Video games are situated in a confluence of art forms – written word, visual arts, scenario design, and music. As is the case with art in general, these are all a participation in God’s creative activity, but music seems almost to be a privileged form. The Bible contains entire books composed of songs, in addition to famous scenes such as the evil spirits departing Saul when David plays his lyre, and the worshipful singing around God’s throne in Revelation. St. Augustine meditates on it in his Confessions, recognizing music’s capacity to dispose the mind to God in prayer, while also pondering whether its sensible pleasure is so potent that appreciation of its beauty, even in prayer, could lead to sin. Recognition of music’s power is not limited to Scripture or church fathers, obviously – it’s so fundamental to human nature it might as well be axiomatic. Why might this be?
Perhaps part of it is that music is more naturally participatory than other art forms. One may behold and appreciate a fine painting or sculpture, but the distance between artist and adorer remains an uncrossable chasm. Music however, allows and even encourages the recreation of the work of art, echoing our call not just to observe the works of the divine Artist, but to be a part of his symphony.
Drama has a participatory quality, too, but…pace drama purists…plays can be appreciated in a written form in a way music, I would argue, cannot. It must be experienced as a series of moments, contingent upon the ongoing effort of a musician, or at least the continuation of a recording. In this way, it uniquely imitates the continual aspect of God’s creative action. Creation is not one-and-done, but rather each new moment is lovingly brought into being by God.
So, acknowledging music’s unique reflection of God’s creativity, and with St. Cecilia’s feast coming up later this month, we at CGR wanted to discuss and celebrate the good we’ve found in video game music. Our crack squad of game music appreciators (who undoubtedly could’ve gushed further) assembled the questions and answers below. See what you think – maybe you’ll find some new favorites, or be reminded of old classics – and may the beauty we all experience in the music of these games remind us always of the source of all Beauty, God.
What’s a soundtrack that’s drawn you to a game?
SpicyFoodHiccups: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 comes to mind as an example where I was on the fence, and ultimately sold on the strength of the soundtrack. I have a somewhat mixed mind on the merit of its themes, and its art direction has some aspects that are perhaps…disproportionate, but it cannot be denied that the music is beautiful. The pieces you hear while on each titan are stirring and beautifully orchestrated (I’m especially fond of the music of the Leftherian Archipelago), and I love the subtle differences between the day and night arrangements.
PBnJ: When I’m trying to focus, I often put on a videogame soundtrack on YouTube or Spotify, but I try to avoid combative soundtracks so that it stays in the background for me to subconsciously appreciate. One thing in the algorithm led to another, and suddenly I was listening to relaxing songs from games I had never played. One song in particular (looped for an entire hour, no less) piqued my interest in Horizon: Zero Dawn – Her Breath, Her Land. There’s something ethereal to it that puts me at ease. Like most things in music, it’s incredibly hard to quantify. This is why I’m not a music journalist! But the peace it gives me is undeniable. The music led me to investigate more about the game, and once I learned it’s set in a primitive society that hunts robot dinosaurs I was sold!
Hootz: Undertale might be the game that served as a tipping point for me. There are several soundtracks of games that I really enjoyed before I experienced this one, but after playing Undertale, I started to go out of my way to look for/listen to game soundtracks. That said, it is certainly a major highlight of the game in its own right. The simple melodies are living rent-free in my mind to this day, and still hold all the emotions I felt when I heard them for the first time.
PeaceRibbon: Without a doubt Final Fantasy XIII. For all of that game’s oddities and missteps I genuinely had a good time with it, and a big part of that was the game’s soundtrack. Every time I listen to XIII’s score I’m amazed how it conveys the exact emotions of each element in the narrative so perfectly, from characters to environments and more. Masashi Hamauzu must have been under a lot of pressure given that this was the first mainline Final Fantasy title without any contributions from Uematsu, but that pressure clearly produced diamonds.
