Released in 2018, the free multiplayer platformer Crashphalt has seen a sudden, inexplicable rise in activity on Steam. While the game initially passed by with little fanfare, its Steam page is now flooded with new user reviews. However, these reviews are not necessarily a reflection of the game's original mechanics—they are largely from Undertale players who have co-opted the title for a specific technical purpose.

The Undertale Connection

The surge in interest is tied to Undertale Together, a local co-op mod created by Depa. While the mod introduces co-op battle mechanics and puzzles to Toby Fox's RPG, it does not natively support online play. To bypass this limitation, players have discovered a workaround: they install Crashphalt and move its game files into their Undertale folder, renaming the Undertale.exe file to facilitate the mod's online functionality.

Developer RetroSpecter, who released Crashphalt as a learning project during their early game development career, confirmed they were unaware of the specific reason behind the choice. "I dunno why they chose Crashphalt," RetroSpecter wrote in a Reddit post. "The only requirement for the hack is that the game has Remote Play enabled, and I guess it does help that Crashphalt is free."-

Developer Reaction

Despite the influx of reviews that are largely dismissive of the game itself—often reading as inside jokes or direct references to Undertale—RetroSpecter has taken the development in stride. "I think it's really cool that it's found a way to impact the community even if in a small way," the developer noted. They have given the community their blessing to continue using the game for this purpose, provided it doesn't violate Steam's policies.

For those interested in RetroSpecter's current work, the developer has since moved on to other projects, including Draftula, a roguelike-Tetris hybrid available on Steam.

Quick Facts

  • Original Release: October 12, 2018
  • Platform: PC
  • Primary Use Case: Enabling online multiplayer for the Undertale Together mod.
  • Developer Stance: Supportive of the community use-case, provided it complies with Steam guidelines.