Your Favourite Game Couple

I could have placed Undertale by Toby Fox in many different positions in this challenge but I decided to opt for this one over the others because whenever I think of shipping characters in games this duo is the first that always comes to mind, that is Alphys and Undyne.

My first memories of Undertale come from Jacksepticeye's playthrough on YouTube, he's so strongly associated with the game and it's sequel-but-not-a-sequel Deltarune that the voices he gave the characters when playing through are cannon in my mind.

Undertale is one of those games where it's very easy to dismiss at first sight; the art style is relatively simple, everything is pixel art and the first game in particular uses colour sparingly, which is fitting considering it is set underground. Deltarune departs from that art style just enough to make a marked difference but still stays true to some of the core mechanics of the first.

The true nature of Undertale however is revealed not just by playing the game but by how you choose to play the game. I'm assuming by now it's pretty impossible to spoil, since those who the game would appeal to have probably played it already, but for those that haven't, Undertale is a game that remembers, your choices matter, and the story that unfolds depends entirely on how you choose to play the game. It's not quite a "make-your-own-adventure" style of gameplay, there are really only 4 possible paths with minor variations, true pacifist, pacifist, neutral, and genocide - the first and last you're probably unlikely to find by accident. A blind playthrough without awareness of the mechanics would end up with the neutral ending more than likely.

If you do pursue a true pacifist path then you get to see the most complete story the game has to offer, with lots of side quests and optional elements that all contribute to that outcome. One such quest is the "Alphyne" timeline where you ultimately get Alphys the Royal Scientist and Undyne the Leader of the Royal Guard together as a couple. Their relationship is cute, their personalities opposites of one another yet they compliment each other ultimately creating balance.

Undertale was probably the first game I took an interest in where dating or relationships as a mechanic were involved, albeit they didn't involve the player, this theme would later be something I would return to with a game released the following year.