a whole other layer of complexity in the Genocide route, but the humor in her dialogue just didn't land for me and i never felt closer to her after interactions, which there were relatively few of. Dalv, the player barely talks to at all before he lets you into his house, lets you out of his house, and never interacts with you again until he's attending your funeral (which no disrespect to him, you just met somebody who you want to build a relationship with and a couple days later they've exploded. very sad!). i really enjoyed Starlo and Ceroba (especially Ceroba, i absolutely cried in the final fight with her. a really complex and interesting character with probably the best fight in the game) in the latter half of the game, but that's also because you're given more time with them to explore them as characters. when you end up friends with them, it feels more natural than it does with Martlet and Dalv.
altogether though, it's a great fan game! i think what let me down was the expectations i had for this game based on what people told me about it- saying it was better than Undertale, how it should be canon, etc... and while it's a very good game, it's ultimately its own thing. the mindset i went into the game with caused occasional disappointment with the game's writing and humor, because i wanted it to be on-par with Toby Fox and it wasn't. which is not bad! i think this game is fantastic and creates its own identity while expanding on Undertale's existing property, and that's very impressive for a fan-game to do.
(minor pet peeve though- why are the main monsters you befriend so tall!!! no love for the shortstacks?)
(spoilers ahead)
i'm speaking from my perspective only having finished True Pacifist, but i really struggled to connect to the characters in the first half of the game- specifically, Dalv and Martlet. i know Martlet has a whole other layer of complexity in the Genocide route, but the humor in her dialogue just didn't land for me and i never felt closer to her after interactions, which there were relatively few of. Dalv, the player barely talks to at all before he lets you into his house, lets you out of his house, and never interacts with you again until he's attending your funeral (which no disrespect to him, you just met somebody who you want to build a relationship with and a couple days later they've exploded. very sad!). i really enjoyed Starlo and Ceroba (especially Ceroba, i absolutely cried in the final fight with her. a really complex and interesting character with probably the best fight in the game) in the latter half of the game, but that's also because you're given more time with them to explore them as characters. when you end up friends with them, it feels more natural than it does with Martlet and Dalv.
altogether though, it's a great fan game! i think what let me down was the expectations i had for this game based on what people told me about it- saying it was better than Undertale, how it should be canon, etc... and while it's a very good game, it's ultimately its own thing. the mindset i went into the game with caused occasional disappointment with the game's writing and humor, because i wanted it to be on-par with Toby Fox and it wasn't. which is not bad! i think this game is fantastic and creates its own identity while expanding on Undertale's existing property, and that's very impressive for a fan-game to do.
(minor pet peeve though- why are the main monsters you befriend so tall!!! no love for the shortstacks?)