the good ending and bad ending themes from
five nights at freddy’s 3 never fail to leave me with chills, a pit in my stomach, and an overwhelming sense of melancholy.
the bad ending theme hurts the most, especially with the visual for it— the lights are on inside the animatronics, signifying that they’re still inhabited by the souls of the missing children. the player has failed to free them; they still don’t get to rest. the theme embodies the disappointment, sadness, anger, and even the childlike innocence that still remains in their souls perfectly. it’s heartbreakingly beautiful music, but i can’t listen to it often unless i want to depress myself haha
the good ending theme is just as melancholic to me, but for different reason. the souls of the missing children are at least free, and they finally get to rest and know the peace that they’ve yearned for for so long; but everything that happened to them and that they went through was still heart-wrenching and horrific, and the music captures that well. they’re finally free and can never be harmed again, but their lives and their childhood were robbed from them. the music embodies the bittersweet relief of their freedom, the haunting reminder of everything that happened that led to this point, and the grief and sadness for the lives that the missing children should have gotten to live.