Toby Fox, the mastermind behind Deltarune, recently treated fans to a development update. Let's dive into the latest news on the game's progress.
Toby Fox Shares Deltarune Progress Update
Deltarune Chapter 4 Nearing Completion
In his latest newsletter, Undertale creator Toby Fox offered fans a glimpse into the progress of Deltarune's upcoming chapters. Following the acclaimed Undertale, Deltarune is Fox's ambitious follow-up. His Halloween 2023 newsletter confirmed the simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4 on PC, Switch, and PS4. While Chapter 4 is nearing completion, Fox clarified that the release date is still some time away—a sentiment echoed by the years fans waited for the release of the first two chapters (released in 2018 and 2021, respectively).
Currently, Chapter 4 is undergoing polishing. All maps are finished, battles are playable, but several areas need refinement. Fox highlighted the need for small improvements to two cutscenes, balance adjustments and visual enhancements for one battle, a better background for another, and improved ending sequences for two more battles. Despite this, Fox considers Chapter 4 essentially playable, aside from some final touches, and has already received positive feedback from three friends who completed a playthrough.
Although Chapter 4 is progressing well, Fox emphasized the significant challenges of a multi-platform, multilingual release. He noted that the process would be simpler if the game were free, but given that this is their first major paid release since Undertale, the team is taking extra time to ensure a polished final product.
Before the release of Chapters 3 and 4, Fox outlined several key tasks: testing new functions, finalizing PC and console versions, Japanese localization, and rigorous bug testing.
According to Fox's February newsletter, development on Chapter 3 is complete. While Chapter 4 requires further refinement, Fox revealed that some team members are already starting preliminary work on Chapter 5, creating initial map drafts and working on bullet patterns.
While the newsletter didn't offer a concrete release date, it did provide exciting teasers: snippets of dialogue between Ralsei and Rouxls, a character description for Elnina, and a sneak peek at a new item, the GingerGuard. The three-year wait since Chapter 2's release initially disappointed some fans, but the anticipation for the game's expanding scope remains high, fueled by Fox's statement that Chapters 3 and 4 combined will be longer than Chapters 1 and 2.
Despite the ongoing wait, Fox expressed confidence in the future of Deltarune's development, suggesting a smoother release schedule for subsequent chapters once Chapters 3 and 4 launch.
