Dear Reader:
Undertale creator on what it feels like bringing the game to Switch, game inspirations, and Earthbound memories
Toby Fox is the man behind Undertale, one of the biggest indie successes in recent years. The game was no-doubt influenced by a number of Nintendo games, which is what makes it that much sweeter to finally see the game hit the Switch. Over on the Switch News channel, Nintendo themselves had a chat with Fox to get some insight into the game's creation.
What it's like having Undertale on a Nintendo platform
It’s wonderful to finally have a game on a Nintendo console. I was practically raised on the Super Nintendo. You know, like how people are occasionally raised by wolves. It was nothing but me and Mario out there in the wild, howling at the moon. Naked. Completely naked.
What other titles influenced Undertale
I’m influenced by every game I like – for example, EarthBound, Shin Megami Tensei, Mario & Luigi, Touhou Project, etc. I guess as a specific example, I really liked how Metal Gear Solid had all these strange, game-breaking moments within the series. It feels like it’s saying, “You don’t have to follow the rules… actually, it’s more interesting when you don’t.” And, “The game design can be part of the story, too.” So thanks, Hideo Kojima. Though, you probably aren’t reading this.
Toby's memories of Earthbound
It was some kind of gift for my other brother. Like, Christmas or a birthday or something. I remember playing the game and learning how to read the words within it… I think how I discovered EarthBound is pretty normal; it’s really the things later that were more interesting.
Another memory I have is, as a kid, I distinctly remember sitting in the basement and reading the strategy guide in the dark, and my mom telling me reading in the dark was bad for my eyes. I guess it’s a bit related, but the Nintendo Player’s Guide for EarthBound is probably the best one ever. Besides having all sorts of info about the game (which isn’t always the most accurate, lol) it’s filled with images of the clay models (which I loved looking at) and photos that represent the areas in the game. There’s even fake facts about each area, like the population of Onett (3500 people, 2 dogs) and stuff like that. You can actually check it out online for free on Nintendo’s website. I highly suggest taking a look through it.
Anyway, I wanna make a strategy guide with clay models in it someday. And, I hope then some kids can read it and have extremely arbitrary, useless memories of their parents telling them not to read in the dark. That’s all.