SOUL

SOUL
Type	Plot Mechanic

See that HEART, Kris?
That's your SOUL, the culmination of your being!
Within, it holds your WILL... your COMPASSION...
... and the FATE of the world.

Ralsei

The SOUL is the very essence of one's being. It plays a crucial role in the plot and progression of Deltarune. A SOUL takes on the form of a heart. Without the SOUL, Kris appears to have difficulty moving and cannot be controlled by the player.

Appearance

SOULs take on the appearance of a heart.

In most cases, SOULs point downwards. However, when in the Yellow SOUL Mode, it points to the right, where the enemy is.

It is unclear whether Darkners have SOULs or not, As in certain segments of the game, Ralsei is shown with a black soul, either representing his lack of a soul or just that Darkners' souls are black. Additionally, during the Spamton NEO fight in chapter 2, Spamton implies that he has no SOUL. Although, this could also just be Spamton trying to get the power of Kris's soul, as Human souls are shown to be more powerful than others.

Gameplay

The player can move Kris's SOUL using the arrows keys or control stick (depending on the configured controls and platform).

In menus, the SOUL indicates the selected option, even during the Introduction (before Kris is introduced).

During the enemy's turn in an encounter, Kris's SOUL can be moved around the Bullet Board. It is restricted by the box's borders, and can be slowed by 50% using the cancel button. If the SOUL is hit, one or more party members take damage depending on who the enemy's attack targeted.

If the SOUL gets close to a bullet without being hit, it "grazes" the attack. A white heart outline briefly displays around the SOUL if an attack was successfully "grazed." Grazing attacks causes the enemy's attack to end faster and earns TP.

In the Dark World's overworld, some obstacles can damage the party outside of battle. When near such an obstacle, the world darkens, and Kris's SOUL is visible. If Kris's SOUL is hit by an overworld bullet, the whole party takes damage. Party members can withstand damage at 1 HP until the last ally has same amount. Grazing bullets from these obstacles does not reward anything, and the menu is not accessible when the SOUL is visible.

If all party members have 1 HP in the overworld or negative HP in battle, the SOUL breaks in half and shatters. This leads to the Game Over screen.

SOUL Modes

Deltarune has SOUL Modes, similar to Undertale's SOUL Modes. When meeting certain enemies, they can alter the SOUL's color and change the way it behaves.

Red

While the SOUL is red, it behaves normally. It can move in any direction at a constant speed, and can slow down by holding "[CANCEL]" or "[Shift]" button. Unlike Undertale, there is no cut scene of the SOUL's heart sprouting legs when it runs away from a battle, as battles cannot be fled from in Deltarune.

Yellow

KRIS??! WAS THAT A [BIG SHOT] JUST NOW?!
WOW, I WAS SO [Proud] OF YOU
I COULD [[Killed]] YOU!

Spamton NEO

In the battle with Spamton NEO, Kris's SOUL becomes yellow and turns to face right. This allows the player to shoot bullets by pressing the [CONFIRM] button. These bullets can be shot at Pipis to damage them, destroying bullets or ending the opponent's turn faster.

Holding down the "[CONFIRM]" button charges a big shot, which can discharged by releasing that button. On systems with two "[CONFIRM]" and "[Enter]" buttons, holding one of the "[CONFIRM]" while releasing the other fires a big shot without losing the charge; since version 1.06, doing this several times makes Spamton NEO extremely infuriated, making the fight more difficult by increasing the damage of his bullets and making his attacks more chaotic.

Green

In the battle with The Hammer of Justice, the Green Soul places a shield around the soul, with the player able to move the shield around an octagon with arrow keys, as well as hold 2 arrow keys to put it in the corners.

Voice

Before battling the fake Mikes, the player gains usage of a cursor locked around Kris' person in the form of a Maus on a chain. They can also adjust their microphone settings. Once in, the battle ensues with none of the five core actions, only the utilization of the cursor in various ways. Petting a party member heals them, petting any of the (bashful) Mikes progresses the battle, petting the white cat bullets delays or prevents an explosion, and the Maus cursor can also grab and drop blue cat bullets into a basket.

The microphone settings were added so the player can use their voice or any real-life noise to control the SOUL. Some rounds have the player dodge attacks by using varying levels of sound to control the SOUL's height (loud is up, quiet is down) while others make the player move in one direction, then bounce off of the end of the line and go the other way with the noise. Especially for spectators, this battle is very interesting because some players may make guttural, panicked, or ridiculous noises by instinct or talk when playing games, so this battle puts their self-control to the test.

Main Story

Chapter 1

During the fight against King, Kris's SOUL can shine its power to a party member, allowing them to cast new and improved Spells (such as Dual Heal for Ralsei). This only occurs if a party member is ordered to Talk to King.

After defeating King, Kris uses their SOUL to seal the Eastern Fountain. After this, Kris and Susie wake up in the unused classroom.

