Game music that invokes certain feelings

Magma

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A sort of twist on the game music you like thread, I would like this thread to be more discussion based. With that being said please don't embed videos but instead tie the links to words. The main focus of this thread is to share certain video game music that invokes nostalgia, certain memories, or some other associations you have tied to a theme. Also, potential spoilers abound.

I'll start with a couple.

Surface of SR388 - Metroid II
Metroid had long been a series I've been interested but it took me a long time to really get into it. About 10 years ago I had a copy of Metroid Prime that had a demo disc of Metroid Prime 2 which had a "Chronicle" feature that included a history of the series that left an impression on me, especially the music. Fast forward many years later and I finally decided to actually try the series out and Metroid II would be my first foray into the series. This theme was already familiar to me before but actually hearing it in game was something else and hearing it every now and then after returning from the eerie background sounds and creepy Chozo Ruins theme made it a comforting theme.

Militant Missionary - Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure was one of the first games were I really started to make progress. Tails' story was the first I managed to get through and hearing this theme while squaring off against the Egg Walker made for a memorable theme for me. Hearing it again Sonic's story made it even more memorable.

Cooking of Puyo Puyo - Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo has been one of my favorite game series for nearly 10 years now. While I've never thought much of this theme before, recently replaying the original Puyo Puyo really took me back to the days before I could even make a 2-chain. It was really a blast of nostalgia.

Staff Credits - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
While everyone remembers Mario Kart 64, Double Dash was my first foray into the series. I was initially utterly awful it and always ended up in last place. I eventually learned to actually play properly and unlocking everything and hearing this theme after every gold trophy was rewarding. All of this would lead to a lasting fondness to this particular series.

Wi-Fi Menu Themes- Mario Kart Wii
Mario Kart Wii is another one of my favorites even if most of it is utterly broken. The Wi-Fi was insane as everyone knew and that just made it lots of fun to just join a game and see what happens. I spent many hours playing this game online and it was just so much fun being Toadette on the Bullet Bike going against tons of Funky Kongs and actually being able to stand a chance after a while due to how much I played. The fact that the original Wi-Fi is gone makes me feel nostalgic listening to this now.

A New Partner Joins You/Character Abilities - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
This was my first RPG and what an experience it was. These two themes in particular stand out to me just because I love the feeling of progression in this game. Getting a new partner was always exciting. Toadette also solidified herself as one of my personal favorites in this game just because of how much I loved the overall experience in this game.

Octo Valley - Splatoon
(This goes for all the variations) Splatoon was a game that surprised me since it was a initially a game I had no interest in but turned out to be quite the surprise. Most of the focus was on the multiplayer but I was impressed with the single player campaign as short as it was. The levels were inventive and I was just really impressed with how Nintendo was able to build up a whole new world and made me nostalgic of earlier times before I started becoming more jaded towards gaming and was more mystified by games.

There are others I could point out but I'll leave it like this for now and see what others have to say.
 
Metroid Prime - Downed frigate orpheon main theme
Upon being my first Metroid game it's what introduced me to music that didn't exactly sound like music at all. Most of the games soundtrack and just series in general makes you feel alone, just exploring the harsh atmosphere of whatever planet Samus might be wandering. I really enjoyed the fact that it's up to you to explore these areas and seeing the aliens being much more than carnivorous monsters but also see them live as a type of ecosystem that not many other games have. This song in particular stood out since it sounds so peaceful yet unnerving catches you off guard. Works perfectly since it plays once you're inside the crashed frigate zone which was the very first area you were in, in the beginning of the game a nice throwback to the first scenario. It's got me hooked on this series ever since than, the desolate worlds and tough as nails main heroine saving animals and destroying space pirates and their heinous operations just did it for me.

megaman x4 Split Mushroom theme
Interesting to note while I've always been a huge fan of Megaman ever since I was a baby, the classic series wasn't the series I started with Megaman it would be Megaman x specifically the first one on the SNES. Remember playing as a small child and just always ended up dying in Megaman x, of course wasn't very good until I got older. Once I was like 12 or 13 I started to buy some more MMX games, specifically MMX4. Really enjoyed this game and although it wasn't my first Megaman or Megaman x game it was the game that got me hooked on the series specifically this theme. I'm not sure what it is about Split Mushroom's theme but for some reason I'd always just play that stage to listen to his theme it was so good to me and even now it's phenomenal. It was then and there that it made me want to play the other Megaman series so soon enough I bought the anniversary collection, and started playing the classics. I moved on from there and bought the Battle Network games for my GBA even buying Megaman ZX Advent, playing as Aile is fantastic she's another really strong female protagonist.

