Whenever I play a video game, I make it a point to take a little time to listen to the music that the game provides. In all my years of playing games, I've heard millions of music tracks (I am not joking, I have played hundreds of games since I was five years old). I have heard some fantastic tracks, I have heard some truly awful pieces of music. However, today I want to look at battle themes, the musics that play whenever you, as the player, have to fight an enemy, or several enemies, in order to continue onward on your journey. This is not a collection of boss battle themes, which is music that you listen to when fighting a boss. No, this is a collection of normal battle themes, the music that plays every time you get a regular battle in an RPG, or when fighting a regular opponent in a fighting game (read: a character any player can use, in contrast to the special boss character no one can use). These are my top 11 best battle themes. Why top 11? Because I'm ripping off Doug Walker.
This is an opinion piece. If you disagree, I respect that.
Number 11: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest battle theme
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, for the Super Nintendo...is not a good game. As an RPG, it is heavily flawed. The characters are one dimensional, weapons are upgraded automatically, the story is as thin as a wafer. Mystic Quest is much too long for casual gamers, but much too short and easy for the hardcore RPG fan. But! The music is generally agreed upon to be very, very good. And I'll be honest. I loved the battle theme. It's fast paced, it has a great beat, and it did what every battle theme needs to do: make me excited to participate in battle. And unlike a lot of battle themes, I never really got tired of it. This battle theme is, in essence, a battle theme done right. It starts off fast and rocking for the first 28 seconds, preparing you for the battle, getting you pumped. After that, for 12 seconds, the music slows down a bit, letting you plan out precisely what it is you want to do. And then, 20 more seconds of a fast paced tempo, getting your adrenaline flowing as your actions take effect in battle. And then, it loops seamlessly, giving the battle an epic feel, which is what every battle theme should do.
Mystic Quest was designed as an RPG for people that have never played an RPG before, and boy does it show. Is it a good RPG? It's...serviceable. It's not great, especially in comparison to all those RPG's out there. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a chance to at least be tried out.
Number 10- Lunar Silver Star battle theme
Lunar, the game so nice they remade it twice. And then they remade it a third time for the Gameboy Advance, and then again for the Sony PSP. Sadly, a lot of what made the original game stand out from the competition (Animated cut scenes! Voice acting! A three dimensional villain! A tight knit cast of characters!) has become the standard for the industry. But allow me a moment to put something in perspective here. Final Fantasy did not make good use of the cut scene until the sixth entry, released in 1994, and did not have any voice acting until the tenth game, released in 2001. Lunar had done all of that in 1992. It must also be admitted that the same things that made the original game so advanced in its day, nowadays...well, it hasn't aged too well, let's just say. However, there are some things that just get better with age, and the music is one of them.
The theme has a rock and roll feel to it, which already makes it good. This theme is truly a triumph, a testament to how much can be done with a synthesizer. Drums, horns, electric guitars, these are some of the instruments that you can hear in this theme. I love this theme, and I find myself snapping my fingers every time I listen to it. This theme is over twenty years old, and it's still good. In fact, I think it's just as good as anything in the market right now, if not better. Is it any wonder why Lunar was one of the best selling titles for the Sega CD? Maybe if Sega made more games like Lunar for the Sega CD, and less games like Marky Mark Make my Video, maybe the Sega CD would have been more successful, and Sega would still be making their own consoles. But more on that in a future blog entry.
Number 9- Yuri's Theme 'Diet', Art of Fighting 2
The sixteen bit era of gaming was the time where the fighting game genre was exploding in popularity and quality. Games like Street Fighter 2 (the first one was crap) and Mortal Kombat were bringing the genre to new heights, forming a new competitive scene in gaming and ushering in the Silver Age of the arcade, where arcades were once again money makers. The gaming company SNK (Shin Nihon Kikaku, or New Japan Project) released a number of successful fighting games during this period, creating three new franchises in the fighting game genre: Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and the humbly titled King of Fighters.
Yuri's theme from Art of Fighting 2 is a piece that stands out in the genre of fighting music. When I listen to this theme I envision several things: martial arts lessons, aerobics (truly a spectator's sport), and a dance club. While most pieces of music emote the fast paced, frantic feel of being in a fight, Yuri's theme emotes something else: the visual aesthetic of fighting. Yuri's theme screams out to me "look at how COOL these moves are! Look at how awesome martial arts are!" Yuri's theme is more than just the substance of fighting, it's the flash as well; a perfect combination of flash and substance. Hey! Maybe that's why the game is called Art of Fighting? Ha ha ha, who knows?
Number 8- Traverse Town's battle theme, Kingdom Hearts 1
I'll admit something here. This piece of music has taken this spot for more reasons than just how much I enjoy this song, but also for how nostalgic it makes me feel. It was Christmas of 2002, and I asked for Kingdom Hearts. I woke up at around 5 AM that day, opened my gift, and popped it in my Playstation 2. I was blown away, the game was better than I could have hoped for. A future blog will be dedicated to how it felt, playing this game for the first time.
