Deltarune Update: Chapter 4 Nearing Completion, but Release Still Awaits

Undertale creator Toby Fox recently offered fans a progress report on Deltarune's upcoming chapters in his latest newsletter. While Chapter 4 is nearing completion, a simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4 on PC, Switch, and PS4, initially slated for a 2023 release, remains some time away.

Fox confirmed that Chapter 4 is largely playable, though polishing remains. All maps are complete, battles are functional, but several elements require refinement: minor cutscene improvements, battle balancing and visual upgrades, background enhancements, and improved ending sequences for certain battles. Despite this, three testers have given positive feedback after completing the chapter.

The multi-platform and multilingual release presents significant challenges, particularly since this marks the first major paid release since Undertale. Fox emphasized the need for meticulous attention to detail to ensure a polished final product. Before launch, the team must complete several key tasks: testing new features, finalizing PC and console versions, Japanese localization, and thorough bug testing.

Chapter 3 development is finished (as per Fox's February newsletter), and early work on Chapter 5 has even begun, including map drafting and bullet pattern design. While a precise release date remains unannounced, the newsletter included glimpses of Ralsei and Rouxls' dialogue, an Elnina character description, and a new item, GingerGuard. Although the three-year wait since Chapter 2 has caused some initial disappointment, the anticipation for the combined length of Chapters 3 and 4 (longer than Chapters 1 and 2 combined) remains high.

Fox anticipates smoother releases for subsequent chapters once Chapters 3 and 4 are launched.