TheGoodHoms: I was listening to the soundtrack for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance long before I ever played the game for myself. I was raised on rock and roll, so hard and heavy is an easy shortcut to my affections when it comes to music and Metal Gear Rising is exactly that. This is especially apparent during boss fights where the lyrics to each song kicks in right as the battle reaches its climax. While many things in MGR ultimately didn’t live up to the hype surrounding it, the music certainly did.
Starwarp: For me it was Persona 5. My friends who played the game kept telling me to check out the game but I would always brush it off. Then they ended up putting Joker in Super Smash Bros. so I decided to listen to the tracks they brought along with him. This ended up sending me down a rabbit hole listening to more music from the game and was one of the reasons that I bought it. I then ended up becoming a rabid Persona fan and started to play my way through the games. Even checking out the first two entries which are a somewhat taboo topic in the fandom for how different they were compared to modern entries.
Has a soundtrack ever turned you off from or kept you away from a game?
SpicyFoodHiccups: Every so often I think I should try Persona 4, but I can’t get past the first line of what (I assume) is some sort of title theme: “Shadow World”. “The truth is elusive; it’s nowhere to be found,” is itself a truth claim, so how am I supposed to take the statement seriously? “Yeah, the truth can never be written down…” Okay, maybe not all the truth, and if I squint just right, I might buy that “the only truth you can ever find is in another”, if we’re talking about a very specific Another, but I have a feeling that’s not what the song or the game is driving at. How dare that song be so catchy.
PBnJ: This is 100% a sweeping generalization, but I have to say games with bad soundtracks tend not to be games I’m interested in overall. Most games have a passable soundtrack these days, even if earworms are few and far in between. However, there are games that I can’t play in longer bursts without the overused leitmotifs grating on me. I’m sorry Smash Bros. Ultimate – Lifelight is a great song, but if I don’t want to get sick of you I have to keep you at a distance.
Hootz: The soundtrack that I’ve perhaps enjoyed the least out of any game I’ve played has got to be the one for Axiom Verge. The only way I can describe it is an assault on the ear drums. It’s beep-y and bloop-y in all the wrong ways, and it is LOUD. The sound effects probably add to my displeasure, as they fit the same description as well. This might be the only game I’ve played where I think my experience was made lesser due to the sounds.
PeaceRibbon: Among fighting games I know that Killer Instinct is especially beloved for many reasons including music, but personally I never really cared for its soundtrack much. I guess industrial metal is pretty far out of my palette in the first place, but even then some of these songs are just… weird. Their pacing is all over the place when listened to outside the dynamic shifts of an in-game match, and some of the instrument choices are inventive but feel off when put into that metal genre.
TheGoodHoms: While there are a plethora of reasons to dislike the original Street Fighter, the game’s soundtrack is certainly one of them. A good chunk of the problem comes from the technical limitations of the hardware giving the game a generally very crusty sound, but even if the music was translated to an orchestra it would still be pretty bland. Really helps me appreciate how lucky we are that Yoko Shimomura was brought on to compose the iconic Street Fighter II soundtrack we all know and love today.
Is there a soundtrack that you’ve rediscovered? How did you come by it again, and how is it hitting you differently than before?
SpicyFoodHiccups: There was a time when I sort of disregarded Final Fantasy XII’s soundtrack, but over the summer I happened to work through the piano arrangement to “On the Riverbank”, which prompted a delightful rediscovery. It’d been years since I’d really listened, and while it is certainly different from the series norm, it’s full of charm, and seems more like a John Williams score than a traditional JRPG. “On the Riverbank” itself alternates from jaunty and upbeat to peaceful and thoughtful, but there’s plenty of other excellent tracks, and I’m glad my mind was changed.
PBnJ: There was a time where I was working on an article definitively ranking every mainline Zelda game. To do this, I had to replay each one, which has taken considerable time and motivation. (If you still want it, badgering will help me get motivated again!). While replaying Ocarina of Time for this article, I was struck by the fact that no song on this soundtrack misses. Each and every one of them is so good it’s baffling! I knew it was an iconic game, what with it being the Game of the Century, but it was just as amazing rediscovering it and its wonderful soundtrack.
