Undertale is a very strange video game. I completed a neutral run, killing some monsters and sparing others with no particular plan in mind—totally unaware that there were multiple routes. It took me 5 hours and 21 minutes to roll credits on the "Exiled Queen without Undyne" ending (I spared Toriel and had more than 10 kills, including Undyne).

It was a wild ride. The story is simplistic at first (you play a small child stranded in a land of monsters, trying to find your way home), but eventually breaks the fourth wall, asking the player to consider the actions they've taken while playing—especially the lives of the monsters they’ve killed.

Those monsters (Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Dr. Alphys, and Mettaton) are quirky and unique with funny, often irreverent dialogue. The sprite work is all hand drawn, expressive and lovely. The chip-tune music, which Toby Fox composed himself, is absolutely beautiful. I especially like Snowdin Town, which plays in the cozy, monster town of Snowdin.

The "combat" system plays like a SHUMP with Final Fantasy style actions, including an option to "spare" the enemy. It is very well executed and demands constant attention. I was never bored in an encounter or tuned it out to mash the A button, like a traditional RPG, which further emphasizes the theme of actively choosing to “kill” a monster and the consequences you, the player, have on this world.