At the end of Chapter 1, Kris rips their SOUL out of their body and throws it into the birdcage in the corner of their bedroom. Kris then pulls out a knife with a red glint in their eye. The player can move the SOUL around within the cage but cannot control Kris, indicating that Kris's SOUL is what grants the player's ability to control them.

Chapter 2

During Kris's first encounter with Spamton, he demands to see Kris's "HeartShapedObject," presumably referring to their SOUL. After seeing Kris's SOUL in battle, he offers Kris a deal.

After transforming into Spamton NEO, Spamton realizes that he is still controlled by strings. He attempts to kill Kris and absorb their SOUL, believing that doing so would finally free him.

During Queen's battle, Kris's SOUL can once again shine its power on another party member, allowing them to cast improved spells. However, Kris cannot enhance any of Noelle's spells, as she is not present.

At the end of Cyber World, Kris uses their SOUL to seal the Cyber World's Dark Fountain. After this, the Lightners wake up in the Library (although Berdly does not wake up if defeated on the Snowgrave Route).

At the end of Chapter 2, at Toriel's house, after Kris runs the water to wash their hands, they rip out their SOUL and trap it in the cupboard. Kris then jumps out the window, returning after a significant duration, then returns their SOUL to their body. After Kris, Susie, and Toriel all go to sleep, Kris wakes up in the middle of the night and once again rips out their SOUL, this time placing it on the couch (or inside of the cushions, hence why it could not move). Kris then opens the front door and creates a Dark Fountain in the middle of the living room. Kris then puts their SOUL back in their chest.

Chapter 3

During the sword route, Kris’ SOUL is put within the game to control HERO_SWORD.

Chapter 4

Unlike before, where Kris simply took their SOUL out to do individual tasks, they get a lot more aggressive. At Noelle's house, while they are reading the code inside Dess' guitar, Kris rips the SOUL out again and walks it to the room with empty gift boxes in it, slamming it into a gift and closing the door. The SOUL can push presents around to enter the vents.

In the vents, the disembodied SOUL can explore Noelle's house with limited access due to its weakness and locked grates, almost like the SOUL is a parasite that becomes weaker without its host. As it explores, Kris can be found on the phone in Noelle's kitchen talking to someone while consuming chocolate milk while Susie and Noelle remain occupied. The SOUL can enter the kitchen, and then get spotted by Kris, who will throw the bottle of chocolate milk at it and then put the SOUL in the room with the gift boxes again. The SOUL can return to the kitchen to listen to Kris play acoustic versions of songs in the game's soundtrack. It can also find Asgore in the bathroom and can follow him to Carol's room.

Eventually, the SOUL will end up in the basement and trip the power, causing Susie and Noelle to go into the basement to turn the power back on. Susie will accidentally knock the Christmas tree inside the basement over, causing an angel to trap the SOUL, further limiting its movement. Slowly sliding toward either Susie or Noelle prompts them to put them on a cookie pan and leave it unsupervised in the living room.

The SOUL can freely roam as long as the door to an area isn't shut, leaving their only goal being Dess' room. Upon entry, Kris will assault and incapacitate the SOUL temporarily with a hockey puck and hide in the closet to avoid Susie and Noelle, both of whom are scared about what they believe is either a mouse or a severed hand. Kris, inside the closet, hits the SOUL with a hockey puck, preventing it from reaching the guitar hidden inside as well. When the SOUL touches the guitar and makes noise, Susie tells Kris to make less noise and leaves with the guitar, much to Kris' chagrin. Kris tells an unknown person over the phone about the situation.

Begrudgingly, Kris puts the SOUL back and the game proceeds somewhat as normal. At one point, Asgore will come into the living room and sit on the couch, eating the snack tray. Carol suddenly enters the house, impatiently ushering Noelle into the kitchen to be scolded later and treats Susie with nothing but contempt for handling the guitar and tells her to leave without ever returning. She tells Asgore to eat outside and lets Kris know they are welcome anytime when alone, red text hinting at a more despicable meaning.

If the player chooses to battle the fake Mikes, their SOUL occasionally gains a Maus hand to pet various targets. In addition, noise with the player's actual microphone can allow for the SOUL to move along an axis.

Gallery

Kris with their SOUL glowing.

Trivia

• In Chapter 1, while the player is unable to select Susie's actions versus Lancer, the SOUL can be moved to dodge attacks. The SOUL appears and returns from the top right of the screen during his turn, where Kris and the SOUL is located. Toby Fox has confirmed that this is intentional, as the game will crash if Kris is not present.
• After the Annoying Dog depletes Kris's HP, the Undertale Game Over screen appears. The SOUL does not shatter, and instead displays Kris laying down.
• The charging sounds of a big shot from a yellow SOUL is based on the same thing the X-Buster used by X does from the Mega Man X series.
  • Specifically, the big shot sound is based on the charge shot sound from Mega Man X8.
• The soul is different from the Undertale counterpart. It has two extra pixels that has the same color as what mode it is, and added a black outline