Rebecca Murray
they encounter Flowey after battling Asgore near the end of the narrative . After the player spares Asgore in battle , Flowey disrupts and kills Asgore . By absorbing the other human souls , Flowey transforms into a grotesque monster . This boss fight music- called ‘ Your Best Nightmare ’ ( Toby Fox , 2015 ) - incorporates both of the character ’ s leitmotivs into the overall song . Perez ( 2017 ) suggests how the leitmotivs are ‘ divided into alternating sections depending on the protagonist ’ s circumstances while battling the nightmarish creature ’ ( Perez , 2017 , p . 85 ). As Flowey utilises attacks based on the human souls , the happy leitmotif is utilised . When Flowey utilises attacks based on his grotesque form , the harsh leitmotif is utilised . This combined use of the leitmotivs suggests how Flowey is unstable and dangerous in this form ; the player develops their understanding of Flowey ’ s character identity throughout this boss battle . Thus , this highlights how important music is to the overall construction of character identity . Without this creative combination of leitmotivs , the player would
142 not be able to engage with the narrative elements associated with the character .
In contrast , one of the femalecoded monsters is represented very differently . After Flowey attacks the player at the beginning of the game , the player is saved by the character Toriel . As she saves the player , the track ‘ Fallen Down ’ ( Toby Fox . 2015 ) begins to play . The leitmotif is welcoming and light , emphasising how the character has a mothering nature . Many characters develop a close connection to this tutorial character , as she protects the player at the beginning of the game . As Seraphine ( 2018 ) suggests , players of this game ‘ grow an attachment to its fictional characters comparable to the attachment to a friend in their real life ’ ( Seraphine , 2018 , p . 1 ). The player eventually learns that she has tried to protect multiple humans who have fallen into the ‘ Underground ’ like the protagonist . However , each of the humans left her to return to the surface and were eventually killed by Asgore in battle . To prevent the protagonist from leaving she decides to test