Game Composer Hears BONETROUSLE for the First Time - UNDERTALE 

Hey, I'll PROBABLY stream some more Undertale tomorrow on the gameplay channel! You should catch up to the first ep of the playthrough: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JHxQCEf2Vf8.html

Papyrus is a fun character, because most of the time he does come off as just a goofy, funny guy, with high energy and big dreams, but if you pay attention I can definitely understand him being deeper than he seems. Some of the comments he makes come across as him being very lonely and wishing he had more friends, as well as showing concern for his brother, but he always pushes it aside to try and remain positive for everyone else around him!

This guy has said "Wait what, it's over?" or something to that effect at the end of every single Undertale song, and frankly I think that's fucking hilarious XDD

Watching someone listen to the Undertale soundtrack for the first time is a sight to behold. What a godlike OST

I would love to see metal crushed or death by glamour be broken down because they are complex and well thought out

I always felt that the "emotional" part of bonetrousle sounded more of a high figure or almost royal like, so I associated that part to Papyrus' dream of joining the royal guard.

You’re definitely not wrong, Papyrus does go through some inner conflict during his fight with you. He debates whether or not to capture you for the sake of attention and fame from the masses, or leave you be and keep one true friend.

Papyrus gives off a goofy, fun vibe whilst maintaining a certain degree of intelligence, like a "Haha ive yet to draw my trap card" and i fricking love it. Hes 2015% the best character.

That "pff- what-" in the end fricking killed me, I haven't laughed that hard in a while, that little last note always sounds the most quirky and funny to me

the mention of the underlying parts of sadness and tension makes me think of a very specific detail - usually, when monsters offer to SPARE you, their defense goes down! however, if you're doing a genocide run, happy-go-lucky, oblivious seeming papyrus offers to SPARE you... and his defense goes up. he's not naive, he's being nice on purpose. really goes to subtly show that he's not just a cartoony maniac, there's depth going on. love the channel, just subscribed :]

I’d say the emotional part of the song plays more into drama as Papyrus is a very dramatic character, so having this part of the theme and seems to play into how he presents himself as a serious, painting-like, epic figure. Gives me the vibes of the balled of a fancy chivalrous lord or great noble knight.

It's very interesting that you caught the intensity of the percussion so quickly. It has a slight bit of significance that you're missing the context for, but you'll get it soon enough when you continue with your playthrough c:

It's very interesting you bring up the tense chords and the subject of betrayal. This is for the most part, just supposed to be a goofy fight. Papyrus is a kind of lovable goofball character. The only thing relating to betrayal I can think of is that his brother warns you not to hurt him. It's a very clear boundary. It doesn't matter if you do a neutral run or a genocide run. Sans will deem you unforgivable if you hurt Papyrus

This song actually has an extended version for the trailers! I recommend it SPOILERS FOR YOU, DO NOT READ: I love how this song aligns so well with how Papyrus faces his fight with you. He's very distracted and yet manages to have more stats than the next boss, and will never kill you (which is more self-control than even Toriel, who is EXTREMELY POWERFUL, displays). He's just preparing for a date and overstuffing his ears 5:25 Yeah he REALLY doesn't want to fight you. If you lose thrice to him he will let you go

6:40 This notes represent the all-consuming fear that you'll never be as cool as him

Love to see people educated in music theory explain WHY Undertale’s music is so emotionally effective. For someone like me that is so perplexed why it gives a huge emotional impact, there’s some science to back the emotion. I love it! I’d love to see more! I’d love your take on the three songs Ghost Fight, Dummy! and Spider Dance, since they’re all connected and SUPER fun

You actually described Papyrus' character very well. He's fun, he's silly, he's goofy. But he has a deepness that is so hidden that I think many people haven't completely noticed it. It took me a very long time to see more than the surface Papyrus. That's not to say that Papyrus you see isn't the true Papyrus - he just has more layers than that. And you caught on to that with the chords. I love hearing your thoughts on these songs because you point out these subtleties that I don't catch in the music.

