Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
Hamza: Music is a constant in my life. My interest in other mediums come and go, but my deep interest in music remains. I don’t often finish a video game 100%, but I make it a point to go through its soundtrack at-least once. About half the songs on my Spotify playlist are tunes from video games; the numerous articles I’ve written for our Memorable Music in Gaming series is testament to that.
To me memorable music is just that: memorable, within or without context. It makes you smile when you hear it elsewhere, i.e., the Fallout 3 theme in that ONE scene from the 2024 Fallout TV series. I know I’m talking about the same property in two different mediums… but wow, that moment was a kick in the head. The second Lucy unfurled the NCR flag and the theme kicked in, I got crazy goosebumps.
For this entry you’ll find a lot of love for RPG and RTS soundtracks from my colleagues, which is completely justifiable. They are, after all, crucial in maintaining the precise mood for the next 100+ hours you’ll be spending traveling in those fantastical, sprawling worlds. For my entry I’ll go a rather different route and talk about a genre I’m most familiar with: the humble point and click genre.
Most of the games that fall under this genre have an otherworldly, dreamlike quality to them. They stand out like intellectual conversations and good dreams. Who can forget the hypnotic soundtrack of the original 1993 Myst, especially the Main Theme and Selenitic Mystgate Theme? They’re at-once an open palm invitation to an unforgettable experience. The sleepy and ethereal Valadilene Theme from 2002’s Syberia is as pretty as the cursive, handwritten logo of the game. The very underrated 1996 Gene Machine also has a commendable soundtrack, including this catchy England Theme.
Discworld Noir. Gabriel Knight. Oxenfree. Monkey Island. Beneath a Steel Sky. They all carry with them excellent music, but if I had to cut this admittedly long preamble short and cut to the chase, I’d go with Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars.
The original Broken Sword is my all-time favorite video game. This is about as flawless a video game can be, every aspect a fabulous diamond facet. Two pieces of dialogue - “I was being indifferent” and “What I say and what I know are two different things” - are part of my daily conversation.Talking about the soundtrack, it is the ne plus ultra of the point and click genre. Calling an album 100% perfect is dubious, but there exist a few contenders: X-Ray Spec’s Germfree Adolescents, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and Barrington Pheloung’s Broken Sword soundtrack.
The main theme is a wonderful work of art. I swear I automatically start doing a mental flyby of all the major locations in the game, from Paris to Ireland to Spain to Syria to the UK. It is a wonderful start to a brilliant adventure. The diegetic Hotel Ubu theme makes this one-off location arguably the most memorable from the game. This is something Hitchcock would be proud of.
It would be most remiss of me if I didn’t mention all the tracks associated with Nico. Whenever you visit Rue Jarry - a major location where Nico lives - a short scherzo plays upon your arrival every time. When I played the game for the first time back in 2013, these 30 seconds had me convinced that this game and this soundtrack are the finest in the industry. When you enter Nico’s apartment, her theme is a literal breeze of fresh, autumn air. The sophisticated, dulcet tone captures Nico perfectly. Another major theme that plays is when you open the manuscript on her table, aptly named Conspiracy of the Neo-Templars. The hollow, foreboding sounding notes only add to the conspiratorial nature of the discovery.
I think you get the picture by now of how much I love this soundtrack. Every track is a winner, within or without context. Do yourself a favor and play this game NOW!
Nick: I could easily spend an hour or more just writing about several of my favorite gaming soundtracks. The old school Bioware Dungeons & Dragons games (especially Neverwinter Nights), the techno feel of the Mass Effect series, almost anything from The Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy titles - but I have to narrow it down to just one. As such? I’m going to pull from that last series I mentioned, Final Fantasy X.
More than two decades later, that’s my favorite Final Fantasy title for a variety of reasons. I think it has the best combination of story, characters, side content, combat, progression and of course, music. This is one of the only video games I have on vinyl record (and it looks and sounds amazing in this format):
As hard as it was trying to pick a favorite soundtrack? It’s just as hard for me to settle on a favorite song from this one. Whether it is Otherworld’s hard rocking introduction to the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWYwmM23Sqs (which is to this day in my rock music feeds) or the more soulful To Zanarkand piano piece, there’s dozens of songs that have an emotional impact on me as soon as I hear them.
