TL;DR

Pros:

Stunning visuals that showcase a higher budget
Multiple brilliant highlights in the soundtrack
Staves off boredom by throwing in fun platforming elements
Rewards curiosity and perseverance with really worthwhile hidden content
Introduces some of its best characters, and dives deeper into the existing ones
Miku cameo

Cons:

Lowers the energy a bit after the more climactic previous chapter
Weird Route players get a much shorter chapter

Chapter score: 6/7 – Delightful, if a bit lower-stakes than the previous chapters

Price: $12.49 (Steam); $24.99 (Nintendo and PlayStation). Free demo available on PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch and PS4. New chapters to be released as free updates.

Note: This is a review of Chapter 5 of the game, and therefore assumes basic knowledge of the previous chapters. You can read the review for Deltarune Chapters 1-4 here.

Deltarune is already back and it’s at the very top of its game. Yes, we’ve been here before, dear readers; but you have spoken (via vote, on our Instagram) and I simply must answer the call.

Even though this is just one new chapter, the great news is that it’s a nice hefty one. If you take the initiative to explore, it rewards you handsomely with a good several hours of playtime and bonus content. Even playing through it straightforwardly, the story it tells both ties cohesively into the overarching narrative and builds up its stakes, while standing alone admirably in its own right as a new content release.

The trio. — GIF via author

The story

As usual, the introduction to the chapter allows you to poke around the Light World for a bit before diving into the Dark World du jour. This time, you explore the long-awaited town festival while generally third-wheeling (or wingmanning?) your very awkward friends.

VERY awkward. — GIF via author

Meanwhile, the theme for this Dark World is “floral with a generous helping of weeby”, which is a compliment. The game knows its target audience: young, media-savvy memesters entrenched in nerd culture, with an off-beat and silly sense of humour and an appetite for emotional beats. It delivers accordingly with dating sim beats, Japanese folklore elements, and the good old classic child with knives.

A fight with a kitsune (well, a “Netskie”). — GIF via author

A child with knives. — GIF via author

I also appreciate the way the areas in this chapter are designed and laid out; each one looks and feels very different to explore, but they still all work cohesively together. Plus, there’s a great sense of direction and progression as you move through them, with each area feeling more important than the last and building stakes.

Climbing on higher. — GIF via author

I will, however, say this. Maybe it’s driven home by only having one or two chapters released at a time, but given how high-stakes and momentous Chapter 4 was, I did wonder how Chapter 5 was going to surpass that level of hype. The answer is that, honestly, it doesn’t.

To be fair, it would get crazy if it just kept on heightening. And I loved the storyline of this chapter well enough — but it is definitely much more dialled-back than Chapter 4’s incredibly climactic final boss fight and stakes. It’s an interesting choice to pace the chapters this way, and not necessarily a bad one, but players should take note that the new chapter is more of a return to form and manage their expectations accordingly.

Visuals and audio

Gone are the days of Chapter 1 when the art budget was (I assume) $7 and a dream. The visual quality of Chapter 5 is absolutely stunning. While staying true to its aesthetic roots, it has an incredible polish that makes every pixel feel like it was placed with thought and intent.

One giant leap for the art team. — GIF via author

The aesthetic quality of this chapter is heavily inspired by Japan, both in visuals and sonic leitmotifs; alongside the generally verdant theming, you’re also treated to Shinto-esque shrines and temples and explore a castle visibly inspired by Edo-period architecture.

Walking through Flower Castle. — GIF via author

And, to show off its budget upgrade, it even splashes out on some full-on animation (and some very different character art).

A glow-up! — GIF via author

A new face. — screengrab via author

Several aspects of this chapter remind me of one of my favourite go-to games, Celeste, and the gobsmacking pixel art background design is one of them. It only really hits in the middle third or so of the playthrough, but the vivid sea of pink and orange and dynamic, glowy movement that comprises the view from the cliffs is so good — and so reminiscent of the Golden Ridge — that I often had to take a few minutes to just park my characters in a scenic spot and take it in.

Available in a variety of colours. — GIF via author

As for the music — there’s usually at least one ultra-solid track in each Deltarune...

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