Bab 19: C19: The Secret little Hua Hua, knows~
As a game editor, I haven't been on the job long. However, when it comes to games, I've played my fair share, so I have a pretty good sense of what works and what doesn't.
Looking at the current content of Undertale, I can already feel some of its unique qualities. The first thing that strikes me is the quality of the game—not in terms of content, but the external aspects like the visuals and the gameplay experience.
From my perspective, the graphics and controls are just passable. It's not bad, but it doesn't stand out from other indie games.
In terms of content, though, Undertale is giving me a pretty lacklustre feeling. The puzzle mechanics, at least in the early tutorial stage, are pretty boring. All I've had to do is push a few stones, avoid some leaves, and press several levers. Nothing exciting or innovative here, everything is an old trick.
When it comes to combat, there are dialogue options, including choices to act with kindness, which means I don't have to kill any monsters. I can talk peace with them, and I also have the option to gift them things to gain their trust.
From my experience with games, this feels like~ it's tied to the in-game honour system. High honour probably leads to a good ending, while low honour results in something worse. It's not an original mechanic, and the overall plot feels like a typical dungeon-crawler template.
After battling a few random enemies that got in my way, I continued forward as a single-man army.
No matter who came, I never showed any mercy. I didn't think much of the post-battle prompts—they are all standard. As a game editor, I tend to approach things by pushing through the game as I take notes on the side of important points.
First, to get a sense of the overall experience. Even though I had the option to resolve things peacefully, I chose to fight. After all, isn't fighting monsters and levelling up what we humans enjoy most~ FOR GLORY?
As I moved forward, the sheep character—Toriel—kept appearing, asking questions about what I liked to eat and what I was allergic to. Despite the constant interactions, I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head. The more I explored, the more I realized that Undertale doesn't have that "wow" factor I had hoped for. It felt like a far cry from something groundbreaking, and I began to wonder if the success of Magic Mirror was just a fluke.
There weren't any hidden secrets to uncover, no innovative puzzles, and the story didn't grab my mind. It was all too simple: just finding the gate to the underground world. Once I triggered that plot point, Toriel—the sheep who had helped me earlier—warned me about the dangers of the outside world. She said I had to prove, that I could protect myself, if I wanted to leave ~ Pretty standard buffing of character before venturing forward. TSK... TSK...
Agreeing to that led to a battle. Toriel, the sheep who had been guiding me, was now standing in my way, saying I needed to show I could defend myself before I could leave. Just like in the earlier battles, I had the option to show mercy. But unlike with regular enemies, I felt a connection to Toriel and didn't want to attack her.
So, I kept choosing the "Mercy" option, but after several attempts, I realized it wasn't working. No matter how many times I clicked it, she kept attacking.
So I will fight back? Or will there be a situation similar to a plot kill, were emptying the sheep mother's health bar triggers the story?
I guessed, and at the same time, tried to attack the sheep mother.
I also want the mutton meat and her axe item dropped.
The first strike took about one-tenth of her health.
On the second strike, another small chunk of her health disappeared.
But on the third strike, something unexpected happened.
Because with that blow, her health bar was completely emptied.
The slain sheep mother knelt on one knee on the ground, still concerned about me, telling me to leave quickly.
Then she turned into pieces and disappeared into the air.
"What's going on? How did she die? Isn't this supposed to be a mercy path? Or do I need to keep choosing mercy?"
Heck, where are my item drops ɿ(｡･ɜ･)ɾ Ⓦⓗⓨ? ɿ(｡･ɜ･)ɾ Ⓦⓗⓐⓣ?
Although the game didn't give me any hints, as an experienced player, I quickly thought of a possible setup within the game.
So, to prove my theory, I loaded a previously saved file.
Following the same pattern, the battle started again.
This time, I didn't attack her but kept choosing mercy.
As the fight progressed, the sheep mother's attacks became fiercer, and I accidentally got hit by one of them.
My health was reduced to just a sliver.
But what happened next confirmed my suspicions.
During the battle, the sheep mother's attacks actively avoided hitting the heart, which represented me in the game.
Even if I tried to move into her attack range on purpose. She would still avoid hitting me.
"It really is like this! The game expects players to survive, for a set number of turns, but the sheep mother will never kill the player."
Compared to the earlier plot where I killed the sheep mother, this felt like there was some underlying irony, especially with the sheep mother's attacks deliberately avoiding me. This part reminded me of themes in games like Omori, dealing with moral choices and humanity.
As a gamer who often reviews from a deeper perspective, I noticed these details.
After dodging her attacks and choosing mercy 14 times in a row, the battle ended.
With the upbeat music and the following story sequence, I couldn't help but shake my head.
The protagonist in the game, who insisted on leaving, was no longer blocked by the sheep mother this time. Instead, she gently hugged the protagonist and helped him leave the castle.
"As a rookie game designer, this plot trigger system still feels a bit crude," I thought.
"Having to click mercy so many times to progress? Even though it's supposed to stay hidden from the player, it's a bit tedious."
I shook my head. "And if the game didn't want players to notice, the design of the attacks avoiding me actually gives it away, making it obvious that this is a plot event—a bit like spoiling your own surprise."
Looking back at the sheep mother battle, I critiqued the design.
In my view, using only one of these design choices would have been fine.
Using both backfired.
But what happened next left me stunned in my seat.
The character who wanted to kill me earlier, yes the monstrosity little devil~ Cough no... little flower Hua Hua is back, He appeared once again.
What shocked me wasn't her appearance, but the lines she spoke.
#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*
"Clever! Very ~ very ~ clever!"
"You really think you're so smart, don't you?"
"In this world, it's kill or be killed!"
"And because of that, you think you can do whatever you want."
"You're pretty happy, right?"
"Because you just spared someone's life?"
"Hee hee hee, don't act so self-righteous!"
"Because… I know everything. I know exactly what you've done!"
"You already killed her!"
"But you regretted it, so you rewound time, and now you're trying to do it all over again."
"Hahaha… You're such a naive fool. Do you think you're the only one with this kind of power?"
"This power to reshape the world… comes entirely from your own determination, the ability to play God, the ability to save."
"I thought I was the only one with this kind of power, but… I can't hold onto it anymore."
"Clearly, your desire for this world is greater than mine."
"Well then, while you still have this power, enjoy it."
"I'll always be watching you!"
"Hahahaha…"
#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*#&@*
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