the night , the music is light and atmospheric . The player must collect fireflies to cheer Bea up , and the light music reflects how the characters are growing closer . Within this section , the music heightens the players ’ emotional bond with the character ( Gibbons , 2017 , p . 412 ). Thus , music can significantly reflect the player ’ s choices and identity within the game . Sometimes , the music can offer players a completely different gameplay experience .
How Does Music Contribute To Character Identity In ‘ Undertale ’?: Nielson ( 2015 ) highlights that RPGs ‘ develop and explore identities through characters in ways that other games do not ’ ( Nielsen , 2015 , p . 47 ). This is particularly evident within ‘ Undertale ’ s ’ ( Toby Fox , 2015 ) narrative and large cast of characters . Through exploring how the main antagonist and one of the female-coded monsters you can befriend are represented musically , it will allow for exploration of how the game constructs and reinforces character identity .
The main antagonist of the
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game is a small flower monster called Flowey . At the beginning of the game- after the human protagonist falls into the ‘ Underground ’ - the first monster encountered in the game is Flowey . As the player talks to him the track called ‘ Your Best Friend ’ ( Toby Fox , 2015 ) is playing , which is a happy and sweet leitmotif . A leitmotif can be defined as ‘ a concise , recurring musical statement associated with a non-musical object or idea ’ ( Link , 2009 , p . 180 ). As this leitmotif is introduced , the player is not aware of the character ’ s true intentions . In his first sequence , the happy leitmotif tricks the player into a false sense of security and players begin to trust him . However , as he attacks the player in an attempt to kill them , the sweet leitmotif suddenly stops . Players now understand he is an antagonist , and how the music was purposely misleading them on his character identity . Flowey has two key leitmotivs associated with him ; the second is called ‘ You Idiot ’ ( Toby Fox , 2015 ). This leitmotif is dark and foreboding , as it is full of harsh , creepy noises . If the player completes the neutral route ,
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