Wednesday, October 5, 2022

VS Analysis: The Salacious, Sensational, Cybernetic Se[CLICK NOW for a very Specil Deal from Number1 Rates Salesman c1997] SPAMTON G SPAMTON!

 


 VS debating only has one universally accepted unwritten rule:

 

DON'T

 

TOUCH

 

UNDERTALE


From what I have seen, this is due to a couple of reasons. One, because the Undertale/Deltarune franchise is one of those series that have a reputation of being "cringe culture", which to that I say don't let some internet randos sway your opinion on something you might actually enjoy. And two, because the presentation of the medium and Toby Fox's insistence on leaving certain mysteries unsolved and frustratingly vague makes it difficult to pinpoint the characters' standing in versus matches.

 

Not to toot my own horn, but I analyzed Axe Cop and Bobobo, I think I can handle this.

 

Now, to set the stage.  


 


In November 2015, independent developer Toby Fox released a game based around an idea he got from playing Shin Megami Tensei: befriending monsters. Not expecting people to even like it, it certainly was a surprise that it became such a hit, let alone eventually become such a huge phenomena to have one of his characters be recognized and featured in Super Smash Brothers and even be invited inside Masahiro Sakurai's HOUSE. Let's not mince words here, regardless of your opinion on the game or the fanbase, you have to admit that's a huge deal not only for Toby but for indie developers everywhere. 

Now, with such a success that Undertale was, of course he would have to follow up on that. In 2020, Toby Fox began Tweeting out teases about something we'd find "Very, very interesting". Followers were asked to download a file in order to survey everyone's opinions. Toby being the jokester that he is, this "survey" turned out to be an entirely new game called Deltarune.

Why is all of this important?

Well, take notes class. This will be on the test later.

 

Now, the more astute of you may have noticed that Deltarune is an anagram for Undertale, as Deltarune is implied to take place in a new universe separate from the original with some of the same elements. However, it is unclear whether Deltarune is a prequel, a sequel, or something entirely separate as only the first two Chapters are currently out with the other five still in development, with Toby being very tongue-in-cheek on the topic.

I suppose for integrity's sake I should wait until Deltarune is finished.


....



Ok, that's enough waiting! Besides, it's unlikely that this character will have a major role in any future chapters. Again, we'll get to that later.



Background



Years ago, the world was torn apart by a bloody war between humans and monsters. The humans proved to be more powerful, and drove all the monsters underground, then sealing them behind a magical barrier that could only be broken by seven souls. As only humans had souls and monsters did not possess any of their own, they could never return to the surface. In response, King Asgore employed a scientist named Dr W.D. Gaster to discover the power behind humanity and find a way to pass or destroy the barrier.

However, something went wrong during his experiments. He fell into one of his own creations, and was somehow shattered and cast through space and time. 

Little is known about how this happened, even less is known about Gaster himself, only that he was the Royal Scientist before Dr Alphys, and that six human souls were acquired before the main character, Frisk's, arrival.
 

 

That said, after this incident, strange sightings with a mystery man who may very likely be Gaster have occured in the world of Deltarune. Those who interact with him are soon driven mad and elevated to a heightened level of awareness, causing them to lose touch with reality and adopt a darker, even chaotic outlook. Attempts to reach him via electronics results in garbage noise, and with few exceptions he communicates in a distorted and garbled language that the player interprets as a Wingdings font. This entity that was perhaps once Dr Gaster is stuck in a Schrodinger's Cat state, existing and yet not existing, and those who witness him suffer their minds crumbling in an attempt to comprehend him.

One such poor soul was an unsuspecting salesman named Spamton G Spamton.

Actually... I may have jumped the gun a bit. You see, whereas the dichotomy in Undertale was between humans and monsters, in Deltarune monsters and humans are already integrated and there is instead a strong dichotomy between light and dark. Rather than being the absence of light, darkness is a force of its own in Deltarune. Darkness is also not necessarily evil or negative. In fact, the Dark Fountains are capable of creating entire dimensions crafted from darkness, and one such Dark Fountain was opened up in the library's computer room. When a Dark Fountain is opened, all objects in a room take on lives of their own. For example, the Dark Fountain in the school supplies closet, which was full of board games and playing cards, created a game-themed world full of living checker and chess pieces, and a variety of playing card themed characters. These worlds manifest as pocket dimensions housing large cities or kingdoms in which these sentient inanimate objects inhabit.

