deltarune
Deltarune 3-1 icon SPOILER WARNING
This article contains major SPOILERS for Chapter 3. Read at your own risk!

Chapter 3 of Deltarune is titled “Late Night.” It was first released on June 4, 2025, alongside Chapter 4, as a paid purchase. Both were released as a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title the next day.

In this chapter, the heroes participate in a game show hosted by Tenna, the Darkner form of the Dreemurr family’s TV. This chapter notably marks the long-awaited first appearance of the Roaring Knight, who serves as the final boss of the chapter. This chapter also has a standalone side quest, the Sword Route.

The bonus boss of this chapter is the Shadow Mantle Holder, though the Shadow Crystal is obtained from the Knight.

Plot

Susie wakes up from her and Kris' sleepover to find that they're in a Dark World. After reuniting with Ralsei, the three of them explore the area. During this, Susie asks Ralsei if he can come to the upcoming festival in the Light World. While Ralsei would be happy to do so, he says that he unfortunately cannot go to the Light World, even if he wanted to, much to Susie's confusion.

Ralsei reveals that the Dark World is really an illusion; an alternate view on reality seen through the lens of shadow. Darkners aren't just objects simply brought to life, they're given form and identity by the perception of the Lightners - the vague shapes and silhouettes of objects in the dark, molded into something tangible by the Dark Fountains. For example, in the Light World, in reality, Lancer is really just a playing card, Queen is a laptop, Rudinn and Hathy are also playing cards, etc. When light is present, the Dark World and its denizens are no longer "real." Same goes for even Ralsei himself, the one revealing all of this.

Susie, not being able to handle the truth, questions Ralsei on how he can deny his own existence, pointing out how she can see, hear, and feel him, and that "normal objects" don't have feelings. And Ralsei points out that they shouldn't, and that she and Kris shouldn't worry about it. He shows remorse over "selfishly" feeling bad about being unable to befriend them in real life. He tells them to try to make more real friends and forget the ones who are Darkners. Susie, now furious, berates Ralsei for everything he's said, telling him that none of them will forget each other, no matter what.

Suddenly, a voice notices them and cheers them for their "AMAZING performance," much to their surprise. When Susie and Ralsei ask who's talking to them, an introductory tape for a show called Mr. (Ant) Tenna's TV Time!!! starts to play, ending with the host, Tenna, physically appearing in front of the three.

Tenna plans to have the three participate in a game show called Mr. Tenna's Marvelous Mystery Board: TV Time. Susie initially refuses, but Ralsei convinces her to go along with it, saying that while he can’t be with them in the Light World, he wants to have fun with them while he can, much to Tenna's joy.

Thrown into the first board, the trio participate in a virtual game called TV Time: The Legend of Tenna where they end up in a desert and have to find three keys and the Mooncloud Stone. Along the way, they find the Power Croissant that allows Susie to pull up weeds and throw things. Facing Elnina & Lanino, they battle them for the Mooncloud Stone, but before the Delta Warriors can complete the challenge, an argument between Elnina and Lanino causes the couple to split. Due to the technical difficulty of accidentally destroying a marriage, Tenna finishes the challenge for them. With the stone in hand, they continue on, solving puzzles and solving quizzes until they have all the keys.

Heading to the pyramid, they enter it for their first Physical Challenge, where they must cook and serve as many customers as possible before time or popularity runs out. After completing the Physical Challenge, Tenna, not wanting the fun to end, informs the Delta Warriors that there will be a second round, and shows the Delta Warriors the Green Room. After a bit of exploring, they seek Tenna to begin the next round.

When the Second Board comes up, they start by playing the TV Time: Legend of Tenna again, this time on Kodakoda Island where the purpose is to take as many pictures as they can, looking for two lovers to open up the Rainbow Bridge to Atlantis. Upon finding Lanino/Elnina (Whoever the offender was in the previous Board) they take them to Lovers Cove where it’s discovered that the Offended Spouse has already begrudgingly replaced their significant other with Rouxls Kaard. Despite being in a relationship with the one, Rouxls invites the other to join, and despite the awkwardness of the situation, the rainbow bridge opens and the Delta Warriors proceed to their second physical challenge, a rhythm band game, playing a song called "Raise Up Your Bat."

