Megalovania from Undertale is a Non-Stop Bop! | Reaction/Analysis - The Daily Doug - Episode 847

[@ale-xsantos1078]

Small correction Sans isnt evil, he breaks the tradition of evil skeleton boss by being the one making the heroic last stand against you in the route where you decided to kill everyone and thus are the villain Despite his appearance being almost a callback to evil skeletons we see in media, he's the hero of the story going against overwhelming odds to protect his world from a evil threat that is completely otherwordly - the player - despite he himself admiting he isnt cut for it, simply because he's the only one left who can Its a nice subversion and he's an amazing character in his own right Tldr: this is the song that plays when you're facing the last hero left and, despite his appearance, you could say you're the final boss he's facing

[@kingfrog6807]

this is 100% correct and a really good break down!

[@Querez8504]

I'm not sure where in the video it was said he was evil. I feel like I only remember it being said that it was "questionable whether he's good or bad" or something like that, as in, you the player don't fully know throughout the game.

[@ale-xsantos1078]

@@Querez8504 He says it near the end

[@Querez8504]

@@ale-xsantos1078 Alright then. Wasn't focusing as much at that point due to doing something else, eheh

[@keithwinget6521]

@@Querez8504 Beating sans with one hand? :P

[@Person-cv9dj]

Hi I really recommend listening to the whole soundtrack as the leitmotives carry throughout the whole soundtrack and tie characters together

[@BaneofTevildo]

Seconded, be a great extended/special episode

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Yes. I also agree. It's such an amazing soundtrack and IDK if Doug has spoken about liking or not liking the old chiptune-like sounds, but I think the soundtrack is diverse enough with so many different ideas that it could outweigh that if he doesn't like it.

[@Twisted_Logic]

Yeah, definitely this. The tracks on their own are good, but become greater thsn the sum of their parts when supported by one another in an interconnected soundscape

[@pikpikcarrotmon]

@@V.F.D.DaleSalvador One thing I'd say about the more 'plinky' tunes, for Doug, is that the game starts out as a send-up of some older games using some common 'game language' we recognize, no need to go into it (you heard Earthbound mentioned, that is one of the games). So the music is referencing those games. However, as Undertale starts to show its hand you get into more of a modern sound where the chiptunes become only part of the soundscape - the songs titled 'Undertale' and 'Hopes and Dreams' being great examples. The song titled 'Bergentrückung' is the boss music for that fake-out final boss he heard about and it's still very chippy almost as a hint that you haven't pushed deep enough.

[@corrinflakes9659]

Toby Fox is a legend of a composer. Even Japanese pop artists have collaborated with him because he is so reputable for making satisfying and innovative music. He was snubbed of not even being nominated in The Game Awards 2015’s Best Soundtrack.

[@deo44x]

Wow even the Japanese!?

[@RatcheT2497]

@@deo44x my info may not be the most accurate but to my knowledge undertale got like weirdly popular over in japan, at least for a western indie dev's little project, to the point of getting first an unofficial and later an official translation. nowadays toby releases chapters of deltarune both in english and in japanese through the 8-4 localization company. toby's now also doing stuff with game freak for pokemon. you can hear his distinctive melodies in a few of pokemon scarlet/violet's tracks, and i believe the game freak composer Go Ichinose wrote a foreword to some supplementary undertale material? read it a few times in the past but forgot what the name was so couldn't read it again sadly :/ might be from the art book, not sure.

[@LongandWeirdName]

​@@deo44x Wow. Sarcasm. Original... Known in Japan as UZ(ai) Inu, the Annoying Dog, he is the mind behind Houshou Marine's "I'm Your Treasure Box", for example. So... Yes. Even the Japanese.

[@corrinflakes9659]

@@LongandWeirdName he also did another recent Houshou Marine release, “Dead Ma'am's Chest”.

[@stevenrasche3159]

@@RatcheT2497 IIRC, his first ever Pokemon collaboration was the Battle Tower theme from SwSh.

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

There are multiple versions of Megalovania. Toby uses it as kind of a trademark. He puts a different version in every project he's worked on.

[@sadi5713]

to be fair, if I made something so catchy I would put in in everyhting I make, too.

[@megarayquaza2240]

Tell me the versions of megalovania in pokemon Scarlet and Violet, lol

[@pimpomp1]

Not every tho, i don't expect to see it in deltarune

[@l.c.habibi2339]

Including mine salsa rendition of Megalovania. It's only a prototype on what it sounds. I want to contact the original producer so as to arrange a real latin/salsa version with a latin band. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5DWgGt3hbhqjNU

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

​​@@megarayquaza2240 I think they meant every project he led, not every project he's been named on. Though he _did_ reference another old song of his on the pokemon OST

[@macyfloof64]

You got the right version, no worries! That particular video is an unofficial reupload that loops the track once and fades it out, rather than the Proper Official Upload™ that doesn't loop it and just has it stop once it gets back to the start. The Halloween Hack was a 'hack' (basically taking a game and altering its code to make your own original modifications, such as new characters, levels, enemies, stories, music, etc etc) of Earthbound, a cult classic game from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In that hack, Megalovania was the final boss theme, and sounded a little different. Meanwhile, Homestuck (not Homestruck) is one of the longest and most iconic webcomics ever made, and Toby Fox was just one of many people to contribute music for it! In that comic, it was used when...okay if I even try to explain the event it's not gonna make any sense. Homestuck is famously incomprehensible when looked at without context. Anyway! Undertale really put Toby on the map now, though, and at the moment his main project is a sequel/spiritual successor game called Deltarune. That one's got a banger soundtrack too. But even with that keeping him busy, he's worked with tons of other artists and games, including even the most mainstream stuff like Pokemon! Thanks for giving this a look, Doug! The big orchestral and metal tracks you've listened to so far from games are fantastic, but more 'low-tech' tracks like this are just as big a part of video game culture. I feel like for a lot of them, you could pick apart not just the composition, but the way they achieve the sound they're going for despite limitations (or self-imposed restrictions) in sound tech. Looking forward to future videos!

