18 years after its original release, Toby Fox’s “Megalovania” still captivates listeners worldwide. “Megalovania” comes from the hit game Undertale, which is known for its wildly different endings, wacky characters, and iconic soundtrack. Fox crafted the world of Undertale almost completely on his own with assistance from Temmie Chang.
“Megalovania,” one of the best-known songs on the soundtrack, remains popular almost 11 years after the game’s release. With over 220 million listens on Spotify and 36 million views on YouTube as of April 2026, what about this song makes it remain in the zeitgeist?
Starting as a soundtrack for a ROM hack of EarthBound, Fox composed the song by screaming into a microphone, then transcribing and finishing the song in 30-60 minutes. He later remixed the song for the webcomic Homestuck, before repurposing the song a third time for his own creation, Undertale. However, he did rewrite a version for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
There are three potential endings for Undertale depending on which route you take: pacifist, neutral, or genocide. “Megalovania” occurs during the final true boss fight of the genocide run. After going through the entire game killing every single monster you encounter, as opposed to sparing them and showing mercy, you must fight one of the most prominent characters in the game. Take a look here:
The Simple Melody That Makes “Megalovania” Impossible To Forget
The main melody of “Megalovania” follows a repetitive pattern in D minor with a descending chromatic bassline. Matthew Perez in his thesis “Undertale: A Case Study in Ludomusicology,” says the bassline: “gives the track a ferocity throughout its various sections, and its varying instrumentation continually refreshes the sonic atmosphere during the combat scenario.” However, after the minimal introduction, the drums are a constant and unrelenting presence in the piece.
All these factors are expertly woven to create a piece that perfectly captures the character and ferocity of the scene. Composers of video game music face a unique challenge: creating music that is recognizable, conveys the game’s tone, and sparks emotion in players, all while ensuring it can be looped indefinitely and is not too flashy to distract players while they are working on a task. “Megalovania” carries the boss fight, a boss fight that is incredibly challenging, and remains memorable even after the fight is over.
“Megalovania” Remains A Musical Challenge
What makes this song live on, however, is not only the game but the culture that surrounds it. “Megalovania” is known as a challenging piano piece that few attempt beyond the first phrase. In Manel Návola’s arrangement of “Megalovania,” one of the most popular video game scores on MuseScore, he jokingly subtitles the score, “Wanna have a bad time?” Which the internet widely understands when the first four notes of the melody is played. It’s a song most people have probably heard at least once in their lifetime (including Pope Francis). Additionally, the simple, repetitive melody is what makes this song an earworm for so many listeners. Which can sometimes be a bit annoying, but also shows the genius of Fox’s video game music.
Personally, I’ll always remember this song from classmates randomly playing the melody on their instruments in music classes.
Think you can take on the challenge of playing “Megalovania”? Find it here.
