Draft:Weird Route
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The Weird Route[a] is an alternate route in Deltarune that progresses over the course of multiple Chapters. It significantly changes the main story of the game, with events mainly revolving around Noelle Holiday and the relationship between Kris and the player.
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Plot
During Chapter 2, the player can initiate an alternate route (commonly referred to as the "Snowgrave", or "weird" route)[1][2] by backtracking and forcing Noelle to freeze every enemy encountered. Spamton, a spambot normally encountered in an optional sidequest that leads to his secret boss fight, sells the powerful Thorn Ring to Noelle, which she can then equip. Subsequently, during the battle with Berdly, the player orders Noelle to use her new spell, Snowgrave. After initially resisting, she freezes Berdly whole, becoming shaken by her own actions and too exhausted to participate in Queen's plans. Ralsei informs Queen of the Roaring preemptively, which prevents her battle. With the Darkners' absence, Spamton is able to take over Queen's mansion and attempts to stop Kris before being frozen by Noelle as they seal the Fountain. In the Light World, Berdly is found in a coma, leading Noelle to question if the events in the Dark World really were a dream. Chapter 2 ends identically to that of the normal route, with Kris opening a Dark Fountain.
Chapter 3 proceeds as normal, but in Chapter 4, Noelle asks Kris if they can talk privately after Kris removes the soul. Entering the ventilation system, the soul overhears a conversation between Kris and Noelle, where it is revealed that Kris took Berdly to the hospital the previous night before visiting Noelle. During their visit, Kris claimed the Dark World was just a dream and removed a thorn—the Thorn Ring's form in the Light World—from her hand. The soul then enters the room, takes control of Kris, and directly communicates with Noelle, revealing to her that the soul can read her thoughts and that the previous events actually happened, before forcing the thorn back into her. Afterwards, Kris furiously throws the soul in a trash can and beats it up before Carol orders everyone to leave the house. The chapter continues mostly unchanged until the end, when Carol leaves a phone message for Kris, telling them that Noelle is looking forward to seeing them at the festival tomorrow.
Weird Route Analysis
Critics have analyzed the role of Noelle in the alternative route as an important shift in the narrative of Deltarune. The "Weird route" has been characterized by critics as "dark and disturbing" by corrupting Noelle into killing everything,[1][3] moving the narrative focus to psychological abuse rather than physical violence. The player controlling the character Kris is making Noelle stronger by forcing Noelle to use her "IceShock" spell to freeze the enemies. Writer Heidi Kemps of GameSpot called the route a "dark and disturbing story of abuse and manipulation," saying it is "shockingly raw and terrifying." Kemps specifically compared Noelle rationalizing Kris's commands while being manipulated to real-world emotional abuse.[2] A.V. Club writer William Hughes believed Deltarune's Weird Route focuses on a "twisted romance," as well as psychological coercion, manipulation, and abuse. Hughes described the route as conveying the player controlling Kris taking on the role of a "domineering, possessive, controlling partner" toward Noelle, coercing her into using her fatal magic under the pretense of making her "stronger."[4] The emotional impact of the weird route has been compelling and shocking, with GameSpot writer Heidi Kemps stating that thinking about Noelle's suffering in the snowgrave route "still makes me feel terrible."[2]