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Can't forget the version from Super Smash Brothers. Also the version from Mother: Cognitive Dissonance. He didn't make it himself, but it got his blessing (I forget the proper term). It's like a psydo official version.

[@bug-deal]

great comment, summed everything up nicely!

[@valmoer]

"Homestuck is famously incomprehensible when looked at without context." > implying Homestuck is comprehensible even with context.

[@AliceinEntropy]

I'd love to find any of these talented reaction channels that dives into Homestuck and reacts to a ton of its music. There are so many amazing songs and artists and genres in it and it is an untapped well that would take over many people's playlists.

[@PaulaABurnham]

Sans isn't evil, you only hear this if you do a genocide route. Battle Against A True Hero at some point?

[@Andreecals]

You should watch the song during gameplay, the rhythm of the song follows the gameplay at every step, and adjusts itself. Sans is not evil, he's just a very intelligent and observant good person that acts goofy, chill and neutral, but really is the last and strongest fighter to defend peace between two realms. He only fights you when he understands you are irredeemable, and you know you are, if you take the genocide route.

[@akhayat89]

You gotta check out Darren Korb who does the music for Supergiant games. Great rock/metal inspired composer

[@sean437]

Yes! Darren Korb is amazing. Anything from his work on Transistor.

[@TheGuardingDark]

Oh, 100%, Darren Korb's music is fantastic, would love to see Doug's take on it

[@frannydai]

100% agreed. The Hades soundtrack would be a good start.

[@srahhh]

@@frannydai And he plays Zagreus, Skelly, and Orpheus in Hades as well! So so talented

[@frannydai]

​​@@srahhhcool fact, boyo!

[@Adamantium93]

Sans isn't evil; he's probably the "goodest" character in the game. You only fight him if you take the most evil possible route through the game. It's his last-ditch attempt to stop you from destroying the world, and he throws everything at you. His knows he can't beat you permanently, but he wants to make the fight so grueling, so tough, so annoying, that you give up and abandon the run.

[@FRANK_-vo9be]

this fight is so chaotic… he breaks the game rule and even starts attacking when you’re in menu screens and the game should be paused!!

[@dasninjastix]

I just learned to play the main theme to Undertale "Undertale" on guitar. First time I got choked up by something I played. What Toby Fox did with the game almost defies words in its own right, but what he did with the soundtrack is going to be with us for a very long time. I would definitely implore you to check out as much of it as possible.

[@Ghostblock]

Couldn't agree more!

[@Serena_Lunar]

If video game recommendations are the flavour of the day, anything from the Celeste soundtrack but especially Resurrections. Lena Raine is a legend

[@Zzues]

This 8-bit style music totally brings me back to being a kid playing old NES/SNES games. Final Fantasy IV had some incredible music. Genshin Impact, especially Furina's theme is really great, especially when you know her backstory. Game music has been so incredible for years and years! Glad to see it get the attention it deserves.

[@Incompetent_Hero]

This was bound to happen, Megalovania is one hell of an earworm I can't wait for the day you react to something from Nier Automata, what a great OST

[@vanilla_milkshake]

no joke. Undertale has one of the greatest game soundtracks of all time. you should listen to the whole thing!

[@KyleBaran90]

He has really good use of leitmotifs and melodies between his various songs too, like two characters that are related in the lore will often feature bits of music between them as well

[@musikrausch2675]

One title that's definitely worth listening to is 'Sogno Di Volare" by Christopher Tin. It's the title screen music of Civilization 6 and one of the very few that keep me on the title screen for way too long just to listen to this song. (the other two are Monkey island 1 and Cave Story's original main theme). Undertale is a gem of a game. It contains so much love for details while having such simple graphics. It immerses you by literally taking your hand in the very beginning and is one of the very few games that break out of the classical "victory through combat" mechanic and makes it kinda "victory through communication". While combat is still possible, it leads to the bad endings and is highly discouraged by the game, because it remembers you doing a ge**cide run and scolds you for it even in future playthroughs. Thanks for sharing your impressions and for doing the research about the pieces of music you react to. I highly regard the fact that you first introduce the viewers to the backgrounds of what you're going to listen to and talk about the technicalities (hope this is a fitting term. I'm not strong with musical terms) of the piece.

[@joshelguapo5563]

Oh man I'm gonna be really excited if you go through the undertale ost. It really is a labor of love with just so just raw emotion.

