What do a talking goat, butterscotch pie, and the font “Comic Sans” all have in common?
They’re parts of the video game Undertale!
Like Roblox and Fortnite, Undertale is a recently popular video game. It centers around a small child who has fallen into a world full of monsters called the Underground. Players control this character as they journey to escape the Underground and return to the human world.
Sounds pretty interesting, right? Kids think so, too. In fact, the game won all sorts of awards upon its release, including being named the 20th best video game of all time by website IGN.
As such, it’s no surprise that Undertale, like most video games, can be pretty addicting. Due to the intriguing story and fun gameplay, kids (and adults) can spend hours on end exploring the game’s nooks and crannies. It’s no wonder that some parents are heard saying, “my child is obsessed with Undertale!”
But how appropriate is Undertale for kids? Let’s find out!
What Is Undertale?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of the Undertale age rating, let’s learn a little bit more about the game itself.
Undertale is a role-playing video game released back in 2015. Unlike most video games that are developed by a team of professionals, Undertale was developed single-handedly by one man named Toby Fox. He even composed the game’s soundtrack! That’s a pretty impressive creative feat if you ask me.
As earlier mentioned, the game centers around a small child who mysteriously falls into the Underground, a subterranean area of the Earth populated by monsters. Players control this character as they journey back to the human world on the surface. On their way, they meet all sorts of characters, from the motherly Toriel to skeleton comedians Sans and Papyrus.
One of the most interesting parts of Undertale is how the story changes based on a player’s choices. As players meet characters and are drawn into combat, they can choose to either fight or befriend their enemies. The way players approach these situations has consequences on the rest of the game, altering the dialogue, character arcs, and story.
Undertale is available on nearly any system, from PC to the Nintendo Switch. Really, the only place it’s not available is on your child’s smartphone—which is likely a good thing, as smartphone games can be fairly addicting. That’s why Troomi phones don’t support addictive games and applications. Click here to learn more!
Is Undertale a Scary Game?
Skeletons, subterranean lairs, combat…With all these things playing an important role in Undertale, you’re likely wondering: is Undertale a scary game?
While Undertale certainly isn’t a horror game (there aren’t any jump scares to worry about), it does feature some frightening moments that could scare younger children. Some areas of the game are accompanied by eerie music that could make younger players nervous, and the character design can be downright spooky. The final boss is particularly frightening, both visually and thematically.
When I played Undertale, I remember feeling pretty unsettled as I approached the end of the game—and I’m a man in my mid-20s!
Is Undertale Child Friendly?
Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Is Undertale a good game for kids?
The short answer: not really.
The long answer: While Undertale is a creative video game with beautiful music and an intriguing story line, the game’s difficulty, complex themes, and occasionally frightening imagery make it inappropriate for younger children.
In terms of difficulty, Undertale’s gameplay may be too complicated for younger players. In addition to occasional puzzle-solving, the combat system of Undertale requires some pretty deft fingers. If your kiddo hasn’t quite mastered their fine motor skills, they may have a hard time progressing in the game. This could lead to frustration.
The gameplay isn’t the only difficult thing about the game, however. As a story-based video game, Undertale deals with some pretty philosophical topics ranging from pacifism and war to the power of choice. Understandably, these topics can get pretty heavy. As such, some of the game’s dialogue may be too serious for younger players.
Finally, as mentioned before, there are some instances in the game that may be frightening for younger players.
What Age Group Is Undertale Appropriate For?
So, is Undertale ok for a seven-year-old? Not really. Is Undertale appropriate for ten-year-olds? I’d still say no.
In my opinion, Undertale is appropriate for teens 13 and up.
While the difficulty, complex themes, and frightening imagery make the game inappropriate for young children, more mature teens can safely enjoy Undertale.
In fact, as a completely offline, one-player game, I’d argue that Undertale is a pretty safe video game for teens to play. It isn’t anywhere near as addictive as other popular games like Roblox and Fortnite.
Undertale is a story-based game—meaning that it has an ending. Once players finish their playthrough of Undertale (which takes about seven hours), the game is over. With nothing left to do, players can safely log off and move on to a different activity.
Additionally, Undertale doesn’t have any online capabilities, meaning that players don’t have to worry about threats like inappropriate chat interactions or Internet scams as they play, unlike with online games like Fornite.
Help Your Kids Game Safely with Troomi
Video games like Undertale are the most popular form of entertainment in today’s world. While playing video games has numerous advantages—such as increased creative problem-solving skills and better hand-eye coordination—there are also significant disadvantages, like overuse and exposure to violent or sexual content.
This is why smartphones from Troomi Wireless offer KidSmartⓇ Apps: so your kids can enjoy video games while avoiding some of the harmful effects that video games may have. Click here to find out more about how Troomi can keep your child safe while they explore the digital world.
And don’t forget to come back to the Troomi blog for more parenting tips and video game reviews that you won’t want to miss.