Undertale: Japan Edition Original Soundtrack

Easily one of the most enjoyable and well-constructed game soundtracks I've had the pleasure of encountering. When I first learned of Undertale a few weeks back (I know - where have I been?), the notion that its virtually sole designer had also composed the music - and was in fact known primarily as a musician prior to the game - excited me, as it creates a rare scenario, at least outside of opera and its progeny, wherein a story's author can say precisely what he or she means to with musical subtext. As an author and composer myself, I suppose I have a keen appreciation for how this can elevate its impact on the narrative, and I was certainly not disappointed with the result here. Indeed, the game owes a large part of its success to the strength of its score. Video games truly are a wonderful avenue for musical expression; they have a breadth and scope beyond that of nearly any other medium, providing a wide, sprawling canvas with which to make an intricate statement. Of course, this can also be a detriment; many works of such length end up disjointed as concern gravitates toward filling up all that space, ideas come from too many directions, or too little is stretched too thin, but Toby deftly avoids these pitfalls. Nearly every one of the 101 tracks is centered around one (or more) of a handful of recurring themes, yet this is easy to miss on the first few listens, offering a respectable variety while maintaining, most impressively, a remarkable coherence. Each motif is introduced casually, unassumingly, but grows surprisingly evocative as it shifts in cadence and tonality and weaves together with its peers, progressing through iterations toward the narrative and musical climax. Nowhere is this more true than with its humble opening and central leitmotif, "Once Upon a Time." But all of that is in the abstract - how is the music itself? Well, like the game, it is understated. You won't find a sweeping orchestral score here, but rather the waveform-generated and frequency modulated tones you might hear from a Ricoh 2A03 and an S-SMP (the NES and SNES chips, respectively) blended with symphonic samples and a few live instruments. Stylistically, fans of Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy should feel right at home. It is nostalgia mixed with classical and modern sensibilities. It is simple in texture, but poignant in nuance. It is, perhaps in a word, earnest. Does it stand on its own? The catchy, quirky, somber, serene, exciting tunes are certainly fun to listen to in their own right, but just as the game is uplifted by its music, what gives the music its heart is the game's narrative context - it is part of a whole, and best initially experienced as such. However, once you have acquired that context, listening in isolation reveals the finer details and breeds a deeper appreciation for all that was achieved here. And make no mistake; this soundtrack is decidedly that - an achievement.

I am a huge Undertale fan (big surprise there) and also happen to love collecting vinyl. So, when this LP came out, I knew that one day I'd have to have it. A few years later, here we are! The art is stunning, the colored vinyl discs are both stunning (I really love how Pacifist Blue looks, but I am biased as I went the pacifist route. Genocide red is really cool too.), the crossword insert and double sided picture print were awesome add-ons, and the inside artwork is something I could stare at for a long time. It's a brilliant release. There was only one problem when it arrived, and it was that disc one was slightly warped! I was very sad as this was my first time getting a warped record. Luckily, a good friend of mine recommended I place some heavy books on top of the record (it was still in its sleeve, so don't worry) and leave it for a few hours. It worked like a charm and the music is perfect. I would absolutely recommend this release!

Some of the best video game music ever composed. I haven't found a game soundtrack I love this much (and every single song) since FFVII. And the game is such that you actually won't hear all the songs. There's over 108, and they spawned some amazing remixes and covers on YouTube (like Samantha Barnard and Hunt). You may also not be able to just focus on the music while playingand this music deserves to be paid attention to because it is so amazing. seriously you have to buy this and just sit and listen to it and do nothing else. It's great for inspiring creativity and I'm sure I had it loop five times in a day just in the background while writing and drawing. This is a must-have, and I promise you'll fall in love with the battle and character themes especially. My favorite tracks are the character battle themes and the tracks 'Undertale', 'His Theme', 'Memory', and the little bird theme whose title is amazing. I highly recommend getting a taste for it off YouTube then show Toby your support by buying the soundtrack because he absolutely deserves that and if you haven't played the game yet you absolutely have to. It's less than $10 on Steam. I promise a YouTube LP won't show you just how close you can feel to these characters and this world.

Worth the money for the OST. I regularly play it on my phone or in my car.

Having bought this as a grad gift for my son, I am extremely pleased because he was thrilled with it. I didn't realize how many people had made covers of practically every track on this album! Very good value for the money, and if you happen to also be a big fan of Undertale, or of video game soundtracks in general, this is a great buy.

Excellent album art, and it even came with a word search! It sounds great, but both of my records came in slightly warped and the audio is noticeably distorted in two spots, but amazon is sending me a replacement and letting me hold onto this one until it gets here.

the sound quality wasnt hambered by the warping (one song sounds like it wasent properly etched) but either then that great sound quality.

Undertale is a beautiful heart warming story. And it is also a very fun game. I highly recommend playing this game. The soundtrack is wonderful. Thank you Toby Fox.

This is great! It feels weird to have to soundtrack of my favourite game on a record! So worth it!