How Toby Fox Made Chapter 1's 40 Songs Connect

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:04][wind whooshing] [click] [Before the Story plays] Toby Fox loves to connect to music in his projects. Every song that plays mostly likely contains a piece of a song he has made before.

[00:00:21]He uses this to tie the characters and world together even if you're unaware of it.

[00:00:25]The way he achieves this is through leitmotifs, which are melodies that are tied to an element of a story.

[00:00:32]In my last video, we went over all 122 connections in his first game, Undertale.

[00:00:38]At first, I was worried there might not be as many connections in Deltarune, but I could not have been more wrong.

[00:00:43]I've already found 56 in just the first chapter.

[00:00:47]We'll chart out the connections as we go, and by the end, we'll have a clear view of how everything fits together.

[00:00:52]We won't just be talking about where the connections are, but also the reason why the songs are connected, and how they help tell the game's story.

[00:00:59]I will be spoiling Undertale and all of Deltarune Chapter 1, but only Chapter 1.

[00:01:04]No later chapters will be mentioned, so if you still haven't played Chapter 2 yet, don't worry, it's safe to keep watching.

[00:01:15]Let's begin with the very first song we hear.

[00:01:23]The game begins with you floating in a void, as a SOUL without a vessel.

[00:01:28]It's here that you create a vessel for yourself, with help from a mysterious voice.

[00:01:32]The droning chords make it feel like you're floating in a void it sounds like you're submerged underwater.

[00:01:38]A distant heartbeat can be heard, sinking up with the rhythm This could represent the soul being born into the world, and it's also a direct reference because, well......look at it.

[00:01:51]The weird static sounds you hear are from Earthbound, which is one of Toby's biggest inspirations.

[00:01:56]Specifically, it's from the fight against Giygas.

[00:02:03]An eldritch horror so vile that its mind collapses under the weight of its own malevolence.

[00:02:10]Wow! Fun!

[00:02:13]Observing things while formless and floating in the void, static from unknown horrors, it all reminds me of a certain character, a mystery man who is tied to the game's first leitmotif.

[00:02:29]It all started back in Undertale, with this.

[00:02:33][Gaster's Theme plays] A strange little jingle tucked away in a secret sound test menu, W.D. Gaster is an elusive figure who has haunted both Undertale and its fanbase for almost a decade.

[00:02:47]Search up "Undertale Theory" on YouTube, and he'll be in over half the thumbnails.

[00:02:51]He's only mentioned in tiny scraps of dialogue scattered throughout the game, most of which is hidden behind random chance.

[00:02:57]He's spoken about as someone who lost himself in a science experiment gone wrong.

[00:03:01]Now he's living a sort of half-life as a being somewhere between existence and oblivion.

[00:03:07]In Undertale, Gaster was a completely missable character.

[00:03:10]In fact, he was intended to be.

[00:03:12]But now that his theme is prominently featured in the very first song on Deltarune's soundtrack, [Gaster's Theme and ANOTHER HIM play] I think it's safe to say he'll be playing a massive role in this game's story.

[00:03:27]Because the motif is so short and simple, it can be mistakenly heard everywhere.

[00:03:32]If you're looking for it, you can hear bits of it all the time.

[00:03:36]It's like a musical version of seeing a dark figure in the corner of your eye.

[00:03:41]The melody is designed to make you question if it's really there or not, which mimics the ghost-like nature of Gaster perfectly.

[00:03:47]It's a brilliant way to bring the character to life through his music.

[00:03:51]Since it's so difficult to know when it's intentionally placed, I'm not going to point out every possible connection I've heard.

[00:03:59]I'll just go over the obvious ones instead.

[00:04:01]If you want a really in-depth discussion about this motif, I'd recommend this video by Andrew Cunningham.

[00:04:07]It'll be in the description.

[00:04:09]So why does it play at the start?

[00:04:11]I personally believe Gaster could be the mastermind behind this entire character creation process.

[00:04:17]It's the only reason I could think of for his leitmotif being here.

[00:04:20]Though to what end, I have no idea.

[00:04:25]It's also tough to decipher why it plays on the Game Over screen.

[00:04:29]His motives are so unclear, I'm not even sure if Kris being defeated is something that aligns with his goals or not.

[00:04:35]He's very involved with the chapter's secret boss, Jevil.

[00:04:38]Gaster's leitmotif even plays during his fight.

[00:04:41][Gaster's Theme and THE WORLD REVOLVING play] But we'll talk more about that when we get to the Freedom leitmotif.