[@chunkthepunk2191]

I'm a huge Kingdom Hearts fan so I'd like to see you react to some of the music from that series. Specifically 'Dearly Beloved', 'Vector to the Heavens - Xion', or 'Dark Domination', all of them the Kingdom Hearts 3 version. The composer, Yoko Shimomura, is one of my favorites, and if you like Final Fantasy tracks, these should be a treat.

[@jamesaditya5254]

Any KH piece yes. My suggestion isn't as grandiose or as upbeat as most video game soundtracks, but it's "Lazy Afternoons" from Kingdom Hearts 2. It's a track for one of the game's first levels and it's meant to feel like a blissful, childish even, summer vacation where you have nothing to do all day long. Maybe not as exciting to react to, but it's a different side of video game music where sometimes pieces like this is used to convey a safe space where you can take a breather in a world full of peril and conflict

[@chunkthepunk2191]

​@@jamesaditya5254 That's a really good choice too, I love that track. BGM from worlds that aren't designed for the large climatic battles are pretty darn short for the most part, like a 90 second or so loop. I was just thinking on the side of possibly reacting to some of the longer pieces that, sure, are grand in scale but would be a bit more fun for a composer to jump into and really break it all down.

[@FaisLittleWhiteRaven]

The version you listened to was indeed the 'correct' Undertale one: The older versions aren't very well known and the Super Smash Brothers one is just a slightly toned up version that's still being used in reference to Sans here (Super Smash Bros is a fighting game with a roster made up of dozens of characters from different video games and Megalovania was added to the music list when the 'Mii Gunner' was given the option to dress up/look like Sans). --- And er, IDK if you play games so Spoiler warning for everything below: --- And more like it's the theme of Sans (the last unexpected hero) fighting against the genocidal 'megalomaniac' player actually~ ...Which is also why there's so many sad tones to the main 'dudha da da dadada' melody: In every other route of the game Sans is the only monster who never ever fights the player character. He's not always super nice (he drops a lot of friendliness if you kill his sweet and goofy younger brother in a neutral route for instance) and loves to play pranks, but when most other monsters are trying to kill you, Sans just wants to chat, sell a few hotdogs etc... And at the end of each route Sans is the one who fills you in on how things went after you left - how did you change the Underground, how monster kind and he himself feels about those changes etc. He feels very much like the only one who 'gets' the player, consistently has their back, tells them they can do better, etc and that's why facing him in the genocide route is like the ultimate wake up call: You've been awful enough even good ol' lazy Sans wants you dead (which again, even killing his beloved brother doesn't trigger) and he shows you that he 100% was NOT kidding in the other routes when he casually mentioned if he wanted you to be, "y o u ' d b e d e a d w h e r e y o u s t a n d". ...It's also very fitting of where Sans is emotionally when you fight him too. Like, this is the end of the *Genocide* route. Aka the player has already finished most of said genociding... Naturally Sans has a lot of feelings, knowing he was strong enough to have prevented this but didn't because he wanted to believe you could be better. Also there's some meta stuff about Sans knowing he can still get you to potentially 'undo' it all and that 'beyond this point there's no turning back' so he's still got a single, very bitter bit of hope that you can still be 'reasoned' with, even if that's just via him killing you over and over until you rage quit but yeah. Very emotional music that fits both the murderous mania of the player and Sans's determination and grief

[@dingdongbells3314]

Hopes and Dreams/His Theme when? Jokes aside, I'm not afraid to admit that I was OBSESSED with this game and its soundtrack when it came out. While this game has largely drifted out of my life in the, what, DECADE now since then, the music is still nostalgic and will honestly stick with me for the entire rest of my life. Would love to hear your thoughts on some of the other iconic themes

[@Jonas988]

Hey Doug, if you want to continue exploring chiptune music, checking out Tim Follin's works is practically mandatory. Pictionary intro, Solstice intro and Silver Surfer stage 1 for the NES are all true classics.

[@Jonaleko]

Yes please, Tim Follin is one of the pioneers of "how the heck is this guy doing this on this chip?!" and it's simply amazing

[@phred23]

"IT WAS JUST PICTIONARY, TIM!!!" (obligatory response.....) But seriously, Pictionary and Solstice are obligatory listens. If Follin had broken into music a few years earlier, he'd have fronted his own prog rock band.

[@FreeCityOfAtero]

In terms of recommendations of other video game music, a humble suggestion of mine would be a piece from the "Bravely Default" soundtrack. On november 25th 2012, the band Linked Horizon - whose leader composed the game's music - held the “A Travelogue of Luxendarc” concert in the Yokohama Arena, where they performed the soundtrack of the game accompanied by a 100 man orchestra. The track I would recommend is the live version performed during that concert, called "Serpent Devouring The Horizon". It is the song that plays during the final confrontation at the climax of the game's story and incorporates a lot of shifting tones and moods that coincide with the tide of the battle shifting back and forth in favour of our heroes. It's one of the best live performances I've witnessed (in video, I mean, I didn't attend the concert in person) of any video game music piece and should be a treat for a classical composer to disect and analyze!

[@Vege104]

Yes! That concert is freaking sick!

[@valmoer]

While I agree it is a great piece, will it have the same significance if there isn't a whole game of triggering special attacks for *that* musical sequence to call back to?

[@MysteriumArcanum]

I highly recommend you listen to the whole soundtrack of this game. My favorites are Battle Against a True Hero (another song you hear in Genocide) and Fallen Down Reprise which from my understanding is only available in the true pacifist run. This song has been described as the audio version of a hug.