Castlevania SOTN: Marble Gallery
Another pretty nostalgic song for me, Castlevania has always been one of my favorite game series if not my favorite. Ever since it being my first game series I've played as a child again on the NES with the original Castlevania it's impacted not just on my taste in gaming but also my new found knowledge on mythology and cryptids. I'm sure you could have guessed but by some threads you could hear me talk about the super natural which you can thank Castlevania for getting me into this kind of stuff. Remember playing SOTN and DOS the most out of all the Castlevania games, it was tough to decide which song to post that stuck with me but I chose marble gallery. Not only is it one of the songs you hear mostly through out the castle it's got a really nice beat and doesn't sound intimidating or frightening just hollow. I'd always love to just moonwalk and stab enemies while this song played such a nice stress reliever.

Witchyworld - Banjo-Tooie
Can't have a music discussion without this gem. Banjo and Kazooie and Tooie for that matter these two games have had significant impact on many people's childhoods and still continue to be very staple games in terms of smooth and fun platforming on a 3D enviornment. It's also good to hear that it's spiritual successor of sorts Yooka-Laylee will also have Grant Kirkhope amongst others who were involved with Rareware during their N64 era be in that project as well. One of my favorite worlds in these games would have been Witchyworld. Really love the whole circus/horrorish type sound the main theme has with the tuba especially. Would always love to turn myself into the weird armored vehicle and just ram every enemy since you were invincible as it nothing could hurt you anyways, whenever I think of this theme I just laugh and remind myself of those weird rampages.

Fungi Forest Night - Donkey Kong 64
Similar to Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie I also owned DK64, getting all 3 of the strongest platformers Rare has developed during that time. This theme would always remind me of how I'd just play this stage over and over exploring the entire forest in every nook and cranny. Not sure why I felt the need to do so, guess as a child thought the environment looked so appealing that I wanted to dig up and see what the whole level held. Thinking back this theme in particular comes to mind since as a child I liked this chilling theme more than the day one, and all I can think about is countless hours just doing nothing but exploring high and low even on the clocktower and giant mushrooms for whatever reason but it was all in good fun.
 
I love this thread : p

Also alot of Metroid talk on here, haha. I can definitely say that when I first tried Metroid Prime 1, the music to the opening menu was one of the coolest themes I had heard, I was definitely excited to try the game after hearing that : p

And I have sooooo many songs that Im sure I could make several posts in this thread : p

Alright!

1) Skies of Arcadia Main Theme
Anyone who has played this game would remember the big emotional orchestral theme song to this game : p And its not just the music either, the visuals to this song have the same effect. Its the basic JRPG menu, it has the game's name/ logo and a "start new game" and "continue game" options, with a copyright 2000 Sega/Overworks thingy on the bottom. But the screen itself, it takes place in the middle of the sky, watching the clouds slowly drift by, as the sky goes from daytime, to twilight, to night time and back to day as the song goes on. Its a really good opening theme to help you really become involved and invested in the game : p I was way excited about the game when I first turned it on and saw it, it gave me high hopes for the game : p

2) Tales of Syphonia Main Theme
Another opening menu theme, also accompanied by visuals : p Though not done with a real symphony orchestra like SoA, the song still manages to provoke the same kind of feelings. It has a few more instrumentals than the SoA theme, vibrant woodwinds and strings and bells and chimes, but it also has that simple elegant sound to it that makes you feel serene and junk. The screen starts off in front of a tree, with the camera focused on a feather falling in front of it. The feather slowly falls gently onto the water beneath it, which is when the name/logo appears with the "start new game" "continue" "options" "2001 Namco" stuff appears : p Haha I always really really liked how they pulled that off : p Also on the second disk, its the same thing but at night, which is way pretty : p It definitely gives you the impression that the game is gonna be beautiful, which was the intention of the makers of the game, as they wanted this game to be a "beautiful masterpiece" or whatever, hence the name "Symphonia" : p