[00:04:46]I've tried not to make too many assumptions here because we don't have all the pieces yet.

[00:04:51]But once we do, I'm sure the way they'll fit together will be very, very interesting.

[00:04:57][g̶͓͐͠a̵͎̎͊̽̎̃ȓ̶̡̒͒͐̚b̶̩̄ā̷̞̹͎̰̾̊g̶͔͔̘̽͗é̶̱̤͚ ̴̗͙̈͌̐̀̄n̴̬̻͙̿̀̚o̷̳͍͚͖͜͝i̴̥͚̹͒̎̀̚̚ṡ̷̪̠̌͑e̴̛͚͈̽̂͋] Soon after we get introduced to the game proper, we hear the main theme of Deltarune.

[00:05:10]And it certainly will not be the last time.

[00:05:13]It's absolutely everywhere, playing throughout the run time of the entire game.

[00:05:18]It's used to show so many emotions.

[00:05:22]Excitement.

[00:05:24]Sentimentality.

[00:05:27]Triumph.

[00:05:29]Finality.

[00:05:30]You name it.

[00:05:31]It mostly shows up during the core parts of the story.

[00:05:34]I wasn't kidding when I said it plays a lot.

[00:05:37]It appears in one out of every four songs, which is 10% more often than Undertale played its own theme.

[00:05:43]As we cover more songs, this number should come down a bit as more motifs fill out the soundtrack.

[00:05:49]But man, Toby really hammers it home in chapter one.

[00:05:52]Good thing it's a banger, like every other song.

[00:06:01]This is actually a leitmotif I kind of missed in the Undertale video.

[00:06:05]It comes from the end of the song Once Upon a Time, and it sounds like this.

[00:06:09][Once Upon a Time plays] Originally, I thought it was just a part of Undertale's main theme.

[00:06:18]But it turns out it's used on its own, too.

[00:06:21]The melody itself feels very childlike and wondrous, like a daydream.

[00:06:26]When it plays in the beginning, it sounds like the start of a storybook reading, similar to something that would play at the start of a Paper Mario game.

[00:06:33]It also plays faintly in the background when you're back home, to tie a bow on things.

[00:06:39]In Undertale, you hear it when everyone is by your side, throughout the fight with Asriel, and towards the end where you save him.

[00:06:51]It usually plays during moments of comfort, or when everything is going well.

[00:06:55]Like a dream, you could say.

[00:07:01][door opens] [door shuts] The theme of Hometown, which is the name of your hometown.

[00:07:09]I wonder if Asgore had a hand in naming it.

[00:07:11]It plays whenever you wander through the neighborhood, talking to all the residents.

[00:07:15]Which pretty much means just the school and town segments.

[00:07:18]This song feels like looking at an old sepia tone photo of old friends, soaking in nostalgic memories of the good old days.

[00:07:26]Fits pretty well, considering it's the first time we've talked to these folks in over three years.

[00:07:33]The Monster leitmotif makes its return from Undertale.

[00:07:36]As a quick reminder, it's used to represent monsterkind.

[00:07:39]It appears in the same two songs as the hometown motif, which is pretty self-explanatory.

[00:07:46]The town has people in it, and the people are monsters.

[00:07:54][door slams] [Susie plays] The theme of the big purple mean girl.

[00:08:03]Whenever she's threatening someone, this motif is sure to be playing.

[00:08:06]Like when she picks you up, and when she picks Lancer up.

[00:08:10]Wait, is this the Picking People Up leitmotif?

[00:08:12]Does this play every time she does this?

[00:08:16]Oh, okay, no, we're good.

[00:08:18]Electric guitar is used to show off how rugged and rebellious she can be.

[00:08:23]It's meant to be intimidating for sure, but there's also a beautiful somberness to it.

[00:08:28]You can feel that twinge of desperation in there.

[00:08:31]She only leaned into being a bully because it's the role others assigned her.

[00:08:35]And deep down, she hates being stuck in it.

[00:08:40]She can't get others to like her, so instead she does the one thing she can.

[00:08:44]She scares them away.

[00:08:47]If people fear you, they'll never get close enough to hurt you.

[00:08:50]It plays during her one-sided fight against Lancer, and that desperation really comes through here.

[00:08:55]There's a sort of anguish in the song.

[00:08:58]When her motif plays, it howls out in pain.

[00:09:00]It's fitting because she's been a lone wolf her entire life.

[00:09:04]People don't act the way Susie does without being hurt.

[00:09:07]And there's a lot of it in her music.