[@carolovo]

Please Doug, react to Dirtmouth, from Hollow Knight game.

[@Yehetto]

This.

[@Zanog89]

Please, this would be awesome! All Hollow Knight soundtracks.

[@runekongstadlarsen7569]

i whould love some hollow knight

[@herb2110]

"Radiance" or "Sealed Vessel" would also be cool

[@fabclippers2632]

all of the hk ost is amazing

[@venomsabre2696]

Just stumbled on this channel and I have absolutely zero clue what your experience with gaming is, but I and pretty much everyone else here REALLY urge you to play Undertale! It is a timeless emotional masterpiece that you won't regret. Even if you don't play it, continue to listen to the soundtrack because it's one of the reasons the game is so good! Also great breakdown!

[@ZachGrahamVGPiano]

I’d love to see you react to some Sonic the Hedgehog music! A great place to start would be the Main Themes of both Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, “Open Your Heart”, and “Live & Learn” respectively, both by the band Crush 40. That could lead you down a whole rabbit hole of Crush 40’s songs for the Sonic series, they’re all phenomenal!! Even other vocal themes that aren’t by Crush 40 are fantastic as well (heck, just about EVERYTHING from Sonic is super top tier, not just the vocal themes! The music is one of the main actors that makes the series so popular!)

[@mantisprayer]

I really appreciate how you read the context of the tracks you listen to it really adds to the videos in my opinion.

[@Rodark_GR]

i really love how he listens to a couple beats and he can already play it on the piano!

[@Salvador-312]

Toby fox is a generational talent, you absolutely need to check out death by glamor by him, another undertale track. The way he layers all the sounds one by one and brings them together in the song as you listen is amazing.

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Next Undertale Song should be Hopes And Dreams/Save The World. Undertale has so many good songs with varying techniques and styles. The detuned piano of Ruins, the electro swing in Dummy, the slow burn ballad Undertale, the time signatures in Heartache, the disco of Death By Glamour, recycling/slowing down songs for ambient sections like Waterfall, the reoccurring motives throughout the game, etc. So many ideas all executed perfectly. Undertale is one of the best Video Game Soundtracks ever, and the game is phenomenal as well.

[@phictionofgrandeur2387]

There's an old game called Castlevania which is probably where the V in Megalovania comes from.

[@raye-raphaelsashay8521]

One of the most iconic boss themes in gaming is Final Fantasy VII's One Winged Angel. It takes inspiration from both classical and rock music, and I've heard its opening be compared to Stravinsky's Right of Spring. It also helps show how gaming music has evolved over the years! One Winged Angel is a very complex piece, and had to use certain tricks to emulate the sound it wanted despite technological limitaions. It's a must listen!

[@felipevieira6503]

im not into at all classical music/orchestral music, but when the undertale anniversary concerto came out i saw it live until the end, amazed. I love undertale music, i listen everytime, doing exercises, simply walking. Its simply amazing.

[@MFMegaZeroX7]

I'll join in the chorus saying the full soundtrack is worth exploring for Undertale. Toby Fox is a great composer, and even uses microtones in some of his tracks..

[@nuggnugg8464]

You have unleashed Pandora's Box delving into Undertale's music.

[@ElNicoDallas]

anytthiing by Darren Korb, specially the Hades soundtrack

[@srudine]

Cool tune & analysis Doug! Catchy.

[@OlBoldNBrash]

Alright you're downright just impressive and I'm subbing

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Maybe now that he's touched on some 8-bit inspired Game Music, he can get to Tim Follin. I vote for the Solstice Theme. Tim is a legendary Video Game Composer from the early days. He could manipulate the sound chips do things others thought impossible. SUPER Prog-Rock inspired stuff, too.

[@Shi1984]

Another great version of this is when it was played by a live orchestra for the game's 5th anniversary. They played a lot of the amazing music from this game. The video is on KZbin, too! Even if you never played the game, you can get an idea of the story from the music.

[@scorpionxiiclips]

Final Fantasy 7's Sound Track was produced by one of the greatest composers.

[@lorelliaod]

The thing that fascinates me about video game music is how it's supposed to loop and not become irritating. Megalovania is an amazing example of this, the entire Undertale soundtrack is a great for this. David Wise is also very good at it; the composer behind the SNES Donkey Kong Country games and Masayoshi Soken of Final Fantasy XIV.

[@rdfan7669]

Hey, I just got here (ie this is the first video of yours that I've watched)! Another game franchise you should definitely check out the soundtrack of is Sonic. From it's genesis (pun entirely intended) in 1991, the Blue Blur has touched upon so many different genres and almost all of them are bangers. Sega Sound Team and its various composers (Jun Senoue, Tomoya Ohtani, Masato Nakamura, Fumie Kumatani, Kenichi Tokoi, Mariko Nanba, Takahito Eguchi, and so on) have ranged from jazz influenced pieces like Spring Yard Zone and Casino Night Zone from the first two games, to high-paced electronic orchestral tracks like Crisis City from Sonic 06, to games like Sonic Frontiers, with a grand total of around 180 tracks, including dramatic ambient music (the island themes), lo-fi (Fishing Vibes), EDM (Cyber Space levels) and suddenly full-on heavy metal featuring the lead singer from Sleeping With Sirens (Kellin Quinn) and the guitarist from Megadeth for the Titan boss battle themes (Undefeatable, Break Through It All, Find Your Flame, I'm Here - Revisited*). I know I'm not a Patron, but I'd definitely suggest checking it out. *The Revisited version was used for the final boss of the DLC expansion, but the original version of I'm Here is the main theme of the game with a different singer (Merry Kirk-Holmes). Both versions are fire!

