You won’t find anyone who appreciates Video Game music more than me, so I compiled a list of the soundtracks I remember most from my years of gaming. This is all just my crazy opinion but I think they’re all worth listening too, so give em a try and see what you like!
10. Lavender Town (Pokemon Red/Blue)
Anyone who’s played the original Pokemon games, or indeed the remakes, has to remember being taken aback at Lavender Town. As you’re on your happy 10 year old Pokemon journey, casually strolling to the next town, the music changes into an eerie beat and you walk into a tower full of ghosts. Lavender Town is disturbing in many ways, it has a genuinely tragic backstory involving death and many interpretations of the story exist on the internet.
It’s definitely worth checking out this reversed version, it’s pretty freakin creepy.
9. Tomb Raider Legend Main Theme
I’m just going to put this thing here as a representative of the entire Tomb Raider Legend soundtrack, Its truley an jaw-dropping collection for such a crappy game, the main theme in particular is fantastic. A brilliant mix of violins, drums, foreign vocals and sound effects. 1:38 is when the theme really gets me jumping! And when it fades out at 1:53 its spectacular. Oh Legend, why couldn’t you have been better?
8. Walking Through the Night (Clock Tower 3)
It still annoys me how unknown the Clock Tower series is, because it is genuinely one of the best survival horror formulas in the genre, and the music reflects this. The piano piece in Clock Tower 3 is only ever used in very important parts of the game, even though the entire experience is always cinematic, which makes it the most memorable soundtrack piece from the game.
I just love it, it is creepy, unsettling and melancholic which is exactly what a soundtrack should bring to a scene of this type.
7. Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness Main Theme
Well I’m not sure how I feel about the game itself, but that’s another story.
Angel Of Darkness was in development at the time when Tomb Raider was a brand big enough to grab attention, the soundtrack of the game was composed entirely by the London Orchestra and it is frankly amazing. It’s a shame the game wasn’t good enough to pull it off.
6. Aerith’s Theme (Final Fantasy VII)
I feel that this piece really stands out from FF7’s soundtrack, it is slow yet happy music, which makes a huge difference from the rest of the soundtrack. This really represents Aerith’s place in the cast too, she brings the peace and calm and happiness to the group, she is mature yet carefree, which is what makes her demise even more tragic.
5. The Origin (Zone Of The Enders)
Quite unlike anything else I’ve ever heard, and I don’t say that lightly.
This short song is put together with such soul, it is the first thing you hear when boot up the game and it really reflects the melancholy and tragedy of the universe.
4. Kiss Me Sunlights
I don’t even know what to really say about this one, but for god sake listen to it. Very very unique, very electro pop yet lead by the vocals and full of drum beats, the voice modification is so heavy that we can’t even tell what the person is saying, but that’s what makes this piece even more fantastical.
3. Tomb Raider Main Theme
No apologies for using Tomb Raider three times.
This is just jaw-droppingly beautiful, the plot of the game itself isn’t too amazing and isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, its more just an excuse for Lara to go where ever the game designers want her to go. But I feel that this track really makes me think of the beauty of exploring, it feels like it is reflecting the tranquillity and adventure of the Tomb Raider levels.
2. Don’t Cry Jennifer (Clock Tower: The First Fear)
UGH! Such a lost gem! Both this soundtrack and the game in general, I am dying to do a review… maybe that could be one of my new years resolutions.
It is a real challenge to make a 16 bit SNES game genuinely scary for the player, the colour pallet does a great job but the soundtrack really makes the horror effective. It knows exactly when to be silent and when to throw in the music.
This is definitely the scariest music I have ever come across in a video game because it is used when you are running away from a certain mass murderer, it really instils that feeling of panic and horror that the protagonist would be feeling.
1. To Zanarkand (Final Fantasy X)
If I had to describe my feelings about this music in one word it would be “HNNNNNNG-!”.
I think the storyline of Final Fantasy X is beautiful and the characters of Yuna and Tidus are raw, I could argue that all day with any of you, but I won’t. This track is hands down the most beautiful music I have ever heard in my life, it has such soul behind it, I can really feel that it was inspired by the journey of Final Fantasy X.
Honourable Mention:
The Spyro trilogy
I’m going to leave this opening theme here to represent the entire of the original Spyro trilogy. Go ahead and glide (teehee) around the Spyro music on youtube for a while, if you know what's good for you.
I hadn’t heard any music like this before Spyro and I haven’t heard anything like it since, it really does a fantastic job of bringing you into adventuring in a quirky and childish world. Stewart Copeland is a genius!
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