Hootz: The soundtracks to most Kirby games are actually quite good. It’s not something I thought of at the time I played them, as the last time I really sat down to play a game in the series, I was in the very young target audience. But hearing a few tracks from those games today has really given me a much greater appreciation for the effort that probably went into putting them together, and is a major factor in my consideration to check out the most recent game in the series, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
PeaceRibbon: I’m slowly but surely working to finally complete Etrian Odyssey III for the first time, and that reminded me how incredible the series’ music as a whole is. EO III definitely has the best normal battle theme in the lot of them, but the dungeon themes from many of the entries are highlights across the board. Yuzu Koshiro’s music is always so multifaceted and captures the many different feelings a player might be hit with at any given time, but always tries to end his loops with that little bit of hope to press forward. We can all use a little more of that.
TheGoodHoms: October/November is always a good time of year to get back into spooky games and this year I’ve mostly been revisiting the Castlevania series. It’s no secret that Castlevania has a history of incredible music, but it’s good to remember it has a number of atmospheric songs as well. You’re not going to be humming these quieter songs for hours on end, but they still do a wonderful job of immersing you in the setting.
Are there soundtracks or composers you think deserve more attention?
SpicyFoodHiccups: I’ll note two soundtracks, since one is from a game that’s hard to get a hold of. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright has a stunning soundtrack with fun arrangements of classics from their respective series orchestrated in a way that makes a cohesive whole, topped off with an absolutely perfect main theme. Unfortunately, I suspect that game is hard to find, and the status of YouTube channels that offer such music is sometimes in doubt. Therefore, the second that came to mind was Pilotwings 64. It’s a fun game on its own – but its real achievement is fitting all that funk in one cartridge.
PBnJ: I’m not trying to be hyperbolic when I say that Justin Bell is on the same level as Howard Shore or John Williams. But the fact that he’s not even as well known as Jeremy Soule is a crime. The in-house composer for Obsidian, he’s scored the Pillars of Eternity games as well as The Outer Worlds, Grounded, and more. I put him on often when I’m rereading Tolkien, and his fantastical overtures are perfect for traipsing through Middle-Earth. When I first booted up The Outer Worlds, I was struck dazed at the start screen by the music. Readers, I listened for the entire 8 minutes of the song! I hadn’t had that happen to me for a game since Kingdom Hearts. You know a soundtrack is great when you hold up the gameplay to listen to it.
Hootz: This question makes me think of a couple of games I played this year, actually. Early this year, I played The Messenger for the first time. Most every song in that game is incredible, and is composed by Rainbowdragoneyes. The music is probably the reason I enjoyed the Metroidvania aspect of that game, unlike seemingly every other reviewer. I didn’t mind being on the hunt for obtuse secrets or collectibles because I was having a great time just jamming out. It’s also unlike me, as I typically prefer more organic sounds than I do chiptune/retro styles. I also played the first Rogue Legacy this year, and I really dug the track that played in the Maya. Tettix is the primary composer for that game. I would absolutely keep an eye on these composers in the future.
PeaceRibbon: I think it would be great if more people got the chance to hear Raito’s music. With most of his portfolio being stuck in French Bread fighting games that are amazing despite the fact they’re so niche, I’d like to see him reach a wider audience. His character themes from Under Night In-Birth are probably the highlight of his portfolio for many, but his stage music in Melty Blood displays a surprising amount of range and it makes me wish that one day he’ll get to work on a greater diversity of projects.
TheGoodHoms: Yuzo Koshiro is one of the most beloved and influential composers in video game history, but his absolute best work to date is the Etrian Odyssey series… and nobody talks about it! In all fairness, Etrian Odyssey is a fairly niche series of dungeon crawlers so I can understand why the music has flown under the radar. From the toe tapping chiptunes of the DS era to the soaring orchestras of the 3DS era, this series has it all. If you’ve never heard these soundtracks before I highly recommend checking them out, your ears will thank you for it.