[@phlutogd3512]

NO WAY, I just saw the first reaction to Doom and went to your channel looking for this SPECIFICALLY.

[@AStandsForFrench]

Megalovania is a fantastic piece of music. It's energetic, it's hoppy, it's frenetic. But underneath all of the high-octane, near-overwhelming notes flying at you, there is that one constant undertone of pure menace. it's there throughout almost the entire song, no matter what is going on. Toby Fox is so incredibly good at crafting simple, but powerful musical tracks.

[@spiridiums]

I genuinely consider Toby Fox a genius because his compositions are thematic, unexpected, and overall brilliant. There's one song in particular that you literally cannot play on a keyboard because it was digitally tuned to a key that doesn't exist on traditional keyboards. Megalovania is the cornerstone of his musical works simply because it never lets up, just like the boss fight that accompanies it, but you never get tired of it because it changes itself up just enough to always be interesting. So glad I got to hear your thoughts on this!

[@Complecx]

This song always reminds me of the 1970s Rush song, La Villa Strangiato. I can never unhear the melody its about 5 minutes 40 seconds in.

[@Haddcore]

I just looked it up. I hear it. but I think it's actually the melody from Powerhouse by Raymond Scott Quintette (the part starting at around 1 minute 20 seconds)

[@Complecx]

@@Haddcore Bruuuuuhhhhh i cant unhear powerhouse! Ill miss my melodonic guitar. Doug did a good job explaining where he thinks the inspiration though. Be easy homie.

[@Complecx]

Its like the RPG summoners melody thats passed down every 50 years to slay the beast of outer world.

[@Haddcore]

@@Complecx now we wait for the next iteration

[@ateapot292]

If you continue doing video game music, you have to check out some songs from Risk of Rain 2. "The Rain Formerly Known as Purple", "The Raindrop That Fell to the Sky", or "... con lentitud poderosa"

[@Incompetent_Hero]

RoR 1 and 2 have amazing soundtracks, Chris Christadolou did some fantastic work

[@finnkoeweit]

Anything by Chris Christodoulou would be amazing

[@fabclippers2632]

chris is god

[@Big_Funi_Official]

hollow Knight is another indie game with stellar music, there are themes and motifs all throughout the game. The culmination is in the fight against the titular Hollow Knight where the main themes are reintroduced in the final battle (Or penultimate depending on the ending you want). I would Highly recommend the track Sealed Vessel from the Hollow Knight soundtrack!

[@Vege104]

I’ve really enjoyed your video game and anime music reactions. I would love to see you react to the music from my favorite game franchise, Xenoblade Chronicles. The track called 'Moebius Battle' would be a great starting point.

[@Battleaxe322]

Hello, saw this on my recommended. I believe you should analize more of these music games. I enjoy the break downs and though process of what each song could represent in a game. Maybe a live reaction to a whole game soundtrack if it were possible.

[@raye-raphaelsashay8521]

Something you may be interested in as a composer is the Undertale 5th anniversary concert! It's an orchestrated performance of select songs from the soundtrack that was streamed on youtube. It's a great performance, and really shows off how great Toby's composing is. To emulate the sound of Megalovania, a soloist plays an electronic wind instrument (an Akai EWI, I think.) It's very cool!

[@rokkraljkolesa9317]

if you still read comments on older videos, I'd like to suggest Shadow of the Colossus and its soundtrack the context of the game is that you (a guy named Wander) travelled to the Forbidden Lands in order to resurrect a girl named Mono, who was sacrificed due to a "cursed fate", and so an entity calling themself Dormin gives you the task of slaying 16 colossi there are a number of tracks that play during the battles, so I'll highlight a few notable ones: -Grotesque Figures - a track that plays at the start of the battles against colossi 1 and 6 -The Opened Way - a track that plays in the later parts of battles against 1, 3, 4, and 15 -Revived Power - another track played in later parts of a battle, against 2, 6, and 11 -In Awe of the Power - at the start of the 3rd and in later phases of 4, 12, and 13 -A Messenger From Behind - in the game, the eyes of colossi glow orange when they're attacking, and during the fight against the 10th (this is its theme) its eyes are almost always orange -A Despair-filled Farewell - later phases of 5, 8, 11, and 14 -Demise of the Ritual - the theme of the 16th colossus, and right before you reach it your horse falls off a cliff, her fate unclear -special mention to The End of the Battle - as the name implies, once a colossus has been felled

[@contentconsumer963]

Doug, Thank you, I love these breakdowns. I enjoy a good reaction from a tempered expert. Moreover, I love that you choose the music of my people. Something the world easily overlooks, despite its obvious greatness.

[@JosaphLibhius]

"it's raining somewhere else" "Another Medium" "hopes and dreams" "death by glamour" "Water Fall"... tem tantas outras musicas insanas em Undertale que poderia fazer uma lista extensa. Tem tambem as de Deltarune tipo "the field of hopes and dreams" essa é insana de boa.

