Chapter 19: Shock
As a game editor, although Ryan hadn't been working for long, he had played many games. From the current content of Undertale, Ryan could clearly perceive some of its characteristics.
First, the game's quality. Of course, he wasn't referring to the content, but to external qualities, such as graphics and control experience. He considered Undertale to be merely passable, not much different from an average indie game. However, as for the content, Ryan could only say that Undertale had left him with a rather mediocre impression.
The puzzles, although only tutorial levels, were quite boring. It was simply a matter of pushing rocks and levers. As for the combat phases, the game offered some dialogue options, such as the "Merciful" option, which allowed the player to avoid killing monsters. According to Ryan's gaming experience, this was simply a matter of honor points. High honor points resulted in a favorable ending, while low honor points resulted in a bad ending. There were no special scenarios, and the story itself seemed like a simple dungeon monster-killing routine.
After eliminating some monsters that blocked his path and reviewing the post-battle notifications, Ryan continued on his way without much thought. As a game editor, his focus was to first complete a level to see how the entire process worked. Although a more peaceful solution was possible, Ryan opted for the simpler approach. After all, it was an RPG; leveling up by killing monsters was normal.
As he progressed, the goat mother in the game appeared frequently, asking the protagonist about their food preferences and allergies. As he explored, Ryan sighed softly and shook his head. He had a feeling that Mirror's appearance was simply a fluke. After all, Undertale seemed like a worthless game to him: playable, but nothing remarkable. The castle lacked new exploration opportunities, with no exciting puzzles or plot twists. He simply discovered a door to the underground world.
After triggering this plot, the goat mother, who had previously saved the protagonist, commented that the outside world was dangerous and that if they insisted on leaving, they would have to prove they could protect themselves. After agreeing, the battle began. The sheep who had previously saved the protagonist prevented them from leaving, stating that if they did, they would have to prove they could protect themselves.
As in the previous battle, Toriel the sheep also offered the option of mercy. Unlike common monsters, Ryan felt a lot of affection for this sheep. So he didn't attack, but he soon realized that the mercy option was useless. He clicked several times, but the sheep continued to attack. 'Was his only option to counterattack? Or would there be a similar massacre, where he would empty the sheep's health bar and trigger the plot?'.
Ryan speculated as he tried to attack the sheep. The first blow took about a tenth of its health. The second, another small amount. The third blow stunned it. The sheep's health bar was completely emptied. The dead sheep knelt, still worried about the protagonist, urging them to leave quickly. Then, it disintegrated.
'What's going on? How did it die? Isn't this the best way to pass? Or should I be more merciful?'.
Although the game gave no clues, as a video game expert, Ryan quickly thought of the possible configurations. To test his idea, he loaded the previous save game and resumed the battle according to the previous pattern.
This time, Ryan stopped attacking and, instead, kept pressing Mercy. As the round progressed, Mother Sheep's attacks became increasingly powerful, and Ryan accidentally collided with one. His health was reduced to a minimum. But the next scene confirmed Ryan's idea.
In the game, Mother Sheep's attacks avoided the heart that symbolized the protagonist. Even when Ryan tried to proactively confront it, it dodged.
'That's exactly right! It makes the player wait a certain number of turns, but Mother Sheep doesn't kill them. Compared to the previous plot, where Mother Sheep was killed, the implication is somewhat ironic, especially the way Mother Sheep's attacks avoid the player. This aspect bears some similarity to Mirror's plot, which explores the differences between good and evil, morality, and humanity.'
As the game editor, Ryan also offered a more detailed review. After dodging Mother Sheep's attacks and pressing Mercy fourteen times in a row, Ryan shook his head as he listened to the lively music and watched the post-battle scene. In the game, faced with the protagonist's insistence on leaving, Mother Sheep finally stopped trying to stop them. Instead, she hugged them gently and accompanied them out of the castle.
'After all, you're a new game designer. This plot trigger is still too rudimentary. You have to press Mercy many, many times in a row. Although it's meant to hide the player's presence, but...'. Ryan shook his head.
'And since you want the player to remain invisible, automatically dodging the attack exposes it as a plot-ruining move. It's like taking off your pants and farting.'
Thinking about the previous Mother Sheep battle sequence, Ryan also criticized it. In his opinion, if only one of these functions were used, it would be acceptable. Using both would be counterproductive.
But the next scene stunned him in his chair. It completely changed his life!
Flowey, who had previously wanted to kill the protagonist, reappeared. What impacted Ryan was not Flowey as a character, but his dialogue.
[Smart! Very~smart!]
[You really think you're so smart, don't you?]
[In this world, it's kill or be killed!]
[That's why you can do whatever you want.]
[You're very happy, aren't you?]
[Because you just spared someone's life?]
[Hehehe, but don't get conceited!]
[Because... I know everything, I know what you did!]
[You killed her!]
[But you regretted it, so you went back in time, wanting to do it all over again.]
[Hahahaha... How naive you are! Do you think you're the only one with this kind of power?]
[This power to reshape the world... comes entirely from your own determination, your ability to play God, your ability to preserve.]
[I thought I was the only one with that power, but... I can no longer preserve it.] [Clearly, your desire for this world surpasses mine.]
[It's okay, it's okay, enjoy it while you still have it.]
[I'll always be watching you!]
[Hehehehe...]
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