undertale

The True Laboratory is a private section of Alphys's Lab that can only be found and entered during the True Pacifist Route.

Features

Main Story

Neutral Route

When the protagonist first enters Hotland, they are led to believe that the elevator leading to the True Lab is a bathroom, due to Alphys's dialogue.

In some Neutral endings,[2] it is implied Alphys commits suicide here.

In the near-genocide Neutral Route ending, Alphys talks for most of the post-credits phone call. She says that, despite having to reveal the truth about herself to everyone, people still treat her like a hero.

True Pacifist Route

Hey.
Thanks for your help back there.
You guys... Your support really means a lot to me.
But... As difficult as it is to say this...
You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away.
I want to be a better person.
I don't want to be afraid anymore.
And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes.
I'm going to start doing that now.
I want to be clear.
This isn't anyone else's problem but mine.
But if you don't ever hear from me again...
If you want to know "the truth."
Enter the door to the north of this note.
You all at least deserve to know what I did.

Alphys's Note, before entering the True Lab

The entrance to the True Lab, initially disguised as a bathroom.

The entrance to the True Lab, initially disguised as a bathroom.

After the protagonist has completed the date with Alphys by giving her Undyne's Letter, Papyrus calls the protagonist and strongly recommends that they meet Alphys at her lab. When the protagonist arrives at the Lab, there is a note in front of the previously locked door, which now opens upon approaching.

Battle against Lemon Bread

Battle against Lemon Bread

After entering the door, the protagonist rides an elevator that malfunctions and crashes. Once the protagonist enters and opens the elevator door, they cannot return to the rest of the Underground as they are locked in the True Lab. The protagonist traverses the True Laboratory where they find several Lab Entries, Amalgamates, and four keys which give access to the power supply to restart the elevator.

In the True Lab, the protagonist learns about how Alphys experimented with determination, SOULs, fallen monsters, and Golden Flowers. It is here that the protagonist learns about the term "fallen down", which refers to a comatose state that monsters fall under before turning to dust (this term was previously mentioned in one of Mettaton's diaries in his house). While working with Determination, Alphys resurrected monsters who had "fallen down" such as Shyren's sister and Snowdrake's Mother, who as a result soon melted into Amalgamates. The protagonist also discovers that Alphys attempted to create a soulless vessel from a Golden Flower; the vessel is heavily implied to be Flowey. Alphys's lab entries provide backstory on her experiments and are found throughout the True Lab.

The DT Extraction Machine

The DT Extraction Machine

While exploring the Lab, the protagonist encounters a strange machine. This machine is the DT Extraction Machine, which Alphys used to extract determination from the six previously captured human SOULs. The protagonist also finds several VHS tapes that lack video motion but retain their audio. They document conversations between Toriel and Asgore, and Asriel and the first human. These tapes imply that the fallen human possessed darker tendencies: they attempted suicide as part of a plan to combine their SOUL with Asriel's to pass through the barrier, and that Asriel reluctantly helped them carry out their plan. The VHS TV in this room resembles the TV that projects Photoshop Flowey's face.

The generator that powers the elevator up to New Home

The generator that powers the elevator up to New Home

The protagonist then restores power to the elevator. Moments later, Amalgamates (presumably Memoryheads, as their overworld sprites are similar) surround them. Alphys rushes into the room, saves the protagonist, and states that Amalgamates can get violent when not fed. After the Amalgamates leave the room, Alphys thanks the protagonist for the help and mentions that it is not the Amalgamates which would have made her "disappear" but instead something cowardly which she might do. This cowardly act may be suicide considering that some neutral endings tell of Alphys disappearing.[2]

As the protagonist makes their way to the elevator, the exit cuts off, and a voice is heard congratulating the protagonist. The elevator then leaves the protagonist in New Home, with the elevator down to the CORE sealed off with vines so that the protagonist cannot leave. This indicates that the requirements have been met for the True Pacifist Ending.

