Music has been a part of humanity and our lives for as long as recorded history. I'm sure you can picture cavemen with bone xylophones and flutes, or ancient stone instruments. It has been a part of popular culture leaving so many musical heroes in the history books, such as Mozart and Bach. And more modern cultural revolutions of technology have continued to produce newer and more profound ways to generate sound. Starting in the 80's, mass produced electronics have needed to be able to produce sound, which required special chips in motherboards. These chips, while primitive, allowed programmers to compose some interesting and beautiful melodies using nothing but numbers and often limited to 3 or more instruments. This of course was very crucial to video gaming as a whole as it allowed the developers to create an emotional setting and a new level of sensory response for the player. It opened worlds in a persons mind and allowed for a completely different division of video game development to take place in the industry. I want to focus on the old and new of some amazing compositions that have touched the masses of the gaming culture, and so I present to you this list for some of my favorite and most respected masterpieces that have touched my heart.
9 . The Dark World -The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
You've defeated the wizard Aghanim, and he's sent you to a world that has been taken over by dark forces. You, the Hero, must brave these dark and foreign lands filled with unforeseen monsters and strange beings that aid your journey in saving the princess. You are transported to the top of a golden pyramid that stands where the once powerful and illustrious Hyrule Castle stood. Something is definitely wrong here, and you are the one who is going to change that.
8 . Bloody Tears (jazz swing remix) - Castlevania
I stumbled across this gem while watching a play-through of a Super Mario World rom-hack. The original composer is unknown to me, but I had to add this to the list because I loved it so much and found that it went so well with the Egyptian vibe of the level for some reason. The original track is a much faster paced and demonic sounding track featured in Simon's Quest, but somehow I find this one to be much more appealing.
7 . Endless Staircase - Super Mario 64
Koji Kondo seems to be a master of writing simple melodies, however this small piece is accompanied by a complex auditory illusion known as a Shepards Tone. It gives the illusion of a constant rise or fall in tone. It is seemingly endless in it's rise and fall because the notes played end up in a frequency that is out of the range of human ears and symbolizes Mario's descent up a strange set of stairs which constantly loop, and never end . I've tried replicating this by ear, and it is no easy task. Koji Kondo manages to make yet another work of art seem simple.
6 . The Great Mighty Poo - Conkers Bad Fur Day (NSFW)
Conkers Bad Fur Day is an adult game that I and many others got to play at far too young of an age. You're a squirrel that got way too drunk at a pub and got lost on his way home. Your girlfriend was taken, a giant panther wants to use you as a table leg, and you have no idea where to go. It is absolutely hilarious and fun, and one of my all time favorite games.
You eventually come across an area that is made of crap, and you have the unfortunate opportunity to meet none other than "The Great Mighty Poo", an opera singer and sweet corn enthusiast. It's up to you to take him out.
5 . Tristram - Diablo II
In the village you begin at, you're welcomed with a dark and luming presence. Something is definitely wrong here, and you're brought to a sense of wonder with an ominous undertone. Here, is where your journey takes place. You are a new journeyer deciding to help this poor village from the forces of evil and the soundtrack accompanies your desire to investigate the area and explore, all while feeling a little unsettled.
4 . Prelude - Final Fantasy
This song generally plays during the title and death screens of final fantasy games from the early era.
It's complex arpeggio melody rises and falls in a positive manner, almost as if to say "don't give up, your journey has just begun." Nobuo Uematsu, the composer for the original final fantasy music, is famous for creating a powerful atmosphere and is a very strong inspiration for many RPG composers today. He even came out with a band that plays songs from the games. They're called The Black Mages, a reference to Vivi and other black mages of the series.
3 . Doom (2016) - Rust, Dust and Guts
This has one of the heaviest drops I've ever heard in metal, let alone a video game sound track and is a new favorite.
What can I say about Doom that hasn't already been said? It's a game about being a badass fighting through demons as a portal opens on a mars expedition, and it's up to you to defeat the forces of hell. There's not much lore to it, and that's what kept the game fun. Have fun slaughtering demons you monster. The 2016 soundtrack is an excellently composed blend of glitchy electronic sounds with high production value combined with metal to compliment a very industrial vibe. If you're into metal I would highly recommend listening to the soundtrack. The composers even went so far as to add spectrographic images revealing a pentagram and the numbers 666. Can you guess which one?
2 . Ruins Theme - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
It is so hard for me to pick a specific Kirby song for this list. Kirby music should be in it's own category and genre and I could make a breakdown and analysis of why this is true. There's just something so innocent and pure about Kirby music. It's spacial, it's beautiful, it's happy, and this reflects on the character. I can't help but feel nothing but joy when playing a Kirby game. I chose this one specifically for the sense of wonder it gave me, and it's feeling of reflection of being in a magical ruins, or in a cave. You get to explore and run around as a little ball of pink 'who the hell knows' , who is also an alien and flies around on a star-vehicle making friends and learning abilities wherever you go. What's not to like?
1 . Forest Maze - Mario RPG and the Legend of the Seven Stars
Because there are so many different installments in the Mario franchise, and being a loyal Nintendo fanboy... I couldn't just have one Mario title. This song was one of my favorite childhood jams. You're on an adventure to stop an unknown force that has usurped Bowsers throne. On your way you meet many new friends, and enemies, but you come across a village where a barrage of arrows are raining down on everyone. You learn that they are coming from a nearby forest, and you decide to make haste into the dark unknown. You are then greeted with this magical tune. There's nothing I can say about this that can properly describe the way I felt when I first heard this, but I felt strong, curious, and a little bit afraid. I didn't know what to trust, but I plugged on through and made my way, all the while dancing around in my head to this wonderful jig.