TV Time

For the music track, see It's TV Time!.

Now, don't TOUCH THAT DIAL, and don't STOP THOSE SMILES!! Because...

Tenna, Chapter 3

TV Time is an elaborate TV game show hosted by Tenna in Chapter 3 of Deltarune. It has 2 rounds and an additional bonus round, which features Tenna's minigame segments.

Overview

Tenna announcing the first board, as MIKE, the BOARD, please! plays

At the start of TV Time, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei are three contestants on Tenna's show. As they partake, POINTs are earned in each minigame, which can be spent in the Green Room after each round. The accumulated POINTs also affect the party's rank.

At the end of each round is the Evaluation, where the overall POINTs earned for each round are listed and the earned rank is revealed based on gameplay. The available ranks from highest to lowest, are T (for TV), S, A, B, C, and Z. Both T-rank and Z-rank require intentional effort to earn. T-rank is rewarded for a high POINTs score, whereas Z-rank is earned for a deliberately low and poor POINTs score.

Naming

Upon starting TV Time, Tenna asks Kris, Susie, and Ralsei to enter a three-character name. The player inputs Kris's name, while Susie and Ralsei input their own. While naming Kris, the exact mechanics of this segment differ substantially between the English and Japanese versions.

If Kris goes back to sleep on the couch at the start of the Chapter, this naming segment is skipped, so Kris's name is set to "KRS" in English (「アアア」 in Japanese). If a SAVE file is loaded in a different language to the one in which this name was set, Kris's name in TV Time is set to this default value in the current language.

While inputting Kris's name, doing nothing for 5 seconds triggers a reminder from Tenna. Waiting 10 more seconds triggers Tenna to tell the audience that they are not at the first quiz question yet. It takes Susie a minute to input her name and Ralsei two minutes to input his, though both of them instantly finish the moment the player finishes inputting Kris's name.

English

Tenna reacting to Kris's chosen name, "KRS"

Susie writes her name as "ASS" and Ralsei writes his name as "RAL". The player can choose a three-letter name for Kris.

Certain attempts at rude words are blocked by making the last letter unavailable:

• Typing out SE makes X disappear.
• Typing out FC makes K and X disappear.
• Typing out CU makes M disappear.
• Typing out CO makes C, K, and Q disappear.
• Typing out FU makes C, K, Q, and X disappear.
• G never appears in the 3rd slot.
  • This is likely to prevent inputting slurs. It also prevents inputting W.D. Gaster's initials, WDG, as well other names such as DOG or EGG.

Certain names Kris enters can prompt specific reactions from Tenna:

• KRS makes Tenna say that "KuRSing" is not allowed.
• KRI makes Tenna ask Kris to not "Kri" until the ending.
• ASS, TIT, BUT, or BUM make Susie laugh and tell Kris that she knew she could count on them.
• AAA makes Tenna tell the audience that Kris is already screaming from delight.
• RAL or SUS makes Tenna say that this game will get confusing.
• PEE or POO reset the name selection, triggering special dialogue from Tenna.
  • Inputting PEE or POO again sets Kris's name to BAD.
• Any other name makes Tenna say that Kris will hopefully learn to spell their own name someday.

Removing the game's name filter and inputting the names "FCK", "FUC", "FUK", or "FUX" triggers an unused cutscene, where the music cuts out while Susie laughs. Tenna and Ralsei, however, are shocked; the former then displays a "technical difficulties" screen and changes Kris's name to "FUN". Additionally, PEE and POO are programmed to trigger the same reaction as ASS, TIT, BUT, and BUM, which is overridden by their special behavior of resetting the name selection.

Japanese

Tenna reacting to Kris's chosen name, 「クソス」 (KUSOSU)

Susie writes her name as 「クソダ」 (KUSODA), meaning "crap"; and Ralsei writes his name as 「ラルセ」 (RARUSE), a truncation of his Japanese name 「ラルセイ」 (RARUSEI). The second character of Kris's name entry is stuck on ソ (SO), so the player can only input the first and third characters.

