Version: 5.01

Time spent on the passage: about 18 hours to LV1 path and 7 hours to LV0 path [Redacted]

= Introduction =

In this review, I will evaluate the game "PS!Outertale" from several important positions. This is a completely subjective opinion. I do not aim to offend anyone, blacken the reputation of the developers and the project itself, etc. If I make conceptual mistakes, then I ask you to explain what their essence is. Well, let's go!

= PLOT and CANONICITY - 1 / 1 =

From the point of view of the canon, the story told in this game fully corresponds to the conceptual foundations. As a result of an emergency landing, the human enters the world of monsters. Having chosen one of the many paths, they must reach the barrier and overcome it. In this review, I evaluate exclusively the path of a true pacifist.

~ This story has received a unique interpretation. So, for example, Asgore receives the power of six souls not as cruelly as it is shown in Undertale. He guarantees their lives and combines the power of souls to break down the barrier.

~ So there is no such stage of a true laboratory. This is the key point of the concept of this path. Twinkly (Flowey) in the finale reports that only the story of his creation remains undisclosed. It offers the player a choice - to observe an almost perfect world or to realize a true reset and find the answer to the riddle. This means that the player must complete the LV0 true pacifist path. [Redacted] I was able to go this way and confirm that this project completely rethinks the story of the first human whose name really matches the name chosen by the player (not Chara). This story is extremely tragic and very interestingly realized in the form of a dialogue between the player and Frisk (the secret of the narrator is also revealed - we can talk). Asriel's rebirth itself is the most incredible twist in the plot, and his story on the way from the first location to the last struck me to the core. This is a completely different story, and it really has a real good ending, which you really don't want to end with another reset. It's amazing.

~ The story of Asriel has been reinterpreted. We have the opportunity to read his diary and trace the chain of events associated with the fall of the first human. This is an extremely serious moment, which is definitely a cool decision for the game.

~ Rejection of hoaxes. As I said earlier, the final part of the path is shown quite differently. The human agrees to participate in the experiment and gets into a "time dimension" in which they can learn the history of the people who fell before them. Here we can participate in unique battles, for example, with Gerson and Dr. Roman (W. D. Gaster). After the battle with Asriel, the player can find capsules with people in different locations. In the battle with Omega Twinkly, we see fallen people for the first time - their images are not a mystery. Also the key point is the battle with the barrier. Using the power of determination, a person can destroy the barrier, but the appearance of Twinkly breaks all plans.

= MUSIC - 0.8 / 1 =

I think that the musical accompaniment of PS!Outertale is much inferior to that of Undertale. The tracks are faintly remembered. Nevertheless, the space theme is highlighted in the OST, and it is clearly repeated. I can say that I liked the tracks "Outlands", "Starton", "CORE", "ASGORE" and "An Ending" the most.

= THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY - 1 / 1 =

I really like the design solutions for rooms and some locations. In general, the design philosophy of PS!Outertale is characterized by refined minimalism. I was particularly impressed by the circular arrangement of rooms at the MTT Hotel. It's really cool, really. Glowing trees in Starton, labyrinths of pipes in Foundry, the final corridor in the battle with Omega Twinkly, views from windows in the Citadel - all this and much more is the advantage of this game.

= CHARACTERS AND NPCs - 0.8 / 1 =

The vast majority of the characters and NPCs in the game are not original. This is quite obvious. The character design fits into the design philosophy as a whole, and this is an absolute advantage. I will note a few important points:

~ Toriel. The key feature of PS!Outertale is that we can communicate with Toriel outside of Outlands. This significantly increases interest in the plot and allows you to reveal it most widely

~ Papyrus. The puzzles have become an order of magnitude more difficult. I had to work hard to get through the fire trap and solve digital puzzles, which, by the way, are very ambiguous and not always clear. A lot depends on the perception of the player here, and therefore I will not criticize this moment and say that I am pleased with the presence of all of the above. The battle with Papyrus itself is also complicated - the Sigma stage made me jump on the spot several times. This is a great solution.

~ Sans. The importance of the skeleton is underestimated, if only because it is not a boss on the path of genocide. However, I really like that he does not hide his abilities (luminous eye) and shows how much he loves ketchup ("Delicious" moment). Sans is still a judge and that's a good thing.

~ Monster Kid. A very interesting game design solution is related to this character. For a very short period in Founders, the monster can participate in battles and influence their outcome. I was extremely pleased with this moment and I am still in awe of it.

~ Alphys. I don't like the reinterpretation of the image of the royal scientist. She became more unscrupulous, indifferent, rude. She does not worry about a person's life, because another one may come after him. Her attitude towards Undyne is also quite provocative. This image repels me, but I note that the Alphys combat sprite is very interesting

~ Metatton and the ghost family. The unique storyline in PS!Outertale is connected with a family of ghosts. This story is notable for its tragedy. I love how, in the finale of the path of the true pacifist, they were all able to restore family ties

~ Asgore. The King's airtime has been greatly increased. He tells the human the story of his family and convinces them to participate in the salvation of the entire nation. So there is no such battle with Asgore, which also pleases me

~ Glass. This is a cool dude.

~ NPCs. I don't like that the concentration of NPCs in the locations is very low, in most places there is practically no one to talk to. I would like to see more characters, especially after the battle with Asriel. But it didn't happen.

= COMBAT SYSTEM AND GAME MECHANICS - 1 / 1 =

The combat system is completely identical to the original one. At the same time, the developers have added the following things:

~ The flirting system. There's nothing to say, it's a masterpiece

~ Special ways of mercy. We saw something similar in Undertale Yellow, but here, especially with regard to the battle with Toriel, it helps to reveal the plot.

~ LV0. Greatest thing ever in UT fangames [Redacted]

~ Mechanics of all six souls in battle with Omega Twinkly. This is the grandest thing, I was absolutely delighted with how it was implemented. The battle is very difficult. I don't like the mechanics of teleportation - it requires a lot of concentration and reaction speed, so my impression has been spoiled since the battle with Metatton. Speaking of the battle with the robot in the lab: the idea of including different characters in the battle is a very cool, but for complete admiration (as in Undertale), I lacked something extremely unusual, unfortunately.

= OTHER - 0.8 / 1 =

~ No localization. The function does not work in the settings, there are also no instructions for unpacking pak-files with localization

~ White screen of death. About two hours of gameplay were spent on replay because of this. I also noted suspensions at the moments of transition from the battle to the world and vice versa. Once the game did not switch to full-screen mode

~ Spamton memes. Love it so much!

~ Ending "Stay with Toriel". It's a very cool decision to introduce an alternative ending into the game, which can be obtained in 10 minutes

~ Napstablook's store. ()

TOTAL: 5.4 / 6 (90%) - EXCELLENT

The overall impression. I really liked this project. The developers have shown and are showing special awe towards this game. I dare to call PS!Outertale one of the best and highest quality games in the last few years. I believe that bugs and programming errors will be fixed in the next updates, as well as that localization will be added. Thank you for the feeling of playing Undertale as if for the first time!

(sorry for possible existing errors in the text)