Videogame soundtracks

[clg114]

I used to go to bed with Mario Bros theme music in my head. My youngest son is really into video games and that one was his favorite. He played it constantly and the same music played over & over. Now he is 40 and still likes video games.

 

[theidealist]

I got into synthwave/retro electro because of them and now I produce this genre:

 

[Knower of nothing]

Haven't played the game and am unfamiliar with the franchise but this soundtrack has been making the rounds and it's easy to see why. Jam-packed full of equal parts heavy/melodramatic and uplifting campy bangers.

I got into synthwave/retro electro because of them and now I produce this genre:

Some of the hotline miami tracks are definitely top tier. The menu music is my favorite though haha. The game has one of the more interesting takes on violence as far as videogames go.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Hooooh boy! I have a lot to share here, though since I spent approximately 2 hours writing a response to this thread, my response here will have to wait till Sunday or Saturday. Most of the music I buy and listen to nowadays is video game music. It's a big interest of mine, so I could go forever on the topic, but I'll be nice. Later...

It took a bit longer than I was planning, but here, finally is my extended list of video game music. As I mentioned, this is a big interest of mine so a lot will be left out. Also take not that I mostly play indie games and listen to music featured in them, so that's where my focus lies. I'll start with "singles" I like, before moving on to whole soundtracks I listen to (in no particular order).

The Swapper - Recreation (Carlos Castellano)​

The Swapper is an often overlooked puzzle game from 2013 where the whole environment is handcrafted so it looks amazing. However, this melancholy piano medley stands out.

To the Moon - To the Moon, Piano (Kan. R. Gao & Laura Shigihara)​

A have a few misgivings about this 2011 tale of autism acceptance, but at the time, it was among the better story heavy games out there. Still, this motif is beautiful, and I prefer the extravagant ending version the most.

Double Dragon: Neon - Dared to Dream (Jake Kaufman & Sean Velasco [Lyrics])​

One of very few non-indie games on here. I have never played it, and from everything I have heard, the game itself is bad to mediocre, but this power ballad is an absolute romp. I generally can't stand comedy songs. Something about them makes me feel uncomfortable, and they often don't sound that special. This however is a great rock song which I have oftentimes played on a loop when I'm feeling energetic. I really don't think you need to be into game music to like this one (fun fact, an achievement pops up at the exact point the lyrics say "here's a medal for your victory")

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Snake Eater (Norihiko Hobino & Cynthia Harrell [vocals])​

I might as well finish off the non indie games. This will probably be the most high profile song of my list, but it's for a reason. Legend goes that the composer was asked to make the main theme song sound like a Bond theme, and by jove, he created the best Bond theme of them all.

Risk of Rain - Coalescence (Chris Christodoulou)​

Risk of Rain is a roguelike which came out in 2014. I've never played it, but the last stage theme immediately caught my interest when I heard it upon watching someone else. The buildup is great and it reaches a great dramatic peak. Be warned though, that there is a lot of higher frequency sounds in case they cause you discomfort.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Later Alligator - Unsavory Part of Town (2 Mello)​

This overlooked humor indie game from 2019 which takes place in Alligator New York features striking animations and a pretty good soundtrack. However, this jazzy tune and Alligator blues stand out

Celeste - Mirror Temple [Mirror Magic Mix] (2 Mello)​

Celeste might be the most high profile indie game on my list, but it's well deserving. However, this track really stood out to me and helped me beat the most frustrating stage in the game (AI and high reflex platforming do not mix). 2 Mello is a great guy, but also a great composer on this evidence.

The Sexy Brutale - Casino theme (Matt Bonham & Tim Cotterell)​

This might be cheating a bit, since this is actually the entire soundtrack of the game. Don't let the title fool you, this 2017 time loop puzzle game (before they were cool) is a well crafted look into mortality as you try to solve the murders of every guest in a mysterious 18th century steampunk masquerade. This tune however hits you hard, and it's impressive how it keeps developing throughout the "stages" to incorporate the personalities of the victims.

Sonic Mania - Studiopolis act 1 (Tee Topes & Falk Au Yeong [Master])​

Technically not an indie game though it retains that spirit. I'm not into Sonic games, but I can't deny that this track tracks.

Lovely Planet - Lovely City (Bo En)​

This track instantly gets me in a good mood. It's silly, high tempo and just works even though the rest of the game and soundtrack are quite unremarkable.