Susan: This could really be its own article because I tend to be long winded but also because I love music. Music defines everything for me. So picking just one favorite gaming soundtrack isn’t the easiest decision to make, and yet there can really only be one. While one could argue that I love the Life is Strange soundtrack the most because I’ve often talked about the music used in the games, only one song truly gets to me. The one soundtrack that will always live rent free in my head is Final Fantasy VIII.
Firstly, it should be noted that everything that Nobou Uematesu touches turns to gold. And looking at this brilliant soundtrack, there are multiple songs that I absolutely adore. Starting from the top is the famous Liberi Fatali which was used as a backdrop song to many TTRPG sessions. It’s perfect for combat music as it builds nicely and keeps a good enough tempo to feel like you’re in an epic showdown. Another song that I love is Balamb Garden which soothes your ears while you wander through the streets of Balamb. Later down the list is Find Your Way which keeps you on your guard while you adventure in areas that can spawn random encounters. It’s both a haunting and beautiful piece that can be used as a backdrop to several gaming situations.
One of the songs that always gets to me is The Landing. There is something about the song that begins with a simple heartbeat. It adds a subtle baseline to the track while the brass instruments quietly crescendo. Finally, it builds to a quick paced song that lights a fire under your butt. Along those same lines, The Man with the Machine Gun can’t be missed. It’s a track that forces you to keep your eyes on the prize. Besides, who could resist the charm of this song? Also, in keeping with the urgency, I love Only a Plank Between One and Perdition.
Sorceress Edea’s Parade stands out in my mind because of Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec. This is partly because it took a while to get the name of the song down. It also lives rent free in my head because of a particularly brutal step chart in In the Groove. (I think I’ve only passed it once or twice. PAIN.) Needless to say, this track is incredibly memorable.
Many of the Chocobo songs are some of the most amusing tracks in history. Although, there is one absolutely GARBAGE version of the Chocobo song found in FF7 Remake that needs to be yeeted into the sun, but otherwise, most of the Chocobo songs can do no wrong. In specific, the playful sound of Odeka Ke Chocobo is great (albeit dated), and I love it.
Finally, I can’t end my section without talking about Eyes on Me sung by Faye Wong. Combined with the beautiful dancing between Rinoa and Squall, this song really hits me hard. The memories associated with it are both endearing and painful. That said, Faye’s soft voice as she sings the perfectly apt lyrics are nothing short of breathtaking. It honestly makes me tear up when I hear it. But this song doesn’t hit me just because of Rinoa and Squall, it makes the entire soundtrack memorable because Final Fantasy 8 was the first game in the series that actually grabbed my attention. I’m not sure if it was because of the in-game events or the characters in particular, but Final Fantasy 8’s soundtrack is my favorite.
Richard: Picking a favorite or most memorable soundtrack? Man, sometimes that’s harder than a super hard bonus boss. When asked about some memorable pieces, I usually end up with a list of at least twenty different tracks. To me, music is a very important part of both my life, and my gaming experience. To someone who plays multiple instruments, a game’s soundtrack can absolutely ruin an experience if done poorly. On the other hand, if done well I find it can turn a mediocre game into a good game for me.
So what would be the most memorable? Is it something from my early years of gaming, such as Promised Pain from Xenosaga III? Maybe the Man-eating Music Box tune from Trapt? Do we also have any of the Boss Themes from Legend of Dragoon? Maybe some of the radio tracks from Cruisin’ USA, or the character themes from Vigilante 8? These are all good tracks, but are they the most memorable? Maybe, but there are others that are more memorable for me at least.
It isn’t always the best songs that are the most memorable, but they do certainly make an impact. Tracks like Edge of Green from Radiant Historia certainly made a hell of an impact on me with just how much I felt the impact of the song. Other tracks will hit you in the feels, such as Moonlight from Iconoclasts. That was a track that when played gave me one hell of a gut punch. Or who could forget other classics such as the DK Rap or Gangplank Galleon? Both are classics that most people won’t forget very easily. Say what you want, I think these are more memorable to me in the Donkey Kong series than the Stickerbush Symphony is.
Rather than that though, the songs that made the biggest impact on me probably boil down to three, if we exclude the Final Fantasy series that my colleagues have already sifted through. So, what is the most memorable for me? What had the biggest impact? Well, let’s start with the third place: Star Wolf’s theme from Starfox 64. This song was the boss theme of the first boss that ever gave me serious trouble in a game. No, I don’t mean the first encounter, the second “hidden” encounter where you have the revenge match? As a kid, that fight was nearly impossible for me, so this song has stuck around a lot because of that. Second up we have Atrocious Raid from Trails of Cold Steel. This was one of the hardest cold opens I’ve seen in a game in quite a while, and it opened with this track. It certainly pops into my head every so often.
