On September 15, 2015, a unique RPG called UNDERTALE was released to the world.
The game told the story of a small child, which the player controls, falling into an underground world filled with monsters that was sealed away long ago following a war between humans and monsters. This child, the player, you, must navigate this underground world, and find a way out, to the surface.
Most RPGs treat "monsters" as simply mindless enemies to defeat. That you must fight through hoards of them, who want nothing more than to bring about your end, and you must vanquish all of them to accomplish your goal.
This, however, is not what happens in UNDERTALE.
In UNDERTALE, you can fight monsters, you can vanquish them. But these monsters are not mindless, they all have personalities, hopes, dreams, fears, things to say, and more. You thus also have the ability to ACT. To interact with your "opponent" in your "battle" non-violently. Maybe you talk to them about your day. Perhaps you do a funny dance. If the monster you are in a battle with is a dog, perhaps there is the possibility to pet them. From there, you can SPARE enemies, ending the battle non-violently.
It is from this that UNDERTALE constructs a framework for a new, wholly unique experience. One which uses this system of ACTing and SPARING to create a vibrant world, full of memorable characters with witty dialogue, augmented by a catchy and memorable soundtrack, and graphics that embrace the limitations of 8-Bit and 16-Bit video game consoles to create something unique. It's a game that provides plenty of moments that bring laughs from it's humor, while also delivering just as many powerful, deeply emotional moments that reasonate with those who play it. It's message of kindness and empathy is portrayed in such a way that it can truly reach the player.
In the almost 10 years since it's initial release, UNDERTALE has left a deep impact on many of those who have played it. There are many that have truly taken it's message to heart. Just as UNDERTALE has prior works that influence it, many have since been influenced by UNDERTALE, whether that's keeping some of it's stylistic or writing choices for their own games, or simply being encouraged by it to create something, whether it be games, art, music, or more.
Most of UNDERTALE was developed over the course of several years by one man: Toby Fox. There are others that worked on the game. Temmie Chang created the majority of the game's artwork. Others such as Magnolia Porter, OMOCat, Gigi D.G, Everdraed, and others have made contributions. But Toby Fox is credited for almost all writing, music, programming, and world design.
There are many moments throughout Toby's life, people that he met, things that he experienced, prior works, and more that influenced various elements of UNDERTALE. To truly understand what made UNDERTALE what it is, it would therefore be prudent to understand the life of Toby Fox, key events, and influences.
That's what this web experience sets out to do. It acts as a timeline of Toby Fox's life. Due to Toby Fox being a rather private individual, and some things being only relayed in story or statement, not everything has a concrete date. But it attempts to show the life of Toby Fox, the influences over the course of his life that had an impact on UNDERTALE, and the events since it's release, it's impact on others, it's impact on Toby himself, and also, Toby Fox's new project, DELTARUNE, episodic RPG released in chapters that is currently still in ongoing development.
The stylistic choices of this website are intentional, with the explicit intention of mimicking the visual style of UNDERTALE, and telling a cohesive story.