3) Baten Kaitos- To the End of the Journey of Glittering Stars
This is a really underappreciated game. But maaan is it over the top dramatic, theatrical and emotional : p If you cringe at like emotional love stories and loss and betrayal and all that over the top stuff then you wouldnt like this game : p But if youre into that junk like I am then you should totally play this game : p But this song really captures the feeling of just that, it starts off with a simple sad harp, and evolves into a big orchestral piece that will really hit you. It has that tragic feeling that the game really focuses on, and you can definitely get the impression of what kind of game its going to be : p The game really focuses on like love and loss and vengence and betrayal and the struggle between good and evil and youthful heroes trying to figure out who they are and whats right, and they did a good job of coming up with a soundtrack that fits just that, I really like it : p
Fun fact, after you beat the game, it shows the personal items of the main male and female characters sitting together with a harp only version of this song, haha it made me teary eyed : p

4) Baten Kaitos Origins- Le Ali Del Principio
This is by far the biggest and most overdone theme song of any game ever : p Just like its predecessor, BKO is a big emotional story filled with all those same things as the first : p And this time they went even further with the theme song, its a big massive score with several different progressions and changes, vocals, the whole thing sounds like it should have been on some award winning film : p
I really really loved it when I first heard it though : p The game has a list in the pause menu where you can listen to the music of the game, and I remember spending alot of time listening to this song when I was home alone : p They really worked hard on the music in this game, I hope the pay off was worth it for them : p

Thats all Im gonna do for now, but I have bunches more : p
 
Well as the person who literally listens to all types of video game music, I could pretty much pull over a thousand music and place them here, but I'm not gonna do that for obvious reasons. So let's get down to the few music I'm gonna place here.

Now the themes for Dire Miralis and Crimson Fatalis from the Monster Hunter series are my absolute favorite monsters to fight against. But to those whose never played the games, let me give you a little bit of what they are.
The both huge giant monsters, Dire Miralis being the biggest, use fire to attack their enemies. Crimson Fatalis rests on the core of a volcano and can use the volcano to obliterate you and is the only known monster that uses the crimson demon element. It is also fought as a conquest war quest monster meaning that you do not wanna mess with it. Dire Miralis is pretty much the same as Fatalis without the crimson demon element, except that it is a walking volcano that can have meteors come down upon you.

Now the music to me strikes fear into the player. You are fighting a giant creature that can pretty much very easily kill you in one hit. (2 if you're lucky) It's like you're staring directly at the face of death, as he's coming towards you, you have the feeling that you're not gonna survive this fight. All the things you've accomplish to prepare yourself and yet you instantly have the feeling of this is it. I mean really though, I have never had a quest where none of the people I'm playing with didn't die to these two. They're really hard!

The Cold Science of Supremacy is a music I really really like, but the feeling I get reminds me of me. (and Hex) What I mean is that I love science a lot and most will say that I am really really nice. But really under all that nice and stuff, I feel like I'm just a cold hearted person.
I'm not the all nice and don't want fights to happen kind of person, in reality, I'm a real hateful person. I don't ever like speaking to people in real life, I pretty much talk smack everyday, and I'm just an unlikable person. You guys haven't seen it at all here, but I am pretty much the worst when it comes to being a "good freind" really. Seriously though I don't like how I am, so I try to be nice and all and avoid speaking to people in real life. I'm not the best person to be around with, as much as I want my friends to be happy, I just make them depressed. But really, this music actually makes me feel at peace. I don't really have an explanation but it just does.

I'm just gonna keep it this short so y'all don't have to read over 5 pages of music that gives me a certain feeling.
 
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Might as well post some music that makes me a tad emotional.



Yeah, pretty obvious. This music really calms me down when everything is going terribly. It might be one of the most relaxed songs in gaming!



Of course, if you want feel downright relaxed, then Wildflower Fields from Wario Land 4 is a really good song for that purpose.



This song from Paper Mario always makes me a bit depressed. Maybe it's because of how dark the scene surrounding it is. It's got a tinge of hope, but there's this feeling of 'if you fail, the world will die horribly'.



Leonid Castle from Romancing Saga 3 always has a feeling of hopelessness to it. Though the version used in Super Mario World is about ten times worse on this front (due to how empty it sounds):



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rneBa8dgl5A

Terrormisu's theme from Master of Disguise on the other hand is likely one of the most upbeat final boss songs you can imagine.

Most final boss tunes are 'you are going to die' or 'this is it, the fate of the world depends on it' or 'orchestrated choir sounds'.