Certain names Kris enters can prompt specific reactions from Tenna. Two of the responses play off the fact that ソ (the second character) is similar in appearance to リ (RI) and ン (N):

• アソア (ASOA) causes Tenna to change it to アアア (AAA), with Tenna commenting that he thinks that is what Kris meant to input.
• クソス (KUSOSU) is close to Kris's Japanese name クリス (KURISU), and also contains クソ (KUSO), which is a curse word similar to "damn". This name causes Tenna to comment on sensing Kris's frustration.
• クソダ (KUSODA) makes Susie laugh and tell Kris that she knew she could count on them.
• ソソソ (SOSOSO) causes Tenna to request Kris to stop being so secretive.
• ウソダ (USODA), which means "that's a lie", causes Tenna to deny the allegation that he is a liar.
• ウソチ (USOCHI), which is close to ウンチ (UNCHI) which means "poo", resets the name selection, triggering special dialogue from Tenna.
  • Typing ウソチ again sets Kris's name to ダメヨ (DAMEYO) which means "that's bad".
• Any other name makes Tenna say that Kris will hopefully learn to spell their own name someday.

Rounds

There are two rounds in TV Time, and an additional faux bonus round. Tenna initially claims that there is only 1 round. At the end of each round, Tenna announces a new round to prolong the show.

Round 1

Round 1 introduces The Legend of Tenna, which is the main component of each round. The gameplay is reminiscent of the 1986 video game The Legend of Zelda, along with quizzes and modified encounters. In it, the party plays as 8-bit versions of themselves as they explore the map.

Desert Board

Main article: Desert Board

The party at the Desert Board, as Adventure Board plays

Kris, Susie, and Ralsei's first board is the Desert Board. Kris must collect at least 3 keys and a Mooncloud Stone to open the temple door and enter the pyramid.

While exploring, Kris can also find Lancer's in-game self stuck on a giant cactus, begin optional encounters against two Shadowguys, solve puzzles, answer quizzes, and find Lanino and Elnina at the oasis. However, the two get into a disagreement during their encounter.

Cooking Show

Main article: Cooking Show

Kris serving food as Susie and Ralsei cook, as Physical Challenge plays

After completing the Desert Board, Tenna transports the party to the Cooking Show, where they wear chef clothes. The main objective is for Kris to serve food to the Shadowguys.

Lanino or Elnina also occasionally appear as the "SPECIAL GUEST". The two are distressed after their disagreement, though Kris can earn bonus POINTs if they can serve food to them.

Afterwards, Kris earns a rank based on overall gameplay and POINTs.

Round 2

Tenna suddenly announces a second round, and claims it is the final round.

Island Board

Main article: Island Board

The party at the Island Board, as Paradise, Paradise plays

In the second board, Kris needs to reunite Lanino and Elnina together to reach Atlantis Stadium.

To progress, Kris has to take 3 specific Grand Photos with a camera to access the lost lover island. The four Pippins in Kodakoda Shrine hint at the objects that can have their pictures taken. Afterwards, the party has access to a raft that lets them explore the island.

At Lover's Peak, the party discovers Rouxls Kaard is already standing at the other heart platform. He forms a relationship with Lanino and Elnina, which grants access to the Atlantis Stadium.

Rock Video

Main article: Rock Video

Kris, Susie, and Ralsei performing

After completing the Island Board, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei don rock attire and perform on-stage. During a tutorial segment, the song Sound Check plays, and Susie disregards rhythm and plays the drums aggressively.

During the main song, Raise Up Your Bat, inputs must be in sync with Kris's bars to earn combos and gain a higher score. Combos are lost if input timing is off. Susie recklessly plays the drums again and gets muted before the melody for the remainder of the song, while Ralsei censors the original lyrics as he sings.

Similar to Round 1, the Evaluation appears at the end of this minigame, which reveals the rank based on overall POINTs and gameplay.

