The Chilling Brilliance of True Lab | Undertale Analysis

[@Dorked]

Happy (almost) Halloween! This video was a spur of the moment idea when I realized just how effective True Lab's spooky elements are on a first playthrough. Please consider checking out my recent SatAM Sonic analysis, which underperformed! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp69Y2CvdpaUe6M I wanna branch out to other types of media, but those videos always do significantly worse. Supporting on patreon can help: patreon.com/dorked, since it can make a huge difference in months where my KZbin earnings are slim. I make my income from Patreon and KZbin and I'd like to continue to grow my platform. True Lab Reports in Order: pastebin.com/Mr68qCp7 Check out my Undertale webcomic, Inverted Fate: invertedfate.com/chapters Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Buildup 02:37 - Subtle Scares and Subversion 11:09 - Conclusion

[@TrueAgentZan]

"And when you step into the elevator, it all goes down to s[**]t." well that's where bathrooms normally go last time I checked

[@voidprince2257]

You make excellent videos and I appreciate you.

[@zaneharris706]

One thing I would like to point out is that the text in the entries are weird sometimes not capitalizing things like “i” where as in most entries it is capitalized, this led many to think sans was involved and some of the entries were his.

[@Dorked]

@@zaneharris706 Yeah, but when you look at them in order and in context, any time they are lowercase is when Alphys was not doing well emotionally. The simpler answer is that she put less effort into being professional during those low points (I go into this more in my Alphys analysis).

[@zaneharris706]

@@Dorked welp time to watch that video too

[@MadamLava094]

Fun fact: If you walk backwards in the curtain room: You move full speed, if not even faster. I feel this is one of the only cases of Frisk... *resisting* you? In some sense

[@clawcakes2]

frisk said "nope nope nope i am fucking OUTTA HERE"

[@BelBelle468]

@@clawcakes2 I was the same lol. I nope’d out of there so quickly before I realized I HAD to open the curtain. Frisk slowing down perfectly fits my own feelings and draws it out. Felt such relief when nothing was behind the curtain.

[@godslaughter]

This makes it even more unnerving when you think about the fact that Frisk, essentially, is being pushed into a situation by the player's controls despite the fact that this may have actually caused incredible fear. To this day one of the most disturbing things in horror games I've seen (or in this case a horror section) Honourable mentions: Paranoiac imagery and the entire doll section within Ib. There is something about simplified graphics that makes the experience that much more terrifying

[@SurmenianSoldier]

@@godslaughter hehe penis

[@quinn708]

​@@godslaughterHoly shit an Ib mention. You are exactly right

[@Violet-f1n]

5:58 not to mention that, THEY KNOW WHAT SAVE POINTS ARE AND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE!

[@fujiwaranonekobiodrando1257]

why tf they can just camouflage

[@A-smol-snek]

i mean it makes sense if demermination=save points, and the amalgamates were injected with detemmienation, then technically they should be able to save too

[@awesomedudexxfox]

One of the saddest parts is that Alphys thought the DT experiments had worked, the monsters had woken up, alive and well, before they all melted together into the amalgamates

[@Dorked]

Yeah. ;c The only reason I didn't go into as much depth about the experiments is because I did so in my Alphys video. But it's very much a tragedy!

[@張謙-n3l]

@@Dorked A more tragic fact is that the amalgamates' families don't really care if they turned into amalgamates or not, they're angry because Alphys was hiding the status

[@Dorked]

@@張謙-n3l I don't think it's tragic that they accept the amalgamates as they are. It's a happy ending. They get to see their loved ones again, but those loved ones still love them even in their amalgamated forms.

[@張謙-n3l]

@@Dorked Yes, the tragedy is to Alphys. She has received two surprises in one day, one is good (dying monsters regain health) and one is bad (those monsters become amalgamates). At this point, it's still an unlucky fortune, but what makes the incident a tragedy, which lead her once tried to perform suicide is her action trying to hide the truth

[@_str4wb_]

they worked......but didn't work at the same time

[@SemiHypercube]

I feel like one of the cooler ways the True Lab is unsettling is that it reveals that determination and "the fallen human's" name meant completely different things than what they were built up to be throughout the whole game, making you see everything in a new light

[@Dorked]

YEAH. That's another great aspect of it! It recontextualizes so much about what we thought about the story until that point.

[@FestiveAngel06]

The True Lab is honestly an underappreciated part of Undertale's "Dark Side". An underground laboratory where Alphys' darkest secrets lie, even if those secrets live and breathe. Great work!

[@Dorked]

Yeah, I feel like most people focus so much on the no mercy run to the detriment of the other scary aspects of Undertale. I honestly think True Lab being in the *pacifist* run makes it stand out more.

[@purpledshadow]

@@DorkedWill you make videos like this but for Underverse / Xtale?

[@張謙-n3l]

Probably also Gaster's, with the extremely high battle stats, it's very likely that Gaster has also studied determination, and probably injected some to himself

[@ManicFiction]

​​@@張謙-n3lThat's just an assumption with no proper basis though, about Gaster injecting himself with DT, I mean. Besides, we have no confirmation if Gaster even experimented with DT before, especially when the DT Extractor didn't even exist until Alphys showed up. Someone can only get DT through a DT extractor, so that's a no-go. Discovered DT, maybe, though with what we're given and through Alphys' dialogue, it's more likely Alphys discovered it, or at the very least properly discovered its existence.

