Video game music has always been a big part of enjoyment when playing them. For some people, the soundtrack makes no difference in the experience of the game, and I believe a great soundtrack can make a good game great. I mostly like music to boss fights or epic battles more than any ambient music. I could easily make a list of my favorite boss’s music, but that would be too easy. Many in that list were from games like Bloodborne, Final Fantasy XIV, and Metal Solid Revengeance. Although some in this list are purely included just for the boss’ music. Others are for the uniqueness and the story the music is designed to tell. So here is a list of my favorite video game series soundtracks.
Shin Megami Tensei Persona series
Nobody talks about the Persona series without talking about its music. The soundtrack is always in your face, and if you don’t like the music, you will probably drop the game. My experience with the series is playing 3, 4, and 5. Each of the games has its own utterly unique soundtrack that I love. When I first played Persona 3 Fes, I was surprised by all the music you could hear one day in the game. My favorite songs from the Persona series are not from the games but from other media. ‘Dark Sun’ from the Persona 5 anime, ‘Now I Know’ from Persona 4 Arena, and ‘My Testimony’ from the Persona 3 Movie.
Sonic the Hedgehog Series
This is another series where people always talk about music. I have people say Crush 40 carried the Sonic series, and I can somewhat agree with that, but I also love classic Sonic. I like Sonic Boom and Stardust Speedway Bad Future (JP Verizon) from Sonic CD. I love every song in Sonic R, and yes, it was a weird soundtrack for a racing game. I also like all the 3D Sonic games soundtracks, from Sonic Adventure to Sonic Unleashed. I never play Sonic Colors and don’t remember anything besides Infinite’s theme song from Sonic Forces. Controversial take, I don’t like the Green Hill Zone theme and think Emerald Hill Zone is 10 times better.
Civilization Series
Civilization is on my list for the soundtrack’s uniqueness. Thanks to the music and playable civilizations of the game gave me the inspiration to expand my knowledge of history. My first experience with the game was Civilization Revolution on Xbox 360. When I saw the reveal for Civilization 5, I saved up for a computer that could play it. So the music I enjoy from the series comes from 5 and 6, and I have never heard music I didn’t like besides Shaka Zulu and Gandhi’s war theme. If you play the games, you know. Civilization 6 I have the same feelings for, although I admit the industrial compositions of the civilizations are always the best. I listen to the music of the Civilization Games for most of my writings, including the one you are reading right now. The English Peace theme ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’ is my favorite from Civilization 5. From Civilization 6, Cree’s music is by far the best. I would pay and travel to hear it sung live by members of the tribe.
Super Smash Bros Series
Now for Super Smash Bros music, I am only referring to music that is original to Smash and not songs from the representative games. I love the central theme for each Smash game and the themes for the stage Final Destination. Many people may say they did not like Brawl’s gameplay. Still, that game was a significant transformation of the series and had the best opening. I also really like the music from Smash 4. The trailers for Smash Ultimate for the World of Light and Everyone is Here, despite being a new game at the time, filled me with nostalgia.
Soulsborne Series
I love boss themes, so the Soulsborne series would appear on my list. FromSoftware has perfected the music in their boss battles. I love many of their boss themes. My favorites typically include pieces that express the tragedy of the boss’s story. One of their best, I feel like their style was defined in the theme ‘Ludwig the Holy Blade.’ I feel like after Bloodborne’s Old Hunter DLC, the music of the Soulsborne series had more flair. Not to say, the titles beforehand did not have great music.