This article may contain spoilers for recently-released DELTARUNE chapters. If you wish to not receive spoilers for Chapter 3, please refrain from reading this article.
Your eyes can't hide it, Kris. Without play... The knife grows dull.
Eram
The Sword Route is an optional story route and side quest during Chapter 3, and is an essential method for obtaining the Shadow Mantle. It takes place in a door on the right in the S-rank room next to Ramb. It has three parts for each round, mimicking them. It can serve as a teaser for the Weird Route for players and also, as mentioned, provides the Shadow Mantle, allowing you to get the chapter's Shadow Crystal more easily.
To access the Sword Route, the Player must reach S-rank or higher on every board to gain entry into the S-rank room in order to play the original game. If the player has difficulty getting S-rank, they can buy it from the Pippins for 1500 points, if the player is low on points, allowing Susie to collect every coin on board one will help. For board two, gaining TP to the line and eating moss are good strategies.
Alternatively, the Player may reach a Z-rank on every board to get access to the Sword Route. The Sword Route area can be accessed via the Z-rank room by talking to the Zapper in the rank rewards room. After entering the Z-rank room, the Player can go down a manhole to get access to the Sword Route.
Once inside, Kris can obtain a Saber10 from an NPC behind a curtain on the right side of the room while on the left, Ramb will invite you backstage to play the "original game". Upon entering the backstage room, unusable controllers are found from the rack, and Kris can proceed to the console room. Once you obtain the Odd Controller, you can begin playing the original game.
Gameplay[]
Board One[]
Upon connecting the controller to the screen, the SOUL will appear on it before it gives way to an empty version of the first board. The Player controls a mini-Kris sprite dubbed HERO_SWORD, and must travel to any of the lower board rooms to find the sword. After obtaining the sword, HERO_SWORD must increase their strength by slaying the enemies within the board until they can cut down trees. After which, the player must have HERO_SWORD continue cutting down a path of trees until they find a chest. Upon opening it, the player will receive the Ice Key. The game will immediately shut off afterwards.
Board Two[]
On Board Two, the player must do the same as Board One and find the sword in the spot where Tenna would normally be, and begin killing enemies until all are gone and the player reaches max level.
Once all enemies on the main section of the map are gone, the player must take the boat up past the mysterious "islands," confirmed to be made of ice by a part of the Spamton Sweepstakes at deltarune.com/d_a_m_n_y_o_u_t_e_n_n_a. In which the blocks are named "ice" in the internal code of the website. After getting to the islands, you can go to a previously hidden/blocked off area, where they will find a locked door, and use the Ice Key. Inside they must continue killing every enemy, except for a blue bird blocking a path to the right. The player must find a white-cloaked figure in a room, who will then follow behind the player and freeze enemies. The White Cloak will guide the player in the right direction, as they stop moving whenever the player is going the wrong way. The White Cloak will freeze the Blue Bird blocking the path, revealing a blue door with red horns over it. Upon interaction, the game displays the following text: "The ice key was used up. She was used up." The White Cloak will disappear and the door will open.
Behind the door is a black void, in which a voice will begin speaking to Kris. A white star resembling a save point appears, and the player can collect the Shelter Key. After doing so, the game displays the text: "You were used up." It then shuts off.
Board Three + Boss Fight[]
Board Three begins in the unused City Board, with HERO_SWORD being followed by HERO_AXE and HERO_SCARF, Susie and Ralsei's video-game counterparts. The pathway is blocked by velvet rope, there are no enemies present on the board to kill to level up, so the player must kill HERO_AXE and HERO_SCARF in order to progress.
Once again, the player must defeat every single enemy on the board. After every enemy is killed, the path is opened, and the player finds the video-game version of Tenna standing in a long hallway, talking to himself, presumably about Spamton. After his monologue, he will turn to HERO_SWORD and ask Kris about their "deal." The player must kill Tenna and continue forward towards the Shelter.
After using the Shelter Key, the player enters and encounters the mysterious voice once again, who asks them if they're searching for the Shadow Crystals, and the Shadow Mantle. The boss fight then commences.
Once the mantle-holder is defeated, it tells Kris to "come get it," revealing the Mantle to be placed in a chest too high for HERO_SWORD to reach. The player must walk HERO_SWORD off of the TV screen towards Kris, regain control of Kris, and walk Kris up to the chest, where they will obtain the Shadow Mantle. Afterwards, Susie will walk in and ask Kris what they're doing.
Differences[]
During the second parental lock room before the Cold Place, Kris can plug the Odd Controller into the console, allowing HERO_SWORD to destroy the blocks required to solve the key puzzle, and the door showing the code. Susie and Ralsei will react in surprise upon seeing the sword, asking Kris where they got it.
Before Board Three, rather than find Ramb in the Green Room already turned to stone and learning his story from a Pippins, Kris will find Ramb backstage right before the room with the Original Game, telling them to push him out of the way while also revealing he knows that Kris was the one who made the Dark Fountain for the TV World.
After finishing Board Three, Kris will head back into the S-Rank break room where a Pippins will cry out to them in distress that something happened to Ramb, only to then say they thought they saw Kris already walk by.
Trivia[]
The name of the original game is likely titled Mantle, referencing the Shadow Mantle.
In Board 1 of the Sword Route, enemies will only attack you after you reach level 2. Until then, they do no damage - not even if you walk into them.
Board 2 of the Sword Route appears to be the instructions to following in Chapter 2 Weird Route.
Both involve violence towards enemies
The White Cloak is clear reference to Noelle, as both use Ice Magic, and wear white
The last enemy of Board 2 is a blue bird, referencing Berdly being frozen during the Weird Route.