This one is more of a feeling of 'you will win, there's no doubt about it'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaMcOo-k23U

Yeah, you know this song. It's very, very relaxing. Which might be deliberate, given how frustrating the bramble stages can be in Donkey Kong Country 2. It's like the game is literally trying to stop you hurling the controller through the window in a fit of rage.
 
I think music is one of the most important aspects of a game, so I could quickly name a few of many, many, many soundtracks I liked:

1) Wario Land 2 - Get in the Teacup
I was still little when I finally got Wario Land 2 (Got that game after Wario Land 3). And when I first heard this track, I listened it for a while before jumping into the water, it was just so beautiful to me. And it still is.

2) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - Rogueport
Ah yes, this paper mario was one of the first games that I bought for the Gamecube, absolutely worth the money. I arrived at Rogueport and I felt a bit unsettles by the atmosphere, but the music REALLY made up for that.

3) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - Excess Express at Dusk
Such a shame that this track isn't heard much in the game. I just loved this one. The dusk in the train, the quietness. This music is an emotional piece.

4) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Astronomical Observatory
Took a while for me to get used to this one in the Zelda series, but I finally loved it after restarting a couple of times. this track reminds me of the first days in Clock Town. Beautiful.

5) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Inside the Sandship (Past)
Some people already know that I actually really like this Zelda game. This dungeon was my favorite, and this track really helped with that.

6) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Miniboss Battle
I almost got killed by the boss, because I was distracted by this soundtrack, it's wonderful. It's like a pirate battle theme, orchestrated.

7) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Koloktos Boss
Oh boy, I had trouble witht his boss but did I enjoy it! And this soundtrack, it made me feel like I was the boss instead, nabbing Koloktos' own heavy weapon and slashing it against it.

8) Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - Breezy Mushrise Park
I like this soundtrack, because even though the game was released in 2013(right?), this soundtrack gave me such a nostalgic feeling. I like it.

9) Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam - Big Bang
I did not like Paper Jam that much of the series, but this boss battle really lives up to it's name, It's a big bang!

10) Golden Sun - Saturos Battle
Man, I might as well dump the whole soundtrack of the Golden Sun series here, Camelot really knows how to make good music, especially on that little hardware that was the Gameboy Advance.
I'm highlighting this particular track, because the battle with Saturos was one of the most memorable ones to me.
 
Mario123311 said:
Well, It's ABOUT game music either way - I honestly can't say it makes sense NOT to put videos, In any case: Not to be an ass but... Why can't we?
Click to expand...
Oh you certainly may provide videos... though perhaps I wasn't clear. I ask that you all follow the format I used in order to keep this more discussion based or at the very least keep this thread neat. While I can't make you follow the format I would appreciate it.
 
Well, let's try another round...

Great Turquoise Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
I tend to develop a bit of an attachment to first level themes in games. This was the first Sonic game I owned and as such this has sentimental value to me. It's a bit quirky and strange sounding but also rather playful.

Crazy Robo... - Sonic Adventure
While now that I'm older I see how silly a serious attempt at Sonic is, I still thought it had an interesting attempt at the whole "robot with feelings" sort of trope. This music in itself left an impression with me while the boss battle a little less so.

Event 10 - Sonic Adventure 2
Similar to the above I do see how hokey the attempts at serious plots in Sonic games were but I'd be lying if I said young me didn't feel thrilled and in suspense at the plot in Sonic Adventure 2. This theme from the final story in Sonic Adventure 2 encapsulates that feeling for me.

Intro - Sonic Mega Collection
Another early venture into Sonic for me. This was a great introduction to his history as well as his prime. I get that the music in this theme was supposed to have a bit of a nostalgic feel for when it was made but now it feels nostalgic to me.

Exercise Mode - Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
My introduction to the series, this catchy tune is just unforgettable to me.

Daihenshin! - Puyo Puyo 7
Puyo Puyo 7 was the first (non-reskinned) Puyo game I physically owned and as such also has some sentimental value to me. I remember watching videos on Youtube and getting all excited and intrigued by the transformation mode. This game was also the very first thing I ever bought online.
 
