We asked some leading game journos to describe their favourite video game scores — whilst being as economical with their words as possible.
By Thomas Quillfeldt
Game writers — people who write about games, not writers of games — necessarily play hundreds of games large and small, conventional and pioneering, and thus are exposed to all sorts of soundtracks. As well as having ears, these ludological explorers also have fingers; fingers with which they write lots of words. For those reasons, we thought it would be fun to challenge a bunch of gifted wordsmiths to write about their favourite game music but be as selective with their words as possible, deploying vocables as deliberately as they would magnum ammo against a tough boss.
Favourite in-game scores
Kat Bailey ( @The_Katbot )
Editor in Chief, USgamer
Fave OST...
Kat Bailey ( Persona 4 Golden (2012)
By Shoji Meguro and Atsushi Kitajoh; vocals by Shihoko Hirata and Rie Kugimiya (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “Reach Out to the Truth”
“Bright, optimistic, chill”
“Home to probably my favorite RPG battle theme — driving vocals that somehow never become tiresome.”
Mat Ombler ( @MatOmbler )
Freelance writer (Guardian, Eurogamer)
Fave OST...
Mat Ombler ( DOOM (2016)
By Mick Gordon (Spotify, Apple Music)
Standout track: “Rip & Tear”
“Chaotic, demonic, furious”
“BFRiffs and BFBeats.”
Holly Nielsen (@nielsen_holly)
Freelance writer (Guardian, Telegraph)
Fave OST...
Holly Nielsen (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
By Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “Dragon Roost Island”
“Spirited, hopeful, joyous”
“Standing still on Dragon Roost Island, listening to the music; and years later realising it is re-orchestrated in Breath of the Wild and almost crying.”
Kirk McKeand ( Final Fantasy VII (1997)
By Nobuo Uematsu (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “Aerith's theme”
“Devastating, powerful, melodic”
“A single note can transport me back to a formative gaming experience."
Vic Hood ( Kingdom Hearts (2002)
By Yoko Shimomura, Hikaru Utada, and various Disney composers (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “Dearly Beloved”
“Emotive, simple, beautiful”
"It's just a simple and beautiful piece which captures the magic of the series"
Mike Diver ( @MikeDiver )
Head of Content at GAMINGbible
Fave OST...
Mike Diver ( Streets of Rage 2 (1992)
By Yuzo Koshiro (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “Dreamer”
“Propulsive, punchy”
“It's propulsive and punchy beats get me in the mood for some goddamn throwback fisticuffs and no mistake.”
Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello)
Managing Editor at Escapist Magazine
Fave OST...
Anthony John Agnello (Chrono Trigger (1995)
By Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: "Secret of the Forest"
“Antediluvian, timeless, peerless”
“This soundtrack’s melodies are somehow simultaneously timeless but also ancient.”
Favourite game music moment (spoilers)
The final battle of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Soundtrack cue: "Just Like Sleep" by Passarella Death Squad (Spotify, Apple Music)
“Powerful, climatic, stunning”
"It's such a powerful gaming moment and a lot of that is down to the choice of track"
Mike Diver ( @MikeDiver )
Head of Content at GAMINGbible
Fave VGM moment...
Bursting out of the water during Dolphin Shoals in Mario Kart 8
Soundtrack cue: “Dolphin Shoals” by Atsuko Asahi (YouTube)
“Pure bliss”
“The moment that your kart bursts out of the water is a second of purest bliss that I never get tired of playing through.”
Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello)
Managing Editor at Escapist Magazine
Fave VGM moment...
When you reach Greenpath in Hollow Knight
Soundtrack cue: “Greenpath” by Christopher Larkin (Spotify, Apple Music)
“Unsettling, seductive, enlightening”
“I was initially repulsed by Hollow Knight and its forbidding world full of decaying architecture and squishy bugs, but then I got to the Greenpath — a chunk of the game-world that redefines expectations through aesthetics, action, and this pristine music.”
