We have been waiting, hoping, and maybe even praying, and the day has finally come. Toby Fox, the person behind Undertale and now Deltarune, has officially put out Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. This means the story of Kris, Susie, and Ralsei continues, and fans are already going wild. The game is bundled with the first two chapters, which came out in 2018 and 2021 as free demos. Now, it is a full game for $25 on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. This is a reasonable change from the free model, and it clearly has not stopped people from playing.
Despite the move to a paid model, Deltarune exploded across the gaming world on its launch day. It hit over 133,000 players at the same time on Steam. It nearly broke into the top-10 most played games of 2025 on that platform. Just to give you an idea, Toby Fox's huge hit Undertale only reached a peak of around 11,000 players. This shows how much the gaming community has grown. It also shows how dedicated Toby Fox's fans are. They are still going strong years after Chapter 2 came out. This dedication is also clear in Deltarune's "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam, with a fantastic 98% positive score.
If you are like me, you probably jumped right in to see what is new. This multi-chapter sequel to 2015’s indie smash hit Undertale has been eagerly awaited. The game itself has been out in some form since 2018 when Toby Fox dropped a mysterious download called "SURVEY PROGRAM" which turned out to be the first chapter. Now, with two more chapters added, there is even more to dig into. The connection to Undertale is still a bit mysterious, but the jokes, characters, and unique combat keep us coming back.
Unpacking The Ice Key Secret And Other Hidden Puzzles In Deltarune Chapter 3's New AreasHow To Find The First Important Item For The New Secret Boss Encounter
Deltarune is known for its secret paths and hidden bosses. Chapter 3 definitely keeps that tradition alive. To find the secret boss in Tenna's TV Time game show, you need to collect certain items. The Ice Key is the first of these, and it is pretty easy to miss if you are not careful. Even if you do everything right, you could walk right past it. If you do not want to restart the whole opening part of Chapter 3, pay close attention between rounds of Tenna's show.
To get the Ice Key, you need to finish a secret mini-game after the first round of Tenna's game show. This mini-game is in a room only for "S rank" contestants. So, you need to get over 1500 points during the Zelda-style adventure mini-game. This will earn you an S rank and let you into the special room. Once you get that S rank, head into the changing room marked with a big "S" on the front. It is a simple hallway with a vending machine and some strange characters.
Talk to the character in front of the door on the left. He will tell you there are more games in the room behind him. Go inside, turn left, and interact with the old game console. It will tell you that you need a controller. Go back out of the room, and you can pick one up from the ground. Connect the controller to the game system. You will be taken back to the 2D Zelda mini-game, but your party will not be with you. The cave where the shop used to be will now just tell you to "Become Stronger."
To move forward, go all the way to the southern edge of the map. Head underground into the "mail room" that you might have found during Tenna's show. There is a sword inside. Pick it up and defeat every enemy in the mini-game. This will give you just enough XP to reach level three. At this point, you will be able to chop down cacti. Go east and cut down the two cacti blocking a path you could not get to before. You will find yourself in a new area with a purple mist. Keep fighting until you reach max level. You are now strong enough to cut down trees. Go back to the main mini-game area and start cutting your way through the forest in any direction. After going through a few screens, you will find a chest holding the Ice Key. That is all it takes to get it!
After years of waiting, Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 are here, bringing new adventures, character stories, and Toby Fox's unique advice on avoiding spoilers.
How Deltarune's Gameplay Mixes Old Favorites With New Ideas For Chapter 3 And Beyond
From Combat To Storytelling, The Series Continues To Build On Its Unique Style
With the Ice Key in hand, you can continue with Tenna's game show. Getting more S ranks will unlock more secret mini-games in this back room. This will give you even more rare items. All these items are needed to access a different story path at the end of Chapter 3. So, it is a good idea to save your game in case you do not get enough points in a future round and need to try again. It is not as drastic as Chapter 2's Snowgrave route, but it is still quite different from the usual sequence of events.
Deltarune, like Undertale, is a turn-based RPG with bullet-hell mechanics. It brings back some characters from Undertale and introduces new ones. The connection to Undertale is still a puzzle. The characters themselves have clear differences from their Undertale versions. No one seems to remember what happened in Undertale. Yet, the game often hints at Undertale events in a way that players of both will notice, even if the characters in the game do not. This makes the mystery around Deltarune one of its big draws.
The battles mix a turn-based attack phase with a bullet-hell defense phase. Deltarune also adds Spells that you cast with TP. These spells can be violent, peaceful, or neutral. The party shares one TP pool that resets with each battle. You can build up TP by timing your Fight commands perfectly, choosing to Defend, or barely avoiding enemy attacks. This adds a lot of strategy and risk to the game. So far, there are only a few spells between the three playable companions, but the system has much potential for later chapters.
The game also plays with the idea that "your choices do not matter in this world." However, as many players have found, choices do make a difference. The Snowgrave route in Chapter 2, for example, is a secret path that needs very specific actions to start and follow. It changes a lot about the story of Noelle, a classmate of Kris and Susie. While it is emotionally draining to play through, it offers a more detailed and interesting look at the story. This makes me wonder if other characters will get similar alternate routes in future chapters. It also makes me think about how these different runs might affect what happens in the "Lightner world" going forward.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is just around the corner, and we are getting a lot of details about its launch. Here's a look at what to expect, from its display to the games hitting shelves first.
Looking Forward: What Does The Future Hold For Deltarune And Its Growing Story?
The Series Continues To Impress And Build On Its Legacy In Exciting New Ways
Deltarune does a great job of building on Undertale's style. The graphics still have a simple, old-school feel that works well for both humor and emotion. The environments, battle screens, and character animations have much more detail now. This helps it feel like a true follow-up to Undertale. And of course, the music is excellent. It is hard to reach the amazing heights of Undertale's soundtrack, but Deltarune has started strong with meaningful musical themes and catchy level music.
Memorable bosses were a major strength of Undertale. While Deltarune's bosses are engaging and offer new ideas, they might not quite hit the same level yet. However, the secret bosses in each chapter are exceptions. Fighting these tough challenges has been some of the most fun in the game so far. They are also interesting characters. I recommend looking them up if you have not found them yet.
For better or worse, Deltarune is being made with Undertale in mind. So far, it is doing a very good job. I am not sure if it will reach the same iconic status or cultural impact as Undertale. However, it already has a lot to offer. Chapter 2 is more consistently engaging mechanically than Undertale. And there is much more of this game still coming. If Undertale felt like a perfectly confident game like Dragon Quest, then Deltarune aims for the excitement and many-sided characters of Final Fantasy. It is probably not a coincidence that both games’ battle screens look like those older series.
The first two chapters of Deltarune already feel like a complete experience on their own. Their total length is longer than a full Undertale run. With Chapters 3 and 4 now out, we have more than half of the game's total content. That is a lot of a great game to play! Unless you do not like playing games more than once or cliffhangers bother you, I do not think there is any reason to wait to check out this world. Chapter 1, and especially Chapter 2, have set the stage for what I believe will be mechanically better than Undertale. What happens next with the story is the biggest question.