Hey Steemit!
If you're unfamiliar with this series, basically I share a soundtrack and my thoughts about it, and I highly recommend listening to the song while reading! 😊
So if you haven't caught my previous 2 posts, I'm doing winter-themed songs for the whole of December in preparation for Christmas and the New Year! Christmas is exactly 1 week away now and I'm so excited! Even though I don't really do anything big like host/attend raging Christmas parties and stuff like that, I've always looked forward to Christmas. I guess it's just been ingrained in me since childhood.
Speaking of Christmas, today I've chosen a song from the infamous indie game, Undertale!
Source: wallpaperaccess.com
I've written about a song from this game previously, but just to recap, Undertale is an RPG created by American indie developer Toby Fox. You control a child who has fallen into the Underground; a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magic barrier.
The player meets various monsters during a quest to return to the surface, mainly through the combat system; where you navigate through mini-bullet hell attacks by the opponent, and can opt to pacify or subdue monsters in order to spare them instead of killing them. These choices affect the game, with the dialogue, characters, and story changing based on outcomes.
And what a story it is! There are 3 main endings to the game; Pacifist (if you spare everyone), Genocide (if you kill everyone), and Neutral (which is somewhere in the middle).
Even though I'm not really into bullet hell games, I absolutely love Undertale. The story really sold it for me, and the soundtrack is phenomenal! When I think of winter themes this song was the first to come to mind:
This song is called Snowdin Town, aptly named for the only place you can hear it in-game. It's a really cheery and happy song and is definitely Christmas-y.
The song mostly consists of piano sounds; which is a big reason why I like it so much. I like how the starting harmony is just a few octaves lower than the melody, I haven't really heard 2 very similar piano sequences paired like that together, since most of the time it's 2 different instruments, but it works really well! The higher melody really conveys that cheerful snowy vibe, and the strings that come in at the bridge add another dimension to the harmony. The sleigh bells really slay it with the classic Christmas jingle, and the violin nails it with the second harmony.
It's just a short 1:16 song, but it's so brilliant, and it's one of my favourite songs in the game.
Source: artstation.com
After watching all those classic Christmas movies, I've always dreamed of a snowy white Christmas, but unfortunately I live in Singapore where any snow we see here is manufactured. We have been blessed with cooler than average weather thanks to rain, so close enough I guess.? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But the snowy village I always imagine is exactly like Snowdin. Just a quaint little town with a few buildings and lots of nice people; gathering around in the local bar just hanging out and keeping warm. Wholesome stuff.
Source: newgrounds.com
Unless of course, you're doing the genocide route and go around killing everything in sight. And since this is the first town you encounter in the game, you'll really see the ramifications of your maniacal actions when you enter the town in genocide mode and there's literally no one around. Where in the pacifist route you'll see other NPCs out and about in town, in genocide you're all alone. Not only that, but this song plays in place of the cheery happy tune:
Toby Fox did an absolutely amazing job, with this game and the soundtrack. This song, and probably all of the songs in genocide mode are clear evidence. This song just sounds so... e m p t y, and really gives that feeling of desolation. Like there's no life anywhere in town, because everyone's either escaped or dead. The piano I liked so much changed pitch to sound like an organ instead. And the happy jingle bells sound like a bell tolling. It's just so... sad. And it really makes you question your choices of going genocide.
Look around. You're all alone.
Source: aminoapps.com
I read some comments saying it's very difficult to even hear this song in-game because you need to fulfill certain conditions (i.e. not kill everybody in the map before entering the town), but I can't say for sure because I've never done (and probably will never do) a genocide run. But it just made me appreciate this song even more. I've always been very sensitive to music, whether in games or movies, because it just sets the atmosphere so well. So if I even hear one genocide song in-game I'd probably just turn back and reset.
I just can't kill all my friends : (
Source: pinterest.com
I love everything about Undertale, especially that it can make everyone who plays it have all the feels. Either you feel good for saving everyone, or you feel remorse and disgusted with yourself for killing everyone. Or somewhere in between. It's definitely a unique game and I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it yet.
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://tacocat.steemblogs.club/2019/12/18/ost-of-the-day-42-undertale-snowdin-town-%e2%9d%84/