Genocide Route

Upon defeat, Undyne the Undying informs the protagonist that Alphys has evacuated the majority of the remaining monsters someplace safe, heavily implied to be the True Lab.

In the Genocide ending, the evacuation was pointless, as the first human destroys the entire world and ends the timeline.

Geography

A hallway in the True Lab

A hallway in the True Lab

In contrast to the bright, sterile color scheme of the Lab, the True Lab is grimy, dark, and fog-filled. It has a dark green celeste color scheme and an unsettling atmosphere. Assorted objects fill the area, including beds, sinks, refrigerators, wall fans, mirrors, and Golden Flowers. There is a vending machine that dispenses Popato Chisps near the power room door.

There are four colored keys scattered throughout the True Lab. The slots that the keys are inserted into, save for the yellow key, are housed in small, square rooms. These rooms contain hints as to how to obtain the key that belongs in the slot.

Entry Elevator to Power Room Door

After exiting the elevator, the protagonist finds themself in a small room. After walking a short distance, the elevator door closes and is unable to be reopened. The room has a pathway to the right that leads to a horizontal hallway with entries 1, 2, 3, and 5 along the wall. The hallway veers upwards into the room with the power room door. The layout of this room is similar to that of the lobby of the CORE, with the power room door to the north and two upwards paths to the left and to the right. The left path leads to the slot for the red key, and the right path leads to a door that can only be unlocked by using the red key. The power room door is locked and can only be opened after all four keys are used. This room also contains two fake plants, a vending machine that dispenses Popato Chisps, and a partially readable note from Alphys stating the power room door must be opened to restore power to the elevator.

Power Room Door to Red Key Slot

The upwards path to the left veers to the left into a horizontal hallway that contains entry 6 and a foggy room that contains entry 9. In this room is a line of three operating tables that are revealed to be "sticky" upon inspection. Further into the room is a doorway leading to the red key slot, and next to the doorway is a line of three sinks. Turning on the three sinks (or turning one off and back on again) triggers an encounter with the Memoryheads. Upon defeat, the Memoryheads drop the red key, which is used to unlock the door to the right of the power room door.

Red Key Door to Bedroom

Entering through the red key door leads to a hallway that veers to the right. Entries 12 and 13 are along the wall. This hallway leads to the bedroom, which contains a dog food bowl, four fake plants, a broken clock, and nine beds. The bottom left bed can be slept in, and the middle right bed contains the yellow key. The northernmost part of the bedroom contains a doorway, a SAVE Point, and entry 14, and the eastern path leads to the blue key slot.

Bedroom to Fan Room

The doorway to the north of the bedroom leads to a long, horizontal hallway that spans to the left and right side of the pathway. Going to the right leads to the fan room, which contains entry 11. The area is initially clouded by fog, with white particles hovering above the floor. There is a switch at the end of the room that, when pressed, turns on the fans that blow the fog away, leaving behind the white particles. The white particles converge and form Endogeny, who slowly approaches the protagonist. The protagonist can walk to Endogeny to initiate the battle.

Bedroom to DT Extraction Machine

True Lab location shower room

Along the wall to the left of the bedroom pathway are entries 15 and 16. Near the end of the hallway is a doorway leading to a vertical hallway with a bathtub. The bathtub is covered by a curtain, and the silhouette of an amalgamate can be seen behind it. Approaching the bathtub, the protagonist walks slower than normal, and the amalgamate moves faster the closer they get. Upon opening the curtain, the amalgamate disappears, and the green key is left behind. To the west is a large room containing the DT Extraction Machine, which is inactive. North of this room is a room with a TV and five VHS tapes, entry 4, and the yellow key slot. The pathway to the other side of the room with the DT Extraction Machine is blocked by a SAVE Point, which transforms into Lemon Bread upon inspection.