Entering Mexico in Red Dead Redemption
Soundtrack cue: "Far Away" by José González (Spotify, Apple Music)
“Dreamlike, soothing, iconic”
"A lone vocal track nestled in the perfect position of a grand adventure."
Holly Nielsen (@nielsen_holly)
Freelance writer (Guardian, Telegraph)
Fave VGM moment...
Wassail Orchard in Tearaway
Soundtrack cue: “The Orchards” by (Spotify [N/A in some places], Apple Music, YouTube playlist)
“Gleeful, fanciful, exhilarating”
“The mixture of English folk music sounds and beats, and then having the music build up as the game itself opens up, is glorious.”
Kat Bailey ( @The_Katbot )
Editor in Chief, USgamer
Fave VGM moment...
Super Mario Odyssey pays tribute to Donkey Kong
Soundtracks cue: “Jump Up Super Star!” by Naoto Kubo (YouTube)
“Joyful, nostalgic, jazzy”
“Super Mario Odyssey's best moment is an interactive musical tribute to the game that started it all.”
Mat Ombler ( @MatOmbler )
Freelance writer (Guardian, Eurogamer)
Fave VGM moment...
Someone bites the dust in Lost Odyssey
Soundtrack cue: “Parting Forever” by Nobuo Uematsu (YouTube)
“Heartbreaking, peaceful, minimalistic.”
“Uematsu's score combined with tremendous western voice acting creates one of the most emotionally compelling moments in a JRPG.”
Favourite music to work/concentrate to
By Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: “To Zanarkand”
“Relaxing, absorbing, iconic”
“A beautiful melody that instantly clears your mind.”
Holly Nielsen (@nielsen_holly)
Freelance writer (Guardian, Telegraph)
Fave OST to work to...
The Elder Scrolls Online (2014)
By Brad Derrick and Jeremy Soule; and a song by Malukah (Spotify, Apple Music)
Standout track: “Y'ffre in Every Leaf” by Brad Derrick
“Soothing, emotionally nuanced”
“Listening to it on loop sat in the library working on my thesis, it was the perfect mix of engaging enough to make the long nights more bearable, but gentle enough to not distract me.”
Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello)
Managing Editor at Escapist Magazine
Fave OST to work to...
SaGa Frontier 2 (1999)
By Masashi Hamauzu (YouTube playlist)
Standout track: "Naturvolk"
“Enervating, mantric, graceful”
“Fact: I've never been able to play more than a couple of hours of SaGa Frontier 2, but its soundtrack ranks in my top 10 game soundtracks of all time because of Hamauzu's transportive songs.”
Mike Diver ( @MikeDiver )
Head of Content at GAMINGbible
Fave OST to work to...
Thumper (2017)
By Brian Gibson (Spotify, Apple Music)
Standout track: “Spiral”
“When I need to get my head down and smash through it I often turn to Brian Gibson's OST to Thumper and just beat the shit out of whatever work is in front of me.”
Mat Ombler ( @MatOmbler )
Freelance writer (Guardian, Eurogamer)
Fave OST to work to...
Life is Strange (2015)
By various artists (YouTube, Spotify playlist)
“Picturesque, nostalgic, adventurous”
“The most effective and carefully considered selection of licensed music to ever appear in a video game soundtrack. The strength of soundtrack alone paints an incredible picture of the game's themes and the journeys of its characters.”
Kat Bailey ( @The_Katbot )
Editor in Chief, USgamer
Fave OST to work to...
Video Games Live - Level 5 (2016)
By Tommy Tallarico and the City of Prague Philharmonic (Spotify, Apple Music)
Standout track: “The Legend of Zelda - A Celtic Link”
“Melodic, energetic, refreshing”
"Entertaining orchestral arrangements of classic video game tunes that refresh and focus the mind while working."
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
By Marcin Przybyłowicz, Mikolai Stroinski, Percival Schuttenbach, Adam Skorupa, Paweł Błaszczak (Spotify, Apple Music)
“Soothing, Celtic, fantasy”
"Being Irish, the gaelic influences of The Witcher 3 soundtrack are perfect for relaxing and working."