While it does kinda suffer from being squished between two of my favorite mainline soundtracks in the franchise, Undefined Fantastic Object does have yet another stellar score, one of the more emotional and experimental ones out there, and employing on one of my favorite ZUN instruments, the UFO saxophones. And similarly to Phantasmagoria Of Flower View, I also hold a lot of nostalgia for this soundtrack since it had some of my earliest Touhou tracks.
A Shadow In The Blue Sky
This is a pretty good title theme, nice and chill. It takes the Theme Of Eastern Story and makes it a bit jazzier, with a bouncy guitar riff, upbeat percussion, and a fantastic UFO sax chorus.
4/5 Stars
At The End Of Spring
This was my first Touhou track, the first one I ever heard, and to this day, it's one of my absolute favorites. That opening piano solo is so beautiful and iconic to me, I want to learn how to play it one day. The way the track starts off so soft before bursting into an incredibly badass verse, all culminating in a powerful saxophone chorus, it's everything I've grown to love about Touhou music all condensed into a single awe-inspiring package. I have so much nostalgia and love for At The End Of Spring, what an amazing track.
5/5 Stars
A Tiny, Tiny, Clever Commander
How is this a Stage 1 boss theme?! I feel like I should've seen this coming after the last two games, but A Tiny Tiny Clever Commander goes insanely hard for no reason. That opening piano intro perfectly captures what you'd expect from a mouse like Nazrin, it's so plucky and innocent... and then you hit the drop. The rest of the track is a hard-hitting rock theme with some of the best electric guitars in the series, and some fun alternations between piano and sax.
5/5 Stars
The Sealed Cloud Route
The Sealed Cloud Route is definitely an unconventional sounding track, with a really unique sounding lead that I don't think ZUN has ever used outside of this game. Overall, this is a pretty atmospheric piece that does a good job at giving off the vibes of floating through the clouds, even if its melody isn't quite as easy to latch onto. The saxophone part is pretty though.
5/5 Stars
Beware The Umbrella Left There Forever
An incredibly fantastic theme that I like more and more with every listen. It takes some unique risks like looping the bit right before what was supposed to be the chorus, but it gives a solemn vibe to an otherwise cheery song. The whole track perfectly toes the line between upbeat and melancholic, with a bouncy percussion riff and wailing synths. It all leads to a truly outstanding chorus, an outpouring of emotions that is also a massive head-banger.
5/5 Stars
Sky Ruin
I feel like you're either partial to The Sealed Cloud Route or Sky Ruin, and I personally lean far towards the latter. Between the lovely piano riff, to the great saxophone bridge, to the haunting choirs, to the energetic and empowering chorus. If The Sealed Cloud Route is about floating through the clouds, then Sky Ruin is about racing through them.
5/5 Stars
The Traditional Old Man And The Stylish Girl
Just pure, unadulterated fun. The opening saxophone riff is enough to instantly get you in a good mood, and the pace remains brisk and energetic throughout the whole track. The bridge is especially great, where after a brief moment of calm, we get the most exhilarating part of the song, bolstered with intense saxs and fierce electric guitars.
4/5 Stars
Interdimensional Voyage Of A Ghostly Passenger Ship
What a bop. Easily one of the most experimental and distinct Touhou tracks, Interdimensional Voyage goes full funk with a sick spooky-sounding synth, bouncy percussion, and a groovy piano melody. Like with all the best Touhou songs, the calm piano-heavy bridge giving away to an intense ZUNpet chorus ends this track on a high note. The cherry on top of an already phenomenal Stage 4 theme is that infamous Windows pop. Never has a musical error been this perfectly fitting.
5/5 Stars
Captain Murasa
Yet another fantastic and intense boss theme, Captain Murasa is shamelessly dramatic and grandiose, with an incredibly powerful main melody. Like with most UFO boss themes, there's some great electric guitar usage making for a real head-banger, and as usual, the highlight is the phenomenal sax-heavy climax.
5/5 Stars
Provincial Makai City Esoteria
I adore this song so much. I'm a sucker for some crazy time signatures and this track's wild 11/4 not only sounds great but gives the whole theme a smooth, elegant waltzy feel. It's also the first song where we get to hear the UFO saxophones and the ZUNpets in conjunction with each other and it sounds absolutely glorious, especially in that slow bit in the second half. I also have to give props to that shimmering chime sound effect in the background, really heightens the regal feel of the track.
5/5 Stars
The Tiger Patterned Vasiravana
The Tiger Patterned Vasiravana was always kind of a weak point in an otherwise stellar soundtrack, with a pretty repetitive main melody that doesn't really evolve at all. What saves this theme for me is the driving instrumentation and the fantastic tango-sounding bridge section that works a fantastic relief from that main melody.
3/5 Stars
Fires Of Hokkai
With the exception of Voyage 1969, I hadn't truly loved any final stage themes up to this point. They were always a bit short, meant to hype up the final boss and nothing more. Fires Of Hokkai breaks that trend, proving that you can hype up the final boss while being a phenomenal piece of music in your own right. Let's get the obvious out of the way, that heartbeat makes this song. It gives the whole track a rhythmic and intense feel, especially as instruments keep on slowly layering. First the percussion, then the piano, then the saxophones, all culminating in an incredibly dramatic final note.