[00:09:10]I think this leitmotif is tied way more to the bully she pretends to be, than the girl Susie actually is.

[00:09:17]To my knowledge, this is the last time we hear this lietmotif.

[00:09:20]Maybe it'll come back later in some form, but it seems like it's already served its purpose.

[00:09:33]Same as her cruel persona, the leitmotif has been cast away, and she's all the better for it.

[00:09:48][The Door plays] This one's for threats in the Dark World.

[00:09:54]It can be equal parts mysterious, threatening, and mystical, depending on how it's used.

[00:10:01]It plays during scenes where you're being chased or intimidated by the Dark World itself or its residents.

[00:10:08]This one actually comes from a fansong Toby made, all the way back in 2014.

[00:10:12][Nightmare Knight plays] He made a theme for the webcomic Cucumber Quest's main villain, "Nightmare Night."

[00:10:20]There are actually a lot of other leitmotifs pulled from different parts of the song, too.

[00:10:24]Keep that in mind, because they'll be in future chapters.

[00:10:31][The Legend plays] The theme of the prophecy.

[00:10:36]It plays in moments and places that are core to the legend of the heroes.

[00:10:40]You can hear it when Ralsei first tells us the tale.

[00:10:43]As well as in Castletown.

[00:10:45]It's actually tied pretty closely to Ralsei in general.

[00:10:48]He's the one who tells you about the prophecy, and he also sings it when you use the lullaby act.

[00:10:53]You can almost call it his theme.

[00:10:55]It plays in Castletown because I believe the darkness you recruit will be core to how the prophecy plays out.

[00:11:01]In "Legend," the first track it plays, the intro only uses 8-bit instruments.

[00:11:05]It's similar to Bergentrückung, it gives the same kind of ceremonial vibe to the melody.

[00:11:10]Like it's something cemented in either history or fate.

[00:11:14][music intensifies] It breaks out of this after the drop, when the drums and more complex instruments kick in.

[00:11:20]It's got such a triumphant and grandiose energy to it.

[00:11:23]It's the dawn of something on a worldly scale, and Kris and their new friends have found themselves at the heart of it all.

[00:11:28]Centuries of events have all culminated to this moment.

[00:11:31]The epicenter of monsterkind's fate.

[00:11:34]The maiden voyage of the saviors of the very world.

[00:11:37]The March of the Dark Ki-!

[00:11:46]The theme of Castletown and the darkeners who live there.

[00:11:49][Empty Town plays] It plays when Ralsei explains the Dark Fountain in the middle of town, when roaming the town itself, and during the battle against the king, where the fate of who rules the town is decided.

[00:12:02][Chaos King plays] The waltz rhythm feels lackadaisical.

[00:12:09]Like a small town where not much goes on.

[00:12:12]It only has one resident after all.

[00:12:15]Waltzes are usually reserved for ballroom dances at fancy parties.

[00:12:19]So it also gives it a formal feeling.

[00:12:21]And it happens to suit the Dark Prince's personality very well.

[00:12:28][vroom] [exploding] The theme of that rascally rapscallion, Lancer.

[00:12:36]It's played practically every time he's on screen.

[00:12:38]His theme sounds like a song that would play when one of the big bad's goofy mooks is on the screen.

[00:12:43]At least that's the impression he gives, before you learn he's just a sweet little pumpkin.

[00:12:47][vaw.talps_dns] You can also hear it in Card Castle, which is where he lives.

[00:12:53]It also plays during the fight against King, which further connects them as father and son.

[00:12:57]Lancer's held hostage before the fight, and even helps you end it, if you're not mean to anyone.

[00:13:02]So although he's not a part of the fight itself, he's still pretty involved.

[00:13:06]Lancer and King are connected in a few different ways.

[00:13:10]King is basically just a bigger, badder version of his boy, which is shown through the leitmotif connection, the fact that Lancer's a jack of spades and he's a king, as well as this line: When you encounter him on the Great Board, his motif is played with a mistuned electric guitar.

[00:13:26]This track borrows Susie's instrument to show Lancer doing his best to be scary, like she taught him.

[00:13:32]Finally, the leitmotif plays in Thrash Machine as well.

[00:13:35]But I sort of wish it didn't.

[00:13:38]I can't help but think of what could have been... [weapon draw] [Rude Buster plays] This song is the boppinest thing in the known universe.

[00:13:54]It's a constant, overwhelming assault of goodness that just does not let up.

[00:14:00]Every single instrument in the song is going crazy at all times.

[00:14:03]It's like the stankface anthem!

