Reaching the end of Undertale orchestra round 2 i think its remarkable how much we remember this game for Toby's strengths rather than the usual crit applied to AAA games. Undertale doesn't shine because it excels in marketability, it shines because we connect to its sincerity.

It's not a good game because it has the Best Battle System Ever, or The Most Difficult, or The Prettiest and Most Advanced Skin Rendering &/Or Bishie Sprites - its the music and the earnest writing.

The ingenuity of creating what you enjoy and learning what you're rusty at.

Given the time it was produced in it'd be so easy to write undertale as some edgelord brand "everything sucks! You shouldn't even try because goodness is fake! We're all going to shit anyway! # bioshock"

But instead its a game about how the act of Trying in earnest pays off.

The datamining secrets? The fodder for game theories? The self-indulgent easter eggs and multitude of simple jokes that come so quickly if you miss a punchline you're already stepping into another anyway? Those are just... things he already liked from art he grew up on.

We say "Undertale takes inspiration from the Mother series" but among many things Earthbound culture is built around community -a series of games that didnt even get a full localization & needed forums sharing and dissecting it over and over again to achieve cult status.

(We see this in HS, too, and a lot of silly online humor from a distinctly more lighthearted nature makes it into the game and settles atop most of our fondest memories)

As a cultural phenomenon, it is incredible to think about. It is a product of all the characteristics artists usually teach themselves to smooth over. "to gain broader appeal you need to generalize yourself and learn to play into what the public expects" is entirely debunked

When you get down to it even the core of its meta aspects is that theres merit in trying, even if it feels stupid, even if it looks like you've failed a hundred times and will continue to lose for however knows how many more. Persistence, sincerity & hope bundled as Determination

Ive thought about this a lot since yesterday. There's so much love put into this game and I'm so happy so many of us could appreciate its heart. Yet same time as an artist with a notably irritable wrist i really worry about the sacrifices we need to make. https://twitter.com/Andr01dPeach/status/1306081242283151362?s=19

Im not really sure what the end of this thread should be if I'm being honest. I guess its a big "Find your own voice, do what you love, learn what you struggle with" But remember to also take care of yourself. There will be people who will still enjoy your work for years to come.

Anyway, here's to five years and hopefully many more.