All-Devouring Narwahl MUSIC REACTION || Genshin Impact

huh. This is INTENSE.
If you love video game music and how it helps us more deeply connect to the games we love, consider subscribing and/or joining my Patreon, let's discuss and uncover the beauty of VGM together!
/ marcomeatball
#music
| Who am I? |
Hi, I'm Marco Meatball, a former pro opera singer, turned voice actor, turned KZbinr. I grew up loving video games and video game music after first discovering them when I was 7 years old. Since then, I have lived and breathed all things video games. This channel is all about video game music and the beauty of modern composition, how it allows us to connect more deeply with the games we love, and how we can better learn to understand ourselves through it and the experiences it provides.
Find me here:
linktr.ee/marc...
#videogames
Games you will find in the channel:
Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, League of Legends, Genshin Impact, Devil May Cry (DMC), Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Ultrakill, Terraria, Undertale, World of Warcraft, Monster Hunter, Warhammer, Honkai Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Bloodborne, Ace Combat, Doom, Warframe, Arknights, Nier, Guilty Gear, Risk of Rain, Armored Core, Destiny and much, much more!

[@spit782]

16:46 if you wonder why the music is so "out of place" as you are basicly battling a creature origin not from Teyvat,and its codename is "Visitor from the far side of the sea of stars"

[@fazadhikarizqkoswara9429]

Hoyo really teasing us on future content like possible Sea of Quanta equivalent or something down the line on things you can only experience in Honkai 3rd lore 😂

[@sirthomasevangelion1258]

It’s because this whale is outside this world, they incorporate music outside this world maybe the same with khanreia too

[@mexicanopdb]

​@@sirthomasevangelion1258me when it comes to spelling the funny dainslief nation:

[@Kay2xeOnPs5]

@@mexicanopdbyou when it comes to spelling Dainsleif

[@peanutbutter3588]

@@sirthomasevangelion1258 the god that khaenriah worship is skrillex

[@jonathangould189]

11:04 "I love that we're not moving away from traditional instruments"... and then 16:46 hits.

[@FlashSlash95]

the edm part instill fear.. i literally panicked when the bass dropped. The first part also even better with narwhal's sound in the game. They really want us to feel fear.

[@Vanady_]

My regret being too good at wiping it out before I could listen to it fully

[@daysand123]

I kinda wish it didn't auto die at like the halfway point in the story. I literally wanted to complete the rest of the quest just so I could go back and fight it for real. A choice I would regret when even level ninety powerhouses like Neuvilette were in danger.

[@george22234]

​@@Vanady_I hear ya, us genshin veterans suffering from success

[@chrysanth7421]

No literally it scared the ever living crap out of me

[@stephenlee1108]

I was already not feeling the boss since I have thalassophobia but when we got devoured and the distortion sound kicked in I was utterly SHOOK 😭

[@EritoKaio]

Hopefully this shows the community that losing Yu Peng wasn't the end of genshin's music quality.

[@yang2chan]

​@@ИльяИгнатов-у9ъthe whale isnt from teyvat so it actually makes sense lore-wise

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

Chen was Zhongli and hoyomix was Liyue

[@teeman7137]

@@ИльяИгнатов-у9ъfontaine ost is amazing. Furina demo is a banger including this one. 100% sure you wouldnt have notice if the composer left in silence

[@Naauhen]

@@teeman7137 If no one knew that he left, a lot of people would be saying this is a masterpiece and Fontaine has the best music lol

[@Vasilar]

​@@Naauhenнет, я думаю, вторая фаза (дабстеп) критиковалась бы даже если бы Ю Пенг Чен остался в Хойо. Слишком уж она неподходящая для данного босса

[@namba3886]

I feel like every part of the whale feels super otherworldy, and i think that describes the abyss pretty well

[@KoLYaBoLYaMoLYa]

The orchestral part still has it's Teiwat-ish feel of something ancient and powerful, but the EDM part, where we fighting inside the whale is completely completely completely otherworldly and unnatural.

[@lindenlynx]

It's so different from the rest of Genshin's music -- we can tell this is not Teyvat

[@_Nyxus_]

@@lindenlynx I'm glad that there are people who are picking up on this. Ironically there are people not liking it because they say it doesn't fit but...that's kinda the point? I think, once again, the composers hit the nail on the head with this theme.

[@lindenlynx]

@@_Nyxus_ Exactly! I've seen complaints about Skirk and the Primordial Sea seeming "too much like Honkai Impact", but I think that's the point. The worlds were meant to be connected from the very start, and the further we go outside of Teyvat and into the Abyss, the closer we get to the world of Honkai, meaning the fantasy starts to blend into sci-fi

[@_Nyxus_]

@@lindenlynx Yeah I don't even play Honkai, just kinda follow people that do the lore of it, and even I was like "Huh, Skirk looks like Honkai. So we're finally going to see where the worlds connect?" Some people have even mentioned some Genshin characters kinda look like Honkai ones and it got me wondering if they were connected (I mean xxxHolic and Tsubasa I think it was? Are connected cause some companies do that). I'm actually excited to see where this is going to go!