And with this, the second round ends. But Tenna's neediness causes Susie and the others to agree to a third round just for him. However, before it can start, Susie realizes after overhearing Tenna that he's hiding something from them, and refuses to do another round until they figure it out. Investigating a door that had been barred by one of Tenna's henchmen, they discover Toriel outside of the studio in the frozen wasteland. Before they can rescue her though, they are discovered by Tenna who forces them into a final board against their will.

The charm of the games has died out and begins to show how desperate Tenna is, how much he craves attention, and how he is afraid of "the family fighting again." After a few battles, the Delta Warriors manage to get away and explore the wider TV World, and even encountering a fun Cowboy Game in the process. As they wander through TV World, they cause mayhem, initiating a mass walkout by Tenna's employees, that leaves his studio abandoned, and cause Lanino and Elnina to split from Rouxls and return to their own previous relationship.

Eventually, getting back to the Green Room, they find it empty and cold, some of the remaining Darkners of TV World slowly turning to stone due to their actions. Entering in, they head back toward where they found Toriel before, only to encounter Tenna again, who eventually explains why he wants to play games so badly, referencing Kris' past homelife, the subtle quarrel with the Dreemurrs and the Holidays, as well as the break-up of Asgore and Toriel. He says he used to be watched all the time and was abandoned. That is, until the Knight appeared, and told him that if he followed their orders, he could have all the viewers he wanted. When he then tries to force them into a new round, Susie refuses, causing Tenna to initiate a battle with the Delta Warriors.

Tenna is ultimately defeated, and proceeds to admit that he just doesn't want to be thrown away. Ralsei tries to get him to accept it for peace of mind that he, like all Darkners, will become obsolete. However, Susie pushes past Ralsei, and instead explains to Tenna that it doesn't have to be that way. She explains that she also knows what it's like to be thrown away, and explains how she found Kris and Ralsei, and a place to belong, and assures Tenna that he will, too.

The KNIGHT finally shows themself

Our heroes finally meet the Knight, as "Black Knife" plays

Due to feeling as though he has a future, he decides to give the Delta Warriors what they want and presents them Toriel. However, he is suddenly attacked (and possibly killed depending on the player's actions), with his arms being severed, and his assaliant is revealed to be none other than the Roaring Knight themself. The Delta Warriors do battle with the Knight, but regardless of whether or not the player "defeats" them, the Knight knocks all of them down in the end. When they procceed to take Toriel, Susie attempts to stop the Knight, but doesn't have the strength.

Suddenly, a series of spears are thrown at the Knight. These are revealed to be from Officer Undyne, who has stumbled into the Dark World (having responded to Toriel's call earlier that night). However, the Knight decides to capture her instead. Kris and Susie give chase to them, and race out of TV World into the Light World again. Susie spots someone, and they follow them to the shelter (which appears to contain a Dark World), but before they can enter, the doors are sealed shut. Susie bangs on the door, calling out to Undyne, and her banging reveals a hidden electronic panel.

Susie, having no idea what to do, decides to go back to to TV World to seal the Dark Fountain. Kris, however, starys behind and examines the door panel, which is a security lock consisting of three entry fields, and three symbols besides each of them: One of a pine tree, one of a police badge, and one of the Delta Rune. As Kris takes a few steps back, one of the shelter doors slowly opens for them...

Sword Route

Main article: Sword Route

If the player gets a Z, S, or T-Rank on the boards, they will gain access to the S-Rank room, where they can find Ramb, the Green Room's bartender, who will give Kris secret access to the "original" game behind Tenna's back. Each round of the Original Game consists of Kris's in-game avatar retrieving a sword and killing the enemies on the board, increasing their LV. The game played appears to be a parody/retelling of Chapter 2's Weird Route, and/or foreshadowing of the future of said route.

Upon returning to the Green Room from the greater TV World, Kris plays the final round of the Original Game and engages in battle against the Shadow Mantle holder. After defeating them, HERO_SWORD leaves the game screen, and Kris obtains the secret armor (hinted at by Seam in the previous chapter), known as the Shadow Mantle, which makes the battle against the Knight far more bearable for those who having difficulty with them, though it does not guarantee a victory.

Characters

Main

Minor/Supporting

Development

Main article: Deltarune#Chapters 3, 4, and 5

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYyfULWFgk4
  2. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Deltarune/comments/1l5yl63/chapter_3_naming_easter_eggs/
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAL1jRM7isA