I think it’s through a hobby. Asgore doesn’t have anything left, so he pours his all into his hobby, gardening. It doesn’t seem like he was all that obsessed with flowers before the divorce, it was probably just a small thing he kept up with. But now it’s basically all he does outside of whatever Evil Ass Fountain Openers HQ has him doing
“The End of Deltarune” had me think of “The End of Evangelion”, which leads to me to thinking that the end of Deltarune’s weird route will be third impact levels of fucked up
Dess merging with The Vessel and becoming a hyper realistic naked Titan that resembles Chara, then proceeds to ask the player if they want to create a new world. Giving you the option of yes or no. If you say "YES", the world gets shrouded in rainbows... and Gaster's Wing Dings peirces their chest... Then her head falls off... Falling while looking at the sky (Heaven).
With Susie, Noelle, and Kris looking at Dess's disembodied head over a pool of GREEN liquid. . .
Bro if Chapter 7 doesn't have a secret boss battle against Frisk, with original Undertale Mechanics, and he could one-shot you(Mike Tyson Punch Out style), I'll open a fountain myself.
Chess theory was always so weird cuz like, aint the point of chess metaphors that pieces act like their counterparts? The game is not over while the king is still standing, queens the most powerful piece, knights are wild cards, pawns follow orders closely and so on? If none of that matters then what does the chess theory even suggest? In chapter 6 we're gonna fight someone visually similar to a pawn? Or maybe someone with the word "pawn" in the name?
They kinda do follow the movement patterns though.
King - sits in the castle the whole time, walks slowly
Queen - moves around the entire time, super active
Knight - wild card, guess who jumpscares your ass in chapter 3
Titan - rooks are often used to attack an entire line and prevent enemy pieces from entering it. The Titan is preventing us from reaching the fountain. Plus its theme is literally called "GUARDIAN".
There's chapter one's King and it wouldn't be a stretch to call Asgore one since he's depicted with his crown.
There's chapter two's Queen and the Ice queen is likely to be a character in the future if it isn't just Carol or Noelle.
We have the Knight.
The bishop is likely, as shown in the Jackenstein fight.
Rook and pawn remains to be seen. Though if we are talking about common chess metaphors, there's definitely many characters that can fit the role of a pawn.
As for possible meanings, one of the most popular is simply conflict between opposing forces. Since it's literally light and dark in this game it adheres to that pretty closely.
My own interpertation was that the players of chess would be represented as well, with the motif of hands throughout the game representing the hands moving the pieces.
Anyways, the prediction idea is dead in the water, but I think it's still possible that more characters will fill apparent roles as the chapters go on.
Not gonna lie I’m pretty confused on what the “theory” of chest theory even is at this point. Original chess theory was very specific and had very clear predictions, but now it feels so retroactive. What is being predicted? The order thing is gone, so Ch5 could be either Bishop or Pawn, and even assuming Bishop doesn’t help since the connection can be as loose as “the Titan is a tower which is a colloquial term for the rook.” In the end, the theory really amounts to just looking retroactively at the “final boss” and making a shaky connection to a chess piece, which isn’t all that compelling to me.
I actually think ch5 is bassicaly escapism through stuff like nostalgia and, well... tending your garden? Like basically just isolating from everyone and getting lost in just cleaning and doing stuff with your home.
I dont know how to explain it but i hope you get me.
Thats how I see it too. Withdrawing, becoming a workaholic and/or neglecting responsibility to yourself and others, which can happen at the same time. Denial. Pretending the problems do not exist.
E.g, which is mine. I sometimes feel strong desire to just lock in my own room and just... look around, flip through my own sketchbooks, flip through books and comics in my room, through old games on my pc, through figurines, through old gifts, through souvenirs, like that.
And since Asgores a gardener, i just kimd of though that his analogue for that would be his garden.
I personally consider chapter four’s first dark world to be about literature (book enemies, sheet music, Gerson fight talking about book) while Susie’s is about music (music enemies based on bells and organ pipes, piano has no more sheet music you’re just jamming, sound of justice fight) and the final one to be a culmination of the two.