[@ezergilechimekazikura6855]

What amazes me to this day about this melody is it's structural perfection which has been tested and verified by people making various renditions of this with it's beats swapped in places, which started from "Megalovania but beats 2 and 4 are swapped" video.

[@phictionofgrandeur2387]

If you liked Megalovania, check out Battle Against a True Hero. It's another genocide song, for when you battle Undyne after killing everyone who led up to her.

[@brianarsuaga5008]

10:00 And also, I would really enjoy a full cover, by you, of this song. There've been other "plaintive" interpretations. Yours was really pretty.

[@The_Gaming_Guy-s]

The song gets way better with the fight in the background too. Adds to the intenseness.

[@kyleevans5806]

Whoa, whoa, whoa..., I want to hear the rest of that slow piano version he had going, that was really good!

[@nobody.of.importance]

I think the absolute best soundtracks I've EVER heard in my thirty years of gaming are for Journey, originally released on the PS3 and composed by the legendary Austin Wintory, and the soundtrack for both Ori games, the Blind Forest and the Will of the Wisps. Of course, tastes vary, but those are my absolute top video game soundtracks of all time. If you want a specific track, I'd highly recommend Apotheosis, the final track that plays in Journey. It's *transcendent.* For Ori, I'd recommend the song "Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark". If you can find the video with the actual escape to, it gets your heart pounding, it's a total rush!

[@Sidnv]

There's so much great music in video game soundtracks. It's hard to give single track recommendations but if I had to pick one, Doom Dragon from Golden Sun: The Lost Age would be mine. It's an incredible prog rock song masquerading as a jrpg boss fight, the composer Motoi Sakuraba is an accomplished prog composer and has made some of the best video game music ever (Tales series, Dark Souls, Golden Sun, Mario Tennis). Other than that, there are the standard recommendations of music from the Final Fantasy Series (Final Fantasy 6/10/13/14 having many of my favorites) and Zelda.

[@oh7mak]

hell march by frank klepacki is a classic

[@SuperGuy250]

10:14 bro out here making the piano version

[@pokeholicmaster]

If you're looking for some real "final boss" sounding epicness, you absolutely need to listen to 'Bullug Gegbug Ibgabiug Gixcure Dagabciea Fuic' by Keygan Church. It'll blow your mind

[@FlaminFaux]

Undertale is one of my favorite games, and what an intro to your channel! Already watched several other videos (The Boxer, several Dire Straits, some Anime, and others). Love hearing you play along to the music and play around with the progressions! A few recommendations from another favorite game series: Ace Combat! An arcade-y flight action game series hailing from the 90's to the modern day. Firstly: Zero, from Ace Combat 0 for the PS2 (preferably with the Morgan intro) Second: The Unsung War, from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, Ps2 Thirdly: The Liberation of Gracemeria from 6: Fires of Liberation, Xbox 360 And Lastly for now: Daredevil from 7: Skies Unknown. Various systems.

[@rainmorga]

Sans is not evil. Megalovania plays when a nihilistic individual tries a futile attempt to save really.

[@legendarytronic7774]

I like how he plays it and like deconstructs it himself.

[@juvygenius]

I have a feeling you would really enjoy the Undertale OST overall. One thing Toby Fox does incredibly with the compositions is a combination of motifs and tempo. You will hear specific note progressions reoccur and it has even been shown that certain compositions are reused entirely just by shifting the tempo in a manner that somehow still makes it seem unique. Most likely an advantage that comes from using chiptune to accomplish.

[@containsbromelain9371]

Honestly anything by Toby Fox is sure to be an absolute treat to listen to/ analysd

[@kazecloud2916]

Toby has come a long way from how he got started doing little songs in the Earthbound Halloween room hack to doing music in the last Pokemon game. He even had the Japanese philharmonic play the whole Undertale soundtrack during coivd. If you wanna listen to more of Toby's boss music, I'd suggest the two secret bosses from his new game Deltarune the first song is called "The World Revolving" the second song is called "Big Shot" I've always loved listening to Toby's music especially when I'm drawing.

[@joecassidy2887]

per your early comment on the limited sound stage, Megalovania (and the rest of Undertales music) is composed to resemble the super early soudtracks of games that were synthesized on very limited 80s/90s hardware.

[@shawnplaysgam3s835]

undertale's OST really is amazing, and conveys a wide range of emotion. the themes themselves usually paint a pretty good picture of what's happening in the story at a given time. if you want more great boss themes from this game, some good ones are battle against a true hero, death by glamour, ASGORE, hopes and dreams (this one is actually split into two parts, the first song being "hopes and dreams" and the second being "SAVE the world") its not just the boss themes that are amazing, too. some of my favorite tracks from the game aren't boss themes, and instead add a lot of emotional impact and weight to the scenes they're in - Undertale (yes, the track is named after the game), Fallen Down (Reprise), and Waterfall

[@Caffin8tor]

Another great game soundtrack from a independent and individual game developer is Stardew Valley. The game, made by a single person is a laid back farm sim/adventure game similar to the Harvest Moon games.

