Exploring the Musical Inspirations Behind Undertale

Toby Fox, before creating Undertale, composed music for Homestuck. This webcomic's influence is evident in his quirky, melodic style. Undertale's tracks carry a storytelling element reminiscent of Homestuck's musical approach.

Fox's Undertale soundtrack draws heavily from EarthBound, with its nostalgic, chiptune-esque sound. The game's humorous, yet heartfelt tone is echoed in tracks like 'Home' and 'Snowy'.

While EarthBound influenced the quirky side of Fox's music, MOTHER 3 impacted the emotional depth. Songs like 'His Theme' mirror the sentimentality and character-driven storytelling seen in MOTHER 3's score.

The rich, complex compositions of Yasunori Mitsuda for Chrono Trigger inspired Fox. Undertale's 'Megalovania' shares similarities with Chrono Trigger's battle themes, both in intensity and melodic intricacy.

Toby Fox was influenced not just by music but by Shigesato Itoi's design philosophy. Itoi's emphasis on personal storytelling is mirrored in Undertale's music, creating a unique emotional connection with players.

Daisuke 'Pixel' Amaya's work on Cave Story, an indie game with a memorable soundtrack, showed Fox the potential of solo game development. Undertale's 'Heartache' reflects the intimate, pixel-art game influence.

Nobuo Uematsu's use of leitmotifs in Final Fantasy series inspired Fox to use recurring themes throughout Undertale's soundtrack. This technique helps to weave a cohesive narrative through music alone.