5/5 Stars
Emotional Skyscraper - Cosmic Mind
We can all agree this one of the best final boss themes in the series, right? Like it's genuinely awe-inspiring, with an uplifting but no less climactic tone that sounds fittingly godly. The whole track is fantastic, using every instrument and trick that ZUN had used throughout the game, but come on, the chorus is absolutely what makes the song. It's just so beautiful, exactly what you'd think of with the phrase Emotional Skyscraper. Kicking off with the saxophones, then the electric guitars kick in, and finally, the ZUNpets show up for one final powerful reprise. I never realized how little the ZUNpets were used in UFO, but every time they do show up, it's incredibly impactful.
5/5 Stars
UFO Romance In The Night Sky
This is such a fun and quirky track, from the cute synth lead, to the goofy lone ZUNpet, to the infrequent giggle sound-effects, to the Mario Sunshine-esque "Doo" vocals in the background, UFO Romance is such a cheery and likable extra stage theme. That bridge is especially fun, with its slightly off-beat melody and laughing effects. I just love how happy this track is.
5/5 Stars
Heian Alien
Yep, that's an extra boss theme alright. Spooky, off-kilter, and weird, the perfect theme for fighting an alien. The sudden jazz refrain in the mid-section is especially memorable, almost like it's setting up for a more soft and sympathetic chorus like in Hartmann's Youkai Girl only to creep you out even more. I do kinda like Galaxy Collapse a bit more though.
4/5 Stars
Youkai Temple
The closest ZUN has gotten to lo-fi, Youkai Temple is incredibly chill even by ending theme standards. The laid-back percussion and chimes really make for such a vibe of a track.
4/5 Stars
Returning Home From The Sky - Sky Dream
This is the first game to turn a pre-existing theme into the credits theme, a trend ZUN would continue to do from here on out, but sadly, I don't think he fully nails it here. For the most part, it's a nice chill remix of Emotional Skyscraper, but man, that intro sucks. The off-beat claps really sully the mood every time they pop up, this really could've been one of the best staff roll themes if that wasn't there.
4/5 Stars
Similarly to Subterranean Animism, UFO intertwines its cast by having (almost) all of them be disciples of the Myouren Temple. While I'm not quite as big on this cast as I was with the last one, there are still some truly stellar characters here.
Nazrin
No wonder Nazrin's got a huge fanbase, she's adorable. Super fierce and badass when the time comes, but otherwise, easily one of the cutest characters of the series.
4/5 Stars
Kogasa Tatara
Who doesn't love Kogasa? The one character in this game not related to the Myouren Temple, Kogasa is a cute umbrella youkai with heterochromia who's so cute she's incapable of actually scaring anyone. This is both adorable and kinda sad when the supplementary material reveals that this gives her self-esteem issues, poor thing. And similarly to with Mystia, it's also revealed that she works a part-time gig as a blacksmith which is so random and out of left field that I absolutely love it.
5/5 Stars
Ichirin Kumoi
I feel like I keep forgetting about Ichirin which is a shame because she's a fun character. Where so many in the Myouren Temple take their jobs deathly seriously, Ichirin's is just having a good time, with barely a moment where she's not sporting a massive grin on her face. Obviously, the novelty of her essentially having a stand isn't lost on me either.
4/5 Stars
Unzan
However, while I really like Ichirin, I never really got the appeal of Unzan himself. I know that the rare male characters we get are all pretty popular for their scarcity but, like, he's just a cloud. He solely exists to make Ichirin more interesting.
2/5 Stars
Minamitsu Murasa
That's Captain Minamitsu Motherfucking Murasa to you! What a fun character, a badass pirate who uses an anchor as a weapon. Despite her penchant for capsizing people, Murasa's laid-back and chatty attitude reminiscent of Komachi still keeps her pretty likable overall. Very happy to see her back in 17.5 along with Kogasa.
4/5 Stars
Shou Toramaru
I'm not huge on Shou. As far as fifth stage servants go, I find her to be pretty unremarkable. Not a character I actively dislike or anything, once again ZUN does a pretty good job of translating an animal into a human person, but personality-wise, she doesn't have much making her stand out. Also her curvy lasers are the absolute worst.
2/5 Stars
Byakuren Hijiri
Not gonna lie, I really like it when the Touhou antagonists aren't really bad people. She literally just woke up and now Reimu and crew are challenging her to a fight. Seriously though, Byakuren is great. She's got a great backstory and lots of lore behind her, a heartwarming relationship with her disciples, and her intent to preach human and youkai coexistence is noble. Also, in the fighting games, she gets a motorcycle and a eurobeat remix of her boss theme and how can you not like that?
5/5 Stars
Nue Houjuu
Nue is kind of an enigma, and that's entirely intentional. She is very much a UFO, often showing her face to prank others but never revealing more than what is at face value. On top of that, her design is sick, her friendship with Mamizou is fun, and I kinda like that she sticks around at the Myouren Temple despite being another chaotic wild-card.
4/5 Stars
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