Deltarune’s ‘The Third Sanctuary’ is an affront to time signatures, and also one of my favourite songs in a videogame ever
The article discusses “The Third Sanctuary,” a song from the indie game Deltarune, developed by Toby Fox. The piece is part of PC Gamer’s “Critical Hit” column, which focuses on videogame music and audio design. The author recently completed chapters one through five of Deltarune, motivated by wanting to avoid spoilers from friends who had already played through the game.
The central theme of the article is the song’s unconventional use of time signatures, which the writer describes as both frustrating (even to an imagined drummer) and artistically excellent. Despite—or perhaps because of—its technical complexity, “The Third Sanctuary” is cited as one of the author’s favorite videogame songs. The piece appears to explore how Toby Fox employs intricate musical composition as part of Deltarune’s overall artistic presentation.
The article represents the ongoing appreciation in gaming communities for exceptional game music and sound design, with professional coverage examining how developers push creative boundaries through audio. Deltarune continues to generate discussion following the release of its chapters, with players and critics alike engaging with its distinctive artistic direction.