[@itssoccermom]

I feel like this boss theme, specifically with it having such contrasting parts, does an amazing job at making you FEEL the horror of fighting this creature. Hoyomix just doesn’t miss

[@shadowfan8217]

Fr. When the second phase started I was actually freaking out because of the music

[@eclairpunyabae7861]

First phase when you fight narwhal feels like you're fighting unknown ancient creature, but then when the phase you're fighting the aline it feels like it's far beyond unknown

[@gabrielhenson5751]

@@shadowfan8217 yeah, I was powerful enough that the boss wasn't even a problem but the music made me feel so underprepared, I felt like I was barely scraping by throughout the whole fight, despite the fact that I was actually wiping the floor with the boss.

[@zrolyn6367]

too bad boss too easy so you doesn't feel anything

[@silverX3870]

​@@zrolyn6367only for you so cry about it

[@valk5041]

16:46 when this part played during the fight and it synced perfectly with my Neuvillete using his burst was the exact moment I lost no nut november 🗿

[@ken3329]

Lol😂

[@spiderdude2099]

Based

[@Harsh1650]

Understandable

[@Sodium779]

Nonstop Neuvillette Nutting November

[@davisbenecke3623]

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN MY GAME (minus the nut part)

[@ATMEIDAREYAIDOUBLEDAREYA]

As a huge animal nerd i cannot stress enough how much i love this boss as a whole but especially the ost for the second phase because those clicks and noises in the background sound just like the noise whales make and i freaking LOVE IT, like i don’t know if they used noises from actual whales or if they artificially recreated them but it sounds SO GOOD. Now, i will admit that i would have preferred if the whispers were quieter so that the whale sounds can be heard better (that’s why i have a slight bias to the 2nd leaked version of this OST where there are no whispers) but even if the whale sounds cannot be heard very clearly this theme is still a 100/10 for me, sure, objectively speaking it may not be as good as "Polumnia Omnia" , "God-devouring mania" or other themes, but i don’t care about objectivity when it comes to this theme because it’s just such an absolute BANGER.

[@lindenlynx]

I remember reading that they sampled the noises of the 52 hertz whale for Wrath of Monoceros Caeli.

[@Crimson.-.]

I honestly thought this game had peaked with Polumnia Omnia and then hoyomix cooked THIS up… I was astonished how the quality could be improved by 10 fold so easily.

[@josebarrantes8429]

where is it heard? The whale sounds

[@cloudydeez]

@@josebarrantes8429I think somewhere around 10:17

[@daveszt99]

if you really like the whale edm part, I can point you to Cyber Whale and Dead Sea EP by Eliminate, he's a lover of whale sounds for some reason, and if you want a specifically "clicky" dubstep you can check out the genre called "vomitstep" (not joking), an example song is Deep in the Night by Snails

[@doodleghost6225]

16:40 your reaction was exactly like mine i just sat there with the same expression for a few seconds and almost got annihilated by the boss lmao

[@yharnamiyhill787]

My ganyu died. I was like..did hoyo use actual whale sounds to make dubstep?

[@fazadhikarizqkoswara9429]

​@@yharnamiyhill787they f*cking did and gassing it till it explode in our face 😂

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

Yes, they did. And a dark one. Skrillex was a close one that Marco mentioned. @@yharnamiyhill787

[@RaiderFenrir050]

​@@yharnamiyhill787 a Whaler....

[@twoworldwars4633]

A little info about the Narwhal. You can hear the Fatui theme ever so slightly in it because this abyssal animal is linked to Tartaglia. Ever since he came out he’s had voice lines in his character profile that he fell into the abyss as a child and gained his fighting ability by spending time in the abyss with his mentor. He did also see the All Devouring Narwhal down there and it made such an impression on him that he has an attack that mimics the way it looks during his boss fight. After what felt like a couple weeks, he escaped the abyss and returned to Teyvat, not knowing that MONTHS had gone by while he was down there. He kept trying to find a way back to the abyss to seek out his master and fight the Narwhal. That’s why he was so persistent about joining the Fatui and becoming a Harbinger.

[@littledark6498]

For those who want to hear the Fatui motif in this, just listen to Marco explaining at 6:27

[@suus-arido393]

That drop and silence in the third part literally made me stop breathing. In that moment my brain SHUT OFF and said: we're in danger, RUN.

[@derpysman2001]

When i fought the 2nd phase during the story line i managed to time zhongli's ult with the beat drop perfectly, i dont think ill ever hit a high moment like that again

[@mahks-pectith3179]

Did something similar with dehya's ult when she clenches her fist

[@gladiusbladeofthenorth9939]

The video you chose started halfway through phase 1 for some reason, so you literally listened to the middle of phase 1 and them the entire thing after lol

[@melian2593]

Not really, there are 2 variations to the first phase theme of this boss.

