Undertale is best known as a groundbreaking indie video game developed solely by one person, Toby Fox, with artist Temmie Chang providing the artwork for some character sprites. Fox is also a very talented composer. He wrote and recorded all of Undertale’s music, using 8-bit and 16-bit computer-generated sounds reminiscent of retro video games, complemented by digital musical instruments such as piano, guitar and violin.
The music also uses leitmotifs, the practice of repeating a melody to establish an underlying theme between pieces of music. This creates a very cohesive piece of art and allows the soundtrack to add context to the story without using words. Even after all these years, Undertale’s OST remains above criticism.
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The rather precocious and ingenious younger skeleton brother, the self-proclaimed Great Papyrus, is known for his puzzle antics and undying love of spaghetti. But beneath his jokes and exaggerated speeches is the kindest, gentlest soul in all of Undertale.
The music that plays during his dialogue and the fight against him resonates with Papyrus’ goofy personality. It’s both a playful and light-hearted tune that complements the mood in Snowdin and the flavor lyrics during the Papyrus battle.
9 without. and it’s raining somewhere else
At first, Sans seems like a carefree, lazy person, making little to no effort to help Papyrus set up his puzzle games, something that is captured in the song named after him. However, as the game progresses, you’ll get more and more hints about Sans’ true role and power.
A particularly characteristic scene is when Sans invites you to dinner at the MTT Resort. The song played during that encounter is a sombre and pensive rendition of sans., using slow piano instead, which accentuates the meaningful dialogue in this scene.
8 Your best friend, your best nightmare and finale
Flowey’s theme is a sinister, mischievous song that often plays during unsettling moments in Undertale. When Flowey absorbs the six human souls, he transforms into Omega Flowey, a horribly gigantic plant creature with molten flesh and machine parts. The melody of Flowey’s theme is played repeatedly during this fight, found in the tracks Your Best Nightmare and Finale.
Once you’ve completed a true pacifist route, the closing credits and special thanks screen are accompanied by the song Last Goodbye, which also features your best friend’s leitmotif.
7 Ghost Fight, Dummy! and Spider Dance
The song that plays during the meeting with Napstablook is a fantastic, happy composition, reminiscent of jazz music. When you come across Naptablook’s cousin, the Mad Dummy, the number becomes Dummy! plays, an accelerated version of Ghost Fight with additional sections and instruments.
Finally, when you fight Muffet in Hotlands, the Ghost Fight leitmotif can be heard in the song Spider Dance, which takes the Halloween-themed melody to a whole new level with new instruments and an even more cheerful tempo. It’s a perfect rhythm for when Muffet’s spider minions crawl across the battle screen.
6 Bergentruckung and ASGORE
King Asgore Dreemurr serves as the antagonist for the Neutral Route. You’ll soon discover that the King of Monsters isn’t evil or cruel and that his choices throughout the story stem from unjust circumstances. Asgore carries the hopes and dreams of a kinder future for the monsters of the Underground. He also bears the weight of what happened to his family: both his children were killed by the people on the surface. He soon became estranged from his wife Toriel.
The music that plays everywhere scores his sadness and resignation at injustice. It contains leitmotifs from the theme of Toriel (Heartache) and the Game Over screen (Determination). It is a solemn and sad song about a person who is forced to resort to violence after failing to protect those important to him.
5 Fight against a real hero
Undyne is the captain of the royal guard and her immortal form is only encountered in a genocide route. Here she will bravely defend the inhabitants of the Underground against any player who wants to kill them all.
This song fits in perfectly with the battle that ensues: each piano note spills into the next like raindrops on a lake, and the step-by-step melody seems to eerily choreograph Undyne the Undying’s flurry of spear attacks.
4 Hopes and dreams and SAVE the world
During the early stages of the fight against the God of Hyperdeath Asriel Dreemurr, you will be charmed by music so energetic that it could be an opening track for an anime. The first two musical acts of the True Pacifist Route final boss feature leitmotifs relating to Once Upon A Time (Undertale’s main theme, found in both the prologue and main menu) and Your Best Friend (Flowey’s theme).
The music betrays that this form of Asriel is not dangerous, despite the sharp dialogues and powerful attacks. Once you’ve progressed through the fight and rescued Asgore, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys from Asriel’s clutches, you’ll realize there’s one last person left to SAVE.
3 His theme
His Theme, first suggested by the song Memory played in Waterfall, is set during the climax of the fight against Asriel, when the identity of the first fallen human is revealed in the opening scene of Undertale.
It scores the emotions of the once docile child who longs for a sense of comfort and connection after a life of trauma. The common thread can also be found in songs such as Finale and The Choice. It’s a vulnerable, heartwarming melody that evokes inexplicable nostalgia, even for those who’ve never played Undertale.
2 MEGALOVANIA
Sans is secretly the umpire of the Underground, and fighting him at the end of a genocide run is widely regarded as the toughest fight in all of Undertale. It’s nearly impossible for an inexperienced player to beat Sans on their first try. Only sheer determination can help you suffer through multiple failed attempts to defeat the skeleton, slowly memorize its attack patterns, improve your reflexes and learn how to dodge every move effectively.
The song playing during this fight is called MEGALOVANIA and is arguably the most popular and iconic song on Undertale’s soundtrack. It underscores the epic battle of willpower and stamina between a genocidal player and Sans. It’s an electronic masterpiece that evokes a fight or flight response from anyone familiar with the Genocide Run.
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The journey to New Home is gripping, with nothing to listen to except the low, steady hum of the elevator until you reach King Asgore’s house, when an acoustic guitar begins to play a strangely familiar melody.
This track is called Undertale and contains two leitmotifs: His Theme and Once Upon A Time. Unlike the digitally recorded samples, the title track is a live recording of someone playing acoustic guitar. It feels like a warm, heartfelt performance that certainly elevates the scene that unfolds.
As the final scenes begin, we finally learn what Undertale is all about: empathy and compassion. After hours of digital recording, the sound of a live musical instrument performance really evokes human emotions – it’s the perfect accompaniment as the game’s story is brought back home.
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