[@張謙-n3l]

@@ManicFiction true, we have no solid evidence. But I believe Toby has given us enough hint. The entry number 5 has mentioned she used the blueprints to extract determination, which would be pretty weird to say if that are her creations. The DT extractor and gaster blaster shares a similar theme, looking like the skull of some animals. Also, as we know, boss monsters are stronger than normal monster, the atk and def of Asgore and Toriel are both 80, it's hard to believe the 66666 atk and def of Gaster is natural. Last but not least, Gaster's entry number 17 seems to describe the creation of a dark world in Deltarune, which we know, requires determination, a power does not possessed by Undertale monsters

[@andrew_cunningham]

Nestling the Dreemurr family lore dump tapes in the Labs is an interesting choice to me. The information they need to convey is pretty straightforward: the first fallen human didn't die of an illness, they actually killed themself as part of a plot with Asriel to destroy the Barrier. They also have the name of the character you thought you were controlling. The same points could have been conveyed pretty easily through Flowey before his bossfight or something, but putting them in the middle of the Labs contextualizes them as something meant to be strange and disorienting. This barely-mentioned human character having the name you chose doesn't make sense at first, but neither does the monster goop coming out of the sinks, or the vibrating ghost refrigerators. Rather than spacing out the confusing lore bombshells to avoid overwhelming you, the game clusters them together into this one bizarre segment specifically to make you feel like you're going insane. The big scene with Alphys in a way just makes you feel worse, because to her that's a total resolution where all secrets are revealed, but you as the player are still stuck stewing in all the other huge gnawing quetsions the Labs have dumped on your lap. The overall effect is that, leading up to the final climax with Asriel, the player is left _completely_ vulnerable- their certainty in understanding the story destroyed, ruminating on dark implications, and simultaneously curious and worried about where it's all leading. In short, the True Labs breaks your knees so the ending can blow your mind.

[@Hindo7]

Yoooo Andrew what u doing here

[@tetrisinventor7256]

very well said

[@m.s.5370]

I guess this is as good a place as any to drop an obsevation I've made that I've never seen anyone else mention anywhere. The line "It's a voice you've never heard before" can actually contradict your previous actions, depending on whether or not you watched the tapes, because Ariel's voice should've been clearly audible to Frisk in the recording. And I can't think of any possible person other than Flowey using his Asriel voice to mess with the player at this point. So that's a small plot hole, isn't it?

[@TheAdvertisement]

Oh hi Andrew. Yeah Toby's very good at that isn't he?

[@MarioPawner]

Hmm. This makes me think that the similar reveal of the name on the coffin with the red soul is given when you're also left vulnerable from the revelations of New Home. I remember feeling dazed and confused and didn't even question how the name could be there given you haven't even met Asgore yet, there's no real way he could have known it. But I didn't even think of it then. All I felt was hollow.

[@solstice_soda701]

Honestly I never knew just how masterful Toby is with subtle horror until I saw the Spamton NEO battle. The progression of "Spamton begs the audience to stop stealing his furniture." To "Spamton prays to the audience. Spamton screams to the audience. There is no audience." Chilled me to my core. Then I started really looking back on how he uses the mechanics that we were so familiar with and just beat us with our expectations. Love it

[@togeluga_the_cat]

honestly it kinda just got worse for me when looking back at undertale, and realising that alphys could have possibly killed herself in some neutral endigs, given how some characters try to look for her, looking everywhere but unable to find her at all, she could either be dead after living with so much guilt and terrible stuff happening or she could be completly isolated and now we have Jevil who is completly delusional and psychotic after having a lil chat, making him bassicaly de-value any ones life because its all just a game, allmost killed his good friend, got locked up, and lets be honest, being alone with your own insane ideas and twisted world view beyond repair is not good for any one, and despite all that he thinks its all fine, he is completly right all the others are crazy and spamtom was just a desperate man who had liltle to nothing except maybe his friends, then he had a lil chat on the phone, got rich and famous fast, became a [BIG SHOT], unfortunatetly he lost contact with his friends from being on the phone most of the time, but he was living the dream on the queens palace, then it all went to shit, his sales flatlined in the blink of an eye, he had no more money, he couldnt pay rent, was desperately trying to get on the phone to call his friend again, was forcefully kicked out, saw everything crumble before him, took a nice relaxing acid bath that made him short, and now hes living on a dumpster with nothing to his name, no friends or family, and not to mention all of the brain damage he has if you reed all of this, more power to you

[@Eternatus00]

​@@togeluga_the_catacid bath? When was it mentioned that spamton jumped in the acid pool

[@togeluga_the_cat]

@@Eternatus00 its a headcannon of mine honestly, i think spamtom wasnt allways just the manlet we know off, due to stuff like "I USED TO BE NOTHING BUT THE E_MAIL GUY, NOW I'M THE [[It Burns! Ow! Stop! Help Me! It Burns!]] GUY!" and "VACATIONING IN [burning acid]" i know it isnt correct but i like it a lot

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

One thing thats interesting about memoryheads is that if you consume a bad memory when your almost dead it actually fully heals you. Not sure exactly what to make of that but its interesting

[@Dorked]

Yeah, that's a really interesting aspect, too. In theory, it's a great healing item... if you're specifically at 1 HP.

[@defaulted9485]

Its probably there to emulate an underflow. The item should be damaging you, but if you're low enough health, then the excess damage from the item underflows your HP counter to negative instead of setting it to 0, which the game corrects by repeating the HP health sequence to its max value. Its like the Nuclear Gandhi glitch on Civilization. Gandhi starts at 1 aggressive rating. The game in progress would reduce that number by -2. Instead of putting Gandhi into -1 aggressive rating, it underflows the array/enumerator and Gandhi ended up with 10 aggressive rating. Triggering the famous Nuclear Gandhi.

[@ThatPillow]

@@defaulted9485 He didn't get 10 aggression, he got aggression of 255 Out of 10

[@Toesworth]

@@defaulted9485 is't Nuclear Gandhi fake? someone was just salty about that and made a post about it.

[@spongeintheshoe]

@@defaulted9485 Imagine if it healed you ABOVE your max HP, like sleeping in an inn does.

[@chaosbeam4654]

I had such a fascination with this place. Being stuck to a bunch of people, all still conscious and miserable and terrified, it’s something that terrifies me. Still, seeing that in a game like this…it’s alluring to say the least

[@Dorked]

Yeah, conceptually it's very creepy, but I like that the game still presents a happy outcome for the amalgamates. They can't be "fixed," but they can reunite with their families and be happy again.

[@W.d_Gaster]

I really like how every Amalgamate comes from a sorta unexpected place (for example, You'd expect Reaper Bird to come from the reflection, but it comes from the popup.) There's also one more trick the game plays on you. The game says that you have never heard the voice before. The player might be convinced they didn't, but they did. All the way back in Waterfall, right before fighting Mad Dummy.

[@Dorked]

Yep! It's just different from child Asriel's voice, since it's in a lower pitch. But it's really clever and I love how the text is super spaced out and slow to add to the impact of that moment.

[@degenerateinthecloset]

:)

[@ultrauno-u9710]

With how the 3rd fridge is violently shaking you'd expect it to have the Amalgamate inside but it *doesn't* , and it is still shaking after the battle with Snowy, so what could be inside?