The computer room Dark Fountain created a Cyber World, and consequently Spamton, the personification of internet spam. Despite the creation of these Dark worlds taking place within days from the perspective of the Light World characters (referred to as Lightners), the places and characters have a history, with Spamton himself being able to remember as far back as the year 1997.
 

 
Back in the day, Spamton hung around a group personified computer ads known as the Addisons. Despite being the least successful among them, he was still determined to make it big someday.
 
In a stroke of luck, or perhaps fate, he came into contact with a mysterious stranger and learned how to expand his business. He became successful practically overnight, becoming a popular TV personality and gaining enough revenue to open up his own car dealership, Big Shot Autos. His celebrity status even caught the attention of the Queen of Cyber City, allowing him a room in her mansion. While there, he was adamant about seeing something they kept in the basement, convinced it would give him "freedom". Ever since that phone call, he exhibited bizzare behavior, referencing a "communion" and someone called "The Knight".
 
His friends stopped seeing him out of envy, which couldn't have done any favors to his mental state. Soon after, for some unknown reason, his sales started falling. Just as quickly as he became a big shot, he seemed to lose everything as his trend faded into irrelevance. Whether it was because of his financial status, his sinking popularity, or because of his odd behavior and strange fixation on whatever was in the basement, he was promptly removed off the royal grounds. 

Now homeless, he lives in a dumpster, disregarded as a raving lunatic, speaking erratically and spewing random garbage audio files as if glitching out while desperately trying to sell whatever he found in the trash. Every so often though, he will have a brief moment of clarity and will plea for help.

It is likely that Spamton suffers a severe form of psychosis as a result of his prolonged contact with who is heavily implied to be Gaster. Given the fact he goes on random tangents and speaks about past events as if they are happening now, it is likely he doesn't even know where he is or what is even happening around him. He is a truly chaotic force, not realizing he is physically harming the people he is asking help from.


----------------
Now, that backstory might have come as a surprise to some of you unfamiliar with Undertale/Deltarune lore, expecting another wacky meme fodder character. Well, that's certainly the reputation these characters have online, as first impressions might lead you to disregard them as that. Yet, looking into a number of Toby Fox characters lead to them having more layers beyond their jokes and comedic behavior, some even having dark implications. For more on that, look to the other deceptively dark meme character that surpassed the popularity of his own medium, Sans.

Abilities



Bullet Magic



 

Most monsters in both games are able to conjure a form of Bullet Magic, which are projectiles which damage the souls of the target, if they have one. The damage dealt is dependent on the resistance of the user, such as how Frisk built up their resistance to soul attacks with Determination. The size and shape of the bullets are controlled by the user.

 

Duplication

(2:07)

Was really struggling to find the gif for this attack, sorry.


 

 

True to his name, Spamton is literally able to "spam" himself, in both meanings of the word.  These little mini-Spamtons act independently and attack the player characters on their own, as well as defy gravity and walk on walls and ceilings.

 

Shapeshifting


 

Spamton is capable of expanding himself into different shapes and sizes as well as forming parts of his body into different objects, such as phone hands that fire sound blasts. 


Vacuum Breath


 

Spamton is able to pull his opponents and objects towards him by inhaling the air.


Regeneration


 

Spamton's spawned duplicates are able to also use healing magic, which is used to regenerate others. We haven't seen him use this on himself, but there's no real reason why he couldn't. He can also heal with an attack called "HealDeal" without the need of summoning a duplicate.


Technopathy

Spamton can easily hack into electronic devices and break encryptions. He can download and upload his physical form as if it were data, able to inhabit objects and machines, as well as exist as a disembodied AI consciousness (7:56) if his physical form is destroyed.

 

Metafictional Manipulation


 

Hoo boy...

You're gonna have to bear with me because I'm about to go down a rabbit hole on this one.
 

