Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Video Review: CLOSE TO YOU Undertale Animation

So, this animation landed on YouTube just recently, and it is perfectly gorgeous. I am pretty sure it is my favorite Undertale animation that I've seen, so I asked the creator if I could share it here. Be warned, if you haven't played Undertale, I'd recommend NOT spoiling for yourself. It's a really great story, and it best experienced by coming into it blind. So, yeah, if you don't know the story, don't watch the video! Instead, I'd highly recommend you going and downloading Undertale. So, yeah, SPOILERS FOLLOW:



If you watched the animation and want to see my thoughts on it, please click the "read more".


The animation is the first full animation published by "Starmation". This took the creator a year and a half to complete. It just goes to show how difficult animation is, and it also displays how much care and time went into this creation. 

The narrative of the video is such a perfect display of the tragic nature of Sans, the "protagonist" of the Genocide run. The player has decided to take the darkest, cruelest path, and this final boss confronts you at the very end of your journey. The player has killed all of Sans' friends, but worse, they have murdered his younger brother Papyrus. Although I don't believe it is canon, many fans of envisioned Sans wearing his brother's cape as a scarf in the final battle, and I think this is such a striking and emotional image. Sans stands there with a smile that is empty, twisted by grief, and he gives everything to try and stop someone who is truly unstoppable. Sure, Sans is one of the most difficult bosses in gaming, as well as one of the most OP characters in Undertale, but in reality, he is the victim of that final battle. No matter how many times he wins, he can see the timelines, and he knows that the player will eventually cut him down. It's utterly tragic, and this video captures that perfectly.

As far as little artistic things I loved, the scarf motif throughout was brilliant. The concept that Sans and Papyrus are linked and can never be truly separated, even by death, is both touching and heartbreaking. 

The action sequences in this are amazing. They are smooth and well choreographed, but at the same time the have the rough, violent, almost horrible edge to them. Just look at the sharpness of the bones Sans summons. That isn't how his attacks look in-game, but it is how they feel. Sans is lashing out against something monstrous, but in truth he is the one feeling agony in each and every attack.

The focus of the video on Sans and Papyrus' relationship is also extremely meaningful to me. I have found that I constantly fall for sibling stories, especially when they focus on two brothers. After all, my younger brother means the world to me. It makes it really easy to relate to Sans in all this...

So, thanks a ton to Starmation for allowing me to feature this video, and for making such an amazing animation in the first place! If you enjoyed the video, please be sure to give it a like. It deserves them. 

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