DT Extraction Machine to Green Key Slot

Past the DT Extraction Machine is a room containing entries 19, 20, and 21. This room contains five fridges spread evenly along the room. The fridges are either empty or contain samples of some sort. The third fridge shakes periodically, while the fifth fridge is revealed to be a disguise for Snowdrake's Mother upon inspection. If the fan switch has not been turned on, the room is shrouded in a thick fog which prevents the fridges from being seen, and their descriptions upon inspection are mere conjectures. Snowdrake's Mother drops the blue key upon defeat. In the adjoining room is the slot for the green key.

Bedroom to Blue Key Slot

Golden Flowers along a table in the room where Reaper Bird is fought

Golden Flowers along a table in the room where Reaper Bird is fought

Returning to the bedroom and traveling through the right pathway, the protagonist enters a horizontal room with mirrors along the northern wall and a table with Golden Flowers along the southern wall. Between the first three mirrors are entries 7 and 10. While attempting to travel across the room, the protagonist is stopped by a random encounter indicator, which transforms into Reaper Bird. At the end of the room is a room with the blue key slot.

Power Room Door to Power Room

After collecting all four keys, the power room door is unlocked. Entering through the door leads to an elevator that is connected with a western pathway. Going through the pathway leads to a horizontal hallway with blank screens along the wall. At the end of this hallway is a doorway leading to the power room. The Power Room contains a generator which has a red, heart-shaped figure on its front. After turning on the power, several amalgamates approach and surround the protagonist, and Alphys rushes in and bails them out. The protagonist then leaves the room and travels back through the hallway. The blank screens on the wall turn on to reveal entries 8 and 18. After returning to the elevator, the western and southern pathways are cut off, and the protagonist is then thrust into New Home.

Lab Entries

Lab Entries can be found on the numerous panels that can be seen throughout the lab. The entries are numbered from 1 to 21, but there is no 17th entry. In the game data, there are two 17th lab entries, neither of which can be accessed in normal gameplay; one of them is completely in Wingdings and presumed to have been written by W. D. Gaster,[3] while the other would have appeared in the room with the DT Extraction Machine. The latter unused Entry Number 17 was removed in the v1.05 release, while the former was kept and even included in the Japanese localization. Most of the entries contain extensive information about Alphys's experimentation concerning SOULs, Determination, monsters, and Flowey.

VHS Tapes

The room with the TV, entry number 4, and the yellow-colored switch.

The room with the TV, entry number 4, and the yellow-colored switch.

The five VHS tapes can be found in the room with the TV, which is north of the room with the DT Extraction Machine. Home (Music Box) plays at 80% speed over the first tape between Toriel and Asgore, the second through fourth tapes of the first human and Asriel play mus_birdnoise.ogg, and the last tape of the first human on their deathbed does not contain any music. They contain recordings of Asriel, his family and the Fallen Human interacting. However, these do not have any visual content.

Trivia

True Lab screenshot shape of a man

References

  1. ↑ Bratty: So Alphys has always, like...
    Catty: Thought ASGORE is a SUPER cutie.
    Bratty: So, like, I'm pretty sure she...
    Catty: Made Mettaton to, like, totally impress him.
    Bratty: A robot with a SOUL...
    Catty: That's, like, SUPER relevant to his hobbies!     - Bratty and Catty
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Betrayed Undyne Ending (Mettaton dead) and the Mettaton Ending
  3. ↑ By changing your room number in both your save0 and your .ini file to 264, a set of wingdings will appear. - W.D Gaster: Undertale's Last Secret (Mistress Spitfire, September 18, 2015.) Steam Community.
  4. ↑ Even if it meant everybody would... Have to learn the truth about me. - Alphys
  5. ↑ I just find out that if you disconnect your controller in the "true laboratory" of alphys in the Xbox version, this shows up - u/MorsaRika on Reddit, March 18, 2021.
  6. ↑ Legends of Localization Book 3: UNDERTALE, page 232, ISBN 9781945908019