Kate and Sophia talk about the 2008 “Radiation’s Halloween Hack” and our own embarrassing teenage works. We find a game of surprising quality and discuss the way it presages several core themes of Undertale and Deltarune. Topics: A correction from last week. Cereal of the dead. Painstaking hand-editing. Brandish. Forum culture. Predictions about Gaster. Yes, I know about Metal Gear. Hot chicks are awesome. “Angry gay guys using super psychic attacks is cool to think about.” Perspectives on queer representation. A return to the concept of the gamer ideology.

Kate and Jackie talk about the Weird Route, how we can understand Noelle’s motivations and what it all means. What is the nature of the soul? Does an agentic self exist distinct from an essential self? What do Charlie’s Angels even do?

This is a preview of the first bonus episode, available for $5/mo supporters at Gruppeshrike.net. What if a gorilla could learn jiujitsu? I think it would go something like this... The gang dissects the latest Paul Thomas Anderson epic, One Battle After Another, including insights from a real martial arts instructor and a real burnout revolutionary. This is the first episode of Green Room, bonus episodes from the SURVEY_PROGRAM podcast. At least once a month, join Kate and the panel for a looser discussion of broader topics.

Ash Taylor joins Kate to talk about how Deltarune uses music and sound as part of its story and gameplay, beyond just leitmotif. We also talk about her upcoming game, CHORDIOID. Topics: We react to last episode’s TOME. Kate feels old. Undertale mashups and remixes. Wagner OWNED. Omega Flowey. Donkey Konga. The courage to cut. Kris’s piano playing and self-expression. Deconreconstruction. Unique RPG battle systems. Gamedev is hard. Birdbrain!

Lucretia gathers Kate and Valerie to reveal the most important character in Deltarune. The one who is connected to every mystery. The one with the deepest lore. The one we all want to learn more about. The one who speaks in hands. That’s right… No. It can’t be. It can’t be him. Is it too late to delete the episode

Kate and Neptune recap and break down the Undertale 10th anniversary stream in Part 1 and the hit indie RPG OFF in Part 2. New lore and character insights from Undertale after ten years! We then become the first ever podcast to talk about OFF in the context of contemporary French ultraleftist terrorism.

This was supposed to be an episode about Undertale’s 10th anniversary announcements. Since that’s this weekend instead, Kate and Xtine do a reverse chronological walk through Deltarune memories, and get extremely sidetracked. The spider girl. Chris’s Movie. Clocked as gender-ish. A rhyming antonym for “itty.” We didn’t like Paprika. Gaster’s gooners. Touhou talk. Armpit talk. Noelle has the sauce. Deltarune’s premier yaoi. Getting owned in a strip club. Has Susie lost her edge? Hockey fans. Trant Heidelstam. Papyrus. Final Fantasy XV.

Is it important that the protagonist of Deltarune is transgender? Kate and Valerie say yes. IGN’s Non-Binary Protagonist of the Year. Living in a society versus falling in a hole. Teenventures in Teenland. These clothes hold no power over you any more. THERE’S NO SHAME IN AN EGG. The girl next door. Real weird route hours. The closet scene. Reflecting on the fan responses to Kris. A manhole. Getting stronger. An attempt to talk seriously about Berdly is shut down. What does Ralsei represent?

Kate and Elsie talk about inspirations for Undertale and Deltarune, including 1997’s groundbreaking moon: Remix RPG Adventure. Topics: The gamer ideology. Love and experience. Why do we love video games, even though they almost all suck? Chapter 3’s game within a game. The (sorry) Halloween Hack. One ending. Goodbye, Dragon Inn and Car Seat Headrest. Too much content. Lightner merch. How to synthesize narrative and gameplay? Is Smash Bros more narratively compelling than Twine games? Death Stranding, Disco Elysium and how to carve out space for narrative in commercial environments. CHAPTER 7 ENDING REVEALED. The prophecy as game code.

Ruby introduces a formerly-oblivious Kate to the wild world of Undertale AUs. Topics: Millenial Valhalla. It’s nice to see you again, Sans. Starbucks unionization. Helen of Troy. Enoch NEO. Janeites. Oz. Competing strains of fandom. N-Sync RPF. A straight line from Star Trek to Hetalia. Defining the “Tumblr sexyman.” Hit ‘em with the dinosaur, Raygun. Basketball shorts swooshing around in the gale. Cape comics. Komaeda’s special day. Driving in my car… We close with some Spamtenna talk.

Mama miba! Mom AMOEBA! Kate and Sophia talk Carol and Toriel, the two main moms of Deltarune, and how their stories intersect with the game’s view of family.

Kate and Riley round up Deltarune’s outstanding secrets, and how Toby Fox uses mysteries in writing. They talk Fun Values, Gaster, what Ralsei knows, Kris’s role in the conflict, blood, DARKER YET DARKER, why Deltarune’s ARGs work where others fail, Dess, IMAGE_FRIEND, playing Deltarune on release vs. all at once, “one ending,” WHERE’S PAPYRUS????, the Knight, the shadow crystals, the prophecy, and surprise at the narrative pace. (NOTE: Kate’s audio is a bit clippy in this episode. Sorry.) SURVEY_PROGRAM is an in-depth discussion of the themes, cultural impact, and history of Deltarune by Toby Fox, with a rotating panel of guests.

An oral history of Deltarune Chapter 1, featuring stories from people who were there. SURVEY_PROGRAM is an in-depth discussion of the themes, cultural impact, and history of Deltarune by Toby Fox, with a rotating panel of guests.