So what’s the most memorable track for me? Well, that would belong to the first game I ever did 100% in. Or, maybe it would be 120%? Some of you probably instantly guessed the game, but the track I’d have to choose is the credit’s theme from Spyro the Dragon. Perhaps you may think this is a weird pick for me, given my penchant for boss and battle themes, but this is the track that’s most ingrained in my childhood memories. A track that plays after completing one of my favorite games, the one that kickstarted my 100% completion OCD, and the track that I felt really wrapped up the game at the end. Listening to this as you get a flyby through all the world’s you’ve visited while seeing the credits go by, a sense that you’ve finally finished your journey and are headed home, but still retaining that sense of adventure. The original Spyro trilogy had some great music, but this right here is my most memorable track, and remember: “No sheep were harmed during the making of this game. A few gnorcs, but no sheep.”
Pierre-Yves: Where to start? Nick, Susan and Richard all have solid pieces listed that easily fit the top 10 to top 20. I find as I get older, and the more I play, the more I like which makes lists like this that much harder.
I would be doing a disservice if I myself didn't mention the Final Fantasy series. Battle on the Big Bridge (YouTube) from Final Fantasy V, The Opera (YouTube) and Dancing Mad (YouTube) from Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII’s soundtrack *points to Susan's section*, definitely Otherworld from Final Fantasy X, and finally, Apocalypsis Noctis (YouTube) from Final Fantasy XV.
Where I really wanted to go is in two directions, or stops along a track if you will. The first is Xenoblade Chronicles X. Having originally released on the Wii U where it was almost doomed from the start because of the lack of console sales due to bad marketing, this was one JRPG that should not have been missed. The opening of Uncontrollable (YouTube) held so much emotion as we, the people of Earth, abandoned the planet in an attempt to not be wiped out by an alien race.
Making it to another inhabitable planet, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. If humanity wanted to survive? It had to fight both the alien forces that followed and the often hostile wildlife. This is where Black Tar (YouTube) comes in. Two parts. Heavy guitar. Solid drums. Rap like lyrics and rhythm, it works. It works so well. And then it doubles down on a tone shift halfway through. And this is just the normal battle music!!
The last stop for me on this musical train is Trails of Cold Steel 4. Whether it be from the Trails series or the Ys series, the Falcom Sound Team are incredible and this was very apparent in the Cold Steel subseries and finale.
Merging various styles, there are three tracks in Cold Steel IV that I have yet to stop listening to. Starting off with Synchronicity (YouTube), you have a Techno or EDM beat that opens up the last entry as you explore the Geofront under the independent city state of Crossbell. It's light, it's fun, it helps drop you back into the mix after the very heavy and tear-inducing conclusion of Cold Steel III.
To the Future (YouTube) continues this trend but adds in a bit more orchestra keeping with the upwards trend that not everything is lost, there's still hope in continuing the fight. I won't lie that because these two tracks were designed for continuous play, they have often been on repeat one after the other.
But the title to take it all is the Cold Steel IV rendition of The Atrocious Raid (YouTube). Richard mentioned this above, yes, and while the cold open of Cold Steel and its more arranged version are often in my shuffle and my playlists, this last version’s rework just hit all of the notes and the feels. Like its original, once this track starts up, all of the emotions and dramatic tensions rise up making this not only the best part of Cold Steel IV, but of the series and my playlists.
There is rarely a time where I'll think to myself, not now. There is always time for this track.
Hayden: I see a lot of RPG love here, so I’m going to go with a different direction. While the genre has arguably fallen away from the limelight a bit, RTS games are what I cut my teeth on and there’s a few gems in there that I think will be instantly recognizable to many people. First and foremost, I give you Hell March (YouTube) by Frank Klepacki, from Command & Conquer Red Alert. The opening to this one with the hugely distinct sound of military drill makes it hard to confuse with anything else, and Red Alert really made a big impact at the time of its release.
Marching on from there, there is the music that launched a behemoth of a franchise - the first Human track from Warcraft 2 (YouTube). While not a technical tour de force like some of the epic tracks underpinning the JRPGs, this is music that you’ll hear the themes from reflected in later Warcraft titles and expansions, culminating in the behemoth of World of Warcraft that reshaped the MMORPG world and still echoes through almost 30 years after release.
