Sword Route
Kris... oh... Kris...
Is it fun, Kris?
Playing around like this...Shadow Mantle holder, Chapter 3
The Sword Route[note 1] is an alternate route in Chapter 3 of Deltarune. It starts from the Green Room's backstage area. Many concepts, sound effects, and level layouts seen during this route reference the Weird Route.
Kris plays Ramb's "original" version of Tenna's The Legend of Tenna boards. Inside the minigame, they kill enemies to become strong enough to destroy obstacles and exit the normal bounds of the game. It culminates in a battle against the Shadow Mantle holder, who rewards Kris with the Shadow Mantle.
All three maps must be completed to finish the route and obtain the Shadow Mantle.
The party must earn a T-rank, S-rank, or Z-rank during Round 1 of TV Time. Alternatively, Kris can purchase a counterfeit S-rank from the Pippins in the red carpet hall for 1500 POINTs. The S-rank and Z-rank changing rooms allow access to the room containing the necessary minigame, after talking to Ramb in the case of the S-rank changing room.
- Past the large row of controllers is a room containing the original game and console. Interacting with it prompts Kris to connect a controller. Afterwards, the OddController appears in the previous room, and must be picked up and plugged in to the console.
- The first map is the original version of the Desert Board. HERO_SWORD traverses the board alone and has no party members. The enemies on the board do not initiate encounters when touched; instead, they damage HERO_SWORD's on-screen HP meter.
- The former Secret Mailroom has a sword inside instead. Picking up the sword allows HERO_SWORD to kill the monsters on the board, again without initiating regular encounters.
- To progress, HERO_SWORD must roam and kill all monsters to increase their LV. As HERO_SWORD's LV increases, they are able to break more vegetation on the map with their sword attacks.
- At LV 2, HERO_SWORD can break ferns and is now actively considered hostile by the on-screen enemies that have attacks of their own.
- At LV 3, HERO_SWORD can break cacti, including two cacti that were blocking a previously inaccessible area, which has a purple, cold looking color palette.
- At LV MAX, HERO_SWORD can break the palm trees strewn across the board. This allows them to go "out of bounds" compared to Tenna's board. Once HERO_SWORD has gone out of bounds with a screen transition, there is no way to get back in bounds, as every screen transition after the first out-of-bounds transition leads to a sea of trees. HERO_SWORD eventually reaches a chest with the Ice Key inside. Upon collecting it, the minigame shuts off, and Kris can continue with TV Time as normal.
The party must earn a T-rank, S-rank, or Z-rank during Round 2 of TV Time. Alternatively, Kris can purchase a counterfeit S-rank from the Pippins in the red carpet hall for 1500 POINTs. The Pippins does not appear after Round 2 unless either a real or counterfeit S-rank was obtained for Round 1.[1]
- HERO_SWORD enters the original version of the Island Board. HERO_SWORD can collect a sword from any indoors area and kill enemies to reach level 2. Exiting any indoors area places HERO_SWORD in front of the camera room near the center of the map.
- At LV 2, HERO_SWORD can destroy the ferns blocking the waterfall in the room with a raft, then ride the raft up the waterfall. Upon reaching the top of the fall, HERO_SWORD is warped to the doorway at the north side of the ocean, and can destroy the bush to reach the raft that is already docked there.
- HERO_SWORD must ride the raft up to the northwest, which is the area that Tenna prevents the party from reaching in the normal board. HERO_SWORD eventually arrives at a glacier, whereupon they must leave the raft and travel on foot to a door emblazoned with the Delta Rune.
- If the Ice Key was not obtained, the door instead displays the text "AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING IMPORTANT?" and exits the minigame, making it impossible to complete.
- HERO_SWORD enters the Ice Palace. Within the dungeon, they must first go up and fight several enemies until they meet the White Cloak.
- The player must then use the White Cloak's ranged ice attack to turn the invulnerable enemies to ice crystals and then push them onto buttons as blocks. Eventually, HERO_SWORD returns to the room with the blue bird, which can now be frozen (resembling Berdly in the Weird Route) and then walked around to access the ice maze.
- Within the ice maze, all of the four paths appear to lead to the same room, though the White Cloak only follows HERO_SWORD in the direction required to progress. Repeatedly following the correct path eventually leads to another door with the Delta Rune, which uses up the Ice Key and the White Cloak in opening it.
- The door leads into a black void. Progressing further into the void leads to dialogue from the Shadow Mantle holder, followed by obtaining the Shelter Key alongside a little extra dialogue upon picking it up. The game then states "YOU WERE USED UP" and shuts off.
Kris must visit the backstage again through the S-rank or Z-rank changing room after returning to the empty Green Room from TV World. The S-rank door is unguarded, so an S-rank is no longer required for entry.
- Playing the third version of the game shows the City Board, an unused board very different to the desert area for the first and second versions. HERO_AXE and HERO_SCARF are also present, but they follow HERO_SWORD instead of moving independently. In the bottom-right area of the map is a stairway down to obtain the sword, after which HERO_SWORD must kill both HERO_AXE and HERO_SCARF to increase their LV by 1 each, allowing them to break the obstacles in their way. Since no standard enemies are present, this is the only way to increase LV in this area.
- HERO_SWORD must break the rope barrier in the top-right part of the map and proceed to the right, through an alleyway area strongly resembling the one used to reach Queen's Mansion on the Weird Route. Upon reaching the manhole, HERO_SWORD is warped to the manhole dungeon, which contains powerful enemies and fire bar obstacles.
- HERO_SWORD must kill all enemies found. Upon killing all enemies and reaching LV MAX, HERO_SWORD can break through a barrier of trees with orange leaves, resembling those in Hometown.
- HERO_SWORD must listen to the game version of Tenna, then kill him to proceed.