[@volstatsz]

Watching you listen to it and immediately be able to jam out and riff on the theme is so awesome! In terms of the name of the song, it's a play on a couple of concepts in gaming parlance - a "Metroidvania" is a common term for a specific kind of game, derived from the games "Metroid" and "Castlevania." Another game in that genre from the same era, "Mega Man," is well-known for its outstanding soundtrack, of which Megalovania is very reminiscent. Smash them together, add a riff on megalomania as a nod to the moment as a boss fight, and perfection. It's possibly too short to make a good video of listening and analyzing it, but look up Dr. Wily's Castle if you want an example of the kind of music Toby's drawing inspiration from with this piece.

[@FatalisReigns]

Thanks for the reaction Doug, been looking forward to this one. I hope you will check out "Hopes and Dreams" and "His Theme" from Undertale as well, one day. They are so compelling.

[@rexamillion8446]

Oh man I swear you could do an entire series alone to Undertales music its all so beautiful and unique to every character and you can practically feel the personalities of these character through their music.

[@C____1-2]

I'm hoping he does this. I absolutely love this guy

[@genesisgryphon1582]

Sep 17, 2021: Deltarune Ch 2 releases Sep 19, 2024: Doug listens to Megalovania Cold day in Hell: Deltarune Ch 3 + 4 release EDIT: I saw another video by Davi Vasc where he pointed out ASGORE uses microtones. Might also be a neat suggestion.

[@Kagedtiger]

If you haven't already, you might check out some of the music from Journey. One of the most amazing art games out there, with maybe my favorite soundtrack in gaming. My personal favorite from the game is "Apotheosis", but there are quite a few amazing tracks you could listen to.

[@MoRiSeR_]

While I do think that Megalovania is a great soundtrack in general I believe that Toby Fox has created way better tracks for UNDERTALE. (That, and as you already know he created everything for the game himself, besides getting lots of help with the art of the game but he programmed, wrote, designed and composed for the game all himself. And despite him being unknown to the gaming space before release, UNDERTALE took over the internet within a month. Not even Toby Fox was prepared for this but even afraid of all the attention he was suddenly getting. Even so UNDERTALE wasn’t even the main game he was planning on making. He just wanted to make UNDERTALE to prove to himself that he could make games I believe, and so he could make „deltarune“ the game he really wanted to make. (2/7 chapters for deltarune are out right now and deltarune is a much larger game than UNDERTALE.)) (TL;DR (wich stands for Too Long, Didn’t Read in case you didn’t know) at the bottom. In detail explanation of the context (MASSIVE SPOILERS) for the track: In the game you can make many different choices. Most players when they first play the game just think it’s like every other RPG where you FIGHT the bad guys and win and save the world. But as the game progresses the game makes it clearer that you could’ve chosen to not kill anyone and tries to make the player feel guilty for their actions of killing all the monsters (because turns out the monsters are just regular people with their own society under a mountain because they’ve been banished there by the humans because of a way caused by prejudice from the humans). You can then RESET your save file and play the game again from the start and make different choices that will alter the story. Lot’s of players will then try to not kill anyone in their second playthrough and instead befriend everyone instead. (I just said „instead“ twice…) this will end the game with a happy and fullfilling ending where all the monsters are freed from the underground living happily on the surface with the humans. (It’s probably been like 2000 years since the monsters were trapped so all the humans on the surface probably didn’t even know monsters existed anymore. Or it’s implied at least.) But then some players might think… „What happens if I make different choices?“ „What happens if I kill everyone?“ And that leads you down the genocide route where you actively seek out monsters to kill so you can gain EXP and gain as much LV as possible and become stronger and stronger and stronger. This will be very boring since you literally just gotta walk around until a monster appears over and over and over and over. Monsters will run and hide leaving notes begging you not to kill their family. Monsters will fight you only to die in a singular hit because of how strong you’ve become. One monster will even put up a fight and kill you multiple times (most likely) before eventually dying like all the others. But then at the end of the game there is one final pushback. A character who the player previously only knew as „the funny joke character who always makes funny pranks and tells funny jokes“. sans the skeleton. He knows about the player‘s ability to save, load and reset and therefore tries to stop you from going further by killing you over and over and over and over and over and over until you eventually give up. sans is not the villain. You are the villain. You tried to kill and entire race because you „can“. And because you „can“ you „have to“. You have to know what happens. But he tries to put a challenge in front of you so hard and frustrating that you eventually just give up. But eventually after memorizing his attacks from all your attempts at fighting sans you eventually tire him out and are finally able to strike him down. Megalovania is the boss theme for sans having to fight YOU! Not you him. (Megalomaniac: a person who has an obsessive desire for power.) Also Megalovania existed before UNDERTALE and used in projects Toby was a part of before UNDERTALE but he made a new version of the track for UNDERTALE in the context of the geno route. UNDERTALE was released in 2015. TL;DR: UNDERTALE subverts the „kill the bad guys to save the world trope“ by having the monsters just be regular people and giving you a choice to FIGHT and kill them or give them MERCY and spare them and befriend them. But once you know that you have this choice you might wanna know what happens when you kill everyone and after having caused mass-genocide sans the skeleton is the final attempt of trying to stop you from ending the world out of curiosity/boredom and tries to kill you over and over until you give up. Megalovania is the boss theme for sans having to fight YOU! Not you him. (Megalomaniac: a person who has an obsessive desire for power.) (Also Megalovania existed before UNDERTALE and used in projects Toby was a part of before UNDERTALE but he made a new version of the track for UNDERTALE in the context of the geno route. UNDERTALE was released in 2015.) Also I could barely hear what you were saying despite the headphones on over the music. Please either turn down the volume in future videos or pause the music when talking or give subtitles or turn down the volume while talking if you can. Please and thank you. Edit: One recommendation I have is „Long Elevator“ from UNDERTALE.