Traverse Town is the second area that the player visits in Kingdom Hearts, and serves mostly as a hub world, a place you can always go back to if you need more items, new weapons, etc. The battle theme for this world is whimsical, joyous, not very threatening, but with a hint of darkness. This theme is not the absolute best battle theme in Kingdom Hearts, nor even the best of the first game. I personally think that Port Royal's and Space Paranoid's battle themes from Kingdom Hearts 2 are better. But it IS the theme that set the standard for which all other themes would have to adhere to. And in all honesty, I think that this theme really reflects the theme of the first Kingdom Hearts perfectly: a combination of the pure whimsy and fun of Disney with the darkness of Final Fantasy.
Number 7- Lufia 2 battle theme
Lufia 2 was the perfect RPG. It had everything: challenging puzzles, a fun and easy to master battle system, fantastic sprites that gave characters their own unique look, colorful graphics that made the world come alive, hidden bonuses, side quests with worthwhile rewards, dungeons that rewarded thorough exploration, tough bosses, an epic story, kick ass music, memorable characters, EVERYTHING!
This battle theme is one of the best 16 bit RPG battle themes ever written. Of all themes, I think that this theme really defines what made this era of gaming a sort of early Golden Age for the RPG. It's fast, it's in your face, it's epic but somewhat subdued, it's simple but not so simple as to lack depth. Even with the technological limitations of the time, which prevented things like voice work and orchestral music and three dimensional graphics, game companies were still able to deliver stories that resonated with us, and continue to stick with gamers even twenty years after that era has ended.
Number 6- Iron Horse Iron Terror, Darkstalkers 3
This theme can be summed up with two words: Creepy Awesome. It's macabre yet exciting, a sort of cross between expecting a vampire to jump up at you only for you to then kick its ass. This theme truly reflects what makes Darkstalkers so good: it's vampires and werewolves that fight using kung fu. It's classic movie monsters beating the crap out of each other with laser beams, power waves, and kung fu action. That's Darkstalkers, and this is what Iron Horse Iron Terror reflects.
Number 5- The Opened Way, Shadow of the Colossus
I feel like, I have no words for this. I could go on and on about why it's so awesome, but I feel as if words would be insufficient. Just, the imagery that this song inspires, of facing an insurmountable obstacle head on, just...I don't know what to say.
Number 4- Trainer Battle, Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
Here's something I can talk about. Pokemon is unusual in that it has two 'battle' themes. One is for when fighting wild Pokemon, and the other is for when fighting other Pokemon Trainers. Both are for two very different circumstances. While the wild Pokemon encounters can be considered a test of patience and care (a Trainer that is not careful can accidentally beat the wild Pokemon they were aiming to capture, and it could be hours before you see that Pokemon again), Pokemon Trainer battles are more a test of strength and strategy. It's more than a battle of strength, it's a battle of wits, power, and perseverance.
The song perfectly reflects that. You can't back out of this battle, there's no running away! You have to stand and fight, show the world what you can do! This isn't some after school showdown, this is real! Show those morons that you are way out of their league! That you're pro and they're noobs! Man, they ain't got nothing on you, you're the top dog around Kanto! And the song reflects that. In a weird way, it's sort of cheering you on, and that's what makes it so great.
Heh, not bad for a song made with only chimes and beeps, eh?
Number 3- Guile's Theme, Street Fighter 2
I'm pretty damn sure a lot of people expected this one to be higher on this list. After all, it's Guile's Theme! It goes with everything! Then again, only ten people read this blog, so no biggie?
This song reflects...Guile. The most bad ass American since Captain America.
He's an American!
Of all the songs I've shared with you today, Guile's theme is the one that is most famous, because it also happens to be an Internet Meme. Guile's theme really does go with everything! A black guy dancing while eating fried chicken? Guile's theme goes with it. Miley Cyrus twerking her non ass? Guile's theme goes with it. A puppy yawning? Yup, Guile's theme.
Guile's theme is doubly awesome because not only does it make Guile more awesome, it makes the United States of America seem awesome...
But sadly, Guile is not awesome enough to undo the damage these morons have done to America's reputation
Number 2- The Man with the Machine Gun, Final Fantasy 8
When I was thirteen and played Final Fantasy 8 for the first time, I hated it. That said, I was blown away by this piece of awesome music. Now that I'm older and wiser, I can see the little nuances that made Final Fantasy 8 so great, and why it deserves, more than any other entry in this saga, a remake. But one thing that hasn't changed? This song is still frickin' awesome.
This theme is unique in that it isn't the normal battle theme, but a special theme you only hear when you play as Laguna, a special character that is controlled for half an hour at most per disk, and only for the first three of four disks in the game. This theme is what turned what could have been an annoying element in the game (playing as someone else, who is seemingly unrelated to the game) into one of the most memorable scenarios in the entire franchise. A testament to the power of music!
Number 1- Rock'n Rocks, Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
"It's time for an epic battle! You better bring your best strategies, your best units, your best equipment, because we aren't showing you mercy! Wait, a boss? This isn't a boss battle! This is an army battle! Your army versus mine!"
It's an army battle! This fight isn't gonna be over in two or three turns, no! It's going to take at least ten turns! And you're not going to get out of it unscathed, nope! You'll be losing a few units! Damn, this theme is epic!
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