- Exiting the dungeon leads to a replica of the shelter and the area directly north of it. They must enter the shelter with the Shelter Key, though Kris attempts to prevent this from happening by trying to move HERO_SWORD upwards and away from it sporadically.
- HERO_SWORD travels through a short maze of passages and into a dark room. There, they are confronted by the Shadow Mantle holder in a boss fight which can physically hurt and kill Kris alongside HERO_SWORD. Death skips the Game Over screen and returns Kris to the room with the console, allowing them to exit if they so wish. To continue the side quest, the player must defeat the Shadow Mantle holder.
- HERO_SWORD cannot reach the chest containing the Shadow Mantle, as it is too high up (two tiles away). They must instead proceed to the right, causing HERO_SWORD to walk out of the game screen and into Kris's world. Kris reacts in fear and drops the controller, and the player remains in control of HERO_SWORD until HERO_SWORD goes offscreen. Kris backs away in fear if they approach; attacking Kris causes them to collapse, and HERO_SWORD leaves the screen on their own after a while.
- Regaining control of Kris, the player must walk directly into the game screen (through either of the two paths), and collect the Shadow Mantle from the chest.
If the party scores an S-rank or higher on the first round of TV Time, after being sent to the Green Room, Kris gains access to the S-rank changing room's backstage area. In front of the old double-brown door, Ramb explains that Tenna modified the game that they are playing on TV Time, and he claims that Kris is searching for freedom, which is available as the "original" game backstage. He allows Kris to enter the backstage area to play the game.
When Kris obtains the OddController and starts up the game, the SOUL appears on-screen and in the center. It cannot be moved. The game itself loads, and HERO_SWORD appears atop the SOUL's position. Kris controls HERO_SWORD as they traverse the original version of the Desert Board. Eventually, they retrieve the Ice Key from a treasure chest and end the game session there. Ramb claims that Tenna had almost intruded while Kris was playing the game and tells them to come back after the next round of TV Time.
After the second round of TV Time, Ramb is again present in front of the door. He expresses gratitude that Kris is having fun and allows Kris to pass again. Kris traverses the Island Board and uses the Ice Key to unlock the door to the Ice Palace, where they retrieve the Shelter Key from a seemingly empty room. In the room, they encounter the Shadow Mantle holder, who congratulates Kris for finding their hiding spot and thanks them for their hard work. After the game shuts off again, Kris tells Ramb that someone was with them backstage, which Ramb denies, since he was standing in his spot the entire time.
After traversing the greater TV World area, Ramb is backstage, having partially turned to stone. He explains that he set up the final game for Kris and requests them to push him aside. Ramb tells them that he saw them make the Dark Fountain in their living room and asks them why they did it. He disappears after reaching the manhole dungeon and is not seen again.
The final game consists of Kris traversing the City Board's manhole dungeon and battling against the Shadow Mantle holder in the shelter. After defeating the Shadow Mantle holder, HERO_SWORD enters the room containing the Shadow Mantle, which is too high up to reach. Upon attempting to leave the room, HERO_SWORD instead walks out of the game screen and into Kris's world, causing Kris to drop their controller. At this point, HERO_SWORD (controlled by the player) can progress in several ways:
- backing Kris into the corner,
- causing them to kneel by attacking, or
- exiting the door to the right.
After HERO_SWORD leaves the room Kris is in, player control returns to Kris. Kris must walk into the game screen themselves to collect the Shadow Mantle. After Kris does so, walks back out of the game screen, and re-collects their controller, Kris is greeted by Susie. Player control is secretly switched back to HERO_SWORD while Susie talks to Kris. The player can optionally have HERO_SWORD return to the room Kris is in. If the player approaches Kris and Susie, Kris turns to look at HERO_SWORD while Susie is talking. If the player attempts to attack Susie, Kris pulls her away, causing her to assume Kris wants a taste of her shampoo. If Kris says that they do not enjoy playing the game, Susie disconnects the controller, causing HERO_SWORD to disappear if present. If Susie does not disconnect the controller, HERO_SWORD eventually leaves on their own if present.
After the final game is completed, a nearby Rabbick expresses fear due to something related to Ramb, but it does not elaborate.
Completing each version of the minigame grants Kris a title corresponding to their progress: "Blazer", "Ice Blazer", and "Sheath". A kill counter for the in-game kills also appears in the Power menu, indicated by an unlabelled asterisk. This counter disappears when continuing to Chapter 4.
If the Original Game's Desert Board was completed, the OddController can be used in the Cold Place's parental lock rooms, allowing Kris to use the sword from the Original Game and complete alternate versions of the puzzles. Susie comments on this, finding it cool.
If the Sword Route is completed, all console monitors across the map shut off. As such, the TripTicket is instead found beneath the ball machine after exiting gacharoom_unknown.
Completing the route also renders the "SMILE" in the S-rank changing room's vending machine sold out, and increases Kris's damage against Tenna during the boss battle with him from 0.5× all the way to 3×. His dialogue in this fight is also slightly altered. Note that attacking Tenna has exactly the same outcome as using ACTs to defeat him.
Several aspects of the Sword Route were teased via the Spamton Sweepstakes. The "d_a_m_n_y_o_u_t_e_n_n_a" page leads to a blue page titled "AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING?", referencing the text that is displayed if HERO_SWORD does not pick up the Ice Key and finishes the second stage. This page plays board_ocean, the sound effect the Original Game plays after every enemy in an area has been defeated. The "icepalace_glaceir" page references the ice maze in the second stage.
The existence of the route is also alluded to by the romb page, hinting at the room Ramb guards and the Shadow Mantle item.
- ↑ The central object controlling the route is internally referred to as
obj_gameshow_swordroute.
- ↑ gml_object_obj_room_tvland_preview_create_0 script, line 13, Chapter 3