Alright it's been a couple of weeks since we finished Chapters 3 and 4 and I think I'm ready to let this hot take ride free: I like Chapter 3 more than Chapter 4. Not that 4 was bad, far from it! A real fireworks factory of plot revelations and the stakes of the conflict becoming a little more clear, some fantastic dynamics explored between Susie and Old Man, and Kris and their soul, some powerful moments of camaraderie with the whole team, and of course the church is a sick place to put a dark world. But I dunno, I really loved the manic WarioWare energy of the TV world with all the twists on regular gameplay via the various micro and not-so-micro games. Actually playing those Hydlide-like games with Susie and Ralsei bumbling around acting just as you'd expect was so cool! And the Lightners Live sequence almost made me want Toby Fox to just throw out the rest of Deltarune in favor of making a rhythm game. And Elnina is one of my favorite designs in any chapter, right up there with hatted Ralsei. And the secret single player version of The Game is such a cool peek into Kris' heart, especially that little moment when they nervously, guiltily peek behind themself after slaying Game Susie and Game Ralsei for more power in the final sword segment. It's so hard to subtly characterize silent protagonists without relying on other characters describing their actions, so I really appreciate what Chapter 3 does with Kris. Speaking of, the Roaring Knight! Gah! Incredibly cool but incredibly hard boss. The first time I made it to the final attack I actually had to take a break because my hands were getting too sweaty, but I pulled it off! The little storytelling details in that fight, though. The way the Knight and Kris mutually hold back against each other, but if Susie and Ralsei are down then Kris starts dealing more damage...!! Yes! That's what I'm freaking talking about!
I think another factor in my affection for Chapter 3 is simply that I spent more time with it. Between replaying for S ranks, simplying playing the minigames because they're fun, and ramming my face into the Roaring Knight over and over, it had more going on for me than the much more regular RPG pace of Chapter 4. Who knows, perhaps my opinion will have changed by 2026. But right now I think I'd say the ranking goes, 3 > 2 > 4 > 1
Game Number: 49
Year Played: 2025
Platform: Switch 2