Deltarune's 'The Third Sanctuary' is an affront to time signatures, and also one of my favourite songs in a videogame ever

Critical Hit welcomes readers to discuss and analyze video game music and audio design. This week, the focus is on Deltarune's "The Third Sanctuary," praised as one of the best tunes in a video game ever. The song uses unconventional time signatures, such as 9/4, 11/8, 5/4, 12/8, and 11/8, to reflect the uncertain and conflicted emotions of the game's protagonist Susie.

These unusual time signatures, which include half-notes, quarter-notes, and even 16th-notes, create a sense of trepidation and strangeness in the music. Despite the complexity of the time signatures, Toby Fox uses them to tell a story, with the melodies in the final bars swelling and growing hopeful, mirroring Susie's determination to confront an uncertain prophecy.