[@wahitsoctavia]

@@ultrauno-u9710Probably another one. I mean, Tuck-You-In and Bathtub guy have to have somewhere to sleep, yeah?

[@TheAdvertisement]

I think one of my favorite things about the True Lab is that it fully makes use of the whole creepypasta vibe of messing with your UI and just generally doing things that feel _wrong_ in the game. If you haven't realized yet in the game by this point that most of the UI is actually physical, you have no idea what's happening and are just scared by the uncanniness. But with that knowledge, you start to realize that the overwhelming amounts of determination in them are literally allowing them to break the rules of the world, its laws of physics, which is honestly even creepier to me, especially since the Amalgamates are clearly confused and not doing it on purpose. It really all gives you this feeling like you're in a rotting insane asylum, and succumbing to the insanity yourself. The coolest (heh) part to me is So Cold, and how well the battle separates itself from the others. It's not chaotic, it's weak, and while not dying, slowly succumbing to the mess of consciousnesses within herself. Crystal is doing her best to hold on despite everything but she's barely holding on, so you get weak, lackluster attacks all while the "enemy" refuses to back down, unable to go quietly into the night. What makes it even cooler is the ACTs, and how this is one of the only times in the game Frisk's own personality actually takes hold, and the only time they actively defy the player- the only time there's a disconnect between what the narrator's interpreting from the player and thinks Frisk will do, and what Frisk actually does. While the in-world reason is likely either because Frisk is refusing to do these mean acts out of sympathy, or possibly even that Crystal's will is overpowering the ACTs and creating ones that aren't there- that Frisk isn't choosing- it comes off to the player that even more of your control and sense is being lost. And Angel I could say _soooo_ many things about the Memoryheads and what they represent, but considering how well Inverted Fate uses them I have no doubt you know all about it Dorked! The True Lab helps fill out Toby's full writing portfolio. He made a game that for the most is either just fun and goofy, or really frickin cool, but any "scary" parts (outside of the geno run) are really just tense and imposing rather than actual horror. The True Lab is a great example that Toby is not afraid of making the player uncomfortable, of disrupting the norm not just to create a cool narrative, but to unsettle you and shake the ground of everything you knew to really strike fear. It makes me super excited for what Toby plans with Deltarune, because given the menacing implications and imagery that he's sprinkled through the two chapters, I have no doubt we're diving straight back into a horrifying destruction of our worldview by the end.

[@gengargamer5657]

I and many others interpret the narrator thing during the Crystal fight as Chara doing those actions. The narrator says that Frisk isn't doing that stuff, and there's also the laugh option which says "But it wasn't funny." if you use it again. This falls in line w/ Chara laughing off traumatic experiences, something they do after accidently poisoning Asgore and when you check RG01 and RG02 on the Genocide Run. (Yes, I believe the Narra!Chara theory because it's confirmed that Chara is attatched to Frisk and there are instances in each run that support the theory quite a bit.)

[@TheAdvertisement]

@@gengargamer5657 Oh yeah I've said a lot before about it, but to me that's one of the biggest pieces of evidence for NarraChara. It's like either Chara was suggesting the acts, or was expecting Frisk to do one of those actions, but was shocked when they didn't.

[@catbatrat1760]

Well said!

[@catbatrat1760]

@@TheAdvertisement "NarraChara" "Charrator", maybe?

[@mmgmagic]

Another cool tidbit about the True Lab is that, with Alphys saving us from the Amalgamates in the generator room, she finally gets her moment of genuine heroism after having to stage them during your encounters with Mettaton. I think that's pretty neat!

[@psychopomp4135]

It is worth noting that there is a decent chance that the Memory Heads are actually fragments of Gaster, rather than normal Amalgamates like the the rest. After all, their general shape resembles that of a skull, the method of defeating them involves using the cell phone (something Gaster has been more blatantly connected to in DR), and their bullet resembles the face of both Mystery Man and the piece of Gaster one of the Gaster Followers claims to be holding. We also don’t see them reunited with any family members during the True Pacifist ending, unlike the other Amalgamates. Not to mention, considering the old age of the True Lab, it’s likely that it was originally built for Gaster to conduct his own experiments in. This is backed up by the fact that the room which contains ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN, room_gaster, is located right after the final room of the True Lab in the files (the generator room). In addition to this, the Man Behind the Tree seemingly appears in the refrigerator room before you clear the fog. There’s also Alphys’ use of the blueprints which she used to create the DT Extractor. Seeing as Alphys never states that she developed these blueprints herself, and the fact that the DT Extractor is seemingly modeled after a giant skull of some sort, this was most likely one of Gaster’s own inventions which never saw the light of day.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, the Memoryheads are SUPER interesting in that regard! I think there's absolutely a possible connection, and I think I may have even briefly touched upon that in my Gaster video a while back.

[@ilikevideogames4331]

About the DT Extractor: The dark worlds in Deltarune are created by using determination. So Gaster would have likely needed a source of determination for the entry 17 experiment.

[@psychopomp4135]

@@ilikevideogames4331That’s possible, although since UT is a different world with different rules, I don’t think one can simply open a Dark Fountain using DT in that world like they can in DR. I’m more inclined to think that Gaster’s experiment involved opening some sort of wormhole that was powered by and possibly situated somewhere within the CORE, intended to open a gateway directly to the surface without needing ti use SOUL Power at all. But instead of it leading there, it instead connected to the nearby world of DR-more specifically, the Depths, where all of the darkness is stored. Gaster became obsessed with studying this foreign phenomenon, only for the wormhole to eventually collapse and suck him in, shattering him across time and space.

[@elstarnor4628]

With the piece of Dr Gaster that one of his followers claims to be holding; the smaller part of the character is the one that moves when the follower talks, leading me to believe that the piece of Dr Gaster is more likely to be the larger part of that character (not sure if that made complete sense)

[@TJ-hg6op]

Weird picture saying don’t forget, memory heads, seems connected imo.

[@cyb3erbug0]

The True Lab is one of my favourite areas in undertale. It feels wrong to disturb this area, as if angry spirits feel the air. The amalgamated are terrifying in their own right, but Alphy's side of the story is also terrifying. Imagine seeing monsters melt before your eyes and turn into undescribable abominations. Truly scary stuff.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, the worst part is that it really was all just an accident. Nothing could've prepared her for any of this.

