Deltarune Chapter 5 Is a Massive Letdown

Deltarune Chapter 5 is finally here, and the resounding feeling I'm left with is disappointment. The problem with stretching a game release out over eight years is that it builds up certain expectations, and when the end result is a glorified filler episode, then all that's left is the feeling that it could have been so much more.

It's crazy to think that Deltarune debuted nearly a decade ago, with a surprise launch that caught the Undertale fandom off guard. The excitement was off the charts, as many had assumed the story of Undertale was over. But now, it was back... sort of. That first chapter didn't offer much in the way of answers, but it sure had fans excited about the future.

Deltarune Chapter 5 launched on June 24, 2026, and hundreds of thousands of fans were waiting for it. When the credits rolled, not everyone was left satisfied by the experience, especially those who had been there since day one, and were getting impatient with the game's pace.

Chapter 5 Barely Progressed Deltarune's Story

By far the biggest problem with Deltarune Chapter 5 is that it barely progresses the story. The only major plot events were the Roaring Knight capturing Asgore, more Dark Fountains were sealed, and Susie acquiring one of the Shelter codes.

The issue is that there was a lot of build-up with no payoff. We still don't know why the Roaring Knight is capturing people or what it's doing with them. Heck, we don't even know why the Knight wants to make the Roaring happen in the first place. There has been no fallout or repercussions about more Dark Fountains being sealed, at least nothing that we saw. And sure, it's exciting that the group is closer to going into the Shelter, but the chapter ended before anyone could do anything about it.

Many fans expected Deltarune Chapter 5 to be heavily focused on Asgore, considering he was referenced in the prophecy and by Gerson. In the end, he was barely in the story, and we learned almost nothing new about his character or the past events. He spent most of Chapter 5 talking in vague comments, seemingly out of a need to desperately not answer any mysteries.

Pretty much everything about Asgore's feelings about his life and the event that happened before Deltarune (likely the disappearance of December Holiday) is stuff that fans already knew. It felt like treading old ground.

Deltarune Chapter 4 ended on a cliffhanger that had fans excited, yet Chapter 5's ending just felt hollow. There's no hype going into Chapter 6. The story needed one more awesome scene about what's coming next, but the conclusion was Kris and Susie decorating. Where's the mysterious phone call? Where's the hint about the villain's evil plan? Where's the tease for the next Dark World?

Deltarune is starting to feel like Lost, in that the ongoing mysteries are the only thing keeping people tuned in, and if they were answered, fans would lose interest. This isn't to say Chapter 5 needed to reveal everything, but it needed some kind of resolution to old mysteries, and a reason to get excited about the future.

The Festival Scene In Chapter 5 Was Far Too Short

The Hometown Festival is something Deltarune fans have been speculating about for years. It felt like the story was building up to some huge moment as the Festival, such as the Knight appearing and opening a Dark Fountain in public, awakening the Titans in the process.

Many fans expected Asriel to return for the Festival, and possibly shed some light on the events before the game. A lot of fans hoped that this would be Papyrus' long-awaited return, as he's not the kind of person who'd miss a party. Seeing all the kids could easily have prompted one of the adults to finally discuss December and reveal exactly what happened to her.

So, what actually happened? The Festival was a few screens of dialogue, where the characters hung out for a bit — no major revelations to be found, save for a possible origin for Sans' Undertale drawing. It's telling when the most exciting development involved Pizzpants being stood up. Oh, and Rudy fell down. Is he okay? Who knows — the game didn't tell us.

The biggest Festival moments involved Susie and Noelle, and while this section was cute, they could have happened anywhere. Heck, they didn't even happen at the Festival, as the kids snuck off to the Lake to confess their feelings.

Deltarune has been hyping up the Hometown Festival for years now, but it could easily have been removed from the story without any major repercussions. The gang could easily have just been hanging out at the beach, Noelle receives a message about her dad, then Kris opens the Dark Fountain in the confusion. Despite all the build up, the people expecting some huge event at the Festival were left with nothing.

Chapter 5 Was More Interested In Undertale Fanservice Than Being Its Own Thing

Deltarune Chapter 5 might be the part of the game with the most references to Undertale, with Flowery being a Chaotic Good Flowey, the other plants referencing the human Souls, Asgore decked out in his royal gear, and Sans asking for the picture that's likely the same as in his old bedroom.

Even the secret boss, Mew Mew, is an Undertale character, and while it's a great (if ruthlessly hard) fight, it's disappointing that it wasn't someone new. Sure, Gerson was also the secret boss in Chapter 4, but the player never got to fight him in Undertale. Like many things in Chapter 5, using Mew Mew again feels like wasted potential.

There are numerous references to Undertale throughout Chapter 5, which ties into its overall theme of poisonous nostalgia. In the end, it did its job a little too well, and left me wanting to lean more into Deltarune content, rather than listening to comments about Pacifist Roots and Fun Values.

Flowery is awesome, though, and is easily the highlight of Deltarune Chapter 5. It's just a shame that the rest of the surrounding story wasn't as interesting.

The Weird Route Ending Was Amazing (But When Can Fans Continue It?)

The highlight of Deltarune Chapter 5 was the Weird route ending, where Noelle and Kris enter the lake and go beneath the water. Depending on the player's actions, this can lead to a scene where a CRT screen saying "Insert Chapter 7 Side B" appears.

The entire scene with Noelle convincing Kris to enter the water is incredible, with harrowing dialogue, as the two try to escape their lives and break free from the shackles of their fate, be that a life stuck in Hometown, or being video game characters ruled over by the whims of a player.

The Weird route has many of the same story issues as the regular plot of Chapter 5, but the ending is so good that it makes up for it. The idea that the story is going in such a drastically different direction has me excited about what's coming next.

There's just one problem: will the Weird route skip Chapter 6? It's entirely possible that Deltarune Chapter 6 & 7 will launch as part of the same update, but that has yet to be confirmed. In fact, comments from Fox about Chapter 6 suggest they're separate entities.

If the Weird route skips a chapter, then what does that mean for people playing it? Will they be expected to play the normal route on a separate save file, and wait for Chapter 7? Considering the current release pace, Deltarune Chapter 7 might not launch for another two or three years at best, meaning there's going to be a long time before the Weird route is resolved.

The wait is what makes all of this much harder. If Deltarune had a regular release schedule with short windows of time between, like Dispatch, then the issues with Chapter 5 wouldn't be as painful. The people in the future who get to experience Deltarune in its completed form in a single sitting might not even notice the problems with Chapter 5, and good for them. But in the here and now, there's just an emptiness, and it might be a while before it goes away.