The 3 Top Gaming Soundtracks That Add To The Games Overall Mood
When gaming, the soundtracks of games have a lot to do with adding to the overall game ambiance. The mood that music sets is so important to gamers that the Recording Academy created a new category for the Grammy’s in 2023: The Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.
The winner of this newly created award was composer Stephanie Economou who worked on the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök soundtrack. This is a huge step for gamers everywhere since this can only inspire musicians and composers to create even more incredible gaming scores and soundtracks for everyone to enjoy, whether they’re playing video games or the pokies online NZ loves.
If you’re wondering which classic games have some of the best melodic melodies around, then know that these are the games that have a track record for their incredibly enjoyable incidental music.
1. Castlevania
With the sheer amount of Castlevania games around, you’d be hard-pressed to find only one which deserves a mention. The soundtrack of these various games is thoroughly enjoyable and has a hauntingly expressive mood to it.
The song Symphony of the Night’s Moonlight Nocturne is a great example of this, while the upbeat An Empty Tome makes for a great heroic marching anthem. Then, there’s the very Dracula-esque intro to Sorrow’s Distortion that quickly turns into a toe-tapping back beat that you’ll just want to repeat a few times for good measure.
The Forest of Jigramunt is another upbeat and optimistic number while Garibaldi Temple adds an 80’s synth into the mix. Do yourself a favor and just enjoy the mixed melodies and ominous overtones when playing any of these games.
2. Journey
One of the very first gaming soundtracks to be nominated for a Grammy award, Journey wove its music into becoming an integral part of the game itself. While the overall game may not be to everyone’s liking, the beautiful changing landscape, kindness of strangers, and music that builds and drops according to the player’s actions make it memorable for most. There is a decided tapestry of emotion that is artfully threaded through the music that Journey uses. Players will quickly be caught up with the soft vocals that are used for sorrowful moments, coupled with the rising excitement represented by the string instruments.
As a side note, the vocals used in the game are a combination of multiple languages: from old Latin and English to Japanese, French, and even Greek. Composer Austin Wintory definitely outdid himself with the attention to detail he lavished on this incredible soundtrack using slowly built crescendos and lulls to draw players ever-onwards towards the distant mountain.
The game is incredibly cathartic to play, and as noted by numerous praiseworthy reviews, Journey has become a symbol of many different meanings for players from around the world. It’s well-worth checking out if you haven’t played it already.
3. Final Fantasy
It’s hard to make a list of incredible soundtracks without paying homage to the Final Fantasy series. The huge variety of music, which has a complete orchestra concert at scale, has made its mark in the gaming industry. So much so that players are drawn back to repeat the many Final Fantasy games over, and over.
This musical draw is all thanks to Nobuo Uematsu, who created the first 9 soundtracks on his own and set the musical tone which the franchise is known for. It’s only in Final Fantasy X that other composers joined in. These include Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano, Naoshi Mizutu, Yoko Shimomura, and Kumi Tanioka, along with several others.
Memorable and beloved songs from the game include Omen, Battle, Locke’s Theme, Awakening, Aerith’s Theme, and Zanarkand. Another beloved track is the Final Fantasy Main Theme, which has appeared in every game to date. It’s so inspiring, it was even used in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony as a tribute to the importance of gaming music.
Whichever of the above games and gaming franchises you choose to play and explore, you’re guaranteed a sensory experience that’s hard to rival.
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