Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream: This soundtrack is just so pretty and full of life. If i could breathe this passion into a soundtrack someday, I think my job as a composer would be complete.
Muramasa the Demon Blade: Lush and very effective. Favorite Track: Losing Consiousness A
Black/Matrix: What if Earthbound was edgy. I love how griddy it sounds. Favorite Tracks: all of them tbh but Zombie Spray is an instant classic.
Summer Carnival 92 Recca: This is what chiptune is supposed to be. I wish more people understood this. More house music in games please.
Eye of the Beholder Sega CD: Very similar to Summer Carnival 92 Recca in that it's some really intense club music being played over a game genre that wasn't really known for that. If I played these tracks at a club, you wouldn't know it was from a Dungeons and Dragons RPG, and honestly that fucks. I think we need more games that go this route in terms of sound design. I had a LIES records phase a few years ago, and man if a game's music sucks I would not hesitate to put on some Samo DJ atop it, and it looks like Koshiro-san had the same idea. Bravo! Favorite tracks: tbh, all the songs together are greater than the sum of their parts. Many of these songs are already excellent, but listned to as an album it's own expericence.
Touhou V: Mystic Square: I'm a sucker for Touhou. I'm also a sucker for FM synthesis. I love how ZUN's able to just pull these really distinct vibes from songs that are otherwise similar to each other. Favorites: Alice in Wonderland, Grimorie of Alice, Init, Dream Express, Forbidden Magic, End of the World - World's End
Gauntlet IV: No soundtrack locks me in like this. Playing gauntlet to this is like getting off of a bike after a long, fufilling ride, your legs want to keep pedaling. Exhillaratingly lush composition through and through. You know I have a philosophy about game music, where some games have music that's supposed to dazzle, and entertain you, like an ice cream truck or an amusement park ride. Novelty, if you will. Then you have some games like many modern FPS games, that opt for having far less music, and much more sound effects. My thinking is that a lot of these 3d action titles need the sound effects, since they kind of act as another layer of stuff for the player to pick up on and react to while playing the game. That's well, fine and good, but no game, and I mean no game who took either mix of the mentioned approaches, has ever locked me in like Gauntlet IV with it's music. The music here sets the tone so damn well. I can't imagine how much work went into writing this sound engine alone, not even mentioning the master work of a composition. Something about it just radiates class in a way that a lot of games, especially of the era, do not. Favorites: Transparent Obstacle, Sortie, "..."
Grounseed: Ryus Umemoto and Takami are always goated, and they swung a home run with this soundtrack. While the OPNA tracks are the ones that get all the press, I will say that the OPN tracks, too are very very strong. Since I made this list for work originally, I opted to not include some of the other games Umemoto has worked on, like Desire and Eve Burst Error since they're hentai games. But now that this is MY website and I make the rules on it, I can say whatever I want. I'll still use this game however, since the music is quite simply excellent. Really really deep knowledge of the inner workings of FM is obvious from jump, but also very clear is a distinct identity. You just KNOW when an Umemoto track comes up. He's kinda like ZUN in that way, his tracks are kinda samey honestly. Not a bad thing. In fact it's a fantastic thing. Like come on it's got an Amen break in a battle theme. I've spent countless hours analyzing how he does drums in this game. If you don't beleive me, prepare to find yourself blown into space with how wonderful and full of life the OPNA can really be. Faves: Myrtle, Kleis, and Akira's OPNA tracks, Shop Demo OPNA, Staff Roll OPN, ALL OF THEM.. I need to listen to this whole thing a few times over. I'm sure I'd get a dozen more favorites.
Revival Xanadu (and scenario 2): Massive improvement over the original. Fits the game extremely well. A lot of the really bussin tracks. Favorite tracks: Finrir, La Valse Pour Xanadu ~Nouveau~,La Valse Pour Xanadu ~Lachei~ (this one was used as the theme for the xanadu comic), Egarer ~Fascination~. You real Egarer heads better listen to Spoony Bard's fantastic remix of it over on youtube if you know what's good for ya.