Round 3

Tenna initiating the bonus round, as Doom Board plays

After Tenna transports the party back from the Cold Place, he starts explaining the premise of the next board, which is set in "TV City" and involves collecting Q's from across the city. However, before he can finish, Susie interrupts him, demanding that he return Toriel and let the party leave. When Ralsei concurs with this and says that the game has gotten old, Tenna undergoes a mental breakdown and forces the party to play the bonus round.

Tenna traps the party in gachapon capsules and plays the game by himself, with obstacles in the following order:

1. A quiz with the question of "AREN'T YOU HAVING SO MUCH FUN?". All answers are "OF COURSE!", and all answers are correct. Tenna damages the party if they fail to answer before the timer runs out. If Kris answers, Susie selects the same answer as Kris and Ralsei selects a random answer; otherwise, the other party members do not answer.
2. A battle against Tenna, where the party can only ACT. ACT options are "ILOVETV" and "Resist". ILOVETV ends the battle immediately, whereas Resist ends the battle after 4 turns. When a party member is downed, Tenna revives them automatically.
3. The Cooking Show, but the room is darkly lit, Susie and Ralsei are trapped in the gachapon capsules, the music from Trash Zone plays and instead of customers there are dark shapes (which are in fact silhouetted ICE-Es) appearing from pipes. Tenna tries to reminisce to Kris about Asriel, asking why they no longer watch TV with him. It is implied that Kris tells him that Asriel went to college, which Tenna becomes frustrated by. He laughs maniacally and moves off-screen, before immediately returning to provide the game's "instructions", which cryptically describe that "they're coming out of the pipes", before the game starts.
   • In this version of the game, only fire falls from the top of the screen. The silhouetted ICE-Es cannot be interacted with. Getting hit with the fire damages Kris by 10 HP.
4. A quiz with the question of "WHAT'S ANOTHER WORD FOR, "TELEVISION?"", with the answers being "MAN'S BEST FRIEND", ""THE GOOD STUFF"", "BETTER THAN EMAIL", and "NEVER THROWN AWAY", functioning similarly to the first quiz.
5. A battle against Tenna and a Shadowguy. Tenna's ACTs behave the same as before. The Shadowguy's mercy percentage can be increased through its Boogie ACT, but this has no impact as there is no SPARE button. Using the Shadowguy's Sharpshoot ACT to hit Tenna in the nose makes Tenna fire him, which ends the battle.
6. The Rock Video, but Susie and Ralsei are trapped, and the song is an extremely sped-up version of NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A, which Tenna reacts to with dread. The distorted song has only one long note charted; missing it does not damage the party. When the game ends, Tenna acts confused at what happened.
7. A quiz with the question "WHAT'S THIS BUTTON ON THE TELEVISION DO?" with an image of the "off" button on a TV. The answers are "NEVER PRESS IT", "I DON'T KNOW", "UNUSED", and "I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY", with the quiz functioning similarly to the other quizzes.
8. If the Monster Movie minigame has been played, a Monster Movie challenge may occur. It features Kris alone on the barren Monster Movie set. A small, golden Tenna is seen sprinting in the center, approaching over the horizon. Tenna then rapidly covers the entire screen with a loud car horn sound, ending the "challenge".
9. If the Monster Movie challenge occurred, a quiz with the question "WHAT TIME ARE YOU GONNA WATCH TV TOMORROW?". The answers are "MORNING TIL NIGHT", "DUSK TIL DAWN", "BREAKFAST TO DINNER", and "I WON'T EVEN GO TO CHURCH. I'LL WATCH IT FOREVER. IT'S ALL I HAVE. IT'S EVERYTHING TO ME." This quiz functions similarly to the other quizzes.
10. Regardless of whether the Monster Movie challenge occurred, Tenna repeats the battle against the Shadowguy one more time. This is skipped if Shadowguy was fired.
11. A battle against Tenna and a Zapper. The party must gather enough TP to use the OffButton ACT on Zapper, which turns off the screen and lets the party escape from Tenna. This is the only way out of the bonus round segment.
12. The battle against Tenna and a Zapper repeats indefinitely until the player uses the OffButton ACT. (Tenna's ACTs behave the same as before, and for example the "ILOVETV" ACT still ends each battle immediately, but Tenna reruns the battle as he does not believe the party means it.)

