Awesome Music / Undertale

16-bit beats mixed with head-banging awesomeness.

"Undertale is an emotional roller-coaster... and these are the tracks!"

— videogamedunkey, Dunkey's Best of 2015

As the game is made by Toby Fox, it's no surprise that the soundtrack is a huge part of Undertale's experience.

Listen to the soundtrack here!

To prevent spoilers, some tracks are not listed on the public soundtrack page. Please add "hidden" tracks to the second folder, as their titles or musical cues can be a spoiler for the particularly observant, and the surprise of an unexpected track can add to the moment some of them appear in.

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Regular Tracks

• The opening theme, Once Upon A Time, sets up some of the recurring riffs for the rest of the game.
• Toriel's theme, Fallen Down, plays a simple yet calming melody in a way that assures you that you have no reason to be afraid and that things will be alright now that Toriel is here.
• The Ruins, another world to explore, inspiring a sense of nostalgia and peace. This track even tends to appear in the endings! This should fill you with determination.
• Ghost Fight, which plays during the reluctant spat with Napstablook. It has similar vibes to Battle With a Flippant Foe and sounds like something from OFF, which is fitting, as you're fighting a Bedsheet Ghost much like the Batter does for most of OFF. Also notable is the Dark Reprise, Dummy!, which is used for the Mad Dummy. And if you listen carefully, you can hear elements of it in Spider Dance as well.
• "Heartache", the Battle Theme Music for Toriel's Boss Battle, combines the game's trademark chiptune instrumentation with a more modern, grandiose theme.
• Snowdin Town theme is a relaxing and heartwarming track which really fits the snow village who reinvented Christmas.
• Papyrus' battle theme, Bonetrousle, which kicks into gear once Papyrus reveals that he's Not So Harmless. It's also perfect to do the Russian kick dance or the chair dance to it. There is a second part of the song that played in the game's initial trailer, made available in the Collector's Edition, and it ends up making Bonetrousle sound even more bombastic than before!
• The theme for the cavernous Waterfall. A solemn track filled with a sense of loneliness and quiet despair, yet building up to a sense of determination.
• The Tem Shop theme is a tune that could probably be described as "delightfully obnoxious", much like the Temmies themselves. It's loud and piercing and off-key but also just so darn happy.
• Undyne's battle theme, "Spear of Justice", showcases her as a character very well. It sounds like an instrumental to the opening of an awesome anime (especially the intro). You can feel the blazing passion emanating from it, and it really pumps you up for her battle.
• Another Medium is a kickass techno song which plays during the trek through the Hotlands. It also uses the same drums used in Cave Story's music, adding even more awesomeness to the song. You are filled with intrigue, and determination.^note Also, fun fact: this was originally one of the six songs Toby Fox composed for other projects along with "Fallen Down", "Heartache", "Nyeh Heh Heh!", "Bonetrousle", and "Megalovania".
• Alphys' leitmotif, while initially as hesitant and awkward as she is, becomes kind of serene and slightly melancholic as the song plays out.
• Muffet's fight theme, "Spider Dance", is quite catchy, and is sure to stick around in your brain long after the actual fight has passed. It's so good, the spiders in Muffet's room dance to it during her encounter!
• Oh! One True Love may play in a rather ridiculous context, and the lyrics get sillier later on, but the tune itself plucks spectacularly at the heartstrings. No surprise that an appropriate remix of it plays during the Mettaton battle's finale in a pacifist run, when the robotic TV personality realizes just how beloved he is to his fans.
• "Live Report" is a simple little newsroom-esque ditty that plays during the 'newsreporter' scenario that Mettaton puts you through. When he switches to his usual murderous shenanigans however, the theme changes to "Death Report", which combines the news-like theme along with a suspenseful, high energy tune. It's a shame that it plays during a fast timed event, as it's likely you'll be too busy defusing bombs to appreciate it.
• "CORE" plays later in the game, as you traverse through the titular area. The in-game version conveys a much sadder feeling thanks to the slightly higher pitch. The best part about this version? It also carries on through battles, further capturing the finality of your adventures in the Underground.
• Mettaton's fight theme, "Metal Crusher", a playfully energetic yet menacing bit of chiptune befitting the strange situation of being hounded by a killer TV star. The track playing during the boss battle with Mettaton's EX form? Death By Glamour. It's just as fabulous as it sounds, darling.
• The theme that plays while going through New Home, Undertale, serves as the game's Theme Tune and provides an emotionally intense backing for The Reveal of the setting's backstory.
• "Small Shock" plays when you first meet Asgore. It's only two notes, and 14 seconds long, yet manages to portray the entirety of the mood: reluctance, angst, and sorrow. A longer version of Small Shock was arranged for the Undertale 5th Anniversary Concert. The emotion literally drips from the arrangement - played initially much softer with strings, it incorporates the Undertale theme for two rounds, before flourishing into strings headed by a violin solo, then transitioning to a cello playing a somber version Toriel's theme. All of it perfectly expresses Asgore's shock at meeting Frisk, his sad reaction as he tries to lighten the mood, and the realization that this is it - the final SOUL needed to break the barrier, and his reluctance at the situation and lingering grief are all too apparent.
• "ASGORE" is absolutely incredible. You can feel the finality of the battle, and the sadness of the poor king who really doesn't want to hurt you, but can't afford to listen. You can even hear the first half of "Heartache" in the song, which makes sense in context. A remix of "ASGORE" is available in the Collector's Edition, named Bereavement. Not only is it given a much more ethereal feeling, but it's played in the same slightly lower pitch as Bergentruckung is - and with that very little change, it ends up making the song sound much sadder, the feeling of finality being much stronger.
• "Stronger Monsters", which replaces the regular battle theme in Hard Mode, only accessible by naming your character "Frisk".
• On a much calmer note, "It's Raining Somewhere Else", the theme that plays when you meet up with Sans at the Hotel.
• The incredibly relaxing and sweet little music which plays if you give the statue in Waterfall an umbrella and therefore activate the music box: Memory. It is also a sneak preview of "His Theme", a very important and powerful song that you will hear much, much later in the game.
• "Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap", a very short song that plays while a bird carries you over a disproportionately small gap.
• This article explores deeply (complete with handy music player notes, timestamps, and sheet music) all leitmotifs in the game, where they can be heard, and their potential significance. You're almost sure to pick up something interesting. (e.g. Undyne's theme can be heard in ASGORE?!, Why is the Snowdin Theme in Hopes and Dreams?, etc.)

