Infinity Nikki has a symphony of tracks, and since it’s an ongoing title, new songs are consistently being added to the OST. A perfect blend of whimsy, jazziness, and orchestral music makes for an exceptionally fun experience; the composers transport you to Miraland through music. Using unconventional instruments like flutes, lutes, and Irish whistles, the feel of being in a fairytale land is prominent, even when just listening to the soundtrack. I could definitely see the OST being played in a coquette boutique or even a small coffee shop.
Best tracks:
- Ghost Train (Move Out/Carriage Top)
- Land of Starfall (Night)
- Sovereign of Elegant Banshee
- Revelry Season (Main Menu Theme)
Hades has a distinctive soundtrack that combines traditional and modern instruments that contribute to the game’s self-aware approach to the Ancient Greek setting. Darren Korb (who also voices several characters in the game, including the player character Zagreus) composed Super Giant’s previous two games Transistor and Pyre. Like Cephalus’ javelin, he never misses. The environmental tracks are immersive, the lyrical tracks enchanting, and the battle tracks thunderous. Whether you’re plucking a harp at home or fighting your way out of Hell to metal, there’s a track for every mood.
Hades II builds on this with an even more eclectic soundtrack. The massively increased stakes and scope of the game come with a suite of new themes, motifs, and instruments. The sax-heavy ‘Sightless Shepherd’ featuring Sam Gendel is a personal favourite of mine!
Best tracks:
- Good Riddance
- Final Expense (Payback Mix)
- Last Words
- The Unseen Ones
- In the Blood
Jet Set Radio had a lot of licensed tracks but a big part of its identity was the original music produced for it by Hideki Naganuma. He captured the irreverent and multicultural elements of the graffiti artists of Tokyo by sampling and mixing sounds until they became triple-distilled, genre-bending beats with groovy basslines and some iconic interjections. Richard Jacques, B.B. Rights, Toronto, and F-Fields also contribute for a veritable who’s who of DJs. With music covering acid jazz, trip-hop, electronica, funk, and rock, it’s a good soundtrack to listen to if you’re interested in exploring genres.
If you want to hear more music like this, check out the OSTs for Jet Set Radio Future, Ollie King, Sonic Rush, Lethal League Blaze, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, The World Ends With You, and 2 Mello’s Memories of Tokyo-To: An Ode to Jet Set Radio
Best tracks:
- Humming The Bassline
- Everybody Jump Around
- Sneakman
- Sweet Soul Brother
- Funky Radio
Traditionally, catchy soundtracks were one of many strategies employed by fighting games to steal the financial futures of arcade enthusiasts. The Guilty Gear series took this a step further by having the whole series be a music reference; series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari loves rock so much that he turned it into a convoluted anime fighting game. It’s often joked that the Guilty Gear games are by and large just albums that happen to come with a fighting game attached (and it’s a joke not made at the expense of the games, the music is just that good!). There’s stiff competition for the best soundtrack among them, but the consistent influx of DLC characters for the newest game, Strive, pushes it over the edge for me.
Each character gets a full theme song complete with lyrics. Some of these tracks are so long you could never listen to the whole thing in a full match; Ishiwatari made these full-length masterpieces for the love of the game (and the smell). The songs are very informative: a combatant’s temperament and personal history are yelled at us by vocalists Naoki Hashimoto, AISHA, and Molly Daisy Scarpine, while instruments might be competing with one another to symbolise someone’s fractured psyche or inner turmoil. Musical inspirations are happily worn on the game’s sleeve too. You’ll find stuff similar to Bon Jovi, Pink Floyd, Queen, Nightwish, Beastie Boys, the list goes on forever.
Best tracks:
- Love the Subhuman Self
- Drift
- The Hourglass
- Necessary Discrepancy
- Let Me Carve Your Way (LISTEN TO THE END)
- A Tenth of Myself
NieR: Automata has a range of musical styles throughout the game, from techno to orchestral pieces, led by renowned composer Keiichi Okabe, known for his work in the Tekken and Drakengard series. With a healthy dose of callbacks to the older instalments, it gets an emotional grip on the player; ‘Kainé Salvation’ made me cry, and ‘Song of the Ancients’ is so good! Despite the older tracks being the star of emotional grief, the newer songs are also amazing, setting the tone well with the atmospheric instrumentals. The difference between each track gives you a whiplash of emotions, but the best way to experience the soundtrack is definitely in-game.
Best tracks:
- Kainé Salvation
- Song of the Ancients (Atonement)
- Amusement Park
- End of the Unknown
- A Beautiful Song
Adam is the better brother.
That’s it for this list. There’s an ocean of original music created for video games out there, so we couldn’t fit everything we wanted in this (mayhaps, we will write about more music we like from certain franchises, composers, or video game publishers?). Feel free to give a shout-out to all the other bangers out there in the comments. Whether you make breakfast to ‘Rosalina in the Observatory 3’ from Super Mario Galaxy, groove to the entire Persona 3 Reload OST, or want to declare your allegiance to the Smash Bros Ultimate version of someone else’s favourite song, there’s a lot to love. To easily find all of our recommended tracks, head on over to our YouTube playlist.
Just a dude that plays games. Ill write stuff on here once in a blue moon
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Nen Type: Manipulator
Classes: Editor, Dancer,
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
Melltith, or Melty, enjoys cosier or slower paced games and likes to take her time with things.
She's a very crafty person who will throw her all into a multitude of new projects and skills.
Video game completionist and 3D platformer connoisseur, Riley is a fan of the whimsical frenzy of bright and colourful characters that blessed us in the late 90's. Their favourite game's are Spyro, Persona 5 and Super Mario Sunshine.
I enjoy your list but it feels almost illegal to not have devil may cry or persona included here. I recommend listening to their soundtracks, especially mass destruction
IF it makes you feel any better I totally agree, these articles are a fun collaborative way to show off some of our favourites. I’m actually working on something for SEGA properties music so look forward to that!
If it makes you feel any better, I absolutely would have included DMC3’s soundtrack on this list if I’d remembered to contribute. Vergil 2 alone would earn it a spot for me.