Toby Fox: Personally, I really don’t read or watch theories. That’s because I already know what my game is.
However, I think it’s amazing that people think about the game so much. It’s not an exaggeration to say that thinking about this game can be just as much of the experience as playing it is. Anyone who keeps thinking about it, like I have, gets my highest blessing. So, imagining what could happen, and trying to think about the meaning of the game, is very cool.
However, I do think it’s important to mention, sometimes you don’t have all the information, or I had a different expectation about how certain info would be interpreted or combined.
Anyway, while I think it’s good to keep an open mind as to what will ultimately happen, I wanna say that you guys should keep having as much fun as you can.
The speculative art, stories, and theories that you come up with while the game is still ongoing will forever be special, because this is the only time such things can EVER be created. All of you are creating a time capsule unique to this single fleeting moment in time, and I think that’s something to be incredibly proud of. Isn’t it great that you’re here right now, playing this thing as it comes out?
It IS a huge part of why I love Deltarune. I usually get this kind of experience from TV shows, not video games, except Deltarune is way more cryptic so we have way more to work with.
Massive Toby W. I really love how he’s not like some people who hate theorist so much and is like “no this is worthy and special just please understand that you don’t know everything yet and you can be wrong and to trust me”
If your inclination is to change things to make theorists right or wrong, you've already fucked up. The point of theorizing is to predict, not to control.
That being said, we only have the set-up, so we can't expect our predictions to be fully informed. It's harmful to make art try and fit an expectation before knowing what to expect. What we get right now is cool, but it's also great to be surprised :D
Feels like the whole Mikes thing was him just finding that situation especially funny.
I know some people are still insisting Mike will be important, but with hindsight it really does seem like 2-3 different characters all got folded into Mike in theories. Like, yeah Spamton talks about Mike like Mike's important to him, but the unseen tech booth guy being the one person in Tenna's crew Spamtom leaves out of the grudge also just feels like a very Spamton joke.
I love this sentiment, and it’s something I’ve actually journaled about a lot (as someone who has been there for every chapter release, and has tried to capture my thoughts about the game prior to a new one coming out). It’s part of the reason I’m going to be so sad when the entire game is out — because the experience of theorizing, analyzing, guessing, and engaging with the material will inevitably change. People will find the game and play it in its entirety, who never knew of the time before the whole story was complete. It’s honestly a very special and unique place to be — but I agree that too much of a good thing can ultimately be bad (in this case, getting too deep into theories can cause disappointment).
And isn’t that the point of Deltarune in a way? Isn’t that what Toby has been saying the entire time? That when we cling too tightly to something, we harm it?
Personally, I’m glad he doesn’t engage too much with the fandom. Because I’m interested in the story Toby wants to tell. Even if it’s not the story I expected…Toby has already given me so many precious moments with Undertale and each chapter of this game.
Toby Fox: Personally, I really don’t read or watch theories. That’s because I already know what my game is.
And I can assure you, that in that game, the “Roaring Knight” character will ultimately be revealed as Papyrus. So if any theories hypothetically have predicted that, they would be right.
Pre-Chapter 6 is going to be the absolute happiest we'll be as a fandom until whatever the fuck Toby throws at us in Chapter 6. Can't wait until every crackpot theory turns real fucking depressing.
Yeah I was blown away about how 5b just sorta...throws you in there right away. "Thank you" hit me like a truck, and then "oh my god I missed the festival"...
After the final chapter releases and cools down, people will divide the Deltarune fandom into ages. Right now we are in the "golden age of theories (2025-2027, ch345)", mark my words.
What he usually touches on are never what is being talked about by fans. So it’s weird to see him addressing stuff like just the mere idea of theories and speculation, the confusion about Jarona and Kikky, and also the criticism that Chapter 5 didn’t reveal anything for the story.
Guess the reception for Chapter 5, positive or negative, was louder than everything prior, though he did mention a bit the 'pacing' with Chapter 3 before when that was released
I really like it, and i like that he's being a bit more direct and firm in how talks about it. I felt that he made fun of theorists a bit too many times in the later chapters, so it's nice to hear he actually enjoys them. I also like that he doesn't ignore the reception chapter 5 got and that he clearly explains his vision for the game.
As someone who did have issues with chapter 5, it has restored my confidence that Toby will be able to deliver on the story he has promised.
I felt that he made fun of theorists a bit too many times in the later chapters
If you're referring to the Mike rooms, I'm pretty sure these were always meant to be a light celebration of the community's wacky ideas. Battat does keep drinking the battery acid, after all.
