Memorable Music in Gaming #62

These tunes feel like the perfect soundtrack for sitting by the window, your favorite beverage in hand, and a good book in your lap.

Final Fantasy VIII | PC | Balamb Garden

Final Fantasy VIII is the only Final Fantasy game I’ve come close to finishing and the only one I have any nostalgic connection to. Before I started appreciating games more for their stories, FFVIII was one of the earliest that helped break that mold for me.

Balamb Garden is serene, soothing, and effortlessly calming.

OST Final Fantasy VIII Balamb Garden [HQ]

Metroid Prime | GameCube | Phendrana Drifts

For a game filled with body horror and tense gameplay, the music sure can be the complete opposite at times.

Phendrana Drifts sounds like it could play over stock footage of stunning landscapes and scenic vistas. It’s all about those echoey, plucky notes for me.

Metroid Prime Music- Phendrana Drifts

Pilotwings Resort | 3DS | Hang Glider

How can a piece of music feel like taking a two-week vacation to a breezy island?

I swear, Hang Glider physically transports me to a beach—sun in my eyes, water in my face, sand in my hair. I want to start a petition to make this Earth’s official background music whenever you step outside.

Hang Glider - Pilotwings Resort

Gran Turismo 2 | PS1 | Blue Line (Instrumental Version)

I’ll be honest: I actually became a fan of Blue Line when Dunkey used it in his review of God of War.

There’s no denying the power of a great saxophone piece (Candy Dulfer, thank you for what you do), and Blue Line doesn’t disappoint one bit.

Keiji Matsumoto - Blue Line (Instrumental Version)

Disco Elysium | PC | Whirling-in-Rags Hotel (Day)

One of my favorite locations in gaming is Fiona’s apartment in The Longest Journey. That early-2000s chunky 3D aesthetic somehow feels both retro and futuristic at the same time.

My ultimate aspiration in life? To retire somewhere in Europe, in an apartment like Fiona’s—or Nico’s from Broken Sword—and have music like this play in the background as I make my third cup of tea for the day.

Best VGM 2351 - Disco Elysium - Whirling-in-Rags Hotel (Day)