[@Wirenfeldt1990]

Hell yeah! Megalovania is my favorite music genre!

[@bryanchen7628]

Personally I'm a huge fan of music from the Guilty Gear series of games, composed by series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari, who is heavily inspired by metal and rock, particularly bands like Queen! I think you'd really enjoy it!

[@MrJeree95]

Undertale has probably the best soundtrack for any indie game ever, and one of the best for any game full stop.

[@triangleman2627]

In terms of video game composers to check out, other people have also recommended greats like Lena Raine (known mostly for the Celeste soundtrack, but she's also done songs for Minecraft), Yoko Shimomura (an industry legend who's done work on a ton of different games), and Christopher Larkin (Hollow Knight), but I definitely suggest checking out any of ZUN's music! He's the developer and composer of the Touhou games, and he's amazingly talented. U.N. Owen Was Her? and Flowering Night are probably two of his most well-known songs, but the series is full of fantastic compositions.

[@Airlord3670]

Man Doug keeps ending up with the loops haha! Though a lot of these are only some 150 seconds otherwise so makes sense. Also Undertale is 9 years old which hurt my aging soul but I can still feel my sins crawling on my back when this kicks in. Kinda wish Doug had watched some gameplay footage at the end to understand why it’s such a frenetic, dancey beat. Once again putting out Rivers in the Desert though, made no P5 music has made it here but I do like Doug’s habit of surprising us!

[@GeoffPlays]

For another video game suggestion, I'd say check out Coils of Light from Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen! Somewhat operatic, it's the song that plays when you face the final boss of BitterBlack Isle, a giant dungeon that was added for the Dark Arisen DLC.

[@Therealbearden]

Undertale is full to the gills of excellent music

[@noahpauley]

I really recommend you check out the soundtrack for Marvel Vs Capcom 2. Key tracks I would look at is Character Select, Clock Tower Stage, and Clown Stage. It’s a fighting game crossover between Marvel and Capcom (they made Street Fighter, Megaman, Resident Evil, etc.). It’s truly one of the best games/fighting games of all time.

[@acarbonbasedlifeform70]

Damn I love that game and its music. Helped me get through some rough times in 2015.

[@chrisistopher]

I highly recommend you check out music from the Castlevania (or even Bloodstained) games. My three biggest recommendations would be the Chapel theme from Aria of Sorrow, Wood Carving Partita from Symphony of the Night, and Luxurious Overture from Bloodstained Ritual of the Night.

[@SparkySparkSparkles]

Doug, Brilliant deduction calling this a dance track. I am a Metalhead that loves this song and you nailed it! Bravo!

[@OVTRA]

a whole UNDERTALE soundtrack listening along/listening party/reaction video would be peak.

[@alphaenemyplus8376]

Finally something GOOD!!!! Love that chromatic descent to the tritone.

[@hirschftw8337]

Megalovania is both Sans’ battle music and you the player’s music. When you first fight Sans the overwhelming nature of his attacks and bending of the game mechanics seem like the battle music is his. But as you die over and over and learn his attacks, the battle music becomes the representation of your determination to win and the thrill of having such an intense fight. The music becomes more and more of something that pushes you to keep going until you reach your goal. That is why it resonates with so many people who have fought sans.

[@Mako0123]

Nice one! You could do the other songs for the alternative routes, specially the pacifist ("hopes and dreams" which is followed by "save the world"). It is more connected with the motifs that you encounter throughout the game (listen "Undertale"). Oh man those themes makes me so emotional and hopeful, I really like them. Megalovania is kinda like pure ego and evilness in a way, doing the genocide route is tough for everybody due to the things you do, this battle theme is only a mixture of your evil ego against Sans who is trying to stop you as the last resistance left

[@ericestrada3530]

These video game OST reactions are so fun to watch! I'd love to see your reaction to the Wizard101: Arcanum | Combat 1 Theme, it's a really epic song that's heard much later in the game after you've already become a paragon of wizardry

[@SylviusTheMad]

There are some amazing pieces of music in many of the Castlevania games.

[@GhostyBlak]

Hey Doug. I'd highly recommend you react to soundtracks from ULTRAKILL, especially the track called "The death of god's will" . If you want a maximal experience, please look up the version on KZbin that has voicelines from Gabriel in it, as it is the best version. Thank you for your content, keep it up!

[@lightningquiz7924]

If you're interested in more Undertale music, I'd check out either Hopes and Dreams or A Battle Against a True Hero. Hopes and Dreams is the final boss theme for the pacifist route and it has a very different, more upbeat feel while still being epic and dramatic. A Battle Against a True Hero is in the genocide route and the song plays when you fight the character Undyne the Undying and is the 2nd hardest boss in the game. This song is also very epic but it has a subtle somberness to it yet hope as well. I hope you have a lovely day!