The Undertale Determination Symphony at Kansas City’s Kauffman Center was an enjoyable night for fans. The audience was enthusiastic and respectful, cosplay was plentiful, and the arrangements sounded good overall. There were occasional signs that the musicians could have benefited from more rehearsal time, but the performance remained a pleasant experience.
The conductor appeared especially delighted by Megalovania, despite seemingly having no previous experience with Undertale. His enthusiasm was infectious.
My issue was not with the music that was performed. It was with the music that was missing, and with the surprisingly uneven order in which the concert presented what remained.
The opening sequence made sense: Once Upon a Time, Your Best Friend, Fallen Down, Ruins, Home, Heartache, sans and Snowy followed the game’s early progression. After that, however, the structure became far less predictable.
The concert skipped Papyrus’s material and moved to Snowdin Town, Waterfall and Memory. It then included Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap, Dummy!, Temmie Village and Spooktune. NGAHHH!!! and Spear of Justice arrived in roughly the expected place, before the programme jumped over Hotland and the Core to reach Spider Dance, It’s Raining Somewhere Else, Undertale, Small Shock, Bergentruckung and ASGORE, which closed Act 1.
Act 2 also revisited previously skipped sections in a scattered fashion before reaching the True Ending battle music. The concert ultimately finished with Megalovania.
There are understandable reasons for rearranging a game soundtrack. A literal chronological programme does not provide an obvious, suitably dramatic Act 1 finale, so ending that section with ASGORE worked well. A full three-hour performance of the entire soundtrack would also be unrealistic. Still, leaving out major themes while including Temmie Village, Spooktune and the non-game Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans made the omissions difficult to understand.
For more coverage of game music, hardware and the wider arcade world, explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog and browse the arcade machines collection.
11 missing Undertale songs, ranked by bafflement
1. Can You Really Call This A Hotel, I Didn’t Receive A Mint On My Pillow Or Anything
This jazzy arrangement uses the main Undertale melody, which may explain its absence. It is not an essential omission, but if the programme had room for Memory, a music-box treatment of His Theme, it could also have accommodated this enjoyable remix.
2. Stronger Monsters
This is the battle theme for Hard Mode, a short challenge limited to some enemies in the Ruins rather than a theme representing the whole game. Even so, its lively character would have made a good transition or companion to Enemy Approaching.
3. An Ending
The piano version of Ruins changes key and could have provided an elegant bridge into a finale built around the True Ending material. Its absence is understandable, but it would have been a useful musical link.
4. Reunited
Reunited is one of the soundtrack’s longest pieces, so its running time may have worked against it. That is a shame because it offers a gentle release after Hopes and Dreams/SAVE the World. A closing sequence of Hopes and Dreams/SAVE the World, His Theme, Reunited, Bring It In, Guys! and Last Goodbye would have made compelling sense for Act 2.
5. Quiet Water
This brief 32-second piece would have fitted naturally after Waterfall, or between Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap and Dummy!. Given that even shorter pieces received attention, its omission was difficult to justify.
6. Here We Are
This is one of the two major map themes absent from the programme. An orchestral interpretation of its unsettling atmosphere could have been striking, particularly alongside Amalgam.
7. Start Menu/Menu (Full)
The concert’s second act could have opened with the menu material, gradually adding instruments and building towards the complete theme. That would have offered a clear, deliberate escalation for the orchestra.
8. Bring It In, Guys!/Last Goodbye
These two excellent credits themes may have been excluded because the production had no obvious visual material to accompany them. Showing the game’s credits and Kickstarter backers may not have suited the presentation, but omitting both tracks was still frustrating. The final piano melody, played live by Toby Fox in the game version, remains particularly effective.
9. Another Medium
At this point, the omissions became genuinely puzzling. Another Medium is not merely a strong standalone track; it represents the entire Hotland section, one of the game’s largest areas. Leaving out such a significant location theme weakened the sense of musical journey.
10. Battle Against a True Hero
Battle Against a True Hero is one of Undertale‘s standout compositions and deserved a place near the end. My ideal arrangement would have placed it and Megalovania together as an encore after the credits music. Undyne deserved better.
11. Enemy Approaching
This is the game’s fundamental normal battle theme, making its absence the most bewildering omission of all. Whatever the programme’s limitations, excluding such a central piece from an Undertale symphony is a remarkably strange decision.
The performance itself was enjoyable, and the musicians delivered plenty of memorable moments. But for listeners who know the game well, the programme’s missing foundations were impossible to overlook. A little more Enemy Approaching, Another Medium and Battle Against a True Hero would have made the night far more complete.
If you enjoy bringing game soundtracks into a dedicated play space, RETROCADE’s bartop arcades offer a compact option, while DIY arcade kits suit hands-on builds.
Leave a Reply