Undertale 2: Shadows of Time

Undertale 2: Shadows of Time is a sequel to the 2015 indie RPG game Undertale and its counterpart Deltarune, and will be released on July 16, 2023 worldwide for PC Steam along with a Nintendo Switch-exclusive updated port of the first game, known as Undertale: The Adventure Begins, with a Switch version of this game being released later that same year, on August 10. It was developed by both Toby Fox and Chronogames. The game is in 32-bit style this time and adds several new features that would later return in future games, as well as an exclusive "timeline travel" system.
==Synopsis==
(Note: Certain plot elements may be inspired by the two very similar Undertale fangames "Don't Forget" and "Uppertale Remastered".)
It has been one month since the Monsters were freed from Mt. Ebott after the events of the first game, now residing in POHAM (Paradise of Humans and Monsters) with a majority of the Humans there welcoming them. One morning, the main protagonist (their default name being Frisk) is woken up by their adoptive mother Toriel, who tells them their skeleton friends Sans and Papyrus are waiting at the door. Both of the skeleton brothers tell Frisk to come with them and the other monsters to the city square for a special presentation hosted by the re-hired Royal Scientist Alphys. During the presentation, Alphys demonstrates the Time Shifter, a machine that can not only travel to different points in time but also to alternate timelines. Everyone appears to be excited as she states that with the help of the machine, research on said parallel timelines will be conducted so they can avoid making similar mistakes made in them. But as soon as the presentation ends, a mysterious surge of energy fills the air and garbled purple creatures emerge from the machine and surround the island of POHAM. Some of the humans start blaming the monsters on the appearance of the entities, and the monsters try to prove that they had no idea these would appear. As the latter objects to the criticism, something else emerges from the machine: Semi, who appears to be the grandfather of Sans and Papyrus. Semi is seen to be hurt and Alphys takes him to her laboratory so his wounds can heal.
Later that night, Frisk and Sans visit him at the lab and ask him what caused the dark veil over their new home. He explains that the mysterious beings are Gorrupters, servants of the original Royal Scientist of the Underground: W.D. Gaster. Sans is confused, though, as he once thought Gaster disappeared from existence. Semi's response to that is that the spirit of the first Fallen Human, Chara, is planning to use the Gorrupters to resurrect the old scientist and take control over time and space. In order to stop this, both Sans and the protagonist must collect the seven Shards of Gaster to get him on their side and prevent the corruption of all timelines. As soon as the player exits the lab to allow a private conversation between the two family members, Chara suddenly appears in front of Frisk to persuade them into thinking the monsters will betray them once they have the Shards of Gaster and offers them to join their side for extra protection. Regardless of what side they decide to join, they must collect the seven shards to determine the fate of the timeline.
The full story events for each of the main pathways can be found in these links here:
*Undertale 2: Shadows of Time/Pacifist Story
*Undertale 2: Shadows of Time/Genocide Story
*Undertale 2: Shadows of Time/Neutral Story
==Gameplay==
The gameplay of Undertale 2: Shadows of Time is identical to its predecessors. The player takes control of the Fallen Human from the first game as they explore different areas while battling monsters along the way. Their control is unchanged from before, and they can run quickly when the X button on the keyboard (B button on the right Switch Joy-Con) is held down, allowing for shorter backtracking. A map system is also added to compensate for the larger areas of the game, which means players can easily keep track of where they are going. The battle system also returns, with the player being able to choose between dealing damage to enemies with the FIGHT command, interact with them using various ACTs, use certain items through the use of the ITEM command, and spare enemies with the MERCY command. The primary difference from the previous games (more specifically Deltarune), however, is MAGIC. By choosing related command, the player can use various magic spells on certain enemies, using up TP in the process. This time, though, there are four types of MAGIC: Healing, Offensive, Status and SOUL, which all function as their names suggest. Like in Deltarune, this makes the gameplay more strategic, as many enemies cannot be spared normally and thus require careful use of spells. Despite magic and TP being retained from said game, the sequel still uses the battle layout from the original Undertale. In addition to this, the Fallen Human can now gain FP (Friendliness Points), the Pacifist counterpart to EXP (Execution Points) by showing mercy to monsters, and although it doesn't increase their LV (Level of Violence), their SP does increase and they can learn exclusive Healing spells. On the other hand, gaining EXP and leveling up still increases their SP but gives them Offensive spells to use in battle.