The party appears hiding in a pile of gachapon capsules, and continue their further traversal of the greater TV World.

Evaluation

The Evaluation segment affects which rooms are accessible in the ABC-Rank rewards room.

Battles

Post-battle message

Rank	Turns	Hurt	TP
T	T! ULTIMATE!	T! ULTIMATE!	T! ULTIMATE!
S	S! PERFECT!	S! PERFECT!	S! PERFECT!
A	A! AWESOME!	A! AWESOME!	A! AWESOME!
B	B! NOT BAD!	B! NOT BAD!	B! NOT BAD!
C	KINDA SLOW!	OUCH!	SO THIRSTY!
Z	VERY SLOW!	BIG OUCH!	SMALL NOSE!
	BAD CAR!

Each target of battles is assigned a rank from S (1) to Z (5):

• The "Turns" target is the turn number when the battle ends. Matching or getting less than the target gives an S, and each turn worse than that gives 1 rank lower until Z. If 11 turns slower than target, the message says "BAD CAR!" instead of "VERY SLOW!".
• The "Hurt" target is the total number of times the party gets hit by bullets. Completing a battle with 0 hits gives S, 1-2 hits gives A, 3-4 hits for B, 5-6 hits for C, and 7+ hits for Z. The boss battles against Lanino and Elnina and Shuttah allow two extra hits before losing rank.
• The "TP" target is indicated by the star on the TP meter, and must be reached by the end of the battle. Reaching 95% of target gives S, 85% for A, 50% for B, and 20% for C.

If S-rank was obtained on all three targets, then all three display as T-rank. If any one was not S-rank, then no target displays as T-rank, instead ranking as normal.

The scores across the three categories are averaged. POINTs are awarded equal to . The overall rank for a battle depends on the average score.

• T-rank for an average score of 1
• S-rank for an average score less than 1.4
• A-rank for an average score less than 2.4
• B-rank for an average score less than 3.4
• C-rank for an average score less than 4
• Z-rank otherwise

Battle requirements

Enemy	Turns	TP	Notes
2 Shadowguys	3	70%
3 Shadowguys	4	80%
Lanino and Elnina	7	80%	2 hits allowed
2 Pippins	4	80%
3 Pippins	4	80%
Shuttah	7	80%	2 hits allowed

The aggregate battle score is then made by adding up the ranks from each battle, treating Z as 0, C as 1, B as 2, A as 3, S as 4, and T as 5, and multiplying by 1.5 if only 2 battles were fought. T needs 14, S needs 11, A needs 8, B needs 5, C needs 2.

Battle ranks on the final screen are shown in the order the battles were fought.

POINTs

The amount of POINTs gained throughout a board is tracked. Spending POINTs does not reduce this counter. POINTs earned before the start of a board do not count.

Each board has a requirement, 800 POINTs for Desert Board and 860 POINTs for Island Board. This is then increased by 230 per battle fought in the board. Then, rank is given based on what percentage of target has been reached: Reaching the target gives T-rank, 80% for S, 66% for A, 50% for B, 42% for C.

POINTs requirements for rank

Board	T	S	A	B	C
Desert Board, 2 fights	1260	1008	832	630	530
Desert Board, 3 fights	1490	1192	983	745	626
Island Board, 2 fights	1320	1056	872	660	555
Island Board, 3 fights	1550	1240	1023	775	651

Physical challenge

Round 1

Main article: Cooking Show § Chef results

Round 2

Main article: Rock Video § Concert results

Overall rank

Scores from the three categories are tallied up, with Z as 0, C as 1, B as 2, A as 3, S as 4, and T as 5:

• Each battle's rank is added up individually. If only 2 battles were fought, this factor is multiplied by 1.5.
• 2 times the value for POINTs is added.
• 3 times the value for the physical challenge.
• For each Secret Bonus (extra key, extra photo, ate moss), add 4.