[00:14:06]Let's try to break down this beast of a song... There are two pianos that go back and forth with each other.

[00:14:13]The first dishes out a cavalcade of non-stop, arpeggiated notes, [piano plays] while the other smashes out chords that compliment whatever the other one's playing.

[00:14:24][piano plays] It doesn't just play those chords randomly, it waits to play them at the perfect moment so the song stays as groovin' as humanly possible.

[00:14:38]A similar pattern happens with the two basses, where one is going buck wild [bass plays] while the other one's more reserved, to emphasize specific notes.

[00:14:47][bass plays] Toby somehow managed to cram quality and quantity into this damn song.

[00:14:57]The drums keep the momentum up by using an endless string of hi-hats, a snare for more emphasis on the two and four, and a......bongo on the left.

[00:15:06][bongo on the left] (laughing) I never knew this was even in here.

[00:15:10]And then the synths...?

[00:15:11]The synths come in like... [scatting] OH, AND THEN THE SOLO GOES LIKE BADABA BADABADABADABA BADABADABADABADABADABADABADABADA [clears throat] In summary......it's good.

[00:15:23]The reason it's so danceable is because most of the song is syncopated, which means instead of the notes landing on the beats, they land somewhere between them.

[00:15:31]Here's some examples.

[00:15:33][Rude Buster's piano plays] The only notes that aren't syncopated in this sequence are right here.

[00:15:44]As you can see, there's hardly any.

[00:15:46]The piano is actively avoiding landing on the beats as much as it can.

[00:15:49]But what would it sound like if it intentionally hit as many beats as it could?

[00:15:54]Maybe something like this.

[00:15:55][Rude Buster's piano plays strangely] What you just heard was the piano landing on every beat that it possibly could.

[00:16:07]And for the notes that had to be offbeat, I made sure that they were perfectly between them.

[00:16:11]As you can hear, all that complexity and the intricate groove just completely vanishes.

[00:16:17][weapon draw] I know some of you still might be curious what the whole song would sound like, unsyncopated.

[00:16:23]Well... [Rude Buster plays strangely] The sacrifices we make for knowledge... Unlike this example, which kind of flattens out the interest in the song, when you syncopate things, every instrument adds its own offset rhythm to the mix, which makes the whole song more complex and interesting.

[00:16:46]The rhythm bounces back and forth between each instrument at an overwhelming pace.

[00:16:51]All this comes together to make a groove that is ridiculously intricate and incredible.

[00:16:55]I've seen people say it's crazy this theme is used for the most basic enemies, but to me it always made sense to put the most effort into the songs the player will listen to the most.

[00:17:04]It also plays in Seam's shop, though I'm not exactly sure why.

[00:17:13]It could be that as the court magician, he's seen a lot of combat.

[00:17:18]For a battle theme to be your background music, you'd need to be crazy strong, right?

[00:17:21]I mean, he was the one who put Jevil in prison, and we all know how much of a headache he was to deal with.

[00:17:27]I'm thinking Seam could either be a fight or a really strong ally in the future.

[00:17:31]Rude Buster is really good, by the w- The overworld theme for Chapter 1.

[00:17:39]Which plays in "Field of Hopes and Dreams" and the Scarlet Forest.

[00:17:45]The first song is full of energy and whimsy to make you eager to begin the grand adventure ahead.

[00:17:50]The track begins closed off with a muffling high-pass filter, before opening up with the full spectrum of sound.

[00:17:57]This mirrors your first exposure to how vibrant and alive the dark world is.

[00:18:01]It's also a way to show that Toby and his team have really leveled up since Undertale.

[00:18:05]The music here is more intricate and involved than anything we've heard so far, except for Rude Buster of course, my go- The quality of the art increases just as much as the music.

[00:18:15]The floor goes from a flat, solid color to beautifully rendered and animated grass.

[00:18:20]This is where the team showcases the quality you can expect for the rest of the game.

[00:18:28]This is the little run of notes you hear in "Hopes and Dreams."

[00:18:33]It's used in a similar way to the Dreams leitmotif, so it usually plays during pleasant or hopeful scenes.

[00:18:38]["A Town Called Hometown" and "Hopes and Dreams" play] In Undertale, it plays a couple more times.

[00:18:47]It's in the fight against Asriel, where Frisk carries the underground's hope for freedom, the walk to the throne room, ["Undertale" plays] where the plot and emotional core of the game is finally revealed, and Mettaton's hotel, [Hotel plays] where they don't even leave you those little mints on your pillow or anything.