Exclusive to Undertale 2, however, is the timeline travel system. Throughout the game, the player will be travelling to many areas of the Underground and between three different timelines (including the main one) with Sans through the the Time Shifter to rid the game's many areas of Gorrupters, monsters corrupted by the power of Chara and to-be-resurrected Gaster, and claim the 7 temporal pieces (known as the Shards of Gaster) necessary to revive said character. Later on in the adventure, the Gorrupters become more elusive, forcing the player to use a "G-Scanner" to discover hidden Gorrupters. When in battle, the "Spare" option in the MERCY command menu has been replaced by a "Cleanse" option, which allows the Fallen Human to remove the corruption from the monsters in each area. However, doing this requires them to fill up the "Cleansing Meter", which fills up as the Gorrupter makes dangerous attacks towards the player's SOUL. If the player is affected by those attacks, they will lose HP unless they can cleanse themselves, which takes less time to do than cleansing the enemies. Sans can assist the player by incapicating stronger, more Cleanse-resistant enemies when the "Incapacitate" option in the ACT command menu is selected. The player can additionally only make "quicksaves" as they canonically cannot SAVE in a different timeline. Because of these factors, the timeline-travel system adds more meat to the game than its predecessor. Getting back to the subject of assistance, another new addition to the game is the Assist Items, special items granted to the player by some of the characters as the former progresses through the adventure and earns more FP. These items grant a unique effect on the player when used, be it extra defense or speed. However, these items have limited use as to not replace the MAGIC feature and thus adds more strategy to the game.
The game also features a number of multiplayer options: Co-Op Story, VS Battle, and Capture the Artifact. Co-Op Story is very much like the main single-player mode, except the second player can take control of Sans as their partner for traveling through the areas and timelines. During battle, they can do the same thing as in the single-player Story mode: attack enemies with the FIGHT command (though Sans uses bones instead), interact with them through different ACT options, incapacitate tougher enemies with MAGIC spells, heal themselves with items with the ITEM command, and spare monsters using the MERCY command. In VS Battle, two players take control of a different character in an attempt to lower one another's HP. As the players earn EXP with every dealt hit, a special meter gradually fills up at the top of the screen. When the meter is full, they can initiate a Special Attack, which is different for each character. Lastly, the minigame "Capture the Artifact" sees two teams of six humans with an Artifact on each other's side. The goal is very much like the source game capture-the-flag: each them must travel to one other's side to capture their Artifact and bring it back to their base. When two humans of the opposite teams cross by each other, both will enter battle. In battle, the players can either attack each other, call for assistance, heal each other using items they find along the map, or run away from them. There are multiple difficulties for this mode, with the humans becoming more aggressive as it rises, and there are many different maps based off of the main game's areas. This game can have up to 6 players locally (3 per team), and 12 players can join in for online play.
==MAGIC Spells==
There are 4 types of MAGIC spells: Healing, Offensive, Status, and SOUL. There are at least 4-5 spells per category, and some of them are upgraded versions of previous spells.
===Healing===
*Heal = Recovers 7 of the player's HP. Requires 10 FP to learn and costs 4 SP.
*Cure = Cures any status conditions inflicted on the player. Requires 20 FP to learn and costs 7 SP.
*Super Heal = Recovers 14 of the player's HP. Requires 30 FP to learn and costs 15 SP.
*Super Cure = Cures stronger status conditions inflicted on the player. Requires 45 FP to learn and costs 25 SP.
===Offensive===
*Leech = Drains a portion of an enemy's HP. Requires 10 EXP to learn and costs 5 SP.
*Dark Strike = Strikes all enemies across the screen horizontally and deals 25 HP to them. Requires 25 EXP to learn and costs 10 SP.
*Poison = Poisons a single enemy. Requires 35 EXP to learn and costs 20 SP.
*Super Leech = Drains a greater portion of two enemies' HP. Requires 50 EXP to learn and costs 35 SP.
*Bloodshed = Strikes all enemies in a similar fashion to Earthbound's PK Rockin technique. Requires 70 EXP to learn and costs 50 SP.
===Status===
*Paralyze = Holds an enemy in place for a brief period of time, limiting their attacks. Requires 10 FP/EXP to learn and costs 5 SP.