Starwarp: While Micheal Salvatori is well known, I’m not sure those outside of the Destiny fandom have heard his work for the series. There is a ton of good stuff throughout the game’s ten year lifetime. The battle themes added so much to the gameplay in terms of filling you with adrenaline and motivation to keep going. The title theme for The Taken King expansion of the original game fills you with so much suspense and sets the tone for how powerful your new foe was going to be. Take a listen to a compilation if you ever want a free shot of adrenaline. There are also all the ambient themes, very peaceful.
What are some current favorites?
SpicyFoodHiccups: Lately I’ve been enjoying Masashi Hamauzu’s soundtrack for Legend of Legacy, Tillman Sillescu’s work for Age of Mythology Retold, and Justin Bell’s soundtrack for The Outer Worlds.
PBnJ: With Nintendo Music’s relatively recent release, I’ve been exploring quite a few different soundtracks. At the time of writing though, it’s Halloween, and I’ve been getting in the mood with soundtracks from the Diablo games. I’ve played a lot of Diablo II and a smattering of Diablo III, so they’ve been a good source of ambient Halloween music. But even though I haven’t even taken a look at Diablo IV, I have been wearing out the tapes listening to Kyovashad on repeat. It has such a slow build up, until suddenly wave after wave of violins crash and crescendo to a mournful peak. Just lovely.
Hootz: The recent release of Nintendo’s music app has reminded me how awesome some tracks out of Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 are. Most notably, I love the songs made for the F-Zero-inspired tracks in Mario Kart 8. I must confess, I also love listening to the modern Doom soundtracks as well. I know the composer for the first two modern Doom games might not be coming back for the third, but I’m hopeful it’ll be another one to add to the list.
PeaceRibbon: Anyone who knows anything about me knows my answer to this question. Octopath Traveler II’s music is played almost daily by me at this point, and I will not be satisfied until it becomes a digital best-seller! In terms of less obvious picks, the Splatoon 3 Grand Festival gave a good excuse to revisit some favorites from the franchise as a whole, and I was surprised at how much I was taken by 3’s story mode credits theme, Wave Goodbye, in particular.
TheGoodHoms: Half the reason Octopath Traveler II is in my top three video games of all time is the soundtrack. There’s 131 songs in total and I genuinely can’t think of a single one I would consider the weak link. From dramatic battle themes to dynamic exploration music, Octopath Traveler II has everything you could possibly want in a video game soundtrack.
Starwarp: I could give Persona as an answer since that series of music is so ingrained into my head by now, but to give a unique answer, the Perk-A-Cola themes from Call of Duty: Zombies. They are short jingles that act as advertising for their respective soda machines. Each Perk-A-Cola gives your character a different buff, whether that be extra health or longer sprint. All of the jingles just have so much personality that you can’t help but adore them. An example of this is the Quick Revive jingle, in which you can hear the singer chuckle at the end. It’s funny to hear the singer realize how silly these little jingles are and it’s cute that they kept it in. They also are so varied – you hear jingles based in heavy metal, country, to jazz. They are so iconic that you can have someone who hasn’t played in years listen and they’ll instantly remember and start singing along.
Coda
Thank you for tagging along as we revisited some of the music that’s been so central to the games we’ve enjoyed over the years! If you’re like us, you didn’t really need an excuse to go on about your favorite soundtracks, but either way we hope it’s prompted some happy memories or pointed you towards something new to listen to. In reflecting on the beauty of all these works, we’re struck by a sense of gratitude to God for the gifts he’s given to the artists who’ve produced it, and the gift it is that we may appreciate them. Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, we pray that the beauty we experience in music will draw us closer to its ultimate source, so that we may one day participate in the divine, heavenly chorus.