Hidden Tracks

• "Your Best Nightmare" and "Finale", which play during the battle with Photoshop Flowey, fit the mood perfectly and provide that perfect slow uplifting transition from madness and despair to hope and determination.
  • The intro sounds almost like the music is laughing at you, as it loomingly goes "ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!"
  • The battle theme itself sounds like a demented drum and bass track straight out of Aphex Twin's hard drive. It perfectly captures the feeling of finishing an awesome boss battle. Let's finish this!
• "An Ending", the melancholy track that plays during the majority of the neutral endings and Undyne's final moments. It's a remix of Ruins that makes it into an ending where it gives a feel of "this isn't how things should end", and fits perfectly with reminders of any mistakes you made or how hopeless their situation is.
• Here We Are, which plays when you enter the True Lab, is haunting and creepy, yet has a kickass drumbeat and a very EarthBound feel. It also happens to be a Dark Reprise of Alphys' theme.
• Amalgam, which plays when you fight the Amalgamates^note except Snowdrake's Mother and Endogeny, which have distorted versions of "Snowy" and "Dogsong", respectively. It sounds like Giygas' ambience in the beginning, which quickly turns into a Kirby-style techno-ish boss theme.
• After the trauma of the Amalgamates and the elevator, hearing the reprise of "Fallen Down" is extremely satisfying, not only because Toriel finally decided to exit the Ruins, but because all the friends you made along the way reunited to stop the fight and to officially welcome you as a friend.
• The song that plays while your friends protect you from Flowey in the True Pacifist ending, "Don't Give Up", is sure to tug at a few heartstrings. It starts off as a simple piano melody alongside strings, and evolves into a solemn piece befitting the situation. It's also a slowed-down, instrumental version of "Battle Against a True Hero", which is very fitting as it's played when ALL of your monster friends are cheering you on, just like when Undyne the Undying is facing down a Genocidal player and all of monsterkind's hearts unite to defeat you.
• "Hopes and Dreams", the theme for the True Final Boss, Asriel Dreemurr, combines several of the game's most important Leitmotifs, the Main theme and Flowey's theme in particular, into one climactic battle theme. There's also "SAVE the World", the rocking remix that plays when you reach the climax of the fight.
• His Theme, the music that plays during the final stretch of the final battle as Frisk reaches out to save Asriel Dreemurr from his own madness. It starts slowly, but grows more and more powerful as the scene progresses. This is His Theme played at .85 speed, and is what you actually hear during the final stretch in-game, making it more impactful and powerful than the normal version.
• Reunited, the overworld song for the Playable Epilogue. An emotional yet uplifting song to round out the True Pacifist ending before the leaving the underground for good.
• The credits themes are nothing to sneeze at either. Starting with "Bring It In, Guys!", which is a remix of several songs including "Enemy Approaching", "Spear of Justice", and "Death by Glamour". This is soon followed by "Last Goodbye" a rocking remix of "SAVE the World" that plays while showing the names of those who helped fund the game on Kickstarter.
• Undyne's second battle theme, "Battle Against a True Hero", is even more awesome, truly worthy of a heroine facing the deadliest of villains without fear in her heart. Also doubles as a Tear Jerker due to how hopeful and emotional it sounds given the horrible situation she is in. Mettaton NEO receives an equally awesome remix of this theme, called "The Power of NEO". For added fun, the ending of Undyne's song is very much a reference to Touhou Project, what with the ZUNpets.
• During the fight with Sans on the No Mercy route, a remix of "Megalovania" from Toby Fox's The Halloween Hack and Homestuck, one of Toby's most famous tunes, plays as the battle theme. And let it be known there is a very good reason it's considered one of the best, if not the best, tracks in the game by many. All that needs to be said is that purely from music, you know that you're gonna have a bad time. Then it got a remix in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And it's just as awesome as ever, possibly even more so.
• While the original "Bonetrousle" is pretty catchy all by its own, the Genocide version is an extremely slowed down version. The result is...very haunting.
• Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch port is the battle theme of Mad Mew Mew, which takes "Spider Dance" and "Dummy!" and turns up the intensity.
• Gaster's Theme doesn't even show up in the soundtrack, but it's one of the creepiest songs in the entire game. Fitting for a character like Dr. Gaster, a character who's implied to have suffered from a Fate Worse than Death before the events of the game (and is a living Deconstruction of Dummied Out).
• "Good Night", a short piano rendition of "Once Upon A Time". It doesn’t actually play in the game, but it is a nice conclusion to the soundtrack, being the final song in the OST, and also a nice contrast to the penultimate track which is Megalovania. It also provides Book Ends for the soundtrack, in tune as well as in name.
• "Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans" is pretty kickass. It starts up as a faster, Mega Man X3-style remix of Sans's theme, and around halfway through, Papyrus's theme and Gaster's theme kick in. Despite the song's title, it isn't in the game's files at all. However, it fits surprisingly well if modded in. One has to wonder if the song was actually intended to be in the game at one point, but was replaced with MEGALOVANIA during development.

