Verdict
Deltarune Chapter 5 offers more questions than answers in terms of the saga's mysterious lore. Fortunately, though, the gameplay, writing, and overall design make for a thoroughly engaging detour into a flower-filled Dark World.
Friends, SOULs, Lightners, it's time. It's Deltarune Chapter 5 time. After another agonizing wait following the combined arrivals of Chapters 3 and 4 last year, Toby Fox's latest installment in his ongoing RPG saga is finally here, complete with a new, aura-farming character, more blister-inducing bullet-hell battles, and just enough in the way of plot developments to keep us all crafting theories for months to come.
Chapter 5, as you might imagine, picks up right after the events of Chapter 4, with Kris waking up on the day of Hometown Festival, with Toriel sleeping on the sofa after dancing the night away with Sans. What follows is a quick trip to the Dark World, a surprisingly fun Susie dress-up minigame, and then a day at the festival itself, which culminates in an endearing scene between Susie and Noelle, the will-they-won't-they couple of the cast of Deltarune characters, before Kris and Susie are forced into investigating a new Dark Fountain in Asgore's flower shop.
From here, you go into a floral Dark World and meet Chapter 5's first new character, Flowery. No, not Flowey, Flowery. Big difference (I think). I don't want to ruin it here, but there's no better proof that Toby Fox might be the best shout for gaming auteur of our generation than Flowery's introduction. Simply put, Flowery makes his mark pretty quickly, and this character's larger-than-life personality makes even Chapter 3's unhinged Tenna seem like a perfectly normal member of Dark World society. He also introduces a few new friends, Darkner manifestations of each of Asgore's flowers, all with their own personalities.
One of the most substantial new ideas for Chapter 5 is the shifting dimensions, changing the game from a top-down RPG to a 2D platformer in certain sections. It caught me delightfully off-guard the first time I experienced this change, which is starting to feel more and more like a hallmark of a Toby Fox game. Just when you think you know the score, the game throws something at you, and you feel almost like you're playing something else entirely. The platforming is pretty easy at first, but this is Deltarune, so before long, it gets quite challenging, especially as you approach the final showdown.
Outside of platforming, the rest of Chapter 5 feels pretty familiar, but in a good way. There are a few tricky puzzles, some small-time enemies to take out, and a couple of shops with new items and equipment to aid you on your quest. There's also a bunch of Easter eggs for gaming fans, covering the gamut from Final Fantasy to Roblox, and on that subject, the writing, as ever, is top class. Never did I think that a game would make me relate to an entirely yellow cowboy flower man, but here we are.
As for bosses, which, in my opinion, are a fundamental part of the Deltarune experience, this chapter has got a couple of great ones. There's another secret boss, and like with the Spamton NEO and Hammer of Justice bouts, it's a real challenge. Still, it's the sort of challenge that feels beatable, provided you're willing to put in a few attempts. As ever, though, it's optional, so if you don't feel like getting so frustrated that you might just snap your Nintendo Switch 2 clean in half - not that I'm talking from experience of anything - you can give it a miss or use a spare save file to come back and try again later.
On the design front, Chapter 5 is best described as feeling like one massive Japanese-themed garden center, complete with Shinto shrine-style structures and more flowers and fauna than the other four chapters combined. It still feels distinctly Deltarune, though, especially in terms of character design, with a whole host of silly little guys showing up throughout the quest to destroy the latest Dark Fountain. As ever, the soundtrack absolutely bangs, with soaring synths, pounding percussion, and melodies that are almost parasitic in the way they cling to your brain.
Before wrapping up, we have to mention the elephant in the room: the Weird Route. If you've got a Weird Route save file in progress, the start of Chapter 5 goes down in a very different, and unsurprisingly tragic, direction almost right from the off. This is a spoiler-free review, so all I'll say is that, for maximum emotional impact, I'd recommend clearing the regular version of Chapter 5 first before going back to see what's different in the world of the Weird Route. Just be prepared to take yet another gut punch to your feelings
Ultimately, Chapter 5 is another engaging addition to Deltarune's ongoing saga. Like previous chapters, there are a few more cans kicked further down the road in terms of lore, including any explanation as to what the Frisk is going on with Kris' SOUL, the pervasive presence of Gaster, or IMAGE_FRIEND. Still, the gameplay is great, and the narrative nuggets you do receive are such tasty little morsels you can't wait to dig into the next chapter.
There you have it, my thoughts after completing Deltarune Chapter 5. If you're looking for something else to play, be sure to check out our guides to the best Switch games while you're here. Or, if you're looking for more epic quests in strange lands, we've got a list of the best RPGs.