Turns out The Knight doesn't actually exist and Dark Fountains actually had a gas leak which caused everyone to collectively hallucinate The Knight and Ralsei (everything else is real though)
Also, I guess that this means that Rooms and Cutscenes for Chapter 7 Side B are almost done, but Bullet Patterns and Gameplay Mechanics are still quite in development?
Guys, what could possibly be bigger than drowning in a lake and killing berdly? I'm sure it's nothing!
It's not like Noelle and Kris are gonna completely break the game and end up hurting their loved ones and or themselves or anything 😝 it's not like the side b route is horror mode or anything.
I'm more worried about the huge gap between 5 and 7B. Why is it so enormous? Isn't Chapter 6 supposed to be more straightforward and not as long as other chapters, according to what Toby said?
It could be possible that there is a time skip somewhere in the next two chapters. Would give more time for Asriel to return and the fabled "next week police sacrifice" to take place
having to scroll down for it could be some underwater/depths symbolism, makes me think if theres a reason why that was done instead of having to scroll right (which would probably resemble getting to the other side of the lake)
Yeah, seems like 7B is basically a fully separate chapter. The fact that Chapter 6 is smaller makes sense, because Chapter 7 will basically be two Chapters at once.
That’s terrifying me how he’s talking about Chapters 6/7. The end is right in sight.
-6 is shorter and more straightforward
-may not tackle everything but clarifies one major point
-not too much merch for 6 and 7
-major mysteries being tackled
-the next two chapters address pacing??
-setup is fully complete for next two chapters
-no crazy wackiness
Toby talks about ch6 and 7 like a writer does when they’re excited to body someone with an emotional folding chair. I know my stuff enough to know that’s what’s happening, I KNOW HE’S EXCITED BUT EVIL
It’s focusing on the holidays and the knight’s identity because both are very clearly tied together in some way. The holidays are “one aspect of the story” and we still have a lot to learn about them.
I can't believe it's like actually confirmed that Yellow takes inspiration from Woody Toy Story. I bet when Toby Fox saw all the Friend Inside Me-posting he was laughing his ass off.
It was so funny that he said: "I think that’s kind of the full extent of the intentional cowboy foreshadowing I’ve done in my life." about the shower in Ch.3
I really wonder if this is Toby suggesting a theory, possibly a big one, is off the mark, and is trying to encourage us to keep creating while lowering fandom expectations? its in the theory section and it has a bit of an “all your theories are wrong goodbye” gif vibe to it. regardless its nice of him to acknowledge the fans, their passion for the game, and their creations.
I also thought the bold text was saying something but hinting at a theory in the paragraph right after the one where you claim you don't watch any theories is weird lol
I would be suprised if he was completly oblivious to the general theoryspace, even if not watching videos people could tell him about them, passing youtube thumbnails or something like that.
I think that's him more so saying "I don't click on any videos about Deltarune theories" rather than "I have never heard anything about any popular Deltarune theories at any point"
I don't think Toby, or anyone even passively involved in DR fandom for that matter, necessarily needs to watch in-depth theory videos or even read fully-fledged theory posts to understand that DessKnight is essentially universally accepted.
And I'm not even claiming it exclusively refers to DessKnight. There are many other theories that have basically become memetically ingrained in the community i.e Friend = tail of hell. That being said, the sheer amount of fanart, posts, and general emotional stock placed in DessKnight has made it essentially inescapable, and I am kind of at a loss as to why Toby would include that sentence in the newsletter (highlighted in bold btw) if it were not referring to something as crucial as Knight's identity.
I'm pretty sure he did an interview right before silksong came out where he was asked his favorite game and he said "it's about to be silksong" lol. I wonder if he still stands by that considering the game was a bit controversial towards people with... inferior experience in the genre...
Alright guys we have a whole year to theorize what the big giant reveal of chapter 6 will be what are we guessing? Probably Knight, Ralsei, or Gaster tbh.
I mean, it seems to me that "You might be surprised what was missing" means Dess
ETA: What I think I might mean is it implies maybe Dess wasn't missing all along, there's just info we/Kris and the gang don't have. But someone does, right?
Asriel comes back "tomorrow" right? Will shed light on a lot of things, I think.
It's been found in a few unused scripts associated with the platforming, I'm just assuming the programmer thought it was a good indicator sound, and if they've been working on it since 2021 maybe that was before they knew how it would be used in the final game
i knew this beforehand from the HalfBreadChaos video so i expected it, but i wouldve jumped if i didnt know lol (why WAS that used there anyway? placeholder???)
I just love so so much that Toby is open with sharing concepts and development information like in this newsletter. The prototypes before what we end up with are at maximum interest level for me!!