[00:19:05]Yeah, honestly, this one's connections are all over the place.

[00:19:08]This could definitely be a motif without any meaning that Toby just likes the sound of.

[00:19:12]Because it's a very simple melody, just some descending notes, it's easy to hear it everywhere.

[00:19:18]I actually found a couple more places this melody might show up, but they're not as clear-cut, so I'll talk more about them later on.

[00:19:29]Simple and serene, this one plays in only two songs.

[00:19:33]They're used for the rest areas between sections of the overworld.

[00:19:36]The chords these songs use give them a relaxed, floaty feeling.

[00:19:40]It achieves this by using something called sus chords, which is what you get when you take a major chord, like this one, and move the middle note up one spot, or down two spots.

[00:19:54]Both songs use variations on these chords throughout.

[00:19:58]The first song, "Quiet Water," is the slower and more somber of the two.

[00:20:03]The electric piano makes it wistful and contemplative.

[00:20:07]It paints a scene of Frisk gazing out at the still water, reflecting on the journey so far as the water reflects them.

[00:20:15]"Quiet Autumn" has a bit more energy to it.

[00:20:17]It's less a period of reflection and more of a pitstop to catch a breath before moving on.

[00:20:22]I think the faster pace fits Deltarune more overall.

[00:20:25]It's got a lot more ground to cover than the first game did.

[00:20:33]Very straightforward, This one is for the forest area.

[00:20:37]Yeah, that's it.

[00:20:39]Not every leitmotif goes miles deep, thankfully.

[00:20:42]"Scarlet Forest" is a very whimsical song for a very whimsical area.

[00:20:46]It immediately makes me think of Alice in Wonderland.

[00:20:49]And I think that was the goal.

[00:20:50]Just listen to this track from the Wonderland level in Kingdom Hearts.

[00:20:54]They both have a similar sounding bass where it just kind of bounces around.

[00:20:58][Wonderland plays] [Scarlet Forest plays] All the monsters are made from various toys and cards from the unused classroom.

[00:21:07]So the cast of darkners that appear here have the same warped fantasy vibe.

[00:21:11]You've got these scissor dancers, Clover, the Rudinns, Hathy......and of course, who can forge- (Starwalker) "I'm the original."

[00:21:21]Who can forg- "Star Wa-!"

[00:21:25]The theme of the self-proclaimed bad guy.

[00:21:28]It plays throughout Card Castle to foreshadow King's boss fight and during the rooftop battle itself.

[00:21:34]It gives the whole area a lingering sense of dread, especially when you first hear it in the basement.

[00:21:39]It almost sounds like something out of Undertale's genocide route.

[00:21:42]Its use in Card Castle proper makes the whole place feel very authoritarian.

[00:21:46]Understandable, since King got his power through a hostile takeover.

[00:21:50]Switching gears to the balcony battle, we get introduced to the big cheese himself.

[00:21:55]The music starts off very simple and ominous.

[00:21:59]Before erupting with chaotic flair.

[00:22:02]It reminds me of Asgore's music because it has the same sort of ebb and flow.

[00:22:06]This whole thing is a version of Card Castle's music with the intensity cranked up to 11.

[00:22:11]Like, dude, just listen to this bassline, it's ridiculous.

[00:22:25]I know this one looks all new and shiny, but this is actually just Omega Flowey's leitmotif.

[00:22:33]I renamed it because it has new ties to......Susie, of all characters.

[00:22:37][Imminent Death plays] It continues the trend of playing whenever someone is or is about to be totally screwed.

[00:22:47]Usually, it would be you in trouble, but unfortunately, this time it's Lancer.

[00:22:52]The first track is called "Imminent Death."

[00:22:55]Everyone knows the awfulness that's about to happen, and Toby takes full advantage of it.

[00:22:59]This is something that would legitimately play in a slasher movie, and our poor boy Lancer is the victim.

[00:23:06]The very next song that plays is a direct continuation.

[00:23:10]The leitmotif plays here to signal the danger Lancer's in, but there's another reason for it.

[00:23:15]Susie's also in danger......of actually becoming the monster she pretends to be.

[00:23:21][axe swing echoes] But she's better than that.

[00:23:28]And in this moment, we see her realize that for the first time.

[00:23:35]This leitmotif comes from "The Holy".

[00:23:38]An ethereal and enchanting piece that has a tangible air of mystery.

[00:23:42]Surprisingly, the main melody doesn't have any connections, but the trill you hear at the start does.

[00:23:48]A trill is just when you quickly alternate notes that are close to each other.