[@batsnake__113]

True lab has a similar thing to Omega Flowey where while most sprites in the game are usually 1 or 2 colors with simple shading the lab is so detailed with so many tone variations, detailed shading and lightning, that looks like from a classic horror rpg maker game which adds to the scary feeling.

[@Dorked]

Yeah, though I'd argue some other places use more detailed graphics, the more 16-bit aesthetic of True Lab with the darker palette is an excellent touch.

[@batsnake__113]

@@Dorked I can't exactly how many times it happens but UT seems to generally reserve the 16-bit sprites when it's more impactfull (Like the general landscapes images or the stores that are generally small resting points in the game)

[@TheAdvertisement]

Oh wait yo I never even thought about it but you're right! The shading in the True Lab increases tenfold, more of a Chrono Trigger style if anything. Really helps set the tone!

[@wahitsoctavia]

Ive never even noticed this, but the 16-bit and extra detail vibe absolutely adds to it.😊

[@squinttt]

My favourite thing about the amalgamates personally is how their pre-battle overworld sprites quite clearly don't represent what you're about to fight for the most part. Memory Heads overworld sprite is only really similar in the fact they both have multiple heads, but besides that, it represents a weird multiple-head blob creature with possibly a pair of eyes hiding in the middle. Lemon Bread's looks distinctly like a tall figure with two feet and a featureless face, but their battle sprite has a mermaid tail and a face full of massive teeth. Reaper Bird's overworld sprite looks like a ghoul of sorts, lacking most of Reaper Bird's features except for the mouth in the middle, though even that has it's teeth rotated ninety degrees between sprites. And finally Snowy's Mom has the only similarity between sprites be the fact that they're seemingly melting. The golem-like overworld sprite for Snowy's mom personally feels even more off than the others because you get to see that distinctly incorrect sprite among the family members post true-pacifist, as if the sprite DOES belong and there's nothing weird or wrong going on. Only exception to all these is Endogony for some reason. I also really like the smile and distorted laughter they make.

[@abysssans8188]

The fact that Frisk actively refuses to "Heckle" in the fight against Snowdrake's mother is interesting, to my knowledge this is the only time in the entire game Frisk goes against the player which gives the idea that either this place is messing with Frisk's mind and making them think they said stuff they didn't or that at no other point in any run does Frisk ever find anything we are doing inherently wrong. To my knowledge Kris never outright refuses to do what the player tells them to do, only changing the way certain pieces of dialogue are said to fit their mood or the end of chapter scenes in the light world, however Frisk outright refuses here, assuming this isn't some hallucination, which I find is quite surprising. Could Frisk/Kris refusing certain actions or doing things in their own way have rules behind it? Or is this a pure power of will thing?

[@catbatrat1760]

I kinda thought maybe they DID heckle her, just didn't say anything quite so cruel.

[@wahitsoctavia]

@@catbatrat1760Yeah, probably did the same thing Crystal was doing to us- keeping anything from really hitting.

[@theluigifan1]

I know this was highlighted in your analysis video of her but Alphys’ character being juxtaposed by the True Lab really helped her become one of my favorites of the cast. Made me like her more than I already did. She has a darker side that while wasn’t inherently malicious, still made her feel like a horrible person due to how long she kept it hidden from others. She’s more than her behavior in Hotland and I’m glad the True Lab helped convey that. The horror/unsettling aesthetic of the area made it stick the landing, too.

[@Dorked]

Alphys is so important! I love how True Lab brings her even more depth and brings so much of her character full circle. It recontextualizes everything that happens in earlier parts of the game, and it's great.

[@spotlightanimation6719]

people give alphys so much shit for no reason its kind of insane

[@LynxGriffin]

True Lab definitely became one of my favorite areas in the game due to all the things you mentioned! I especially like that well-hidden moment where the tall amalgam tucks Frisk into bed, because I feel like it's a perfect microcosm of Toby's stated desire to "create empathetic subversions of RPG tropes." You have this long, drawn-out buildup to this ghostly figure standing over you, and you're expecting something terrible to happen...and then instead something kind of sweet happens. It doesn't make the scene any less creepy, but it does create empathy towards the beings that are trapped here. It just seems like a perfect little encapsulation of this idea of sympathy and melancholy hiding inside a coat of horror, all done in just a few seconds with no dialogue! Great job with this video!

[@Dorked]

Thanks, Lynx! I agree that the tense buildup to the amalgamate tucking Frisk in is such a fantastic subversion. You think it'll be scary, and then it's cute. Really neat addition.

[@kiwimeephu]

One thing i really love about the amalgamates is how you would normally expect the game to go "they have to be put out of their misery", the more typical route in situations like these. But you dont. Because, even despite their condition, they are still people who deserve kindness and to go home to their families... and they do! Its really beautiful i think

[@riley_-zm8vr]

to my knowledge they also can't be killed at all, likely due to their determination.

[@spotlightanimation6719]

@@riley_-zm8vr and the game locks you into the pacifist route at that point

[@BrownKirbyEpic]

shoutouts to toby fox having done all the art assets for the true lab himself

[@Dorked]

Yeah, a lot of people like to clown on toby for being bad at art, but he genuinely did a great job.

[@captainkawaii666]

@@Dorked A lot of people here including Toby himself lol

[@dragoon3266]

I think an unappreciated detail of the buildup to the True Lab is that papyrus phone call. It’s so obvious that someone (Flowey) told him to call Frisk and tell them to go to the Lab. Realizing this once you find out that Flowey was the one who told papyrus to go to the barrier room makes a slightly odd phone call kind of disturbing on second viewing

[@greenhydra10]

In my opinion, part of what makes the True Lab so creepy is the lab itself. Hotland and Snowdin feel more open due to the magma fields and forest, and the Ruins' bricks and Waterfall's crystals give them a light color palette that creates a similar illusion. True Lab is dark and claustrophobic, creating a feeling of being trapped the rest of the Underground doesn't give.