Out of the RTS genre, I suppose it's time to build upwards with SimCity 3000! The energetic sound of Sim Broadway (YouTube) by Jerry Martin is iconic for builders, but really the whole soundtrack (YouTube) here is full of gems and little audio licks that will make players smile and reminisce. Finally, I would be remiss to skip over Baba Yetu (YouTube) by Christopher Tin. This one at least really stands up to the best of what the JRPGs and really anything else in gaming has in terms of scope and impact, and rightfully drives Civilization IV players forward through the ages.
While RPG’s have already gotten a lot of love in here, there’s two that I have to put forward as iconic. First, Dragonborn (YouTube) by Jeremy Soule is the sound that defines Skyrim for me. The sweeping, uplifting feel of this one really gives you a sense of scale and power to the setting that captures the feel of the Elder Scrolls series, and keeps being replicated on platform after platform. (Has it been ported to a smart fridge yet? If not, expect it soon!) Also from Bethesda, the main theme from Fallout 4 (YouTube) will apparently always live rent-free in my head. Something about the way the first heavy chords hit always brings me back to the setting, the sun rising above scorched cities and twisted, barren forests. For all the shade that Bethesda gets for bugs and glitches in their games, I’ve frequently found their soundtracks to be rock solid, and that’s a huge boost for me as a player when I'm trying to get immersed into a game world.
Valerie: Atmosphere. That's what music in gaming, theatre, movies and even your own little worlds like home bring to my game playing and my life. Memorable music that leads me along like the carrot in front of the rabbit. It pulls at your heart strings, your tear ducts, heck even your muscles! That's what these tracks do for me on all counts. Like everyone else who's contributed to this article, I too, cannot, I just CAN'T choose just one! I can't even narrow it down to one series either as I have played quite the range!
To start off my contribution I'm currently listening to a mix of Halo game music tracks. There are quite a few good playlists around, but my two all time fave tracks are: Spirit of Fire and The Scorpion Theme. The track labeled Peril comes in third. The use of the full orchestra brings back memories of me during the years that I was learning to play a few instruments and my love of classical music. Those full orchestral sequences can garner a laugh if I am watching reruns of M.A.S.H where Charles Emmerson Winchester the third is nodding his head in time with the music and that ferocious face at the percussion sequence! Man, what game was I playing that that scene just bust giggles out of me that I lost the boss fight? I can't remember, but man oh man, *funny!*.
Another of the many game series in my list is The Legend of Zelda. I had come across a particular piece called Ballad of the Goddess where I could feel the power of that mighty goddess. There is also a track called Molgera Battle with its use of percussion and pipes that are really really catchy. A good seat bouncer I shall call it like Towards the Pantheon battle track (Youtube). I actually get up and dance to that tune.
Music composed by Chris Perkins in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen can elicit awe and wonder as I start a new quest. It’s the feel of the ambience around me as I walk the forest trail. The track that I am referring to is called 'Terminus' (Soundcloud). Even right down to the beginning of the game where the menu pops up I have felt that sense of wonder. When I played Sands of Aura, the Main Menu Theme (Youtube) literally drew me in and ignited my imagination as I chose my character features and started the game.
With nods to my colleagues here, I am definitely an RPG player with playtime bursts into FPS (think Unreal Tournament), sandbox builder games like Satisfactory, Space Engineers, and the MMOs Guild Wars 1 & 2. Add in RTS of Starcraft II and I think I’m a pretty rounded gamer. I’m not fantastic at the games, but I really do enjoy playing them. As I play, the immersion with the music in each game coaxes me into finding that next treasure, that forgotten cave, or the village where one can rest until the next quest makes itself known.
I just want to say, with nods to Susan N. above, that a couple of tracks that I play when I am gaming are from two games she also plays: Unreal & Age of Wonders: Planetfall. Back when I was investigating how much it would cost me to get electronic music equipment I was hooked because of my love of the Unreal tracks. When Susan N. did the review for Age of Wonders: Planetfall, bells rang again in the discovery that the same composer from Unreal did the soundtrack for AOWP!! You can hear the soundtrack teaser trailer here in her review. Thank you Michiel van den Bos!
So, when I say I can't choose just one favorite, you can see why above with all that variety and tracks to feast upon! I will say though, that Nobuo Uematsu is a favorite composer and I'll leave you in battle with the One Winged Angel (Youtube).
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