If score is greater than 28 and any of the following conditions are met, the rank will be a T-rank:

• At least 1 bonus, and the physical challenge rank is T
• 2 bonuses, the physical challenge rank is S, the last non-Z battle rank is T, and POINTs rank is Z or T
• All battles, POINTs, and physical challenge ranks are T

Otherwise, the rank is assigned based solely on score:

• S-rank if the score is greater than 24
• A-rank if the score is greater than 16
• B-rank if the score is greater than 7
• C-rank if the score is greater than 3
• Z-rank otherwise

Creation and development

Early TV Time sand board concept art by Gigi D.G.

TV Time went through numerous iterations during Chapter 3's development, especially its The Legend of Tenna segments. Initially, Toby Fox wanted the game boards to be similar to Mario Party or Black's Base from Gunstar Heroes, but this idea was scrapped due to it being inefficient to develop and limiting exploration. Fox then switched to planning to make multiple overworld areas similar to those in Super Mario Bros. 3, in which mini Zelda-style maps could be accessed. It is presumed that the unused Sandy Board track, which resembles Super Mario Bros. 3 overworld tracks, and Gigi D.G.'s concept art shown off in the Winter 2025 Newsletter, are for this iteration of TV Time. Before anything in-game was created, Fox decided that everything should be one big map combined together.

Thus, the initial projected scope of TV Time, prior to programming, was for there to be four boards: the used Desert Board and Island Board, the unused City Board (which used the unused track Big City Board), followed by the current Round 3 "Doom Board", then Round 4. The first two boards had the same physical challenges as in the final game, but the City Board was set to have both Monster Movie and the scrapped original Cowboy minigame as physical challenges. This Cowboy physical challenge featured overworld sprites of Kris and Susie, and was described as "2 minutes of mildly entertaining shoot-out action" in the hidden 2022 Spamton Sweepstakes page bluebubble.rodeo. In March 2023, Fox revealed that the Cowboy segment was in danger of being cancelled; it presumably was later reworked into the TV World short Cowboy minigame segments.

The City Board.

During this time, Fox assumed the boards would have been much quicker to complete than they are now, with only the City Board being larger; having one minigame in each half of the city, with completing both allowing the party to enter "TV Tower", leading them to begin Board 4. TV Time featured the only instances of board gameplay, since the Original Game did not exist. After most of the Chapter was programmed, the Cowboy physical challenge was removed, and the City Board was made shorter via having the party distract Tenna, allowing them to have a break to go and explore the later-cut overworld Backstage area, before returning afterwards to complete the board quickly. The City Board was made shorter than the others because "the game was dragging on with no typical [Deltarune] gameplay."

Despite the team's efforts, Fox states that everyone who played this version began getting tired of TV Time after Board 2, leading the team to begin reworking it into the current version; cutting the City Board and making Monster Movie an optional minigame. Outside of these changes detailed by Fox in the Winter 2025 Newsletter, at some point in time, the track Query? presumably was used for quizzes in TV Time.

Allusions

• Tenna's response to Kris entering "KRI" as their name is likely a reference to the tagline of Mother 1 / EarthBound Beginnings, "No crying until the end."

Gallery

• 
  TV Time intro as seen on the Chapter Select screen
• 
  TV Time logo in TV World
• 
  Dynamic Border for the pre-board segments, Cooking Show, and Rock Video
• 
  Dynamic Border for The Legend of Tenna segments
• 
  Dynamic Border for the "WORD" from the sponsors after TV Time's Round 1
• 
  Dynamic Border for TV Time's Round 3

Trivia

• If no battles at all are fought on a board (possible by using a glitch to skip Board 2), the overall evaluation for battles displays as ?-rank.
• The sets for all three physical challenges (Cooking Show, Rock Video, Monster Movie) appear as their own rooms in the greater TV World, in reverse order.