[@ChaosEnthusiast]

when you realize alphys cannonically has doctor handwriting

[@mckenziebate2949]

Besides Asgore's death, the true lab was one of the only things I didn't know about Undertale before I played it. I still get shivers every time I hear "it's so cold"

[@josephconover5270]

One thing you forgot to mention is that when the encounter bubble appears, it shifts from the ! that always appears in pacifist and neutral, to the smile that appears when getting an encounter when you get far enough in the Genocide route. In a way it can make you think back to that moment potentially and make the moment creepier when you remember that.

[@oliwierbober648]

Reaper Bird remembers you're genocides.

[@kanekikingstorm2113]

I never realized just how much I would use the true lab theme for a lot of my recent fanfic stuff, until I watched your video. The True lab interactions really helped me bolster my skills at writing mad scientists, and a lot of the experiments that I would have to write in my dnd campaigns. And you summed up a lot of the things that I couldn’t put into words

[@Dorked]

Happy to help put to words these sorta things! I tend to brainrot a lot about the media I consume and the techniques used to make them click.

[@lawnmower-pq8vk]

Memoryheads and Reaper Bird had me terrified and confused, Endogamy and Snowdrake's mom had me genuinely sobbing as I could do nothing but watch and dodge their disjointed attacks and cry for them and the situation all of them are in.

[@spongeintheshoe]

5:47 It’s also worth noting that the SAVE point is functional, which raises a few questions given UNDERTALE’s relationship with its SAVE function.

[@greyscaleadaven]

As someone who partially works in sound design, I've always really enjoyed how these games are able to convey their atmospheres so clearly through their music or sound effects. Thanks for highlighting this aspect in your video! I honestly enjoy the atmospheric pieces of music so much in this game, and it's not common for those pieces to make use of as much intentionality as the higher intensity battle themes in games. Honestly, Toby's approach to sound is something I keep in mind in terms of keeping things simple and focusing on what's important to convey (this is especially apparent in the funnier aspects of the game where he uses almost stock sounds to still create equally entertaining scenes). Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in making something sound unique or intricate when in reality going into it with the goal of expressing a certain feeling will get you a lot farther. Again, thanks for the vid!

[@raq619]

Something I love about the True Lab that adds to it's creepy, disorienting atmosphere is that it appropriates a few motifs that you'd otherwise only see in a genocide run. Memoryhead says the infamous "But nobody came." line during your encounter with them. In a genocide run, the exclamation point that warns the player of an encounter becomes a little smiley-face after a certain number of kills; here, the smiley-face is what becomes Reaper Bird. Neat the end of the genocide run, Chara thinks "Here we are!" when they find the real knife in New Home, & Here We Are is the title of the track that plays in the True Lab; I believe these are the only two times in the entire game that exact phrase is used. I think they're really effective uses of self-reference & re-contextualization, especially for players who'd already played or seen a genocide run before getting to the true lab.

[@3MB3Rx134]

The true lab was probably my favorite area in the game, the most peaceful route has one of the most disturbing areas, and that juxtaposition is what makes me love it so much

[@tornado4376]

I agree 100% that the True Lab section is much creepier through its subtleties than anything on no mercy run. It really builds a sense of proper horror, the slow reveal, the build up, the power of the uncanny. It reminds me a bit of when I played Deltarune chapter 2, Snowgrave route was pretty creepy yeah but then when you go after Spamton outside of snowgrave, going through the basement, the talk at the shop, the backstory, the way the environment itself is so uncanny and sets you on edge, the mechanisms of the robot and the loaded disk and the creeoy abandoned tracks in the basement - it's all so much more terrifying than encountering Spamton in Snowgrave. They're both pretty creepy, but the way tension is built up and maintained in the abadoned tracks in the basement was very reminiscent of the True Lab in Undertale, and that's why those are both the creepiest locations in UT/DR to me, more than stuff in Genocide/Snowgrave

[@iamjustjoshing]

I absolutely love the True Lab. That sort of understated horror is so cool to experience. It reminds me a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist where you find out the truth about Shou Tucker

[@jonnycarcano]

Considering her victims are typically reduced to jelly beasts with no sentience, I'd say she's more like Bondrewd.

[@zombrotato981]

While the other fights are quite difficult the snowdrakes mother fight makes up emotionally for what it missed in difficulty. During my first blind playthrough that fight single handedly terrified me.

[@An_Account1]

Watching this video, I just realized that so many of the biggest mysteries in Undertale and Deltarune are connected to the True Lab. The man behind the tree is alluded to through some of the dialogue, Everyman makes its first appearance here, the Memoryheads are completely unknown, and of course, the True Lab has "W. D. Gaster" written all over it. The True Lab itself may not be in Deltarune, but I think we're still going to find out something new about it.

[@Dorked]

I don't think it's a coincidence. Alphys did have to inherit the lab from someone, and while the DT experiments are her doing, I think the memoryheads could totally be Gaster related.

[@An_Account1]

@@Dorked Given the fact that there are three of them unlike the others, they don't seem to be based on any known monsters, and aren't seen again... there's definitely something different about the Memoryheads.

[@leopoldosoto779]

It always has to be "man" in ut/dr mysteries, like the man behind the tree, everyman, and the man who speaks in hands (Not saying it's bad, it's just a weird coincidence).

[@An_Account1]

@@leopoldosoto779 Yeah, the word "man" does pop up a lot. I've heard some people try to connect every use of "man" to Gaster too.

[@accuratejaney8140]

@@An_Account1 There are three memoryheads, and three wingding fonts. I was thinking about how Gaster might've been chosen to have wingdings as a font because there are three types, or he might've been split because there are three types.

[@pepsicola4575]

Can't wait to see the video on Gerson! I feel like he goes mostly unnoticed even though he's one of the only monsters that can still remember the surface.

[@achour.falestine]

I love this channel I also love how you pointed out that the fandom isnt keen on those very high quality well made things in the game and instead the edgy fun and chaotic things

[@Diamond1234]

The scariest parts of undertale, the True Lab, because while you can make undertale haunting by your actions in other routes, the fact that the True Lab is part of the True Pacifist route and it didn't happen because you killed anyone makes it really scary.

[@teirusureynard9279]

12:02 - I agree. I think the True Lab is a particularly special area. Unlike how the No Mercy run has the horror of you realizing how significantly YOU, the player, are the bad guy, and showing how the ramifications of that are bleak and deliberately unfun, The horror of the True Lab is more lingering and the more theorizing that happens, the more unsettling some aspects get.

