Deltarune Chapter 4: Almost Ready, But Not Quite There Yet
Toby Fox, the creator of Deltarune, recently provided a development update in his newsletter. Let's delve into the progress and what he shared.
Chapter 4 Nearing Completion
Fox's Halloween 2023 newsletter confirmed the simultaneous release of Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 on PC, Switch, and PS4. While Chapter 4 is almost finished, the release date is still some time away. All maps are complete, battles are playable, but final polishing is underway. Minor tweaks are needed for cutscenes, battle balancing, visuals, and ending sequences. Despite this, Fox reports Chapter 4 is largely playable and has received positive feedback from testers.
The multi-platform and multilingual release presents challenges. Fox highlighted the increased effort required for a paid release compared to the free Chapters 1 and 2, emphasizing the team's commitment to perfection.
Before launch, the team must complete several key tasks:
- Testing new features
- Finalizing PC and console versions
- Japanese localization
- Thorough bug testing
Chapter 3 development is finished (per Fox's February newsletter), and early work on Chapter 5 has already begun.
The newsletter offered a glimpse of upcoming content: Ralsei and Rouxls dialogue, Elnina's character description, and a new item, GingerGuard. While the three-year wait since Chapter 2 has been frustrating for some fans, the increased scope of Chapters 3 and 4 (longer than Chapters 1 and 2 combined) fuels excitement.
Fox anticipates a smoother release schedule for future chapters once Chapters 3 and 4 are released. While a firm release date remains unannounced, the progress is encouraging.
