A importância dos temas musicais na narrativa de um jogo eletrônico: uma análise do tema “Once Upon a Time” na trilha sonora de Undertale

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between music and narrative construction in the video game Undertale (2015), developed by Toby Fox, with an emphasis on how the soundtrack interacts with the game mechanics and the player’s choices. The research proposes a musical analysis of recurring themes, examining procedures such as motivic recurrence, thematic transformation, and melodic reuse. Through the analysis of selected tracks from the soundtrack, the study seeks to understand how music not only accompanies the narrative but actively participates in the construction of meaning and in the game’s metanarrative dimension. The study also considers statements made by the composer in interviews and commemorative livestreams, in which he discusses his creative process and the relationship between music and the game’s ludic structure. It is concluded that, in Undertale, music assumes a structural role, functioning as an element of memory, thematic identity, and emotional articulation, thus contributing decisively to the player’s aesthetic and narrative experience, while also contributing to an expanded understanding of the concept of leitmotif in interactive media by highlighting its dynamic, relational nature and its dependence on player agency.