[@alchemlemnis]

I was obsessed with the true lab as a kid, I guess that kinda explains my love for the "mad scientist/lab abominations" trope

[@necrodeus6811]

I have a huge soft spot for gritty labratory settings in rpg games. It doesn't matter how many times it happens, every game has their own fun twist on it. Undertale does a great job of leaning into sympathetic horror, by the time you reach the first victim you just want to give them a hug and a cookie

[@unknownroyalty895]

The True Lab to me has a structure of a circle that acts like a Hero's Adventure. We start at the prologue, where we are in the normal world, blissfully unaware. Once we enter the True Lab, we go to the first encounters, where we barely understand what is happening in the extraordinary world. Whether we fight Lemon Pie or Endogeny, that's the point where we start getting a grasp on something, and we enter the adventure, where we are still in the extraordinary world, discovering every part we're missing. Once Alphys explains everything, we go back to the normal world with new knowledge, and that's the epilogue.

[@ellek.4039]

The true Lab was such a haunting experience, even as someone who experienced Undertale through watching others play. The tonal shift wasn't as jarring as seeing the Flowey fight after a neutral run, but that really helped build the sense of unease. Toby Fox really is magnificent when it comes to balancing Undertale's goofiness and charm with the creep factor that comes from it's darker routes, and I think the fact that fanwork tends to veer towards edgy just goes to show how hard maintaining that balance is. Props to Toby Fox for maintaining this same balance in Deltarune, too! Personally I love this channels' KH vids, it'd be cool to see that Ventus deep dive eventually!

[@qua_xor3348]

I believe the memory heads are the original flowey tests. How they look so much like a "flower". And also the fact that the "act" the options are from the pause menu. And also the fact you can never "spare" them.

[@qua_xor3348]

Or... Alphys tried to do the same thing again to more flowers. But they deformed.

[@anbon4985]

everyman is just a funky lil goober

[@amyhardwick8720]

This is a great video! You’re right, everyone’s always focused on the genocide route and I don’t think anyone ever stopped to take a look at the true lab in depth like you have. Thanks for the work you put into this video, you earned a like from me!

[@Mienshaos]

YES!!! the True Lab is far and beyond my favourite area in Undertale. i'm a sucker for sci-fi horror, and what the True Lab does best is in its atmosphere. everything about the true lab is deliberately made to be disorganised and off - the lab reports, the music, the amalgamates themselves. and those amalgamates, i just love the general horror of genetic experimentation i think the True Lab also shows the best in Alphys, she feels tremendous guilt that all of her hard work was all for nothing, but she still did all she can to save the monsters who have fallen down. and for as much as she hates herself for her mistake, she doesn't run away from the amalgamates, she still regularly feeds them and wants to reunite them all with their families. it truly sucks that alphys is as overlooked as what she already is, because she had a huge impact on the likes of Undyne and Mettaton really, i could play an entire game around an area like the True Lab. i'm super biased but i just prefer the subdued horror of environments and atomosphere, rather than jumpscares

[@VillagerCometh]

Flower writing “I know what you did” is something I didn’t think of, but it makes a lot of sense.

[@Vivat_Veritas]

Hell yes, True Lab! I love your work Dorked and I'm a massive fan of True Lab's environment and perfect ambience. Amazing work.

[@Alexrun902]

True Lab will always be one of, if not my favorite, areas of Undertale. It really appeals to my inner horror fan with how scary it is, and we get intriguing insights into a lot of the darker sides of the main cast as well as getting a clearer picture on what exactly happened to Chara, Asriel, and even how Flowey was created! I'm glad to see another video like this about this amazing area of the game. Fabulous work as always Dorked! 👍

[@PTp1ranha]

One thing I like about the Amalgamates is when Alphys pulls up at the end, and dismisses their behavior as "being sassy/hungry" or something like that. Between that, and the fact that they can just go home and live with their families...es... really continues the game's thesis that the monsters are people too. Even when they're scary-looking and locked up in a derelict hospital, they're just people.

[@_darkblue1688]

i can't WAIT for the gerson video, gerson needs more appreciation (and the other shopkeepers, especially nice cream guy and snowdin shopkeeper) regarding the topic of the memoryheads, considering gaster was the previous royal scientist (and thus might have access to the true lab) and how out of place they are in the presence of the other amalgamates, it's possible he made them (or as another comment said, they're fragments of him) and they just were there until and after alphys showed up if alphys made the memoryheads, they, being well, 'memory'heads, could be connected to saving and loading (or asriel [the song Memory] or gaster, just making assumptions here), which itself is connected to determination. it's possible they are LITERALLY manifestations of determination from alphys' experiments taken form, which is why despite being so different they kind of manifest similarly to the amalgamates doesn't really explain why the memoryheads just appear in a sink and then never show up again, and the fact there's not much evidence for them being tied to saving & loading or any memory of timelines (as much as i love inverted fate, it's still a fan work and i'd rather not confuse its depiction of the memoryheads with undertale's canon, even though i think i like IF's memoryheads more) also, there's the possibility that neither gaster nor alphys made them, and if so...WHAT ARE THE MEMORYHEADS?? also, the leftmost bit of a memoryhead resembles spamton's head are the memoryheads foreshadowing DELTARUNE?! that would be an absolutely insane twist but i highly doubt that's intentional :( i really want to see more of the memoryheads and their potential connections & symbolism

[@PhantomGato-v-]

Guess that's why IF's versions of characters are written so incredibly well... You really have a good understanding of all the UT characters!

[@Dorked]

Eyy, thanks! It probably also helps that I had a solid decade or so making fanworks before UT came out, so that kinda analytical mindset was p. easy to slip into, haha. xD

[@rominarad3984]

This is kinda unrelated to the video but i just wanted to say that i deeply appreciate how ur videos are so well thought out and written. It’s such a pleasure to watch high quality content again - ur awesome!

[@stuff31]

I dread to think what the True Lab's counterpart in Deltarune will be.

[@JediMaestr0]

Gotta be that silent area under the hill at the end of the long corridor in the town. Very menacing vibes from that

[@stuff31]

@@JediMaestr0 But what would be inside it?

[@DDan42]

Ooh! I always love it when undertale theorists make videos on the true lab this is gonna be a great watch!

