This was what I planned to end 2020 with, so here it is.

Ah, yes. MegaMan X7. That sure was a game that was made and that I played. I wouldn’t say I hated it like most did, but I can’t say I loved it, either. But it gave us Axl, so how bad could it have possibly been, truly?

And the soundtrack was pretty good, but if a MegaMan game has bad music, can it really be called a MegaMan game?

Crimson Palace is the final stage of the game, with the obligatory Boss Rush of the game’s boss fights before you face the final boss. Only the main hub is graveyard-themed, and this is the accompanying music as you kill Axl’s former colleagues a second time. This is, perhaps, one of the few things that the game actually does well, so of course the thing in question is nightmare fuel.

In some ways, it’s barely even music. Just creepy noises that don’t really go together, playing off of each other in disconcerting ways. The toy box music that serves as the main “melody” is just the right amount of off-putting to make my skin crawl, in particular. The theme feels like it’s alive, albeit barely. Everything is wrong, and it’s only going to get worse from here.

This also feels like it’s more effective with headphones on, but it’s still plenty creepy with speakers.

And the track title!