Toby Fox, the mastermind behind Undertale and Deltarune, explored Earthbound romhacks early in his game development journey. This distinctive SNES quirkiness has greatly influenced the RPGs that fans adore today. Thus, it’s only appropriate that a dedicated group of fans has spent the last two years meticulously recreating Chapter 1 of Deltarune within their Earthbound romhack, which is set for a free release this month.
Chromadeline, one of the eight developers behind the upcoming Earthbound romhack titled Bound to the Dark World, announced this exciting news on Twitter along with the launch trailer. Fans can expect to download the project for free on Friday, October 31, just in time for Halloween festivities. Interestingly, this project has reportedly been kept under wraps since 2023.
“A project 2 years in the making. A ROMHACK of Earthbound that recreates Deltarune Chapter 1 in its entirety,” the trailer description states. “Experience Deltarune as if it were made in the 90s.”
Toby Fox famously remarked that the “smart” approach to game creation involves reusing existing elements, but he adopts a “stupid” method for Deltarune, claiming that everything in the game serves as a vessel for innovative mechanics. He emphasizes creativity over efficiency.
In addition, the 10th anniversary broadcast of Undertale introduced fresh areas and modifications to the original RPG, potentially deepening its connection to Deltarune, generating excitement among the fanbase.
While Fox speculates that Deltarune Chapter 5 “will not be released in the first half of 2026,” he did provide some positive insight: “We don’t have any external constraints impacting the release date this time. It will come out when it’s ready.”
To say that transforming Deltarune into an Earthbound format is akin to reimagining Stardew Valley as Harvest Moon 64 might be an understatement; the appeal of this project is likely greater than what is suggested at first glance. “Every battle reimagined, every song remixed, every cutscene recreated, every sprite redrawn,” the trailer proudly claims. “The hack of a lifetime” is not an exaggeration. It’s important to note, however, that the trailer requests viewers, “Please do not ask about Chapter 2.”
According to the reveal trailer, here are the creators behind Bound to the Dark World:
- Chromadeline
- Isaiah Mark
- CoolMike
- Haha
- Atlantixa
- Nes_cade
- Felix.rodent
- NOLI_KISSESPK HACK
Fox recently expressed in an interview that although he recognizes the efficient way to make games as recycling elements, he embraces a more unconventional approach for Deltarune. Even Chapter 1 is rich with novel scenarios, and to witness it translated “in its entirety” into Earthbound through this romhack is quite an accomplishment. Seventeen years post-release, I find myself tracing the roots of Undertale and Deltarune back to Toby Fox’s eerie Earthbound mod.