[@DarkBuddhist]

Dorked, Iam always happy when you upload. You've become my favourite in deltarune/undertale community for your approach to theories and essays. It's very well thought through and sober. Keep it up :)

[@Dorked]

Aw, thanks a bunch for the kind words!

[@IsabruhMoment]

Snowdrake’s Mom will never not be one of the saddest parts of the game to me. The broken, somber music… her halfhearted, pathetic “attacks”… not to mention just how miserable she looks.

[@mk-aka-morgan8386]

True Lab was such an eerie area in the game, I LOVED it's inclusion!

[@kuba4ful]

OHH, A GERSON VIDEO. NOW I'm EXCITED. I always found him very intriguing just because of that one interaction in the genocide route. But seemingly no one shared my intriguity into this character. It seems like in one line he implied something huge, yet barely anyone noticed.

[@gerzelda233]

The Truelab is one of my favourite areas in the game. I especially love the Monster designs. Nice seeing someone giving it the attention it deserves

[@sirexilon49]

I never noticed the new dialogue in Alphy's trash can that appears beforre the True Lab. It seems I always learn something new about Undertale in theese videos.

[@asocksual4910]

Yessss, love the True Lab! It's my favorite part of the whole game.

[@Dorked]

It's such a cool part! Really happy to give it some love.

[@XtreemAlan]

Somewhere down there a little fox cries for her mommy

[@angeldariogaribaydelatorre6395]

;)

[@RealKanakoKetsukane]

😢😢😢😢😢😭😭😭😭😭

[@godslaughter]

THANK YOU, this is the reason why this is one of only a few instances within horror games that frankly scared the shit out of me. Not like made me scream or anything, but I really really hated going through it, even though I knew what was going on. It has some of the most disturbing and dreadful sorts of scares I've seen, the one in the bathtub and the one in the bed sometimes keep me up at night (the shapes and movements are unnerving to me). And I'm saying this as a person who played through some of the most renowned horror games all by myself in one sitting, I am completely unfazed by gore and I find it fascinating, have gone through secluded Mediterranean scrub and woods at 3 AM in completely pitch black darkness with the neighbour's dog looking for frogs (to befriend), and I deal with corpses. Like, it's not something I say lightly, the ingenuity of Toby's understanding of music, the complete subversion of expectations, the incredibly tense and unexpected turn the narrative takes, the suspense and the visuals, especially since the players don't really know what's threatening and what's not, somehow manage to immerse the player and put them on edge. You are very much not exaggerating the brilliance of this entire section, thank you for talking about it.

[@abbys5907]

Man how could I have missed this? I love your vids so much!!! Also the true lab has so many connections that no one really talks about. Snowflakes mom has always made me sad

[@Kelswagsinandballin]

Man I love dorked’s videos and also inverted fate

[@RainWhitehart]

Ture lab is my favorite part of the game. Thanks for this good break down.

[@Dorked]

No prob! Glad you enjoyed.

[@JezElectro13]

I love this place because of it's eerie, creepy atmosphere.

[@kuba4ful]

I don't remember exactly what it made me feel, but what I do remember is that the bed interaction calmed me down a lot. It made me realize that these failed experiments have a mind of their own, and, most importantly, perhaps empathy? Of course I was still a bit freightened, but before that I was scared shitless. I REALLY do not like horror games lol

[@benniewanders4388]

Agreed on True Lab being AWESOME - I'm pretty sure Endogeny's barking is pitched based on one of the Dogsong instruments, but mistimed/probably not the melody instrument... hmm, much to ponder

[@heyindiegamer7831]

I noticed something while watching a Let’s Play of Undertale. When Papyrus calld you after the Alphys Date, he starts with "Howdy", the signature greeting for the Dreemers. He then talks somewhat off from how he usual speaks, what was energetic to more a nervous(?) way of speaking, (though to be honest, I forgor to call Papyrus in my playthrough of the game, so I only know how he talks through a Pacifist run) I could be wrong, but maybe it was Flowey impersonating Papyrus to get the player to Alphys' Lab, or it could be Papyrus is part of the Flowey Fan Club. I kinda want to hear your take on this scene and if it ever had hard evidence if it's one way or the other.

[@Dorked]

It could be Flowey pretending to be Papyrus, but I personally like the idea that Papyrus was perceptive enough to pick up that something was wrong and maybe also knew that Flowey wanted Frisk to go there, seeing how he and Flowey are friends. I think it's more compelling if it is actually Papyrus because he's already shown to be sharper than he gets credit for, tbh.

[@kirbcake]

Yeah, Papyrus is working closely in secret with Flowey throughout the entire game (up until the pacifist ending), although it was mostly one-sided with Flowey manipulating and egging him on. Papyrus just wanted a cool secret friend that would talk about how great and cool he is, and Flowey took advantage of it. Him impersonating Papyrus makes decent sense.

[@heyindiegamer7831]

Thanks for both of your responses 👍🏻. I like hear the different takes on the matter. (Sorry this comment is so late. I was busy over the two weeks)

[@XDcyclone]

i feel like the true lab is pretty underrated by most parts of the fandom i also feel like it gave Alphys Character it gave more info about the past of the underground and i honestly enjoyed snooping around true lab when i played the game but it really gave more sense of how powerful determination is and what it can do to a monster

[@fiishgirl]

i was super into the undertale fandom when it first came out, but never actually played the game until 2022. even though i knew what the true lab was, nothing prepared me for how terrifying it actually is 😭 it was one of the only parts of the game where i didn’t really know what to expect. so good

[@eltiolavara9]

that thing in the bathtub was really freaky the first time around

[@Dorked]

It really was! The bait and switch is such an interesting use of tension and release.

[@learn2chillax]

If I recall correctly, someone on Tvtropes described Snowy's Mom's fight as something and it hasn't gotten out of my head since. To explain, they said,it's not a "fight", she's so messed up, she cannot event attack you correctly. And ngl, that fucks me up more compared to the others.

[@Voidbear_FNaF_and_Undertale]

TBH I saw it as she's going out of her way to not hurt you

[@_str4wb_]

I think true lab is a very underrated part of undertale along with other topics like how alphys could have died in some neutral endings and especially the unused rooms.i would like to make an iceberg of undertale theories and add them,since i LOVE undertale theories that are well investigated,long and not just the tipical "i think sans is" or "i think gaster is" theories,idk

[@RIP2UALL]

The part when you give them a good slapping and they just do the spooky red words. truly, it is the Halloween area in UnderTale.

