The Undertale Determination Symphony, held at Kansas City's Kauffman Center, provided an evening of pleasant music and enthusiastic audience participation. However, a notable point of contention arose from the concert's song selection and ordering, leaving some attendees perplexed by the omissions and inclusions.
The concert commenced with a chronological sequence of tracks, including "Once Upon a Time," "Your Best Friend," "Fallen Down," "Ruins," "Home," "Heartache," "sans," and "Snowy." This initial segment followed the game's narrative progression, setting a clear and expected path for the performance.
Divergent Setlist and Puzzling Omissions
The program took a more unconventional turn following the early tracks. The setlist notably skipped over content related to Papyrus before proceeding to "Snowdin Town" and "Waterfall." The inclusion of "Temmie Village" and "Spooktune" by a symphony orchestra was described as inexplicable. While "NGAHHH!!!" and "Spear of Justice" were placed roughly in their expected positions, significant portions of the game, such as the entirety of Hotland and the Core, were bypassed in favor of tracks like "Spider Dance" and "It's Raining Somewhere Else." Act 1 concluded with the finale music for the game: "Undertale," "Small Shock," "Bergentruckung," and "ASGORE," a choice acknowledged as a strong closing for the act.
Act 2 continued with a similarly scattered approach, revisiting earlier game sections in a disorganized fashion before culminating in the True Ending boss battle music and, thankfully, "Megalovania." The author conceded that arranging a full game soundtrack for a concert necessitates omissions and that some structural choices, like placing "ASGORE" as an Act 1 finale, were understandable.
However, the specific choices of which songs to exclude were described as baffling. Several critically acclaimed pieces were absent, while tracks such as "Temmie Village," "Spooktune," and the "Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans" were included.
A List of Confounding Exclusions
Among the most bewildering omissions were:
Can You Really Call This A Hotel, I Didn’t Receive A Mint On My Pillow Or Anything: This track, essentially a jazzy remix of the main Undertale theme, was felt to be a missed opportunity, especially given the inclusion of "Memory," which shares a melody with "His Theme."
Stronger Monsters: The battle theme for "Hard Mode" was considered a cool, perky addition that could have served as a transition to other battle themes.
An Ending: This piano rendition of "Ruins" was suggested as a potential segue into the true ending songs, offering a fitting finale.
Reunited: As one of the longer tracks, its exclusion was attributed to concert length constraints. The author expressed confusion over not including a direct sequence of "Hopes and Dreams/SAVE the World/His Theme/Reunited/Bring It In, Guys!/Last Goodbye" to conclude Act 2.
Quiet Water: A brief 32-second track, it was deemed a perfect fit to follow "Waterfall" or bridge "Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap" and "Dummy!"
Here We Are: This haunting map theme, one of two major omissions, was expected to be explored orchestrally, perhaps paired with "Amalgam" for an unsettling effect.
Start Menu/Menu (Full): This track was envisioned as an opener for Act 2, gradually building in complexity and instrumentation.
Bring It In, Guys!/Last Goodbye: The exclusion of the game's credit themes was speculated to be due to difficulties in staging visuals. The poignant final piano melody, performed live by Toby Fox in the game, was particularly missed.
Another Medium: As the primary theme for Hotland, a substantial game area, its absence was described as genuinely incomprehensible.
Battle Against a True Hero: This Undyne theme was considered a standout piece that deserved a place, ideally as an encore alongside "Megalovania."
Enemy Approaching: The omission of the game's standard battle theme was highlighted as a particularly perplexing oversight, given its fundamental role in the game's soundtrack.