[@gladiusbladeofthenorth9939]

@@melian2593 there isn't, its the same theme, but people decided to separate them after extracting from the files

[@melian2593]

@@gladiusbladeofthenorth9939 my bad then, good to know.

[@giantman100]

​@@gladiusbladeofthenorth9939it's for the quest fight

[@gladiusbladeofthenorth9939]

@@giantman100 yes, they cut phase 1 in the fight to only have vocals on the later part, but its still phase 1. Its still a single theme

[@tipsfedora3714]

I played through the entire quest yesterday and when I made it to the boss finally I instantly was like "Oh holy shit, Marco you need to hear this B section" and then the B section hit the latter part and i lost my shit, the amount of counterpointing themes in this is so nuts in the sound design/instrumentation and the actual melody lines. Looking forward to seeing you play the actual story to get like, the full narrative experience

[@MarcoMeatball]

Just finished. I loved it.

[@miers2002]

i swear i cried way too much during that quest 😭😭

[@spiderdude2099]

I love when the whale said “it’s whaling time” and whaled all over the place

[@ShadowSausage]

And donate $over9000 to C6 Furina

[@KimVerdacht]

It's like free2play players against the Mega whaler which is the whale itself

[@lordbuntcake]

Truly a whale moment

[@flowerremoon]

And just before that in the quest when Childe said: "Heh, looks like we're about to have a whale of a time!"

[@Steven-xz5xt]

@@flowerremoonand afterwards too after he’s done helping us and he says “Well, you’re Whalecome” and jumps off a waterfall to escape the feds.

[@shockfish8366]

I love the theme and your discussion. But by far my favorite part of videos like these is the joy and excitement you show when reacting to various parts.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@meepswag35]

I really like edm, but I’m glad it only appears in a specific part of the boss fight, as the classical is awesome

[@supremeoverlord0]

It's really a showing of the best of both genres! Each was allowed to take the stage, and it made for an altogether amazing experience.

[@Psycorde]

It's always thematically justified

[@samikay626]

The edm made me run around dodging and dragging out the fight because I was jamming so hard

[@s2wuolf508]

Another quality the pause in the first part of the edm brings is that its as if you're frozen in fear and processing what is going on

[@prar7450]

It actually sounds like its creeping onto psytrance ❤

[@fromashesreborn.]

as much as rhapsodia rhoscida and polumnia omnia (scaramouche phase 1 and 2) will always be my favourite tracks, this track is really catchy imo. i love how some of the background sounds in phase 2 almost sound like whale calls and clicking and stuff. i also like how most abyss related enemies/characters in the game have dubstep/edm themes lol.

[@ichiroudesu_.]

Rhapsodia Rhoscida and Polumnia Omnia are literally perfect pieces, I'd also include Saltatio Favillae as well. Though I agree, this theme is catchy but after coming from those themes, everything is at a high standard for me lol. I mean we are just comparing 2 literal Harbingers against a Harbingers pet.

[@rajadarshidash1016]

@@ichiroudesu_. That whale is not a Harbinger's pet. That whale is the pet of a certain someone who can turn the entire world upside down and reverse it in a matter of seconds. Surtalogi and Rhinedottir aren't someone to be taken lightly.

[@esheep8697]

@@rajadarshidash1016 thought it was skirk's pet that she was cultivating by letting it eat the primordial sea water she was only mentioning her that her master "the foul" is similar to surtalogi and rhinedottir

[@thegrayyernaut]

@@esheep8697 It's her master's pet. Her master's name is literally Surtalogi, also known as "The Foul", who has a similar power level to "Gold", Rhinedottir. You missed/mixed up a bit of the dialogues.

[@dogpound9851]

The EDM just works so well with the feeling of “this thing shouldn’t be here on this planet” feeling you get when you see things related to the abyss

[@dracodb4336]

The alternate version of the Narwhal in this video is actually the one that is played in game. That first version was cut badly missing the whole scary buildup.

[@achmadputra2]

actually, the first version will play when after we got eaten by the narwhale and fighting the humanoid one.

[@Aona_Music]

@@achmadputra2 it also plays in the courthouse during one of the cutscenes, before the narwhal bursts into show

[@achmadputra2]

@@Aona_Music oh really? I don't really notice when I play with the AQ. I'll watch it again tho

[@Aona_Music]

@@achmadputra2 it caught me super off guard bc I didn't expect to hear it there either tbh

[@esheep8697]

@@achmadputra2 it does not play after we get eaten by the narwhal. it plays in the cutscene before fighting the narwhal. when we fight the humanoid abyss thing we hear the edm song

[@Who_is_Toast]

I really like that Hoyomix is trying something new. It really fits the boss, and even though I’m not usually into this type of music I can’t deny that this slaps hard.