Main Theme - Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Makes me feel like playing Smash brothers, makes me want to beat everyone again --- makes me wish somebody out there could finally beat me in a game of smash. Also makes me miss the old days of playing brawl, ahh -- I remember waiting outside the store for this with my mom and sister. a lot of other people were there as well.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzzNNSxv2cc&list=LLVVLt86mIFkZ8BTny-4wEXQ&index=33
Staff Roll - Tomodachi Life Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzzNNSxv2cc&list=LLVVLt86mIFkZ8BTny-4wEXQ&index=33
This song makes me tear up, not only does it make me think of somebody I used to know, but I love this game. I have so many islanders, they made --- a lot of kids. Ashley even loved my mii at one point, but rejected her for Dragon, which I see fit considering what I said before. She ended up with Little mac though, but as my sister tells me they split up.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aWlKL2u4g&list=LLVVLt86mIFkZ8BTny-4wEXQ&index=80
Banjo-Kazooie - Rock Theme

Easily makes my day better, I just love listening to this and makes me think the day will go great, that nothing can put me down. Plus it is a really good song. I love Banjo Kazooie, also reminds me of the days when looking for Banjo tooie, what wild times, going to every store looking for it. Finally found it years ago at a pawn shop. Label is banged up, but Banjo, Kazooie and Mumbo's faces along with the logo and still be seen.


 
Haha, listening to Magma's 8-bit music, I was wondering how anyone could feel emotional over those freaking bleeps and bloops : p But it actually reminded me of a few that were a really big deal to me when I was a kid, I had a few NES games that I actually played merely for the fact that the music really hit me then.

Goonies II NES Theme
If you are a fan of that 8-bit junk and have never heard this song before, you should totally check it out, its the best 8-bit theme song ever : p My cousin had this game at her house, and I remember being excited to go there just to play this game again : p I would always feel sad when I had to go to an indoor part of the game, because the theme music would change : p But I really really loved this song as a kid, in fact I remember the long car drive back home from her house (she lived out in the middle of nowhere) I would look at the window and just play the song in my head the entire ride back : p

Legend of Kage NES Theme
My cousin actually gave me this game, she didnt like it for some reason : p But I was way happy she did cuz I thought it was like the coolest thing ever when I got it : p I really thought the jumping through colorful trees along with this theme song was like the most exciting thing ever : p I only had one game for NES that was like my game that I owned and played all the time, and this was it : p

This one is way important to me : p
Arc Rise Fantasia: Galois Ravine Theme
I remember when I first made it to the Galois Ravine in this game, and this theme song kicked up. I was for real blown away, haha : p I thought it was like the most exciting theme song ever for whatever reason : p I didnt have internet at the time that I got this game, so I would actually turn on this game and fly to the ravine in the game's lightship (which is named Cecille The Brave) just to listen to this song : p
Its definitely a good song for inspiring feelings : p It makes you feel like you are somewhere amazing. I really liked this part of the game. The entire reason you go there is that its the only way to sneak from the Republic back into the Empire, and it kinda gives you that feeling of the big world between the two, its really neat : p
 
Let's see if this thread can get going again
Thunder Tornado - Mega Man 9
This was the theme that played for the first Mega Man 9 trailer. At the time I was up and coming with my interest in Mega Man and so Mega Man 9 coming out was a really big deal for me and the game itself has a sentimental attachment to me. The theme itself is also probably one of the best themes in the series.

You and I are Fun Ghosts - Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary
This was also the theme that played in the first trailer for this game. Just a lot of feelings of excitement attached to this theme and the theme itself is cute and fun too.
 
Mega Man Star Force 3: VS Crimson Dragon
This one feels very poignant when put next to the previous final boss themes in the series, Andromeda's theme was dramatic and Le Mu's theme was chaotic and imposing, Crimson Dragon's theme on the other hand starts sounding urgent, but becomes increasingly more heroic.

The reason it sounds poignant is that it mirrors Geo's development over the course of the series from a depressed reclusive to a hero very nicely and having part of the series' main theme in it helps too.

All of that really adds to the feeling of finality, as in this what the series has been building up towards, you have come so far and there's no way you are backing off now. Simply put, it pumps me up every time and really sells me on this being the big finale of the series.
 
Iced Land

This does work well for an icy setting most but any baren lonely landscape could work in my opinion, Maybe not a sandy desert, a gravel desert perhaps? Well in any case as repetitive and annoying as this song can get i think that works perfectly. Imagine for a second that you for whatever reason are wandering Antarctica and you don't see any people. Just snow for miles, no sense of direction, everything looks the same, it repeats, its annoying, you wanna go home, find shelter, get outta there. If it goes on ay longer you might lose your sanity. That's how the Iced Land song makes me feel.
 
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