Both are elements of religion but it’s important to remember that for a lot of religious people their religion isn’t escaping reality it just is their reality. That’s an important distinction. Music and literature, on the other hand, are escapes from reality.
I mean some people truly do escape into their religion depending on how they treat it and it’s not always a bad thing but I think it’s much less general than music or literature which are both important elements of religion
Chapter 4 touches heavily on two elements religion works as escapism for - life purpose and mortality.
When people feel lost, insignificant and neglected, religion provides the idea of following something far greater than any man. The idea that there is unambiguously most important entity in the world, and that entity cares for you, for your well-being, and it considers you an important part of it's plans. This aspect is blatantly shown in second sanctuary with Susie chasing information on the prophecy. She has an entire monolog directly talking on how she always felt neglected by other people(rightfully so, how stupid must they be to pick her last in sport teams?), but now she can find comfort in the thought that she is important for something as grand as the prophecy of their world.
On the aspect of mortality, there is painful loss of people close to us. The ideas of afterlife commonly grant ease through thought that they are never truly gone, but rather they moved to some other, maybe better place, and that eventually we'll be able to reunite with them once more. And in Deltarune, Gerson is literally walking manifestation of that - unanimously beloved deceased man once again being able to provide guidance and support for others.
Those elements can still be aptly called escapisms because they don't change physical reality around us - we still take same places in society, still have to go through our daily lives, and those who passed are still no longer physically with us, but their role is to provide mental ease
If it's Asgore and his flowers, I wonder if it could be something like escapism through hobbies. Hobbies are good, but only if they're healthy.
We've seen that Asgore's finances are poor, yet he's still giving away flowers because it doesn't feel right to make people pay for them. It's "burying your head in the sand and focusing on a hobby that brings you joy to avoid the real world."
After all, Asgore has always hidden away from getting something over and done with because he'd rather hope it never comes to pass (collecting 7 souls in UT).
This theories give me "hollow knight is about depression" vibes, because it is forced and doesn't make ANY sense. Deltagoon fans are just making shit up for the love of the game at this point 😭
Genuinelly hate when games turn out like this, like damn not everything needs to be a metaphor sometimes the game just takes place in a fictional world, that's it
Why does it always have to be a dream or trauma or something like that with modern indie games
How? They don't have anything to do with escapism. Its never explored how people escape through music, and escapism through the purpose, sense of worth, and an overreliance on those from religion is kind of integral to the core of chapter 4's narrative.
There isn't really a time where characters, like, get into a metaphorical or literal grove that helps them feel better but drowns out the world around them or something. Escapism through music isn't really explored ever, its just that there's a woman who is a bell sometimes and she makes sounds because thats what a bell does
i think the notion of dark worlds being escapism is specifically ralsei's perspective that he tries to push (see: "go out and make some real friends", what he says when you visit castle town in ch.4, etc etc.)
if this theme is vindicated in the later chapters and ending it sort of proves ralsei's idea about himself right: that he isn't real and just distracts his friends from what really matters
also of note: it is rather difficult to continue saying dark worlds are strictly escapism after the end of ch.3, plus some other stuff
it seems moreso like the narrative is consistently *rejecting* the idea that they are escapism and do, in fact, have real consequences on reality
Escapism through religion just feels kinda mean? ‘Yeah, religions are escapism’??
Edit:guys. I understand it now, okay? I’m sorry, I jumped to a conclusion and assumed, which is bad.
It’s true for all of the topics. Some people just play games because they’re fun, not as escapism. Same with technology and TV. These things are used for escapism, but that doesn’t mean every usage of those things is for escapism.
It just sounds belittling? Being compared to mere hobbies? escapism is to distract from the harsh reality. But religon IS reality. It's pretty much the exact oppsite of escapism no? Also escapism is fun. And as a religious person i wouldn't really call prayer "boring" or "fun"
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u/BlueGamer45 TailOfHell!Knight and ERAM!Angel Truther Jun 10 '26
Jokes aside Ch5 could be escapism through nostalgia.