[@MrSupermarineSpitfire]

It's actually not a new thing for them if you mean EDM invasion there. More like this is returning to the origins because Hoyo-Mix mastered that skill in Honkai 3rd. And I'm really damn like that. Yep, Genshin's overall orchestral & native sound is great and all, but the fact that abyss forces EDM vibes is great. So now we really feel that Genshin and Teyvat are not torn off from MiHoYo's multiverse, and also exists somewhere near to the all previous (and future) Honkai series which actually embodies their devotion to the ideas of samsara, rebirth and countless bubble universes.

[@xerix7772]

the modern feel of the 2nd phase (edm) definitely fits this boss fight since Narwhal IS NOT FROM TEYVAT its literally a being that shouldn't exist in teyvat kinda like an alien

[@NyesoEX]

this boss theme is incredible, like, when you`re fighting against the narwahl, you`re not fighting, you`re surviving against such gargantuous beast, but when it swallow us and we have to fight a humanoid being that looks like a living blackhole on a arena that seems to be the end of times, it really hits diferent, before you were a witness of the narwahl, now you`re a victim, it set their mind on ending with your existance, and that EDM sounding so evil, from the depths of the unknown deep sea, really stakes on your mind the "Oh, now they`re serious..." XD

[@reinhartnata47]

Wdym we're surviving and the victim, literally neuvillette says he wants us to be the executioner for his sentence. We're literally hunting it, even skirk admits both neuvillette and our strength

[@sorrow_flamez9544]

@@reinhartnata47 could be meant in the way how you cant really attack it during that stage until you get swallowed so you're kind of just surviving

[@reinhartnata47]

@@sorrow_flamez9544 the dialogue during that phase also has no indication of that whatsoever. The whale trying to eat us was a desperate attempt even, proving that we really are a threat for the whale

[@haseebbarya8294]

@@reinhartnata47 Actually, the whale was crying and raging. You capitalize on its rage and make it eat you, hence giving you the chance to defeat it. If it didn't eat us, we wouldn't have a chance to defeat it.

[@reinhartnata47]

@@haseebbarya8294 doesn't change the fact that the original commenter is wrong

[@strixsantos]

10:45 the fatui-like in this song comes from tartaglia he is directly conected with the narwahl, and in latter cut-scenes he appears fighting with the narwahl

[@atoafriend]

I love love LOVE that the music begins when the whale appears with the same theme we hear from Childe's boss music when he's using his Abyss powers, and then when Childe shows up it changes to the Fatui motif.

[@zeromailss]

I like how this sounds like a more traditional boss music comparable to Souls series OST than how Genshin boss music usually is Until of course it changes phase. Like damn I love this game OST so much

[@chronosite]

The music did a great job on putting pressure on me during the fight It made me feel like an ant in front of a unstoppable disaster

[@rosiemama11]

I have always loved how the male voices will start at 6:17 , and then the female voices repeat the same line, like a whale call :)) It's so amazing

[@upguess5360]

Never seen Marco returning to his kid self for the whole music. Im happy he is enjoying himself 😂

[@sothissleepydeity]

I love this theme, simply cause once the chanting starts in the first phase, it feels like it's not even from Genshin, but something straight out of Dark Souls. The shift inbetween the two phases is my favorite thing about it. By far my favorite theme from Hoyo so far.

[@Aona_Music]

This piece has surprisingly taken the top spot for my favorite soundtrack in the entirety of Genshin. Didn't think anything would be able to take the throne from Polumina Omnia, but man am I a sucker for Bloodborne-esque sounds, broad, deep cellos and horns and huge choirs. It just hit all the right spots. I'm actually working on upgrading it right now with my own style (expect something in the next couple of days). An absolutely gorgeous composition. Truly a masterpiece in my opinion

[@Ur_Fav_Trans_Car_Gal_Basil]

I often think of Edm as the support class of music (hear me out) that adds on to whatever is taking the stage, I think the Scara boss theme is the best example of this, but I’m glad there are still soundtracks that let Edm show just how much damage it can still do standing on its own

[@egorl5531]

I REALLY liked this theme. First phase was very good, but it didn't surprise me or smth like that. It is good but somewhat normal. But the second phase... I liked it not only because i like this kind of music or because i'm a honkai player, where music like this is not a rare thing but because this is a perfect fit. Some people say that it is not a genshin music and it doesn't match the game style, but it perfectly matches here. Because this narwhal is not from teyvat, an alien, a creature far beyond this world So yea, i really like it.

[@pedromoreira6218]

well the genshin universe is set in the honkai universe canonicly and Neuvilette did say that the whale is a cosmic being from out of the world

[@kaleaj]

@@pedromoreira6218 ive played honkai since late 2020.. genshin was never connected except for the collab patch they did

[@Kira-mu2im]

​​​@@kaleajnope it is Otto in one chapter could be seen observing Davalin (also confirmed by devs in one honkai interview)and also Its one of the bubble universe in the imaginary tree

[@kaleaj]

@@Kira-mu2im that dragon is the one durandal fought.. not dvalin. No proof its a bubble universe, espeically since its large

[@Kira-mu2im]

​@@kaleaj nope it is go to the honkai Rosemary design vid in the official channel at 40 sec THE DEV WILL LITERALLY SAY IT kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGSlY6B8l7iVjs0si=6m8qvFgx1HeH1jra

[@fireblitz3438]

The third portion i would say is like its meant to be the climax of a fight and you could tell how its structure where each hit has impact and it almost gives off an extremely unsettling feeling of ending everything and the unending tension and chaos that happens in the mix. As a dubstep enthusiast, theres a lot of great details that make this mix very enjoyable.