Power Dolls 2 DASH: Contains my favorite game song of all time - CALLING ME (OPNA). Nothing hypes me up like that track. I hear it and just feel every cell in my body wake up. This whole soundtrack is somewhat of a sleeper, and even without the two best tracks, CALLING ME and NOSTALGIA, it would still be an A teir BGM. Fantastic compostion through and through. One thing I've learned to really like is when a game soundtrack just goes all in for awsome. Now after listening to the FM version of the soundtrack, listen to the PC-FX version and arranged soundtracks of games 1, 2, and 3. It will blow your head open yet again. On the album, my favorite track is called Switch on DoLLs.. Fuck. I love music!! Have you ever wanted to marry an album?
Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence: I need to play this i need to play this i need to play this. What a glow up! You know I though Xak 3 was a bit too corny for me. That main theme they show off in the town is just too silly billy for me. Like spinning propeller hat, a giant swirly lolly pop, and heely's silly. Goofy boofy. That shit stops here. I haven't played Xak 3 to be honest. I've heard the music though, and WOOOO WEEE. Murky. Dark. Textured. Dissonant. RICH. As they probably say on the grifternet, are bullish on Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence. We will be tapping in. Favorite Sounds: The Voice of the Moon, Silent for the Insanity, Escape from the Tower. One day I just wanna be able to express this much in my music.
Brandish: The SNES rendition of Ruins plays in my head whenever I'm alone.
Master of Monsters (Sega Genesis): I didn't know Sugiama was Sakimoto's advisor. It makes sense I guess, given how dainty everything is. Purple Time makes me feel like watching faries dancing accross the clavichord keys in some gaunty woodland palace. You can just smell the whimsy, the mystery, the intruige, and the melancholic vapors emminating from this track from a mile away. Yellow Robe is what plays when you summon like 5 of your hardest brothers to fight for you. They're laughing and jovial because they know what the fuck is up. Large Green Meadow is the bloke who's about to massacre the funnyboys you just summoned to conquer the world with. Standing in the White Fortress is the state of shock and sorrow you feel, just having been massacred. Into the Deep Blue Sky is the rage you feel, and the thousands of battles you're about to win because of this. Oh man I ADORE how moody Into the Deep Blue Sky is. One of the prettiest game songs i've ever heard. Something about this track, and this game at large really brings me into a sort of calmness that can only be described as anxious tranquility. Am I really that insignifigant? Fuck the soundtrack just play the game and get into the zone.
Thunder Force IV: They didn't need to, but they did anyway. That's thunder force 4. Favorite trax: Don't Go Off. The other tracks are all amazing but this is the one that I think about lol.
Last Bible III: Very low key soundtrack I think. I mean, the game itself seems like a really polished experience. This soundtrack just radiates it's own style and class. Whenver I listen to it, I feel like I'm peering into a world that barely anyone knows about. And I guess that's sort of true, right? Aside from the people who've watched the Marsh video i guess, last bible 3 will be forgotten sooner rather than later. I think that's a big shame, because from what I know, it seems like a very deeply crafted and cared for experience. The music echoes that soul wholehartedly. My favorite tracks are To Underworld, Hometown, Field Theme 1, Before Battle, Brantika, Dance, Bulton Tower, Underworld Forest, Last Battle... This track is similar to Sorcerian and Ys in that there's a baseline of quality that you can expect from basically every sound in the game, which makes it quite hard to pick favorites.
Ghouls and Ghosts (C64): I needed to put a Follin soundtrack on here. Of all the fantastic work of the Follin brothers, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts is the one that I really remember. I still get ghoosebumps listening to Stage 4's music. Master work in audio, genuinely gripping composition AND audio programming. Can't reccomend all tracks in this enough, though my standouts are Name Entry and Stage 4
Gauntlet III (Amiga): I've actually reference the title theme in some of my own work in the past. Super super memorable music. It's kinda unreal how cool this music is. I need to listen to more rock fr. Faves: In Game BGM 1, Unknown
There are many more games I want to talk about here, but this kind of took me along time and I'm a little tired. I'll certainly expand, and write the other game musics here when my energy returns. Thanks for reading though!!