[00:23:52]This trill is played in a few tracks at the very end of the Dark World section.

[00:23:56]The first is when you approach the fountain.

[00:23:59]Then on the save select screen.

[00:24:01][Before the Story plays] And less concretely, in Card Castle and during the King fight.

[00:24:08][Card Castle plays] To be honest, I'm not sure what this one's supposed to represent.

[00:24:16]In my mind, it could either be the theme of the fountains, or maybe the Delta Rune itself.

[00:24:21]In the prophecy, the heroes are said to "banish the angel's heaven", which is what we're about to do here.

[00:24:27]At least I think.

[00:24:29]It's really vague.

[00:24:30]We know almost nothing about the Delta Rune, besides it being the name of the game and the scrap of lore Gerson tells us in Undertale.

[00:24:37]He says the triangles represent monsterkind, and the circle with wings represents an angel that could either be a savior or a destroyer.

[00:24:46]Maybe the trill represents that angel?

[00:24:49]The song it comes from is called The Holy.

[00:24:51]Maybe the angel is the player?

[00:24:53]Who knows?

[00:24:54]I'll keep an ear out in later chapters and let you know what I find.

[00:24:58]By the way, if you'd like to support my next dive into the soundtrack, you can do so on Ko-fi.

[00:25:03]I post sneak previews, breakdowns of how these videos are made, and even project files!

[00:25:07]I would really appreciate anything that you'd be willing to give.

[00:25:10]Every single bit helps me to continue to make things at the quality level you all deserve.

[00:25:15]Thank you so much.

[00:25:21]Besides Don't Forget, this is by far the most well-known and most memed on leitmotif.

[00:25:27]It represents freedom, and sometimes the longing for it, which is a huge theme of the overall story.

[00:25:35]It only plays before and during the Jevil fight.

[00:25:38]As you walk down the stairs to his cell, you hear it being played by a piano.

[00:25:43][The Circus plays] It's accompanied by a pan flute that sounds really similar to a calliope, which is a steam-powered organ closely associated with the circus.

[00:25:53]The music is mysterious and plodding.

[00:25:55]It leans into the creep factor the circus has and uses it to build tension for Jevil's reveal.

[00:26:01]The world revolving revs up the pace until it's completely out of control, like a wild carousel that's gone off the rails.

[00:26:07]It adds some more classic circus instruments to make it feel like an unhinged funhouse.

[00:26:12]The pan flute from before becomes the main event, and it carries most of the song.

[00:26:16]An accordion fills in the gaps and doubles down on the circus theming.

[00:26:19][THE WORLD REVOLVING plays] The bit-crushed violin is only used for some buildup before the drop.

[00:26:25][THE WORLD REVOLVING plays] Finally, the trumpet brings us home with enough energy to take us full circle and start the next loop.

[00:26:33][THE WORLD REVOLVING plays] Throughout the song, the melody juggles all four of these instruments, which could actually reference Jevil being able to use all four card suits.

[00:26:44]To help make things feel like they're spinning like a rampaging ferris wheel, there's a bunch of rapid-fire notes that play in the background.

[00:26:50]Not only do they cycle up and down in pitch, but they also bounce from ear to ear.

[00:26:55][notes play] It gives the illusion that they're swirling around your head, and doubles down on the disorienting discombobulation.

[00:27:06]The freedom leitmotif being here makes sense, since Jevil is imprisoned.

[00:27:10]It could also be alluding to his insanity being a distorted form of freedom.

[00:27:15]His personality only shifted after meeting with a strange someone, who is very likely Gaster himself.

[00:27:22]Speaking of him, the freedom motif itself is kind of full of Gaster's motif.

[00:27:28]Take a listen.

[00:27:29]["THE WORLD REVOLVING" and "Gaster's Theme" play] If we just start playing from the middle of Gaster's melody, and swap the last two notes around, we get the Freedom leitmotif.

[00:27:41]["THE WORLD REVOLVING" and "Gaster's Theme" play] You could say someone who transcended reality itself, even in such an unsettling way, would be the freest of all.

[00:27:55][You Can Always Come Home plays] Home, sweet home.

[00:28:00]This is the melody at the start of the song that plays in Toriel's house, in both Undertale and Deltarune.

[00:28:06]It evokes memories of sitting by a warm fire, while someone idly plays a melody that just makes you feel like you belong.

[00:28:14]The two main tracks use an acoustic guitar to get that warm and welcoming atmosphere going.

[00:28:19]I think it's a great fit, because it's one of the cheapest and most available instruments you can get.