[@vrynnie]

Starting from Freminet's theme i got super excited with the more edm forward direction that hoyo is taking with genshin. I mean yes for their honkai games it is kinda expected to be more edm leaning due to their theme but for genshin while yes they do have edm touches since the beginning but seeing it more and more as we see the story arc progressing more into the abyss and realms beyond teyvat, i am just LOVING IT. I wanna know who their edm producer/composer/director/artist is because this drop is by far the HARDEST drop for a boss battle in the game ive heard. Its just so GOOD!!!!

[@Shyder]

16:45 Your reaction is just perfect.

[@Shyder]

At some moment the "AAAHH" makes me think of someone's head getting in and out of water, trying desperately to take some breaths of air. And they are able to, but they also breathe water. They're agonising while drowning, but they keep fighting. (Ok, that was dark. Sorry. 😅)

[@ibelieveinwoozisupremacy8681]

What i think about this music particular.... The more abyssal or enemy from the outside teyvat... They have this kinda modern edm music... While in teyvat, you got more traditional music sometimes mix modern music.

[@zelktheinvader7874]

Yeah. Like Before the Light Fades for Marana's Avatar

[@josiaherwin9222]

This is peak MarcoMeatball. Such a joy to watch and good god this track is incredible.

[@persephonehades7547]

I didn't even realize those were remixed whale songs. My jaw dropped when I could hear what you were pointing out there. Also I don't want to spoil things just out of personal ethics, but the music at the end to me feels like a fight at an event horizon. It's like even sound gets flung around and you can hear it behind you rather than the source in front of you, which you described as no forward momentum. This music really set the stage for the boss fight and I'm here for it. Also I wonder if the reason the themes almost sound like Childe's boss them but also doesn't is because Foul Legacy came from the abyss. Maybe this is supposed to be like a musical ancestor. Does that make sense? I think House of the Dragon did something similar with Daenerys's theme from Game of Thrones.

[@tytbmbutterboi6664]

Never have I felt so intimidating and scared facing a boss in this game. They _scared_ me. I'm of what Otherworldly creature and theme we're gonna have to face in the future. In fact, it was so surreal and intimidating, my mind literally is trying to convince me NONE of it ever even happened.

[@lindenlynx]

I was so scared of it... and then Skirk dismissed it as nothing more than a troublesome pet. Now I'm even more scared LMAO

[@whyisyoutubeshowinghandles]

​@@lindenlynx You go from being scared of the narwhal tp being scared of the dude who decided to keep it as a pet...

[@scrollkeeper5272]

I definitely felt like I was on the ropes during Nharwhal, constantly thinking, "How am I going to outlast and damage this thing?" Especially during the second phase. Overall Fontaine and 4.2 are peak Genshin.

[@Mr.MasterOfTheMonsters]

The electronic/skrilex part of the boss battle has to be my favourite fight in the game. The enemy attacks follow the rythm of the music. The agresiveness of the music and the unnatural movements of the enemy make it feel like a demonic monster hunting you down. When the BAA-pause-BAAA-pause part arrives and he starts teleporting everywhere, I feared for my life. It is a really beautiful nightmare.

[@Zecuto]

16:57 "almost sounds like my headphones broke" - Marco on modern music 😂

[@Xincho88]

its been LONG since i last seen marco SO excited and hyped like that LMAO love it

[@duranvt3856]

11:46 I love these little sounds they put in that represents the sound a narwhal/whale makes underwater

[@_EllaLost]

knowing the Vourukaha Oasis music, one of, if* not my all time favorite music in all of gensihn, wasnt made by yu peng, i knew genshin was still in amazing hands. and this boss fight just demonstrated it even more

[@xionmemoria]

I stayed up till 5 am to speed run this update so I could avoid spoilers from the comment section. Almost got sent home for looking dead, but I regret absolutely nothing. Avert your eyes Marco! Hopefully someone will post a less scrambled version of this theme soon.