Something that would delight me would be actually getting to see your playthrough of this game. I would really enjoy seeing your reaction to the music, and your thoughts on the theory as you play. That would be wonderful!

it's interesting to hear you talk about Papyrus's theme, because honestly, the canonical information we have about him... is actually very limited. (potential spoiler and maybe headcanon territory from here on out, you've been warned) the crazy mix of chords, combined with the playful and cartoonish melody, paint a sort of unclear picture. right of the bat, this fits Papyrus well. a lot about him, we just simply... don't know. he's incredibly vague even when talking about himself. we don't know much about Sans either, but Papyrus is a whole other level. what we do see, though, is that he's a wacky and fun skeleton dude. the disturbing/tense/sad/happy chords being hidden underneath the wacky melody is something that I feel is very true to his character. we see his happy energy on the surface, but we have no idea about what's there underneath. from his conversations and phone calls, you CAN sorta hypothesize a few things. one, the dude is pretty lonely. he seems to hang out only with his brother and Undyne (maybe Flowey as well, but whether that's a genuine friendship or not is truly open to interpretation), and as a result, he is very, very excited to become your friend. and although he hangs out with Undyne, does he recognize that as a genuine friendship? or does he convince himself that this is just royal guard training? so anyway, I think having a couple of sad chords there, hidden deeply underneath the happy ones, may actually be very fitting for him. two, Papyrus doesn't seem to actually want to fight you, at least in the same way that most other monsters do. he's fighting to prove himself worthy of the royal guard. it's a similar vibe to him turning away the gauntlet of deadly terror; he doesn't seem to want to truly, genuinely harm anyone. and although in his fight he will only allow you to get down to 1 HP (he won't ever kill you), even then he still lets you pass by after a few tries. he even voices second thoughts before initializing the fight in the first place. but the bottom line is that he wants to prove himself. so he follows through. (for the record, I'm of the opinion that Papyrus is also most likely holding waaaay back during his fight. which, combined with his dialogue, really shows that his heart is not actually in it. but he still follows through.) anyway, there's that tension. I'd be tense too. another note on tension: he knows that if the human passes through, they'll be in waterfall and Undyne will be out for them. if he doesn't want to harm the human, he wouldn't want Undyne to harm them either. which means he shouldn't let the human pass. but then that means HE has to stop them. but then that means fighting harder. but he doesn't REALLY want to fight to harm. gahh!!! the underlying happy chords could come from a number of things. maybe he's hopeful that he'll succeed and make the royal guard. maybe he's just enjoying showing off some of his cool attacks. maybe he's optimistic that the human will do good for monsters, or that he's making a new friend. or maybe he really is a generally cheerful and optimistic guy. the disturbing chords could come from really anything. the human could choose, during this fight, to do something morally terrible. also, remember we truly know very little information about Papyrus, his past, etc. I don't have anything specific to speculate here as there's really nothing rooted in the game itself to suggest... anything at all about this, actually. it could be dark, it could be joyful, it could be entirely mundane. but I guess again, that really does go along with the mix of chords. who knows? not us! we can only guess. and of course, I don't think I need to say much about the melody itself. it's entertaining, it's cool, it's funny, it's a bit "out there." fits Papyrus perfectly anyway, I really love bonetrousle and Papyrus. thanks for reading if you're still here!!

I think this might be the most insight I've seen about Papyrus in a long while, a large majority of the time people are thinking only of Sans and the mysteries around him but almost never Papyrus It's a nice change

A touch from the game itself is how Bonetrousle has two variants, with the percussion kicking in after his famous "BLUE ATTACK." Like "ok, now the battle actually begins!"

When it comes to the chords at the end I like to think that tension is when Papyrus first meets a human, the sadness is that they're not what he expected, and the last 2 happy chords is him being happy with the friendship he makes with the human.

It’s just a matter of time for you to realize in game that again everything you said is insanely accurate.

It's amazing how well these songs are designed. It's awesome that someone can analyze the song without much, if any, context from the game and manage to pinpoint the emotions of a fight with such accuracy.

I mean i understand sad chords in Papyrus song. Spoilers for anyone that never played Undertale below. He wants to be in Royal Guard but have cooking lessons instead. But he is happy because thanks to them he made Undyne his best friend and believe this is part of his training to be in Royal Guard ♡ he is just a softball that wants to be friends with everyone. And sad notes might come from also wanting to be like his brother Sans and foreshadowing him trying to stop Frisk on genocide route and wanting to befriend them hoping it will stop hostility but Papyrus payed with his life for his kind heart and that is sad.

