A human.

A monster.

And a prince of darkness.

The second chapter of Deltarune by Toby Fox, creator of hit game Undertale, was recently released. The game mechanics still include room-based puzzles and enemies who fight with mini “Bullet Hell” attacks, and who can be fought with attacks or by befriending them by performing certain actions. The old chess, card and jigsaw puzzle themes of the first installment of the Deltarune series have tumbled over into the new computer-themed adventure straight out of the early internet era. The near-miss feature from chapter 1 that rewards riskier dodges with an edge in battle has been worked on to work better.

Chapter 2 kicks off with Kris, Suzie, and Ralsei finding themselves back in a new digital world, looking for Noelle and Berdly, who fans will recognise as classmates of the player character from the first chapter. The harshness of the King from chapter one is contrasted by the quippy, playful robot Queen, the new antagonist.

As is consistent with Toby Fox games, the new chapter offers a host of playing styles, allowing the player to pick the pace, tone, and length of the game. The puzzles along the main storyline pose little challenge, while those guarding secrets ramp up in difficulty, and often require a bit of backtracking for larger secrets.

Players will, as usual, be able to choose whether to fight or befriend their way through a host of themed enemies, including electrical outlets, computer viruses, pop-up advertisements, and a new hidden boss. Secret hunters will find themselves combing through hidden rooms, while character fans can watch relationships unfold.

The new soundtrack does not disappoint, with titles like “Big Shot,” “Pandora Palace,” and “Attack of the Killer Queen” combining old leitmotifs with the new cyber theme. The humor is well timed, being paced throughout the story for casual players, with hidden gems for those who seek them out. With the amount of small, differing interactions based on previous choices, players will feel like the game is tailored to them, making callbacks to details they had all but forgotten, such as choices made in the first chapter.

The chapter provides a three-to-five hour playthrough with good replay value, and players will be left in equal parts suspense and satisfaction from the experience. I give it four out of five stars, because it is a fun game, though some of the early puzzles are a little simple.