 There are several interactions throughout the game where Spamton will address game mechanics and have knowledge of things like Kris's inventory as well as reference and speak to the player directly. He'll even acknowledge if a player presses certain keys if they're playing the PC version. 

This is a reoccurring theme in Toby Fox's works, where characters who have achieved a certain power level close to or exceeding that of a human soul will reach a state of awareness so high they realize they are characters inside a video game. It is likely that through his communion with Gaster, he gained this power and learned the forbidden knowledge of their universe, which caused his mind to break.

Remember those Tweets that lead up to the release of Deltarune? Well, this was a sort of half-truth as Toby actually was in character... as Gaster.


The dialogue that begins once the game has been opened is a direct continuation of this conversation.


Later, one year after Deltarune Chapter 2's release, Spamton hacked into and took over Twitter user Fangamer's account and hosted the Spamton Sweepstakes special event, with a live Q&A with fans.


 
 

I know...I know! I am aware that I sound like a crazy person when I say fictional characters can hack you in real life!


Now... there is a possibility this is all just a fun little event full of gags and I shouldn't look much into it. There have been similar events like this where creators posing as fictional characters have done things like this, such as the Majora's Mask 3D special event with a similar Q&A with the Happy Mask Salesman. However, given the continuity and consistency of the dialogue between the games and these posts, I can't help but connect the dots here. I can't really see this being applied in a VS match like this anyway, besides maybe being able to upload himself like a virus to other planes of existence.

For now I'll just leave it at what he can do in the game itself and leave this as a sort of "Metafictional high end".

Speaking of...

Transdimensional Communication and Travel

Spamton was able to send Emails to the Lightner Noelle as well as hack into her computer, meaning if he can't exist physically in the light world, he can at least travel to other dimensions in data form. This one is delving a bit into theory territory, but it's also believed that he is the one who called Frisk with the Wrong Number Song in Undertale. Even disregarding that, considering Sans can "prank people across time and space" and his direct connections to Gaster, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Spamton can do something similar.

Weapons and Equipment


 

 DealMaker



A pair of monochromatic glasses that boost the wearer's defensive stats and cause defeated enemies to drop more currency. Spamton is able to manifest as these glasses as an item in Kris's inventory after the Lightners defeat his physical form. (see Abilities)


Thorn Ring

 A ring that boosts the wearer's magic attack power at the cost of causing physical pain.


Pipis


 

Spamton can throw a limitless supply of... eggs? Bombs? Balls? Idk what these things are, this character is weird, man.

Anyway, Pipis are projectiles that explode into mini Spamton heads that attack the target.


Spamton NEO


 

A new, robotic body created from a Lightner's dreams (heavily implied to be the ghost who became Mettaton in Undertale) that grants Spamton an immense amount of power. Spamton hijacks this body after Kris takes a disk with his data to the Queen's basement and inserts it into the machine. In an alternate timeline known as the Snowgrave route, Spamton is able to acheive this form on his own without Kris's help.

In his NEO body, he has greatly improved defense, a variety of sonic-based and energy weapons, a heart-shaped wrecking ball that smashes into enemies, and a magic rod used for conjuring objects.



NEO also improves his shapeshifting and size alteration abilities, able to transform his limbs into weapons as well as become giant-sized. (8:05)


Feats and Scaling


 

 

Destructive Capacity and Durability

-Scales to Lancer, who is durable enough to survive being dropped from his father's castle.

-Scales to Berdly who survived a similar drop from a roller coaster (see below).

-Able to take a few hits from Kris in their first boss fight.

-No-sold Suzie's Rude Buster

-Is stated several times to be more powerful than Jevil, the previous secret boss.




 -In the Spamton NEO boss fight, the background changes to become Spamton-themed. Evidently, it seems he is able to change his environment during the transformation. Given this fight extends on a linear path on rails that goes on for several minutes, this affect would have to have a range of at least a small town.




 -At the ending of Deltarune Chapter 2, it is revealed that Kris is able to create their own Dark Worlds. As briefly mentioned before, these dimensions are large enough to house fields, cities, castles, and different biomes, at least the size of a small country. 