Toby Fox isn't a music composer, he's the music itself. By that I mean, even after many years the OST is still catchy.

the "drama" in the latter part of the theme is definitly supposed to represent the character's mixed feelings about you in the moment

I never realized the depth in Bone Trousle. thank to you i once again realize how great creator the Toby Fox is. the way you described the song really depict the character, silly yet have lit of hidden depth

AWESOME! He's now covering bonetrousle! :D I'm excited since its one of my favs :3

Bonetrousle always struck me as an aggressively confident song- like a grimacing expression of somewhat wry amusement. It's goofy and rediculous, but there was always something offputting behind all of that. I just never understood why until this breakdown. Such a good take! You always hit the nail on the head with these.

I really hope someone else is editing these vids and keeping him blind to the stuff that we (the viewers) are seeing here, so he can continue to have a really great (mostly) blind playthrough. If so, then thank you so much for both the excellent work and keeping our boy blind to the details so he can see them with fresh eyes!

I haven't watched past 5:20 yet, but something I hope he mentions is that the big drum is getting hit on each downbeat, making the upbeat more noticeable via contrast

I love seeing you just completely understand characters and the plot of Undertale just by listening to the tracks

0:48 he's straight up vibin 😂

5:12 🤔Maybe this is further supporting evidence for the "papyrus doesn't blink" theory.(the idea that- papyrus is not trying at all, and he's holding back a lot.) Maybe it's not true, but given he's brother with SANS, and undying makes a comment on Pyparus strength despite his kindness holding him back(or something along those lines). Makes me think that the musical disturbing/neutral undertone is another hidden indicator of Pyparus holding back and making his personality/goofy-ness play center stage and distract from how scary strong he might be.

You should listen to tracks 87-91(they are all in the same fight) it's about 8 minutes in total starting with "Hopes and Dreams" and ending at "Final Power" (edited to remove spoilers :^))

This is great timing! Just starting to learn this song on piano right now, it's pretty simple and upbeat :)

Listening to Bonetrousle on this video, closing my eyes and really paying attention to it properly for the first time... It keeps making me think "a circus at a graveyard, but in an old-time Disney way". Like it's a companion to "Spooky Scary Skeletons", emotion-wise.

The part that you said sounds different and more dramatic is up for interpretation, but I personally see it as a reflection of the character's greatest strength (and weakness). The character is silly and goofy in general, as is portrayed in much of the song, but he's also very supportive of the people around him and is determined to see (and bring out) only the best in people. The dramatic part of his theme always sounded to me like acknowledgement of the courage it takes to wholeheartedly believe in the people around you, and the heroic amount of positive impact you can have on the world by taking that leap.

I feel like this ost hides something, but it's not about papyrus, but the background surrounding him Paps lives a life in happiness when he shouldn't really be happy at all, considering he's trapped.

Bonetrousle in a lot of ways is just a perfect leitmotif for Papyrus. He's very intense in that he wants to be a hero with all his heart which the drums and bassline reflect...but ultimately he's a comic relief character which the melody captures perfectly.

Always loved this song and how upbeat it is, fits Papyrus's so very well.

i am absolutely looking forward to seeing him react to the trio that is your best friend, your best nightmare, and finale. or maybe just the latter two since he's played through the beginning by this point and has already heard your best friend. i also can't wait for him to hear death by glamour, which is my favorite undertale song by far!

You would probably freak out hearing the Muffet theme from undertale, it's a roller coaster of emotions. :) hope to see that one in the future too!

Great analysis as always, it’s cool to see how much meaning you’re able to pick up on just from hearing the songs blind. Maybe when you finish up Undertale you can check out Deltarune as well? It’s a fantastic game and there are some really good songs I’d be interested to see your take on.

I'd reccomend death by glamour it's a great battle track

3:59 It's incredible that even in his demonstration, you can tell what he's talking about. Music is a crazy thing. Papyrus is the name of the character whose theme this is. He is the brother of Sans, as you mentioned, so good guess there! This character is simultaneously the one we can know the best... while really knowing the least _about_ him. There's definitely hints sprinkled through the game that there's more to him than what he seems, but nothing concrete. Cool to see that comes through in his theme! And I look forward to the stream!

Undertale really is it’s own music genre. it’s just too good

Toby once again writes a song that more than perfectly fits the character it's for. Papyrus is on the outside quite the goofball and will never cease to make most players smile, but you really get glimpses of how lonely he is throughout the game, which is especially evident by his date and how easily manipulated he was by Flowey. Despite all of this though, he pushed his insecurities aside with a charismatically positive outlook.