[@miers2002]

i remember being on vacation, so i stayed off of all social media and i did it at 3 am on purpose, because i knew i was gonna be crying 😂😂

[@nektoneizvestniy2050]

When I entered this dimension, all I could do was scream to myself "OMG OMG OMG" It was a magnificent sight! I had never experienced anything like this before. Even the impression of the first battle with Skara - the biggest boss in the game - was erased without a trace! Surely Narwahl ruled this dimension, and we were just small insects 😅

[@MarcoMeatball]

Surely was beautiful huh

[@nektoneizvestniy2050]

@@MarcoMeatball TY for your videos! Very often emotions run high, especially because of the music, but none of my friends play Genshin and I can’t discuss anything with them. So your videos make me feel like I'm living through the events with someone else. Very pleasant feeling)

[@fluffyhellbunny13]

I was more listening than watching at the beginning since I'm pretty tired, but when the voices began, my eyes snapped to the screen because I knew you'd be enthusiastic. Thank you for your energy

[@juliamarbella914]

I really enjoy your analyses of the Genshin Impact music. When I play the game, I'm always hyper-focused on the battle itself and oftentimes don't really listen all that well to the music so your videos give me the chance to appreciate them properly. Thanks a lot. More power to your channel!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@kairuri1457]

I was waiting for this, and am not disappointed! This theme goes so hard, and is my favorite boss theme in the game so far. I really like the looming, and 'heavy' feeling of the first theme, followed by the chaotic vibe the second phase gives. We love your analysis and reactions Marco!

[@RenSugiura]

In my opinion I have the feeling that EDM in genshin represents alienism, stuff from outside of the world, like the god Powers, the abyss, anomalies and even the narwhal tail is missing some textures, it shows the model geometry like its virtual, it gives me the idea that Teyvat is something like the Matrix, we are just in a simulation made by the "gods" and this stuff from the outside keeps getting in.

[@ironwoodkid9577]

It's a BIG shame that when you're fighting the boss in the story, the boss theme is missing the choir - it's just an instrumental version of "phase 1". I believe they did something similar for Zhongli's story quest when you're fighting Azdaha for the first time. Bummer

[@XenoWars]

Its missing the choir cause it just ends after defeating the shadow once. Choir only plays once you get the narwhal into a stunned state by defeating the shadow. Phase 1 music loops everything before choir until you get swallowed.

[@ironwoodkid9577]

@@XenoWars Yea i know, it doesn't take away the fact that the fight during main story is missing the best part of phase 1 music

[@tea.is.going.insane]

this is the best boss theme in genshin for me, it's so great omg, AND I LOVED THE FIGHT, IT'S SUCH A GREAT MOMENT, the atmosphere is insane

[@Phantom_Zone]

And that thing is just a pet. A Pet.

[@ArnnFrost]

The music goes crazy real fast the moment the knight shows up after teleporting too xD

[@KuribPlays]

The way they describe the narwhal boss, the cg with it. So the moment you walk into the fight. The music really makes me go with the "oh sht" moment. The shadow phase goes hard.

[@cc_the_rebel]

4:12 LMAO BRO WAS NOT READY FOR THAT CHOIR COMING IN AND LOST IT EVER SINCE 😂

[@Krukmeister]

I think the EDM music is done because in context it is otherworldly. It's strange, it doesn't belong. This stage of the fight takes place after the Narwahl eats you and brings you to this dimension where you fight this strange humanoid figure. That, with the song really emphasizes the feeling of WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE

[@_Chaosnight_]

What i love with the part about the music once we enter the Whale is how alien and broken it sounds, like it really plays into the Whales lore that it's a creature from outside of Teyvat and that it sort of shatters and transcends reality as we fight this manifestation of the Abysee inside the Whale (which has alot of similarities with Child in his Foul Legacy form, i wonder whats that about)

[@PluppyYT]

When I first heard this in leaks I knew Marco would have a blast listening to it lol (especially the chorus part). Definitely one of my favorite boss themes so far.

[@Yilue]

reinstalled genshin as I heard fontaines archon quest is really good. It was! But holly crap I was blown away buy this damn boss. At first I was like "ok this is pretty cool and I like the returning motif" I did beat the first phase pretty fast so I didnt get to listen to it fully. Then the second phase. "WHAT THE FUCK ITS EATING ME!?!?!" And then the music starts and "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MUSIC ITS AWESOME" I love playing around with sounds in my daw like this. And the fricking scary vocals that cut of repeatadly are so awesome.

[@aleahzubrod2943]

I swear, when the choir came in MarcoMeatball and I had the same reaction. We both froze our eyes lit up and we knew it was going to be good. It was funny watching and realizing I was reacting in the exact same way.

[@WhaleMilk]

The moment the music turned to something I would find at a local EDM festival, I was blown away, but also that was the moment I knew we were witnessing something truly from beyond teyvat. As exciting as the music is, it's almost incredibly unsettling how much it contrasts with the rest of the soundtrack.

[@grimoireweissfan6969]

Very big Nier vibes in the first phase, and Drakengard 3 Intoner OST vibes for the second phase it's so GOOD

[@An0therEthan-]

When that drop switching with silence hits. My instinct just tells me: PANIC RUN IN DANGER AAAAAHHHHHH

[@bladeofgods99]

The first part was just terrifyingly epic, but the second part felt like I was dropped into Doom Eternal sans Mick Gordon’s chugs. I actually shouted “Welcome To Doom Eternal, B***h!” the moment that part of BGM struck.