*Shield = Increases the player's defense by 2 for a brief period of time. Requires 20 FP/EXP to learn and costs 12 SP.
*Freeze = Freezes a single enemy for 2 turns. Requires 35 FP/EXP to learn and costs 20 SP.
*Super Paralyze = Holds two enemies in place for a longer period of time, limiting their attacks. Requires 45 FP/EXP to learn and costs 25 SP.
*Omega Shield = Makes the player invincible for 2 turns. Requires 60 FP/EXP to learn and costs 35 SP.
===SOUL===
*Blue SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL blue for 2 turns. Learnt from Papyrus and costs 7 SP.
*Orange SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL orange for 2 turns. Learnt from Toriel and costs 14 SP.
*Cyan SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL cyan for 2 turns. Learnt from Napstablook and costs 22 SP.
*Bronze SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL bronze for 2 turns. Learnt from Semi and costs 35 SP.
*Yellow SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL yellow for 2 turns. Learnt from Alphys and costs 50 SP.
*Grey SOUL = Turns the player's SOUL grey for 3 turns. Learnt from Asgore and costs 65 SP.
==SOUL Modes==
Like in the original Undertale, the player changes between different SOUL Modes. There are a total of 9 modes in this game (4 returning, 5 new), each shown by a different color and representing a certain trait. Some of them are initiated at a certain point in some battles, while others are taught by the Fallen Human's monster friends in the middle of each area, and some of them are a combination of both.
SOUL Mode 	Description
Red Mode (Determination)	Can move freely along the bullet board.
Blue Mode (Integrity) 	Can jump at different altitudes to dodge fast horizontal or vertical attacks.
Orange Mode (Bravery) 	Creates a small protective shield around itself by pressing the action button while constantly moving along the bullet board.
Green Mode (Kindness) 	Can use a shield and move it in various directions to protect itself from attacks but cannot move while doing so.
Cyan Mode (Patience) 	Can redirect certain attacks by pressing the action button but takes twice the regular damage.
Bronze Mode (Willpower) 	Can slow down time for 10 seconds by pressing the action button, allowing for easier avoiding of attacks.
Yellow Mode (Justice) 	Can shoot incoming threats by pressing the action button.
Indigo Mode (Strategic) 	Can warp to the opposite side of the bullet board but can only move horizontally.
Grey Mode (Endurance) 	Can do a short dash to cut inflicted damage in half by pressing the action button but moves slowly across the bullet board.
==Assist Items==
There are a total of 6 Assist Items in the game, and each of them change the player's attributes slightly at the cost of having limited use (normally a 1-time usage with the exception of the G-Scanner). During a Genocide run, these can also serve as alternate weapons for the player.
Item 	Given to by:	Description
Mystical Flame 	Toriel 	Allows the player to pierce tough enemy shields or inflicting a burning condition on an enemy.
Bone Barrier 	Papyrus 	Creates a small bone shield around the player's SOUL that breaks after 3 hits.
Noisewave 	Napstablook 	Destroys enemy projectiles whenever they come near the player.
G-Scanner 	Sans 	Allows the player to scan an area for hidden Gorrupters.
Magic Spear 	Undyne 	Allows the player to move while using the Green MODE's shield.
Agility Pads 	Mettaton 	Speeds up the player's movement temporary.
==Areas==
There are a total of 10 areas in the game (including the mini-area Peak of Mt. Ebott), and most of them take place in the Underground of Mt. Ebott. There are 3 timelines the player will be traveling between in the game: the currently-existing timeline established from the first game, the past of the pre-Gaster Incident timeline, and a futuristic timeline where monster civilization was much more advanced.
Name 	Timeline(s) 	Description
POHAM 	Main timeline 	This serves as the hub of the game, where the player can access many parts of the Underground through certain gateways. Many of the monsters from the previous game reside here.
Old Home 	Main timeline, Old timeline (past)	Old Home was once the former capital of the monsters, but was abandoned once the Human magicians sealed them in with the Barrier. In the original timeline, many monsters still remained in the area.
Snowdin 	Main timeline, Old timeline (past)	Snowdin is the icy region of the Underground, consisting of a forest and a nearby town. In the original timeline, there was a monument to Gerson and Semi (who served in the war between humans and monsters) in addition to a greater population and area span.
