Undertale: The Determination Symphony World Tour – Malaysia Concert Is A Big Treat For Long-Standing Fans

Undertale fans and followers of indie auteur Toby Fox from Malaysia were given an aural treat this week.

On September 28, game music aficionados and indie game enthusiasts across the peninsula got a treat unlike any other: the debut of the Undertale: Determination Symphony Orchestra Tour in sunny-side Malaysia. The concert took place at Plenary Hall, KLCC, with its pitch-perfect acoustics and meticulously laid-out seating arrangements for concert-goers, spanning the ground and top area.

As 8pm hit, the concert started with the main theme of the game, accompanied with game’s early parts. Conductor Thanapol Setabrahmana and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra from Singapore did the live arrangements of the original OST justice, as fans cheered loudly for their favourite characters like Muffet, Undyne, Greater Dog, Papyrus (and his date scene), and Sans.

Our top picks of the auspicious evening are “Bergentruckung/Asgore” complete with the sound bites that precede the second track, “Death by Glamour”, “Spider Dance”, “Hope and Dreams/Save the World” wombo combo, and “Megalovania”. Granted, the last two songs are expected and would be the top picks to close out the show lest the organisers want a riot on their hands. However, the aforementioned songs are pulled off spectacularly. The arrangements just sound damn good in orchestral from, with the talented orchestra bringing the already full-of-life synth-heavy soundtrack to a higher musical level with strings, percussion, brass, and piano keys. The playful demeanour of “Spider Dance” and energetic bop of “Death by Glamour” are brought out in full force in this live setting.

My only nitpick is the mixing and output for “Your Best Nightmare”; the song and arrangement is fine, but it was a bit too loud even for the Plenary Hall acoustics.

Even when the concert ended, the energy of the place was still active and abound as cosplayers and fans talked about how awesome the show was while getting their photo ops sorted. I did ask around about their favourite tracks: they’re mostly the last two songs and “Asgore” though it was hard for them to pick just one as they were floored by the entire performance.

All in all, it was truly a night full of hope and dreams and determination for fans of Toby Fox’s Undertale. Here’s to 10 years of celebrating this influential indie wonder, and here’s to more orchestras that elevate indie game music further, loud and proud.