The track really fits with papyrus and his whole personality. he is a guy who is trying to become the leader of the city guard, but he is a silly skeleton that isn't really good at fighting at all. I also personally think the more emotional part (the part you described as sad) is about Papyrus relationship with his brother Sans. Sans usually ruins Papyrus plans because of his laziness or to tease Papyrus. Which he finds very annoying but is hilarious to watch. especially if you take the pacifist route, they are both just two big goofballs and always fun to see them!

those sad chords you point out have always made that section of the song feel kind of "royal" and extravagant to me. Ive always read that Papyrus' desire to be this grand celebrity seeping into his theme.

Whoa, binging the videos and then I see this thing posted 15 minutes ago! As someone who knows the plot of the game I am super impressed with how you managed to guess so much about the character (and get things right, too o-o) just from the theme alone... Goes to show your experience and how good Toby is at getting across character personalities just from music XD

i love his reactions when an undertale track ends

That response to the final note! That sums up my take on Papyrus's whole deal perfectly!

Toby Fox: *makes Bonetrousle* The whole world: DUDE THIS IS SO DEEP, IT MEANS SOMETHING

"they have a smile in their faces" of course, they are always showing their teeth like if they are smiling because they have no lips

love this series, so interesting and amazing to watch someone review one of the best games' soundtrack. keep it up!

8:07 ahahah I had the same reaction when I heard the end for the 1st time

These have been a lot of fun to watch. Not only with the outside perspective of hearing them before you’ve experienced them in the game, but I feel like I’m learning some new detail about music with each video. For example, I never knew that was where the term upbeat came from.

Bonetrousle was my favorite Undertale Battle theme for the longest time, up until I got into music composition myself. Finale is now my favorite, but Bonetrousle is STILL so good. Those drum sounds man, they are amazing.

i never really looked into the emotional meaning of this song because it just slapped so hard but man ,, the more emotional bit in the song you were talking about strikes me as a part where theyre trying and persisting to be something and trying to be impressive and just desperately wanting to be admired , liked and respected, just gives that "i have to win this so people will love me" kinda feel MAN this ost goes so hard. that last quiet bit at the end speaks to me as some sort of lonely tune like "im gonna lose, arent i, and then everyone will be disappointed in me all over again" best game music ever i love your analysis videos

6:58 the little smiley faces on the diagram made me laugh and I don't know why

This is the greatest song ever made by man, no song in the world will ever compare to this perfection.

I love your commentary on the music. I know some minor things like upbeat vs downbeat but to hear you explanation in this type of context drives a wonderfully intelligent point home about it. It helps me understand music more than before

Heck yes, this is easily my favorite track from Undertale, and it fits Papyrus so perfectly. Silly and upbeat to a fault but also incredibly scattered. Really looking forward to seeing what you can pull from the song! (Haven't watched yet lol) Edit: A little sad you didn't seem to pick up on the tiny trills Toby Fox put into the song, they're everywhere and a big part of why it feels so happily scattered to me. Like the music couldn't decide on a note so it's like "Eh, grab 'em all, it's fine!"

Love these videos so much!!! Not only I learn more about the meaning of soundtracks but also some music theory. And now I want to take my old synthesizer and try to create some soundtracks for my characters XD.

Hah, this is actually my favorite one from the game the upbeat melody is so addicting I always get into good spirits listening to this

Thanks for analyzing these songs! I'm deep into the Undertale fandom now and I love any content people have to offer. Your content is so fresh and fun to hear!

I love that chord progression he highlighted where it progresses from minor chords into lasting major chords, and it just seems very appropriate to the character the song represents.

It is amazing seeing these musical insights that do end up lining up with the game's story with what little context they have

Bro it is so fun hearing you analyze Undertale Music ❤️

Glad you are trying to react to themes before playing them in-game. I'll probably binge the gameplay later on. Another good read on Papyrus' theme, as he is a humerus skeleton. I'd add more, but don't wanna risk spoilers.

I wait excited for these videos (:

Ever listened to Patapon 1/2/3 music? That game series and it's music is a diamond in the rough (remasters are less so 'cause of some bugs, but still good). I think you might enjoy it. The music is also dynamic, with extra vocals and sounds playing in-game based on what the player does, and what song is playing. Each bit of music has a few stages. There's stage 0, 1, 2, then Fever Mode, and each point will change the music depending on how well the player keeps their beat. I recommend seeing the early gameplay of Patapon 2 for a bit of context, then listening to the Instrumental tracks especially Gyorogyoro, Acchichichi/ Hot Hot Hot (desert theme), Pokkurimakka (which a really good instrumental can be heard for Patapon 3, on a level (Evilmass of Adamance) which on Floor 1 and 2 fits really well with the traps), and last: Hey Whazzat (final boss of Patapon 2, who also acts with double speed, challenging the player's rhythmic mindset along with music that is so chaotic yet somehow melodic.) And if you're fine with spoilers, watch the boss fights of Patapon 2, and Patapon 3's Evilmass of Adamance level (Floor 1 and 2 only). You'll hear the dynamic aspects kick in, and it's great. Just one last thing to note: Videos with instrumentals and gameplay vary in quality. A range of "Instrumental" videos include the dynamic audio too, but that's not a good representation without gameplay with the dynamic audio. And gameplay can potentially be brute-forced, especially stunlocking Patapon 2's final boss or just nuking things so fast you don't get to listen to the music enough.

Amazing video! Always teaches alot about music! Keep up the work! Also, you should definetly cover Spider Dance next time!

Undertale has such great music. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with these videos, Papyrus is very goofy on the surface but there is room for so much more than just a cartoony smile in his character. I once more recommend any6from Chicory: A Colorful Tale. It has so much depth and presence, I loved every track. If you want the general vibe, check out "A Colorful Tale ", if you want a meatier track "Wielder Temple", and if you want to chill "Sips River".

I think its a good note to make that all of these songs feel like they end abruptly, like toby forced himself to stop in order to focus on the bigger picture. Thats not laziness, thats passion. Every part of the game and music screams passion even years later.

Stumbled onto these by accident. And glad to see my personal favorite song in the game being analyzed

Loving your content as always, and I'm super excited to watch you actually playing the games you discuss now on the new channel! Can't wait to see you cover even more game music, from DOOM to Fire Emblem: Three Houses maybe. That fire emblem game was one of the first that made me feel truly emotional with how it's music sounded, and how the dynamic music switches from lighthearted to intense in gameplay when you enter fights!

its always fun watching your interpretations of how the songs work and how theyre intended to be listened at. i'd love to hear you talk about nioh 2 soundtrack, especially the ones of magara naotaka, shibata katsuie and azai nagamasa. that would be awesome!

Would love to see “Dummy!” Or “Your worst nightmare” would be amazing.

FINALLY!! You *have* to finish this game, people underestimate how emotional the story gets. cant wait to hear future reactions!

As a big fan of Undertale music I’m so glad to hear these fresh breakdowns. Super cool.

Thx for covering this one, too!

You’re covering my favourite track for my favourite character?! Sick!!! Thank you!! 😊❤

The thing is that this song is like the escalation from another song called Nyeh heh heh! That’s why it already starts upbeat: the build up started at a previous soundtrack.

That was very funny end when the soundtrack ended and you were like "phtf, what" XD

8:08 You reaction to the end after sayinjg how the drama in this piece sounds ironic is just perfect. *BEEP*

Cool video! I’ve played Undertale a few times and I love watching you react to the OST. I really want to see you do Death by Glamour at some point, that’s one of my favorites from Undertale.

Davi, you are so eloquent and pleasant. It is a pleasure to listen to your commentary and explanations.

Ever sense I watched a video a few days ago. He doesn’t move the entire fight. No bobbing like ever else. He just stands.

Loving these Undertale videos :)

I didn't knew about the downbeat/upbeat. It was really nice to learn something new :)

It’s better with the context of “Nyeh Heh Heh!”, which is the shorter and more retro sounding version of the same song, which you hear as Papyrus’s theme and at the start of the battle with him until he uses his blue attack, then the music switches to Bonetrousle, taking it up a notch in a sense.

Just found you out cuz of Asgore's theme. Now I come to you to watch theories and figuring out game plots all through music. Also I feel you at the end. Everytimr i hear a masterpiece, all I say is "Aww its over."

Would love an analysis of a overworld tune as well, particularly Another Medium or CORE. Fantastic stuff as always!

Now I really want to see you do Death by Glamour. Favorite song from the whole game, second only to Battle Against a True Hero/Undyine's Theme.

7:59 “Very ironic” should be a catchphrase here

Him: I think that megalovania is the theme of Sans Me: don't go that way, it's a long story but that song is from the character that we control

Papyrus himself is a happy, high energy goofball who loves his friends and his brother, and sees the best in everybody. He also seeks friendship, recognition, and praise from other people, and actively tries to join the Royal Guard by capturing you to gain such recognition. He also happens to like dinosaur egg oatmeal. Can’t say I blame him to be honest.