Deltarune’s Tenna Began as a 3D Prototype 10 Years Ago
▼ Summary
– Tenna, the CRT-headed antagonist in Deltarune Chapter 3, was conceptualized by Toby Fox in 2016, though the character debuted in 2025.
– Fox initially tried learning 3D animation for Tenna using a Kinect and MMD dances but abandoned these ideas due to complexity.
– Five developers contributed to Tenna’s final design and animations, showcasing collaborative indie game development.
– Fox originally envisioned Tenna performing MikuMikuDance animations, highlighting his quirky creative process.
– Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 achieved critical and commercial success, topping Steam charts with a 98% positive review score.
The quirky antagonist Tenna from Deltarune Chapter 3 has a surprising backstory that stretches back nearly a decade before appearing in the hit RPG. Creator Toby Fox recently revealed the character’s origins began with an abandoned 3D animation experiment in 2016, showcasing how indie development often involves scrapped ideas and collaborative pivots.
Fox shared an old social media post where he mentioned purchasing a Kinect to rotoscope Tenna’s movements, a plan he quickly abandoned. He also toyed with the idea of having the CRT-headed game show host perform MikuMikuDance animations, another concept left on the cutting room floor. Despite dropping these early attempts, Tenna eventually made his 3D debut in Deltarune thanks to contributions from five other developers. Fox credited Gigi for refining the design, Clairevoire for pixel art cleanup, Everdraed for editing the intro sequence, SmallBu for final poses, and Audrey for typography work.
This glimpse into the development process highlights a key reality of indie game creation: knowing when to delegate is crucial. Fox recognized that handling every aspect alone would slow production, opting instead to bring in specialists to realize Tenna’s final form. The abandoned MMD dance idea adds a layer of absurd charm, imagining an Undertale-style character grooving to anime-inspired animations from a niche Japanese software.
Deltarune’s recent surge in popularity proves Fox’s collaborative approach paid off. The simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4 propelled the game to Steam’s top charts, currently holding a 98% positive rating from over 45,000 reviews. Critics praise its unpredictable gameplay twists, like battles morphing into entirely new mechanics or mundane objects transforming into deadly threats. As Fox continues developing additional chapters, the existing content already stands as a masterclass in unconventional RPG design.
Available on Steam for $25, Deltarune remains a must-play for fans of inventive storytelling and genre-bending mechanics. Its development anecdotes, like Tenna’s scrapped dance routines, only deepen appreciation for the creative risks behind the finished product.
(Source: PC Gamer)
