Deltarune's Development Update: Chapter 4 Nearing Completion, But Release Remains Distant
Toby Fox, the creative mind behind Undertale, recently provided fans with a much-anticipated progress report on Deltarune's upcoming chapters in his latest newsletter. The update reveals that while Chapter 4 is nearing completion, a simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4 on PC, Switch, and PS4 remains some time away.
Fox confirmed that Chapter 4 is essentially playable, aside from some final polish. All maps are complete, battles are functional, but several areas require further refinement. This includes minor cutscene improvements, battle balancing, visual enhancements, background additions, and the polishing of ending sequences for a couple of battles. Despite this, early feedback from testers has been positive.
The complexities of multi-platform and multilingual releases present significant challenges, especially since this marks the first major paid release since Undertale. Fox emphasized the need to ensure a flawless launch, explaining that the extra time investment is crucial for a polished final product.
Before the release, the team faces several key tasks: testing new features, finalizing PC and console versions, Japanese localization, and rigorous bug testing. Chapter 3 development is already complete, according to a previous newsletter. Interestingly, preliminary work on Chapter 5 has even begun, with map drafting and combat design underway.
While a concrete release date remains unannounced, the newsletter offered exciting glimpses into the game: a sneak peek at Ralsei and Rouxls' dialogue, a character description for Elnina, and a new item, the GingerGuard. Although the extended wait since Chapter 2 has been a source of anticipation, Fox assures fans that the combined length of Chapters 3 and 4 will surpass that of Chapters 1 and 2. He also expressed confidence that subsequent chapter releases will be more streamlined once Chapters 3 and 4 are released.
