Seriousness and silliness in Undertale

Something that set Undertale apart from other games (in my experience) and made it extremely enjoyable as a result, is how ridiculous it can be, and how it is very aware of this fact: plenty of characters, from the dog guards to Mettaton, have a silliness to them that seems almost at odds with the premise of a game where killing creatures with human-like qualities is a choice that can be rewarded or punished.

I think a lot of the effectiveness of the humor is how it affects identification, relatability, and/or closeness to the characters and the environment; for example, Temmie’s dialogue looks a lot like goofy messages written on the internet, bringing a familiarity and lightness to the game. (My brother and I still greet each other with “hoi” to this day). The same goes for your options to tell Papyrus that you either “have no redeeming qualities” or “can make spaghetti,” the sort of self-deprecating humor that seems in place around friends a bit more than in a serious, photorealistic, RPG, as well as Alphys and her fondness for Mew Mew Kissy Cutie.

Even the more absurd elements such as the flexing horse merman, Temmie’s violently vibrating encounter sprite, the head of the dog guard extending out of the frame, and most aspects of Mettaton fit neatly into the atmosphere of the game. Since most of the the characters are all monsters (and robots), these wackier moments and characters are more believable in the context of the world; they’re relatable enough to be human, reference our humor enough to be human (say, Tsunderplane), yet also have their own qualities that make them not human, exaggerated, and as a result, hilarious.

All of this plays really well into the tone of the game, making mercy/spare options much more valuable when the characters are much more developed and close (in some ways) to our experiences and humor. Killing monsters also ends up seeming more out of place as a result. The humor meshes with the seriousness of the game to present a sort of life philosophy that’s as much good feelings and laughs as it is showing the game world’s consequences of violence. How did you feel about the humor in Undertale? Was it fitting and refreshing to you as well, too over the top, or something else?