7 Video Game Character Deaths That Carried Real Weight

When it was getting funding on Kickstarter, Toby Fox called Undertale "a fun RPG where nobody has to die", and while Undertale does indeed have systems in place to make the pacifist route not only enjoyable and engaging, it also gives the option to kill everyone you come across.

However, when you engage with the monsters in Undertale, you begin to learn about them on a very personal level. The random encounters in RPG's have really never been more than grinding fodder in 90% of games in the genre. The inclusion of allowing a player to kill any character they please - or all of them - speaks to the simple genius of the game.

When playing a pacifist route through the game, the player is allowed to learn and interact with the monsters - particularly the bosses. They hang out at bars, work jobs, and have more personality than a player would expect. In fact, the game sort of tricks the player into killing the first 'boss', and then rubs their nose in it.

Even if the player resets the game in an attempt to change that outcome, Undertale doesn't let them get away with it. More than anything, Toby Fox has created a game about consequence, and he works that theme into every decision the player makes.

By having the route that is permeated by death, the game emphasizes life, and how everyone has a story to tell.