[@Mineadicto12]

This actually sounds like an FromSoft or Destiny 2 kind of bossfight music, the fact that is in Genshin is impressive. Also is it just me or some vocals sound very similar to the ones in the Scaramouche theme? Might just be the essential Fatui or evil vocal.

[@ryankoh917]

The starting riff is LITERALLY just Witch Queen. Go listen to it again. Its one to one Witch Queen

[@chingchangwingwang35]

Immediately what I thought I heard when I first listen to this

[@SirWhig-esq.]

❤narwhals are amazing animals🎉 ( and this music is very enigmatic. That piano with the horns, 😊) and the synth-bit reminds me of space whales from Star Wars rebels & Ahsoka.

[@lasignora660]

With the... horns *badum-tss*

[@lollordfrozen]

The style they were going for with the 2nd phase is for sure something like breakcore. Its messy and all over the place. Making you feel tense and lost.

[@potato1674]

Loved your analysis of this amazing battle theme! It was on point as always! While I adore the grandeur and massive classical piece of the first phase What I love about the EDM Track part of the song Is that it can be best described in one line ,,Beyond human comprehension" You fight against a Knight looking creature neither human nor machine from far beyond the stars On a platform floating in a world within this whale's stomach you just got sucked into With a ,,pulsing" BLACK HOLE as backdrop Besides the unhinged and agressive attacks of your enemy The thing I loved so much about this part of the battle was That the first time you playy ou realize the Narwhal is truly All-Devouring, because it houses a black hole inside its body and would never be full Another detail I find insane is how interconnected the lore of their games is, that the crystall like structure of the Narwhals body at it's fin reminds me of how the Aeon of Rememberance FULI looks in Honkai Star Rail One of the Gods in the game and whose followers treasure Memories more than anything The crystall like parts contain memories in the game And the fact the Narwhals's favorite food is primordial seawater which as we find out is literally liquid filled with uncountable memories from billions of beings merging into one Makes SO MUCH SENSE NOW Its devouring memories To even think about this is crazy Sorry for the long comment to anyone reading this But Marco's videos are always so awesome to get the gears running in the theory department

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

Marco is eating well with these Fountain music 😀 But the theme of the music is vast! It's HUGE! It gives me a feeling of magnificence! Something big and ethereal is coming! The chores were epic! And when I reached Phase 2 when that Skrilex / Dark Dubstep dropped I was very surprised. It was so ominous and dark. Very disturbing feeling. Only saddest part everything went down so fast because my characters are too overleveled. 😀 Compared to all other Fontaine French themes, this was so out of space. In a good way, I mean. It was epic! My only wish for the bosses to be way longer and harder than the Boss music would have an even a more lasting impression. Glad you reacted. Thank you as always. 🙏 P.s. For several times I thought that _Mihoyo_ collabed with _Vanguard_ to make this otherworldly piece. PGR is the closest that comes to my mind who has a similar tone to their music. 🛡

[@ursmarrings27]

The EDM feels pretty diagetic to the supermassive black hole that loomed across the nonexistent horizon during the engulfed phase. Not to mention the mammalian clicking to layer on top of it leading in. A very creative take on an intergalactic abyssal whale. Gotterdamerung (Reload) gonna slap so hard when we reach Khaenri’ah.

[@SoapMctavish-f6w]

the 2nd phase caught me of guard!!! its like were fighting knight version of childe.

[@lindenlynx]

I'm still wondering why there was a humanoid. Who are they??

[@Izzy_the_moderator]

Excuse my language But holy shit that drop- God- That point forward i had simultaneous heat and chills And then the WHALE SOUNDS?! MIXING INTO THE BEAT?! They killed it with this one Especially when you like Have actually fought the boss And you know how scary that thing is-

[@aperfectlynormalinternetus6715]

Now that the OST is out, we can credit the composers of these tracks: - Qian Ding for the orchestral section, the same one who composed Lamentation et Triomphe, and not even the lead composer of the team. Safe to say, the individual members of HOYO-MiX are perfectly capable in their own right, and the game's musical quality is assured. - Lunan - a new member brought on for the Fontaine soundtrack, who makes exclusively electronic and EDM music. Their tracks seem to all be composed and arranged solely by themselves. Definitely a wild card in the team, but their work for this boss theme is outstanding.

[@Eftkud]

I never liked dubstep in games and i liked genshin's music because of the traditional tropes, so this was a surprise. But after thinking about it, the monster is basically alien and represents absolute chaos, so this was fitting and very welcome. Ill be farming this so much the whale would've wished to have never wanted to set flaps on Teyvat

[@rosiemama11]

Another thing is too: The EDM phase gets into the electro phase super well, the crackling of the notes and music shows the electricity and how it courses in the phase. Plus the light and dark phases of the music suit Pnuemia and Ousia so well.