[@Dorked]

Toby was absolutely leaning into those kinda retro video game creepypasta and Halloween Hack vibes, and tbh, good for him.

[@ThatEzekielGuy]

During my first play through of undertale the photoshop flowey and true lab terrified me and gave a reality check that the games positive theme wasn’t all as it was

[@hallows7568]

Ive always loved the true lab! It's served as one of the main inspirations for character designs, and even inspired the name of my personal sona. It's cool to see someone dove into it and focus on just how special it really is with the amalgamates ^^

[@Dorked]

Ooh, that's awesome that True Lab could inspire so much creativity. :O Happy to share the love for that spooky part of the game.

[@Dr.Gehrig]

Really cool video. Glad to see this part of the game get more attention.

[@stormy1303]

This is such a great topic to go over. The True lab is one of my favourite parts of Undertale as a whole, due to its atmosphere and how it expands on Alphys's character- and also, gives us more insight on Flowey's creation, and his childhood as Asriel via the Dreemurr tapes... I really like the whole place. I remember when I watched a playthrough of UT's pacifist route back in 2021, and first witnessed the True lab... After seeing the terrifying design of the Flowey boss fight earlier on in the playthrough, combining that with everything that True lab had to offer genuinely made me convinced that UT is a full on horror game. The True Lab is so unsettling in such a good way. And the whole concept of the Amalgamates is handled so well... it's also really good how it gives us information on what exactly happened to Snowdrake's mother. I just love the area, and there's so much it reveals to us... Great video!

[@epicthecandydragon6079]

Can’t believe this never hit me once in all these years. Considering that you never fight Alphys, I think it’s possible the memory heads aren’t actually amalgams, but rogue manifestations of Alphys’ magic. They represent her shame, cowardice, and self-loathing. Those feelings manifested as dangerous forces that she keeps down in the basement with the rest of it all.

[@JoelTheParrot]

very epic oh im surprised that i didn't watch that sonic vid from you, sure i'll lookit that now!

[@captainkawaii666]

Honestly the True Lab has always felt to me personally like one of the biggest, most memorable moments of the game, and it always surprises me how little it's actually addressed

[@Wilker_uwu]

another reminder for ppl reading comments to go watch the Sonic video, it's good. Dorked's stuff isn't all about Undertale.

[@Dorked]

Appreciate the support! A lot of my other stuff just doesn't get as much attention 'cause I think they come for the UTDR stuff primarily.

[@BugsbyBud]

Tbh I really like the design of the endogeny, the legs look have the silhouette of a cat, when you look at the torso, the legs look like a lot of weird looking legs, but when you look at the legs, you see cats, truly genius.

[@MazariaNeedsNap]

I also like the design of Endogeny but I think the silhouettes are ment to be dogs because of the connection to the Greater Dog

[@wahitsoctavia]

Endogeny was kind of terrifying, but at the same time, he was weirdly cute. Little horrific determination dog thing :3 Really though it must be downright terrifying to be Frisk. Youre backed against a wall for that whole argument.

[@lvsq.v]

the true lab's one of my fav sections of UT. the music makes it feel rlly ominous and i love it

[@Dorked]

Here We Are and Amalgam both slap. Great songs with fantastic atmosphere.

[@Ziel23987]

True Labs toys with the horror, but ultimately subverts it. The spoon guy is probably the best example. Yes, he (they?) is unnerving and creepy. But ultimately, he's just a normal monster, or a few melted together. He doesn't want to cause Frisk any harm. Even Endogeny is just a bunch of dogs that really wants to play. Some things never change?

[@nametheocmaker]

kanako..

[@wypmangames]

fun fact: just like all other dogs, you can 1-turn beat endogeny by simply using the stick

[@whiteeyebrowman1789]

If you look at the bottom right half(?) Of thr mempry heads you can see a distorted broken gaster blaster

[@trenkq]

The True Lab is what scared me the most

[@Octavio-x3s]

5:11 IT'S KANAKO

[@RealKanakoKetsukane]

You're a fake

[@delt2601]

A very good review about the amalgam, and what is even more interesting is that we will not be able to kill them, as with "Lost Souls". Good review! 👍

[@Dorked]

Yeah, you can kinda cheese your way into "killing" Snowdrake's mom, but it's not treated as a death in the game and is probably just a weird programming oversight, not meant to be canon.

[@Krishavoc14]

I love this video keep up the great work Dorked

[@Bred326]

I always found the pacifist route more scary than the genocide and neutral route. Most reasons on how the pacifist and neutral routes play just feels darker than the genocide route.

[@GenoTheAxolotl]

The only thing I know of that the fandom has really done to recognize true lab is six bones, now don’t get me wrong six bones and the story is pretty cool but it’s still yet another thing about sans and papyrus, which is why one day I was thing this stream about dusttrust and I said it’s overrated and at that very moment probably one of the best fan game ideas ever popped into my head as I thought “ hey, has anyone ever made a fan game about alphys and the amalgamates? “ so I thought it would be cool to have a fan game where ally decides to take action against you and injects herself with determination but also teams up with the amalgamates to fight you, also at the end becuase of alphys melting from determination they all kinda melt together and make like this giant super amalgamate, anywasy that was just my idea for a game true lab alphys and the amalgamates are all underrated

[@Dorked]

Inverted Fate actually did a lot with the True Lab! We even made one of the chapters have an animated segment w/ a playable version. It's just that a lot of more high profile fanworks focus on other things, if anything. But there are examples if you look in the right places!

[@GenoTheAxolotl]

@@Dorked yeah I still need to read inverted fate or whatever, is it a game a comic an animation? Honestly I don’t know but I want see it it seems really cool

[@W.d_Gaster]

​@@GenoTheAxolotlFor the most part IF is a comic, tho everything since the battle with Mettaton has been animated. Some boss battles have playable versions

[@GenoTheAxolotl]

@@W.d_Gaster ok I have seen merg play some battles from it, I’ll have to read it some time I have heard it’s very high quality and original

[@CooISkeleton96]

I love the horror of undertale Like don’t get me wrong I love the emotional and funny moments but the horror is so good! Also the Everyman is creepy in the lemon bread fight but in deltarune it’s funny.