Official reprise albums tracks

While Undertale's success give many musicians the desire to recreate the game's tracks, three albums got the approval of Toby Fox himself.

Determination

In late 2015, RichaadEB and Amie Waters released a compilation of their respective reprises called "Determination"; the album is separated into a red disk for the former's metal simple but nonetheless epic covers of battle themes and a blue disk for the latter's most original electro reprises of areas and events occurring in the story.

• As if "Spear of Justice" didn't sound epic enough, "Stay the Course" amplifies this with strong guitar riffs and a short but satisfying guitar solo reminiscent of Undyne's ridiculously endearing nekketsu spirit. The piano at the end gives a satisfying or heartbreaking conclusion, depending the way you've played the game.
• "Oase de Dans" tones down "Bonetrousle" to make it sound more sinister, giving a new look on the great Papyrus.
• "An Evening With the Unhallowed" tones down "Your Best Nightmare" this time to increase the sensation of being at the mercy of an abomination.
• While "Hopes and Dreams" and "SAVE the World" were already rock sounding, "Catharsis" manages to amplify the satisfaction you can have when you fight the final boss of the True Pacifist run.
• "A Puzzling Quagmire" enforces the mysterious aura planning around "Waterfall".
• "hOI!" uses synths to make "Tem Shop" even more goofy sounding!
• "Esoteric" adds organs to "Here We Are", giving the sensation of fighting demons or Fallen Angels.
• The appropriately titled "Penultimate" adds phone sounds to "CORE" and increases the sensation that the journey will be over soon.

Determination: The Purple Side

Because they could not stop with the album above, RichaadEB and Amie Waters released another album called "The Purple Side".

• The album starts with an efficient reprise of "Once Upon a Time" called "When the World was Full of Wonders".
• "What Have I Done?" makes "Heartache" sinister and even sadder-sounding, a good reflection of Toriel's perception of the battle.
• "That Thou Art Mindful of Him" takes seriously the metal in "Metal Crusher", but is also reminiscent of the Ghost in the Machine.
• "The Sum of One's Parts" is a long sinister synth reprise of "Megalovania" which could easily represent Sans' mental state, shared between apathy and desperation against the genocidal Human Child.

Live at Grillby's

After all this metal and electro, smooth sounding jazz is welcome, isn't it? Carlos Eiene (better known as insaneintherainmusic) made a jazz reprise album called "Live at Grillby's".

• While "Ghost Fight" already was jazz-sounding, "Dapperblook" makes the sound more relaxing.
• "Ice to Meet You!" is reminiscent of the peaceful ambiance of "Snowdin Town".
• "The Incinerator" takes the nearly epileptic "Another Medium" and makes it sound warm and chill.

Official Orchestra Performance

The whole soundtrack is available to view through the official Undertale Channel.

• "Anticipation" and "Enemy Approaching" set the stage for the rest of the show. It turns a very short MIDI battle music into an epic extended single. Then it ends on a high note with a definite chord conclusion to establish victory.
• "Dog Shrine" as performed during intermission. You can see the performers bouncing with excitement, and they get a round of applause for it.
• "Your Best Nightmare" combines the game's sound effects with percussion to indicate the battle scenes changing, and the bassists and cellists carrying the weight of the melody.
• The orchestral version of "Small Shock" changes a once simple two note song into a sweeping emotional piece that includes leitmotifs from "Once Upon A Time", "Heartache", "Bergentrückung", and "Memory". Truly fitting for the encroaching climax to the Pacifist Route.
• Due to sharing a leitmotif, "Hopes and Dreams" transitions directly to "SAVE the World", elevating two already great True Final Boss tracks into one incredible section.

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