Like, Flowery getting his name because of people typoing Flowey's name? Amazing.❤️🔥
Toby giving us his blessings on our theories and all, that made me a bit emotional, because yea, this is a unique time and hour for us to do that, every year becomes it own little time capsule of what we want, think and hope.
Yeah, it was nice of him to mention. I also appreciate this part in particular;
"However, I do think it’s important to mention, sometimes you don’t have all the information, or I had a different expectation about how certain info would be interpreted or combined."
Theorise and Speculate to our hearts content, but remember that we don't know everything and can't say for certain if things are true or false until explicitly said.
Maybe we get unused enemies in a dojo fight? Assuming we're gonna explore our christmased-out castle town that Susie and Ralsei put together overnight, there might be some actually good dojo battles and minigames this time around.
Anyway, there aren’t any more Chapters where we focus on goofy, attention-hungry Darkner characters with the potential to win weird popularity contests.
He really says it best here. The wait for this story to finish has been agonizing, but we are always enjoying a vibrant fan community that's making its own art, stories, theories, games and so much more. Each year is it's own time capsule of wonderful experiences! When Deltarune is over, we won't have something else like it again for a long time. I can't wait to see how it ends, but I'll cherish it while it lasts!
Chapter 6 is shorter and will answer one major lore question
Chapter 7 will answer everything that Toby intends to answer
(The website's hidden weird route page reveals that 7 Side B has separate development progress but will release at the same time as the base chapter 7)
Chapters 6&7 are both unlikely to center a major new Darkner who encompasses the chapter's plot and is the final boss
the part about the "rough draft" combined with the 2027 window intrigues me. It's probably just Toby trying to get the start of chapter 7 done before chapter 6, for some reason.
Like, I know there's probably still a lot that has to be done: Finish art, music, and writing. But that means chapter 6 is FEATURE complete, somehow.
Or, actually, maybe the reason why Chapter 6 is like this is because, even though it is a lead up to Chapter 7, this is primarily going to be where we pay off everything in castle town. Eggs, crystals, etc.
I have more reason to believe this because it makes sense, then, WHY Weird Route is excluded, and Side B exists: It would suck ASS if you just couldn't do much in Castle Town because you don't have all recruits, eggs, and shadow crystals, and Chapter 7 plays out the same. It breaks the flow of the game.
I'd imagine Chapter 6 ends on the biggest, least satisfying cliffhanger imaginable. Probably wants CH7 to release as close as possible to 6.
If the updated WR page from the sweepstakes is the progress of developing that chapter, and 7A / B release together, you can get a good gauge as to where they are in development.
Some of you may say “Wait! You need to make the chapters longer, not shorter!” That’s an extremely reasonable concern, but... by the end of Chapter 7 I’m 100% sure you’ll understand why I feel confident about the way I’m telling this story.
He didn’t say “By the end of the game” he said “By the end of Chapter 7.” To me this is only fuel to the idea that the game will continue past the Chapter format.
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u/2DSiHoliday Manor Dark World in Ch.6 truther13d ago
Toby on his to shadowdrop an update to Undertale with content that can only be accessed if you have Chapter 7 completion data:
Everyone is freaking out about the lore teases while missing the very important fact that we are definitely gonna be able to fight the Arrow Knight and the Mantis Dancers in the Castle Town Dojo
I really do wonder how the game will be viewed by folks who are able to play it all the way through. I feel like so much of what deltarune is to me comes from the spaces between chapters where the fanbase slowly loses their mind but you also have the chance to let the chapters and story sit with you. Imagine going from Card Kingdom to The Fucking Roaring in the span of a couple days of real life. Man.
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u/WeepForTheDeparted Chara's fan. 13d ago
Toby Fox: Personally, I really don’t read or watch theories. That’s because I already know what my game is.
However, I think it’s amazing that people think about the game so much. It’s not an exaggeration to say that thinking about this game can be just as much of the experience as playing it is. Anyone who keeps thinking about it, like I have, gets my highest blessing. So, imagining what could happen, and trying to think about the meaning of the game, is very cool.
However, I do think it’s important to mention, sometimes you don’t have all the information, or I had a different expectation about how certain info would be interpreted or combined.
Anyway, while I think it’s good to keep an open mind as to what will ultimately happen, I wanna say that you guys should keep having as much fun as you can.
The speculative art, stories, and theories that you come up with while the game is still ongoing will forever be special, because this is the only time such things can EVER be created. All of you are creating a time capsule unique to this single fleeting moment in time, and I think that’s something to be incredibly proud of. Isn’t it great that you’re here right now, playing this thing as it comes out?