Deltarune

Written by Chase Wootton

Observing Leitmotifs and Developing Themes

Toby Fox, Deltarune, and Leitmotifs

Toby Fox—creator of Undertale and Deltarune—is notorious for intricately using leitmotifs: a musical technique where a composer establishes a melody associated with a character, theme, or circumstance, then reuses that melody in other places in a collection of music. They are all over his music, and Deltarune—his most recent work—is a perfect example of how they can be interpreted to gain deeper meaning of a piece media's plot of themes. In Deltarune's soundtrack, Fox uses leitmotifs to reveal new things about characters, foreshadow how plot points are related, or create a specific tone and/or atmosphere, strengthening Deltarune's prophecy- and mystery-based narrative. In this page, then, we'll focus on one instance of leitmotif use, the Sanctuaries of Chapter 4, to see how Toby Fox uses this technique effectively, understanding how it can connect to narrative and story.

The Sanctuaries

"The Sanctuaries" refers to three distinct fantasy worlds—or "Dark Worlds"—that the player and their companions visit while the story progresses. Specifically, the moniker "Sanctuary" comes from the names of the musical tracks that play as the background music while the player is in these areas. These tracks are named "Dark Sanctuary," "The Second Sanctuary," and "The Third Sanctuary."

Dark Sanctuary

Maybe one of the first things you notice when you hear "Dark Sanctuary" is its 6/8 time signature¹. All of the sanctuary songs focus on the eighth note, thought they progressively get more complex. Initially, the song uses a simple arpeggiated rhythm to support a main melody, which is layered with leitmotifs. Two motifs—"Don't Forget" and "The Legend"—make up the majority of the melody. "Don't Forget"—Deltarune's main theme—grounds the track in heroic tension and "The Legend" connects the song to the mysterious prophecy stated at the beginning of the game when that track plays. "Dark Sanctuary" mostly remixes these two songs, and its only unique leitmotif is the background arpeggio, which is expanded on later.

What we can take from this opening track, then, is that this area is meant to be one where Deltarune's "prophecy" is at the forefront of the player's mind, and excerpts are the prophecy are scattered throughout the area. This portion of the game marks Deltarune's midpoint, and the atmosphere is tense and climactic. This is the story's turning point.

The Second Sanctuary

Here's where things get interesting.

"The Second Sanctuary" is shocking because it plays when one of the characters in the player's party—Susie—opens a second Dark World. Dark Worlds are considered dangerous, and a magic that is largely associated with villains. Susie's decision to open a second one, therefore, is meant to be foreboding and eerie.

"The Second Sanctuary" opens with a similar arpeggio as the first—an echo that resembles the first track. There is added space between echoes, and strings crescendos in the background, increasing tension. Then, the track reveals its true colors. The previous leitmotifs are heard again, but recontextualized for the story's tone and themes. Fox adapts the melody to slide along the musical throughline, using odd synths to slowly drag one pitch to the next without a break in-between.

Yet the most interesting part of this track is its time signatures (yes, plural!). The opening arpeggio is so disorienting because it is in 9/4²—one past the typical expected beat. But after the intro, the time signature switches to 3/4³. Finally, a 10/8⁴ section appears, completely changing the feel of the song.

Through experimenting with the tone and organization of leitmotifs, then, and adding slightly adjusted meters, Toby Fox once again reiterates the themes present within the Sanctuaries. The player continues their prophetic journey, but Susie's influence on the new environment is tangible and wrong in a sense, distorting the music (and atmosphere) with her naive creation.

The Third Sanctuary

"The Third Sanctuary" is at the Climax of Deltarune Chapter 4. After closing Susie's fountain, the party must descend even deeper into the third Dark World of this Chapter. Not only does this indicate a descent into more secrets, more reveals relating to the prophecy, and a final confrontation with this chapter's villain—the Roaring Knight—but it continues to develop the leitmotifs that have been used throughout this chapter so far, and it continues the theme of the Dark Fountains' entropic nature, that will eventually culminate in the Roaring Knight making yet another fountain inside of a Dark World, creating a monster prophesied to bring the world closer to catastrophe.

"The Third Sanctuary" is very similar in structure to "The Second Sanctuary." It retains the arpeggiated 9/4 opening, the 10/8 sequence, and development of the same themes, but each technique used thus far is intensified and augmented to reflect theme and atmosphere.

The differences are prevalent, when you look at them. The Third Sanctuary relies heavily on arpeggiated 8th notes, which now comprise the main melody of the song. Additionally, the "The Legend" melody is heard only once (and quietly) while the "Don't Forget" leitmotif is discarded entirely. The removal of the "Don't Forget" leitmotif is particularly shocking, suggesting distance from its suggestion that "I'm with you in the dark."

But once again, time signature are by far the most prevalent difference. The Third Sanctuary is famous for its odd and sometimes baffling time signatures, and represents the culmination of the Sanctuaries' development. The main melody is in 11/8⁵, one less than a clean 3 or 4 beat organization. This—and a rapid drum beat—provide energy to the track that drives it forward; one measure "falls" into the next. Additionally, at one point a 2/4 beat is added arbitrarily, and the song's conclusion is in a mind-boggling 23/8⁶. Each movement creates tension and forward motion, as the environment becomes more and more alien. It's building to a conclusion, and it leads beautifully into this Chapter's climax.

Conclusion

Through repetitive musical themes (leitmotifs), developing melodies, entropic organizations, and odd time signatures, Toby Fox creates a cascading motion throughout the Sanctuaries that culminates in the Third Sanctuary and the climax of Deltarune Chapter 4. He tells a story not only through plot but through atmosphere and tone conveyed through music. How these techniques are used in the Sanctuaries is an impressive case study on how leitmotifs can be changed and recontextualized to tell story that we can certainly learn from. Leitmotifs are a powerful tool, and Deltarune, Toby Fox, and the Sanctuary themes show how they can be used to create amazing effects that effortlessly complement the media they're in.

---

1. That is, 6 eighth notes per measure. Most songs are in 4/4: 4 quarter notes per measure. ↩

2. 9 quarter notes per measure. ↩

3. This is different from 6/8 because the emphasis is placed on each quarter note, rather than each group of three eighth notes. ↩

4. 10 eighth notes per measure. This could also reasonably counted as 5/4 ↩

5. 11 eighth notes per measure! ↩

6. A whopping 23 eighth notes per measure; usually counted as a section of 12/8 then a section of 11/8. ↩