[00:28:24]Most families probably have one lying around, and family is what this leitmotif is all about.

[00:28:33]"Once Upon a Time" is still the main theme of Undertale.

[00:28:38]Having it featured in Deltarune really ties the games together, and cements them as parallel stories.

[00:28:43]They really save this one until the very end of the chapter.

[00:28:47]It first plays when you finally get home.

[00:28:49]I absolutely adore how many themes are weaved together in this track.

[00:28:54]We get a total of four.

[00:28:56]And at the end, there's three playing at the same time!

[00:28:58][You Can Always Come Home plays] It's a heartwarming, beautiful culmination of everything Toby and the team have given us so far.

[00:29:11]The way the song mixes old and new like this, it feels like a thank you letter, written in notes and chords instead of words.

[00:29:19]And as soon as you're settled in, and Undertale is at the front of your mind, [thud] Kris rips their SOUL out, and pulls out a knife like Chara.

[00:29:30]Toby is so mean sometimes, y'all.

[00:29:33]It plays again on the save screen after the credits roll.

[00:29:37]It's another welcome bit of nostalgia to remind us where it all started.

[00:29:42]God, I love how melancholic this song is.

[00:29:45]I'm not sure why it's so somber and sentimental, but I can sit in the headspace this song puts me in for hours.

[00:29:51]Playing the song that's at the start of Undertale, at the end of Chapter 1, is a way to say, "This is only the beginning."

[00:29:59]And with six more chapters ahead of us, it really is.

[00:30:06][music] Everyone break out the yoga mats, it's time for some stretching.

[00:30:14]These connections were all too far a reach, so they're not going to be included in the graph.

[00:30:18]I think most of these weren't intentional.

[00:30:21]The majority are probably the result of the apophenia I got from making these videos.

[00:30:26]I think some of you are going to have fun discussing these in the comments.

[00:30:29]We've got a lot to cover, so before we get into it, let's just kinda chill for a bit.

[00:30:34]["Chill" plays] [sigh] Isn't this nice?

[00:30:41]Uh... Hold on, just one second.

[00:30:44][beeping] [ANOTHER HIM plays] Oh my god.

[00:30:53]Well, this was a complete surprise to me when I found it.

[00:30:57]Check out how well the two match up.

[00:30:59]["Chill" and "ANOTHER HIM" play] By just changing the pitch of chill to match, the first chord from each song almost seems identical.

[00:31:08]Though, from what I can tell, they're a little bit different.

[00:31:12]Each song's chord progression is different too.

[00:31:15]They'll sound terrible if we sync them up.

[00:31:18]["Chill" and "ANOTHER HIM" play] Ugh.

[00:31:24]Even though it's not a leitmotif connection, the instruments sound almost exactly the same.

[00:31:29]My thinking is, since he already made chill, which had the same ambient vibe he was going for, Toby used it as a starting point for "ANOTHER HIM".

[00:31:41]Both of Susie and Lancer's themes start with an ascending pattern of four notes.

[00:31:45][Susie plays] [Vs. Lancer plays] Unfortunately, it's a pretty weak connection, because the notes don't even match.

[00:31:53]I was really hoping these two would have a solid musical connection because of how close they become.

[00:31:58]But this was all I could find.

[00:32:01]Maybe I overlooked something, but for now it seems like there's not much here.

[00:32:07]A connection I've seen talked about online is the backgrounds of Lantern and The Circus.

[00:32:11][Lantern plays] [The Circus plays] While they're both in 3/4 waltz rhythm, the melodies are different, so it's not a direct connection.

[00:32:23]They do give off a similar vibe though, and I think that's intentional.

[00:32:28]Seam was the one who imprisoned Jevil, so there's also some lore to back this one up.

[00:32:35]While making this video, I noticed something pretty fun in Chaos King.

[00:32:38]If we take the encounter sound from Undertale, [encounter] slow it way down, [slowed encounter] and extend the start of it, [extended encounter] we get something pretty familiar... It could totally be a coincidence, but it's a fun easter egg if it's not.

[00:32:58]Here are those shakier connections from the Hopes leitmotif.

[00:33:01]I'll play it again so it's fresh in your mind.

[00:33:03][A Town Called Hometown plays] In Field of Hopes and Dreams, you can vaguely hear it in this piano flourish.

[00:33:11][Field of Hopes and Dreams plays] But it only plays the first three notes before doing its own thing.

[00:33:19]This next one isn't just a connection to another song, but potentially a whole other leitmotif.

[00:33:24]Listen to this part from "You Can Always Come Home".