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This is not at all a full list of game music singles I like, and I also purposefully focused on indie games from the 2010's. If I just liked a song, but didn't think a stranger might find something in it with no context, I left it out. I also left our some classic 80's and 90's tunes like the Ducktales Moon theme and Super Mario RPG's Forest Maze as they are quite well known already and might not resonate for those not already into chiptunes.

Stay tuned for part 2 which delves into full soundtracks with some more examples!

 

[tkcartoonist]

Alundra is an extremely underrated PS1 game. The soundtrack has that great early-CD game feel to it that I really miss, but this is possibly my favorite song from it.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Stay tuned for part 2 which delves into full soundtracks with some more examples!

I was going to move into full soundtracks next, but that will have to wait for even longer as I remembered a bunch more video game singles. As before, I haven't played any of those games, and I'm mostly focused on indies (with a few exceptions). I hope you'll discover something new to like.

Sludge Life - Bubble Up [Big Mud] (actually by DoseOne)​

Despite being barely intelligible, this heavy rap track is cool as the pond. Crimes are happening, and you should either stay away, or risk being salted. In case you don't understand my prose, rest assured that I really like this track!

Deadly Premonition - The Woods and the Goddess (Hiromi Mizutani and more)​

Deadly premonition might be the cult classic when it comes to gaming. People either absolutely love it for its atmosphere and ethereal Twin Peaks-ness, or they hate it for the awful graphics, gameplay, design and story (debatable). It might only contain three songs on a loop, but luckily for the game, one of them is a classic and the other one is a beautiful/humming guitar medley:

Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Beginner Treasures (Hirokazu Ando)​

I have heard from several people that this whole soundtrack is great, but I haven't listened to it yet. What I do know is that as soon as I heard this minigame rock song, it was so brazen and funky that I had to relisten to it several times, and now you can too.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Dance Through the Danger (Virt and Cristina Vee [vocals])​

Up to now, I have mostly focused on instrumental songs, many of them not prominent in the game. This headliner pop/rock song is so energetic, fun and plain pumping that I can't leave it out considering just how often I've used it to supercharge my day. Honorary mention goes to the theme of River City Girls which is similarly great, but doesn't quite keep it up as skillfully as Dance Through the Danger.

Shovel Knight - In the Halls of the Usurper (Jake Kaufman)​

I was originally going to recommend another song as Shovel Knight has already received a lot of accolades for its chiptune music (created so that it could play on a Famicom [Japanese Nintendo Entertainment System/NES]), but I forgot which one I was thinking of and this fun stage music is fully deserving of it. Other Shovel Knight honorary mentions are Strike the Earth! and La Danse Macabre:

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Whew! That's quite the list of tracks I've included in my string of comments. This is far from a full list of "singles" I listen to, and I had to make some difficult cuts. Keep in mind that I only included songs from soundtracks which I don't regularly listen to (I'm saving those) and only kept to original songs created for the games. For the most part, these are also indie game soundtracks as that's what I'm most interested in, but I fully acknowledge that games with a large publisher backing also have great soundtracks. I just find that the indie ones tend to be more interesting.

Next up (for real this time!) full game soundtracks, with examples.

 

[tkcartoonist]

This song is only heard twice in the whole game, but is one of the better songs. Say what you will about South Park, but Matt and Trey sure know their music.

 

[Knower of nothing]

Definitely the most unique composer in the old gaming world. Writing with orchestral sensibilities yet relying on melodic movement instead of texture (notably often wrote for orchestra first, then simplified the composition to arrive at a chiptune result). Sugiyama could've easily stuck to scoring movies and anime so we're quite lucky we got these. To this day, no one does it like him.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I've seen a whole bunch of these, showing off how old-school game songs are constructed.

 

[Owliet]

I have a few, because I listen to a lot of videogame soundtracks compared to “mainstream” music.

Currently have been playing God of War Ragnorök and just finished it…so,

Mass Effect’s 2 and 3 soundtrack is one of my favorites:

Assassins Creed Valhalla (and also Odysessy) have some really awesome music:

And finally, since I can talk about all this all day:

Hades:

 

[Georgia Galaxy]

It's fascinating to see all of your taste <3 Some of my favourites of all time are:

https://youtu.be/wvOla2XFKOE
And lastly, I'll put one I listened to today that I think is fantastic!
https://youtu.be/4Wdpl4e_Kvc

 

[NoraPaul]

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