[@Psycorde]

This sounds quite distinct from other Genshin tracks I remember, quite cool Just fought the boss late in the night as part of the quest, was probably too overwhelmed by everything going on to really focus on music, still recovering from the preceding heartache Narhwal's lore is quite interesting too, an ancient cosmic being moving from world to world that witnessed deaths of countless planets, weeping for all existence that is doomed to disappear eventually, for life is but an evanescent spark in the eternal dark of the vast cosmos. It's something I've pondered on occasion, so I get the idea :V

[@julianna_banana]

One of my favorite parts of a new boss theme coming out is getting to see your experience with it as well

[@drabkebab]

This whole piece gives me the feeling of being deep underwater in depths so dark you can't see anything, but you can hear a huge creature nearby that is extremely ominous. Almost like you can't sense it anywhere, but you're picking up something unbelievably massive on your radar that's slowly ticking closer and you don't know what it is but you're dreading and anticipating its inevitable arrival. Reminds of any Subnautica playthroughs I've ever seen

[@keiths2902]

I love the traditional instruments too! I prefer the electronic stuff weaved into the traditional rather than the other way around usually

[@azurerandomness]

That dang whale swallowed us and and I didn’t know where we went, the edm came in to tell us “hey, we’re in the abyss”

[@zorriya12]

Ngl, I keep rewatching this video SOLELY for when chorus comes in and macro is so blown away the camera shakes a little bit jnsfns at 04:11

[@LeidenFrostXIII]

Personally, the phase 1 part really sounded like a Godzilla's theme or like a Kaiju music, which really sets the feel that the Narwhal IS the largest thing that you'll encounter.

[@Psycorde]

The electronic part made me think I was glitching out I'm so here for whale EDM, it's so hype and violent

[@2287Iris]

I love how Narwhal have a piece of childe's theme or we could say it's the other way around according to the lore Childe saw this huge whale when he fell into the abyss and that's why when we fought him back in Liyue he manifested a hydro whale using his power to resemble the shape of narwhal I love the connection of their themes and I love genshin for that because they telling us the story even by their music and we can see the lore clearly through it ❤️

[@NahualUlloa]

The theme is strangely edited like other comment said you began halfway through phase 1 lol It definitely has the Lovecraftian vibe of Bloodborne and some things of Elden Ring. While the second part is more Honkai and PGR.

[@emmersoneminem]

This was a fantastic watch. I loved hearing you really break it down; things we notice in the hindbrain without quite understanding or placing as why it's important, all explained. Makes the music feel much deeper, as well.

[@CatNaps]

crazy happy to see how much you've grown. Thank you for sharing so much with us

[@ShinobuWakuWaku]

This boss is cool and shows again how good taste in music Genshin has.

[@stewie_]

I was fighting the boss and at some point I noticed the music changed into this EDM I was actually vibing si hard. I love this boss theme.

[@vladislavpetkov6120]

the sudden and seemingly random pauses in the secondary phase's theme are so fitting with the profound aliennes of the abyss or wherever the fight takes place

[@augustoazevedo9741]

While i was playing alone to farm on level 90, and the EDM dropped... I freaked out. That thing felt like it was going to tear me in pieces with just the music....

[@mossy1476]

when I was fighting the whale in the story I literally stopped and was like "holy shit I cant wait to see Marco's video on this" lolll. also, during an earlier part of the video I thought "it would be so cool if they used actual distorted whale sounds in this" and waddaya know like 5 minutes later they do show up, at first almost sounds like bubbles from deep underwater popping up imo. god this is such a cool track!!

[@Sniper5875]

the not natural broken sounding edm fits so well it had me slack jawed during the boss fight and stunned from the shock. it gave me shivers when i first heard it on the timeless zone you fight in

[@Ebtihus]

I don't really keep up with the game, so a lot of the times I hear the music of the game is through you. I must say, every time I see you react this excited to a piece, it makes me smile. I love listenening to music, and with your insight it just makes it all the more enjoyable. Thanks Marco!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Aw! 🥰

[@senshi4458]

A big reason the whale sounds like Tartaglia phase 3, Wrath of Monocreres Caeli, is the whale happens to be monoceres caeli.

[@Thesaurus_Rex]

Fight spoilers ahead, for those who care: I think the fact that the first phase is very much about the Narwhal, and is almost peaceful in places, does a good job reflecting the fight. The Narwhal _does not care_ about the player, to the point that the major mechanic of the fight is attracting the Narwhal's aggression so that it will actually combat the player and not just swim around. Of course, once you do attract its attention, it immediately devours the entire battle arena, leading to the dramatic 16:00 transition, a much more directly aggressive phase inside of the Narwhal.

[@championgundeer]

I personally really enjoyed the fight against the Narwahl. You provided a great analysis as always, Marco. I'm pretty sure he is the biggest boss we've fought to date, thus it makes sense for it to be powerful, imposing, menacing. Your reaction to the orchestral bits in phase 1 was great, as was your pure shock with the sudden drop into crazy EDM and dubstep(?) in phase 2, lmao. Great video!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@THExJMC]

I really like that you pointed out that those were whale sounds. I did not realize it when I fought Narwhal.