[00:33:27][You Can Always Come Home plays] It's only the first three notes again, but if you think this one is legit, it would mean every song with the Home leitmotif technically has the Hopes leitmotif in it too.

[00:33:40]Kinda wild.

[00:33:44][Determination plays] This is the same game over leitmotif from Undertale, but it doesn't play on the game over screen.

[00:33:52]Deltarune has its own song for that.

[00:33:55]Instead, it plays in Rude Buster.

[00:33:59]It's hardly a direct connection, so I'm gonna have to mess with things a lot to demonstrate it properly.

[00:34:05]See if you can hear it.

[00:34:06][Rude Buster plays] [Determination plays] [Rude Buster plays] [Determination plays] [Rude Buster plays] [Determination plays] Even though it completely remixes the melody, it vaguely sort of follows the same through line.

[00:34:39]It also plays in Seam's music, since it's basically Rude Buster.

[00:34:43][Lantern plays] I have no idea why this is here.

[00:34:49]All I can do is speculate.

[00:34:51]If this is legit, I definitely think it's foreshadowing something.

[00:34:55]Maybe Seam is somehow connected with death or Determination in some way, or maybe it could be foreshadowing things getting really dire for Susie in the future.

[00:35:04]I really hope I'm wrong, though.

[00:35:13]Now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for!

[00:35:16]Probably.

[00:35:17]Are you ready......to analyze a network graph?

[00:35:23]There have been some snippets of it throughout the video, but now you'll get a good look at the entire thing.

[00:35:31]We're gonna go over a few interesting bits of info and see what it can tell us about how everything fits together.

[00:35:36]There's a couple stats in here that really surprise me.

[00:35:39]I really hope you'll enjoy them, too.

[00:35:42]The leitmotif with the most connections in Chapter 1 goes to "Don't Forget."

[00:35:46]But it's not the most used overall.

[00:35:49]That honor goes to "Once Upon a Time," once we include all the connections from Undertale.

[00:35:53]They're called the main themes for a reason, folks.

[00:35:57]These are the leitmotifs with the least connections.

[00:35:59]Most are either very straightforward or haven't had time to flourish yet.

[00:36:03]We'll have to wait and see which grow and which stick with only two connections.

[00:36:08]These are the songs most filled to the brim with leitmotifs, coming in at four each.

[00:36:14]A Town Called Hometown uses so many leitmotifs because this community is at the heart of the story.

[00:36:20]Giving you a glimpse into this world filled with all sorts of charming and colorful characters shows what's at stake if Kris and their friends fail.

[00:36:27]For the task of "saving the world" to have weight behind it, you need to show the player that it's worth saving.

[00:36:33]Chaos King is given musical importance because it's the climax of the adventure.

[00:36:37]Having a bunch of familiar music come together during the final boss is a tried-and-true technique. It's a super effective way to make it feel like the whole chapter's been building up to the fight. As for the last one, you can always come home. It's a way to remind us how much this game builds on Undertale. It's using what came before as a springboard to reach even greater heights.

[00:36:59]Though some of these will become leitmotifs in later chapters, for now we'll hear the songs that are connectionless.

[00:37:07]If we do some quick math, we can figure out the average of how many connections are in each song for both Undertale and Deltarune. Comparing the two, it shows a difference of around 14%.

[00:37:18]It's crazy to say, but the numbers don't lie.

[00:37:22]Deltarune's music is even more connected than Undertale's was. There's a total of 21 leitmotifs used in Chapter 1, 13 of which are completely new, and 8 are borrowed from Undertale. That's a surprisingly even split, if you ask me. I guess it makes sense considering how much of Deltarune is built on the first game.

[00:37:43]There are also some leitmotifs I mentioned that I missed when I covered the first game.

[00:37:47]Here's all of them listed with their connections.

[00:37:54]Everything we've talked about so far barely scratches the surface of how deep this rabbit hole goes. There are already a bunch of connections in leitmotifs I haven't even mentioned yet, because they tie into future chapters. As I've shown in my last video, Toby already made an incredibly intricate web out of Undertale's soundtrack, where any thread you follow leads to a bunch of unexpected places. But with Deltarune, he's weaving what he's already created into a tapestry of musical storytelling.

[00:38:22]He's doubled down on telling a story through his music, and like most of you, I'm super excited to see how it all unfolds.

[00:38:28]We've got a lot more music to sift through in the future, so I hope you'll stick around to see what we uncover next.

[00:38:34]Thanks for watching.

[00:38:36]Have a good one.