We are only six days away from 2022 and the year is off to an absolutely crazy start. Thanks to a flamboyant circus troupe, we can now say with complete certainty that Pope Francis himself has heard “Megalovania,” the iconic track from Toby Fox’s hit game, Under the story.
It was during a papal audience on Wednesday, which is a regular event where the Pope will greet members of the public and bless them. This turned out to have a circus act performing to provide entertainment and his band performed the song. The clip went viral after Twitter user Ultima posted a recording of the event that you can watch below.
The video is legit. You can also watch the performance on an official Vatican news page. The acting is very much like a jester. A person in a flame-decorated leotard spun a cylinder on their feet and other people juggled and bounced balls. (In one particularly hilarious moment, a juggler can be seen dropping a ball.) After the song concludes, the Pope thanks the artists and says that beauty guides us to God.
Under the story has multiple endings depending on how many monsters you kill while playing. Ironically, “Megalovania” is the theme that is played during a boss fight with the skeleton Sans, after a player does what is called the Genocide Route after killing too many characters.
Why choose to perform “Megalovania”? While we don’t know why this specific group chose it, chiptune-style “Megalovania” is one of the best-known songs on Below the story. With over 105 million listens on Spotify alone, the song is not only popular, it is also a meme and has been remixed and repurposed in countless online contexts.
This is not even the first time the Pope has been exposed to Under the story. In 2016, video game personality and YouTuber MatPat gave a copy of Under the story to the Pope as a gift. Maybe it’s time for His Holiness to get the hint and stab the peace race!