Given Spamton is able to defeat Kris and as Spamton NEO can hold his own against Suzie, Ralsei, and Kris fighting together, this would make Spamton NEO around Country Level.

Speed

-Is able to fight on and travel faster than a roller coaster, and scales to Berdly who does the same. The fastest roller coasters irl can reach speeds of up to 150 mph.

-Has sonic-based attacks (see boss fight under Spamton NEO section), which logically would travel at Mach speed. 


Other Feats

-Successfully invades and takes over Queen's Castle in the Snowgrave route.

-Infiltrated Noelle's computer (see abilities) by posing as a mod for Cat Petters 2.  This means he has the level of intelligence necessary to trick her by appealling to her interests despite his madness. 

-Was a highly successful businessman and ran companies before losing his mind. 


Weaknesses




As made abundantly clear (hopefully), Spamton G. Spamton is not all there in the head. He is known to go off on complete non-sequitors or random ravings, or even completely glitch out as he is full of corrupted junk data. 

In his Spamton NEO form, if you cut his wires connected to his body he will revert back to base form. However, considering it took multiple attacks from Kris, Ralsei, and Suzie, one would actually have to be strong enough to accomplish this. 

In the Snowgrave route, he gets frozen by Noelle (4:50), though that's more of a statement of Noelle's magic rather than an actual weakness for Spamton.


Summary






Advantages

+Country Level Durability and Destructive Capacity 

+A versatile powerset of abilities and hax

+Able to continue existing as a consciousness if destroyed, exist as data and corrupt objects 

+Can upload himself to other dimensions 

+Can spam projectiles 

+Can pull opponents in close if he has trouble keeping up

+Regeneration 

+Size manipulation, can literally become a Big Shot.

+Something something Tumblr sexyman



Disadvantages 

-Comparatively slower than most potential matchups

-Suffers from a severe form of psychosis 

-Will revert to base form if his wires are cut in NEO 

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Suggested Opponents 





GIR





Another wild card character with a mechanical body filled with garbage data. Both are wacky and easily distracted but can become incredibly dangerous once they become serious. Might be a blitz for GIR though as he has a significant advantage in speed.


Freakazoid


Potentially the best matchup for Spamton, definitely my favorite. Freakazoid has some advanced Technopathy and metafictional Manipulation as well as a variety of other hax to keep up with Spamton, and would be a truly chaotic and fun match.

Aku


I'd much prefer Aku fight Majora, but with a lot of shapeshifting and hax this could be a lot of fun too. They seem roughly in the same ballpark for DC and dura, but again there's that pesky speed gap.


Peacock



Metafictional characters who spam projectiles and are wacky and comedic in spite of their tragic backstories. I'll admit I'm not an immediate expert on the franchise but from what I've read, most of the cast is about Town level or higher, with the top tiers being anywhere between Country and Mid-Continental so it could potentially be even.

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Well would ya look at that, I analyzed a Deltarune/Undertale character and I didn't explode or anything.

If you have any suggestions for opponents please feel free to comment below and [Like and Subscribe] for more [HYPERLINK BLOCKED]. That's a real [Big Shot] move, kid!

I'm Hero’s Shade, and I'll see you all in the next one.

1 comment:

  1. I've been a big fan of UT since I first experienced it but I've been deliberately avoiding info on Deltarune till its completion. I have to say if you told me that this character was another one of Toby Fox's creations, I'd say...... "yeah that sounds about right." A characters that is archetypally goofy on the surface, yet has a darker underpinning with crazy meta powers and danmaku type mechanics. Sounds just like him.

    His powerset definitely seemed fitting. I really liked your analysis of the meta information related to him. I feel like as time goes on the idea of author statements and outside context statements being more accepted as part of the work itself is becoming more accepted and I'm all for that. On the other hand his abilities sound for similar reasons to a lot of UT characters to be harder to scale due to relating directly to metafictional danmaku game mechanics. I think you did well in analyzing them from a neutral standpoint!

    I am sorry his stat combo is a difficult one to work with! I certainly know that pain, but I think you found some pretty interesting choices for him :) I too would probably agree Freakazoid sounds like the best one.

    Interesting blog, and I eagerly await Deltarune's completion.

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