What Happens if You Spare Someone in a Genocide Run?
The Genocide Route is a challenging and intense path in Undertale, requiring the player to eliminate all non-essential characters, including monsters, humans, and even the game’s beloved characters. However, sparing someone in a Genocide run can have unforeseen consequences, altering the course of the game’s storyline and characters’ development. In this article, we’ll delve into what happens when you spare someone in a Genocide run.
Aborting the Genocide Route
If you spare someone in a Genocide run, the game’s storyline will not restart from the beginning. Instead, the game will continue as if you had completed the genocide. The Genocide Route is aborted if you spare the boss or reach certain points in the game without exhausting the kill counter. Future areas will appear as though in a Neutral Route, but any previous areas will remain affected by the Genocide Run attempt.
Consequences of Sparing
When you spare someone in a Genocide run, you will not be able to access certain areas or interact with certain characters in the same way as you would in a Neutral or Pacifist run. The game’s story will unfold differently, and some characters will react to your sparing as if you had gone against their expectations.
Pacifist Ending Inaccessibility
Unfortunately, if you spare someone in a Genocide run, you will not be able to access the True Pacifist Ending. This is because the Genocide Route and Pacifist Route are mutually exclusive, and the game will not allow you to backtrack to the Pacifist Ending once you have reached a certain point in the Genocide Route.
Alternative Endings
Sparing someone in a Genocide run can lead to alternative endings, which are not necessarily "good" or "bad" in the classical sense. These endings can be thought of as "gray" areas, where the game’s narrative takes a different direction, often with unexpected and unpredictable consequences.
What Does Sans Do?
If you spare someone in a Genocide run, Sans will not let you spare him. His dialogue and actions will suggest that he is more formidable and dangerous than previously thought, and that you cannot escape his wrath by sparing him.
Table of Consequences
| Action | Consequences |
|---|---|
| Spare someone in Genocide run | Aborted Genocide Route, cannot access Pacifist Ending, alternative endings |
| Sans | Will not be spared, becomes more formidable and dangerous |
The True Reset
After sparing someone in a Genocide run, the game’s world will reset, erasing all progress made before the reset. This means that you will have to start from the beginning, without access to the Pacifist Ending or any alternative endings.
Conclusion
Sparing someone in a Genocide run is a complex and nuanced decision, with far-reaching consequences for the game’s story and characters. While it may seem counterintuitive, sparing someone in a Genocide run can lead to alternative endings and a new direction for the game’s narrative. However, this path is not without its drawbacks, as you will no longer be able to access the Pacifist Ending or certain areas and characters.