Hey, fellow Undertale and Deltarune fan. Do you know there was a Deltarune ARG occurring? Do you know it is technically been occurring for 3 years now? Yeah, neither did I!
I first realized in regards to the Deltarune ARG (Alternate Actuality Recreation) earlier this week, when a video about it surfaced in my YouTube suggestions. I began out simply mildly curious, however I shortly fell down a rabbit gap that had me digging by way of huge spreadsheets, scouring Reddit threads, and pouring over bizarre corners of the official Deltarune web site. And now, I am going to infect you with it too.
So as to absolutely unpack your complete ARG in a approach that covers each little bit of what is occurred and what it might imply, I’d have to spoil all 4 chapters of Deltarune, most likely some bits of Undertale, and dive into a deep, deep, deep pit of Deltarune fan theories. So I am going to attempt to maintain the reason as excessive stage as is feasible whereas nonetheless making sense. However as a warning forward of time: it will include spoilers for Chapters 1 and a couple of of Deltarune, particularly the “Bizarre Route”, and a few very mild allusions to characters and occasions in Chapters 3 and 4. Learn on at your individual threat:
The Deltarune ARG truly started in September 2022, throughout an occasion referred to as the Spamton Sweepstakes celebrating Undertale’s seventh anniversary, which raised cash for the charity Kid’s Play. Many of the occasion was enjoyable, foolish, and non-ARG-related, themed across the eccentric Chapter 2 character Spamton and together with a lot of enjoyable new merchandise courtesy of Fangamer.
Nevertheless, on the time, the ever-vigilant Deltarune neighborhood stumbled upon some uncommon hidden content material throughout the pages on the Deltarune web site devoted to the sweepstakes. On the time, most of it consisted of enjoyable Easter Eggs, and I do not need to get into all of it, nevertheless it was the primary main signal that one thing was up. It wasn’t till May of 2025 (two and a half years later) that issues actually kicked off. Fans all of a sudden seen that there have been even more secrets on the Deltarune web site devoted to the sweepstakes. There have been a variety of new hidden pages, all of which made reference to the sport’s deeply eerie and hidden “Bizarre Route”, however the one which issues most to the ARG was deltarune.com/chapter4/thankyou. On the time, the web site consisted of two very small blanks the place customers might enter textual content, and a clean button that allowed them to submit it. There have been no clues as to what wanted to go into the blanks, save for a single query:
“How lengthy did it take her to smile?”
Deltarune followers in a short time guessed that the “her” being referenced was Noelle, a beloved character and the childhood greatest pal of Deltarune protagonist Kris. She’s additionally the point of interest of the aforementioned Bizarre Route, through which the participant (a separate character from Kris) manipulates Noelle into doing one thing horrible within the curiosity of changing into stronger. Fans additionally discovered that the primary clean was searching for an e-mail tackle, with the second clean being for the precise “reply” to the query. Sadly, the shape was solely open for a day, earlier than being changed with textual content that simply stated “Thank You.” Those that had submitted their e-mail within the kind started receiving successfully a affirmation e-mail that simply contained “You answered [THEIR ANSWER].” No additional rationalization. Nothing! For months!
Notably, when all this occurred, Chapters 3 and 4 weren’t out but. These launched earlier this yr, and with them, extra Bizarre Route content material and a couple of horrifying, hidden scenes centered on Noelle particularly. Then two weeks in the past, those that had acquired the affirmation e-mail the primary time acquired a new e-mail that simply stated, “Second probability,” and located that the shape had been reopened. The neighborhood efforts have been extra coordinated this time, with individuals experimenting with completely different combos of time quantities in days, seconds, years, in addition to different textual responses they felt made sense. Various neighborhood members tried to doc submissions to keep away from duplications, although given the brief discover and brief time interval the shape was open, this was as soon as once more tough to do.
The shape closed once more, and as soon as once more, members acquired emails. However this time, they have been completely different. People have been getting one in every of a assortment of various responses that appeared to be based mostly on what they submitted. As an illustration, those that stated “1 Day” acquired again “Then, ‘The following day you may see her smile.'” Individuals who inputted very small numbers, akin to 4 seconds, obtained again, “So, ‘she by no means stopped smiling'”. There are a bunch of different creepy solutions, like “Do you assume which means she nonetheless can?” and “Then, ‘It was the primary time she ever smiled in her life.'”
Many emails ended with one other sentence: “Transfer ahead with this reply,” seemingly indicating the submission was heading in the right direction.
That was two weeks in the past, and the shape has been closed ever since. There isn’t any indication of whether or not anybody obtained the precise reply, what the subsequent step is, or if the shape will ever open up once more. In preparation for a third try, a variety of content material creators have been rallying followers into communities to monitor what solutions garnered what responses, and piece these responses collectively to attempt to work out a “right” reply if the shape reopens. There are multiple massive spreadsheets on the market cataloging confirmed responses, in addition to others assigning completely different solutions to every participant forward of time, so nobody wastes a solution on a duplicate.
However what does all of it imply? We’re…not precisely certain. The overall consensus is that each one this has one thing to do with the place Chapter 4’s “Bizarre Route” leaves Noelle, and hypothesis about what’s to are available in Chapter 5 on the “pageant” occasion we all know goes to happen throughout it. However despite the fact that that is the most probably context, it is a fairly uncommon one: the Bizarre Route is extraordinarily onerous to work out with out help from the web, and its darkish penalties make it unlikely that the overwhelming majority of gamers would ever see it or perceive what any of that is about. If this ARG goes to reveal some deep lore, and even affect the sport in some way, it is possible that only a few individuals will perceive and even care in regards to the outcome.
That could also be by design, although. Critically, the second time the shape opened, solely individuals who participated and acquired suggestions from it the primary time have been in a position to use it once more. In the event you’re simply studying about this (as I’m), you might be solely too late to take part in any respect. It is also attainable there is not any progress on no matter that is for months, even years. We have already waited alongside time only for this.
I am actually simply scratching the floor right here, and possibly sound like I am utterly loopy. In the event you’ve performed Deltarune and did not learn about any of this, you most likely had a nice time with a cool, well-written RPG with humorous, lovable characters, and left it at that. That’s a particularly regular approach to get pleasure from this recreation, and possibly shall be most individuals’s expertise! However since Deltarune’s Chapter 1 launch, there’s been a complete ecosystem of secrets and techniques, fan theories, and conspiracies surrounding the query of what this recreation truly is, the way it relates to Undertale, and what the implications of its hidden, darker narrative is likely to be for the sport’s lighter aspect. It is advanced, bizarre, and enjoyable as hell to dig into, and we most likely will not know the complete scope of it for years to come.
Which is all to say, good luck to the key hunters, and I am genuinely sorry I am unable to assist. I’ve inadvertently gotten invested on this thriller despite the fact that I cannot personally contact the Bizarre Route with a ten-foot vacation pencil. Deltarune chapters 1-4 are out now and mixed make a excellent place to bounce in in case you’ve been holding off up to now. Chapter 5 is predicted to come out this yr, possible within the second half.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a story tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.