Marshside 	Main timeline, Future timeline 	Marshside is an isolated swampy region of Mt. Ebott, and the residence of Undyne's species. Ever since the Gaster Indicent, the population became smaller due to migration to an unknown location. In the future timeline, the land became more tropical and thus turned into a resort for the Monsters.
Desertopia + Pyramid 	Main timeline, Old timeline (past)	Desertopia is the dusty, sandstorm-prone region of Mt. Ebott, and the residence of Alphys's species. The hieroglyphics inside the Pyramid, which can be explored further in the Old timeline, reveal more of the Monsters' eventual war with the Humans and the cause behind it. 
Neotropolis 	Future timeline 	Neotropolis is a futuristic underground city with many robots serving as the attendants of the monsters living there. Robotic versions of Napstablook, Mettaton, and the Mad Dummy's ghost (actually known as Ragablook) are the governors of this city.
Hotland 	Main timeline, Old timeline (past)	Hotland is the volcanic and most industrial region of the Underground, and where W.D. Gaster once served the King of Monsters, Asgore, and built the CORE. In the original timeline, parts of Hotland are still under construction, meaning the Eighth Human will have to take a different path.
Vulcan's Forge 	Old timeline (past) 	Vulcan's Forge was in a nearby volcano to Hotland and served as the military-based region until the CORE was built over it. 
Peak of Mt. Ebott 	Main timeline 	This is where the monsters and Eighth Human emerged from after the Barrier was shattered, and Flowey the Flower (once the prince Asriel Dreemurr) resides at the exit with only the six Human SOULs to keep him company.
The Void 	Unknown 	This is the final area of the game, consisting of distorted parts of Mt. Ebott, and where Chara is eventually fought.
==VS Battle Characters==
There are a total of 12 playable characters in the VS Battle mode, with 6 being available by default and 6 being unlockable as the player proceeds in the main story mode. Each character has their own set of attacks in addition to their own Special Attack and song that goes with it.
Name 	Attacks	Special Attack Song{s}
Frisk 	TBA 	Stronger Monsters
Sans 	TBA 	Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans , Megalovania (vs. Chara)
Toriel 	TBA 	Heartache
Papyrus 	
TBA 	Bonetrousle
Undyne 	TBA 	Spear of Justice
Napstablook 	TBA 	Ghost Fight
Alphys (*) 	TBA 	Alphys Takes Action (Original song by Robin Blend)
Grillby (*) 	TBA 	Grilled (Original song by Celerina The Jackrabbit)
Mettaton (*)	TBA 	Death by Glamour
Muffet (*) 	TBA 	Spider Dance
Asgore (*) 	TBA 	ASGORE
Chara (*) 	TBA 	Megalo Strikes Back , Megalovania (vs. Sans)
==DLC==
The game will have two seperate downloadable content packs releasing in October 31, 2023 and April 27, 2024 respectively. The first adds more characters to the VS Battle multiplayer mode (including some characters from Deltarune) in addition to a new "SOUL Challenge" mode where the player must complete challenges based on either one or two SOUL Modes, while the second adds an "alternate universe" retelling of the main game based off of the Storyshift AU known as "Storyshift 2: An Altered Journey" with the characters reprising their replacement roles from the AU (for example: Chara replaces Sans as Frisk's new partner in this mode) while the new characters shift their places too. Both DLC packs cost $19.99 seperately and $29.99 if bought together via the Season Pass.
==Soundtrack==
Undertale 2: Shadows of Time/Soundtrack
==Voice Acting==
Undertale 2: Shadows of Time, unlike the first game, has full voice acting for all of the characters. The recurring characters are voiced by their actors from the fanmade "Undertale the Musical" with the new characters gaining their own portayals.
The voice cast of characters is as follows (note: the names in quotations may not be their actual names):
* "Shyner_24" as Frisk
* "Steel" as Sans
* Lindsay Bolin as Toriel
* Darby Culpit as Papyrus
* "Mippa" as Undyne
* Brenna H. as Alphys
* "Upgraded Moon Productions" as Napstablook
* Alex Becham as Mettaton
* Daniel Wagner as Asgore
* "Roxrezi" as Muffet
* UNKNOWN as Grillby
* Alex "Xander" Rybitski as Flowey
* "Eissibee" as Chara
* UNKNOWN as Semi
* "The Nth Human" as W.D. Gaster
==Reception==
To be DETERMINED.