Undertale is best known for being an indie video game developed solely by one person, Toby Fox, with artist Temmie Chang providing the artwork for some character sprites. Fox is also an extremely talented composer. He wrote and recorded all of the music for Undertale, using 8-bit and 16-bit computer-generated sounds reminiscent of retro video games, enhanced with 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 musical pieces. This creates a very cohesive work of art and allows the soundtrack to add context to the narrative without using words. Even after all these years, the OST of Undertale remains above criticism.
ten Bonetrousle
The rather precocious and ingenuous skeleton younger brother, the self-proclaimed Great Papyrus is known for his antics with riddles and his undying love of spaghetti. But beneath his over-the-top jokes and talk lurks the kindest, sweetest soul in all of Undertale.
The music that plays during his dialogue and the battle against him resonates with Papyrus’ goofy personality. It’s both a playful and lighthearted melody that complements Snowdin’s mood and flavor text during Papyrus’ fight.
9 without. and it’s raining elsewhere
At first, Sans appears to be a carefree and lazy individual, putting little to no effort into helping Papyrus set up his puzzle games, which is captured in the track named after him. However, as the game progresses, you are given more and more clues about Sans’ true role and power.
A particularly characteristic scene is when Sans invites you to dinner at the MTT Resort. The track that plays during this encounter is a dark, pensive take on sans., using slow piano instead, punctuating the meaningful dialogue of this scene.
8 Your best friend, your best nightmare and final
Flowey’s theme is an eerie, mischievous track that often plays during Undertale’s unsettling moments. When Flowey absorbs the six human souls, he transforms into Omega Flowey, a horrible giant plant creature with rendered flesh and machine parts. Flowey’s theme melody is played repeatedly during this fight, found in the tracks called Your Best Nightmare and Finale.
Once you complete a True Pacifist route, the end credits and special thank you screen are accompanied by the track titled Last Goodbye, which also features the Your Best Friend leitmotif.
seven Ghost Fight, Dummy! and Spider Dance
The track that plays during the meeting with Napstablook is a fantastic and upbeat composition, reminiscent of jazz music. When you meet Naptablook’s cousin, the Mad Dummy, the track titled Dummy! plays, which is an accelerated version of Ghost Fight with additional sections and instruments.
Finally, when battling Muffet in Hotlands, the Ghost Fight leitmotif can be heard in the track titled Spider Dance, which takes the Halloween-themed melody to a whole new level with new instrumentation and an even more upbeat tempo. It’s perfect timing when Muffet’s spider minions crawl across the battle screen.
6 Bergentrückung and ASGORE
King Asgore Dreemurr is the neutral route antagonist. You’ll soon learn that the King of the Monsters isn’t evil or cruel, and that his choices throughout the story are born out of unfair circumstances. Asgore carries the hopes and dreams of a brighter future for the monsters of the Underground. He also bears the brunt of what happened to his family: his two children were killed by the humans on the surface. He soon separated from his wife Toriel after this.
The music that plays throughout marks his grief and resignation to injustice. It contains leitmotivs from Toriel’s theme (Heartache) and the Game Over screen (Determination). It’s a solemn and mournful song about a person who is forced to choose violence after failing to protect their loved ones.
5 Battle 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 valiantly defend the citizens of the Underground against any player who wants to assassinate them all.
This track fits perfectly with the fight that ensues: each piano note flows into the next like raindrops on a lake and the step-by-step melody seems oddly to 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’ll be wowed by music so energetic it could be an anime opening track. The first two musical acts of the final boss of the True Pacifist Route contain leitmotifs relating to Once Upon A Time (Undertale’s main theme, found in both the prologue and the main menu) and Your Best Friend (Flowey’s theme) .
The music reveals that this form of Asriel is not dangerous, despite the nervous dialogue 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
First alluded to by the song titled Memory played in Waterfall, His Theme plays during the climax of the fight against Asriel, when the identity of the first fallen human in Undertale’s opening scene is revealed.
It marks the emotions of the once docile child yearning for a sense of comfort and belonging after a lifetime of trauma. His leitmotif can also be found in tracks like Finale and The Choice. It’s a vulnerable, heartwarming tune that brings an inexplicable nostalgia to even those who’ve never played Undertale before.
2 MEGALOVANIA
Sans is secretly the arbiter of the Underground, and the battle against him at the end of a genocide run is widely considered the toughest fight in all of Undertale. It’s almost impossible for an inexperienced player to defeat Sans on the first try. Only sheer determination can help you endure multiple failed attempts to defeat the skeleton, slowly memorizing its attack patterns, improving your reflexes, and mastering how to effectively dodge every move.
The song that plays during this fight is called MEGALOVANIA, and is perhaps the most popular and iconic song on the entire Undertale soundtrack. It highlights the epic battle of will and endurance between a genocidal player and Sans. It’s an electronic masterpiece that elicits a fight or flight response from anyone familiar with the Genocide Run.
1 Subtitle
The journey to New Home is poignant, with nothing to listen to except the low, steady hum of the elevator until you reach King Asgore’s house, when an acoustic guitar starts playing an eerily familiar melody.
This track is called Undertale and two leitmotifs are included: His Theme and Once Upon A Time. Unlike the digitally recorded samples, the title track is a live recording of someone playing an acoustic guitar. It feels like a warm and heartfelt performance that certainly elevates the unfolding scene.
As the final scenes begin, this is when we finally learn what Undertale is all about: empathy and compassion. After hours of digital recordings, the sound of a live performance of a musical instrument truly evokes real human emotions – it’s the perfect accompaniment as the narrative of the game is brought home.
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