The Favourite Musics Post, VGM version

31 Jul, 2026

41 minutes

| sequel post to The Favourite Musics Post, EDM version

opened up the old draft of this as i decide it's time to finally finish out this concept. the only words in the entire text field, "elden ring"

as mentioned in the previous post, my music taste is roughly split into thirds:

1. EDM (and some hyperpop and rap/hip hop) for sound texture and rhythm

2. VGM for escapism (and sound, but especially escapism)

3. and everything else generally for emotional attachment or mood expression (mostly indie, electronica, other hyperpop and rap, post-rock, pop punk... etc)

today i will be addressing #2!

favourite VGM

video game music was my introduction into sound as an artform. when it came to regular music, for a long time i only liked listening to isolated songs that i found in AMVs, neopets pages, or overlaid onto gaming youtube videos. the finest of curations. a couple of my early favourite regular musics were green day songs, which i only discovered in a video probably old enough to rent a car now of someone doing the mystic ticket event in pokemon emerald; music from games was just different to me. i was a chronic and severe escapist as a kid. hearing music in these guided fantasies i was obsessed with endeared me quickly to it as a concept. it helped that especially in this era, game soundtracks were by technological necessity, very focused on developing catchy melodies that could loop dozens of times without (ideally) getting annoying. they were only recently gaining the fidelity to do much of anything else. it made music very approachable, and deeply tethered to worlds that i often preferred over my own. this is partly why i'm so fascinated with VGM as its own kind of artistic tradition. i'm obsessed with it for its particular ability to elevate a setpiece or set the mood for an area, especially where the consumer has so much agency over how the medium is experienced (as opposed to film).

to reiterate again from my first music post, i would further sort my video game soundtrack taste specifically into a) power fantasy or "i like how it sounds" music, and b) emotional escapism.

for power fantasy music, this mostly consists of boss fights, regular battle music, or other tracks that you tend to hear during empowering moments, where the focus is pure, sickening aura farming. this tends to be the catchiest music also, but there's always some overlap and outliers. i listen to these sorts of tracks a lot more readily than emotional escapism.

for emotional escapism music, it's a fairly broad catch-all for other types of VGM that i want to save. could be overworld music, could be a track during a cutscene that makes me super emotional, could be a song for a specific area that i have a lot of attachment to and like returning to mentally... the uniting factor is that it has to be something i listen to to get taken to a specific place. these are songs that i collect for using as the soundtrack of my life.

for this post, i think i'll do individual rankings of specific tracks for both, and then i'll do a final list of my favourite whole soundtracks by game. i will do my best to pick different series for each slot but i may make exceptions. buckle in fellow sickos

fight (power fantasy) tracks

1. The Battle For Everyone's Souls (Persona 3)
   
   this is the Final Boss Theme of All Time to me. it hits all the major tropes i love (hard rock influence, long and complex, slower interlude, callback to some kind of leitmotif), and it's the sole persona boss theme to reference "aria for everyone's souls" (probably the only real theme of the series?); itself so iconic. it helps that it caps off the most thoughtful, earnest, and cohesively themed Persona story by a long shot. it actually sounds like you're standing up to something much larger than what you see before you, that you're in a futile struggle against not just this enemy, but what it represents, what it threatens to bring.

2. Dialga's Fight to the Finish (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers)
   
   ohhh when the opening whistle... ough it hurts. this song is pure peak. something about the way the whistle is used is so like.. it doesn't sound too triumphant like some fight music can sound. it's hopeful, but also very desperate. and the way the song hits it height when the whistle couples up with some other kinds of Noises (the Music Understander has arrived) is so impactful. the percussion and whatever the hell else is going on are amazing too. at a certain point what can i say other than the sounds are good, the way it builds on itself is Good, and it's from a very pivotal moment of a meaningful game so... of course.

3. Deceitful Wings (Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana) (a remix version but the in-game original is just as good)
   
   so.. my funny backstory for this song is that i've never played this game. i've looked up what it's about a few times, read about it, don't really remember. probably about [forgets where i am for a second] 18 years ago now, i started getting into competitive pokemon. a very well-known pokemon youtuber uploaded a recording of a pvp match to youtube, which was likely what popularized the concept of competitive pokemon to a lot of people¹, and he used this track in the video. something about the experience was so enchanting to me as a kid that i would watch it over and over and fell in love with this song as a result. plus it really does rip.

4. Shadow Queen (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
   
   literally all of TTYD's boss music is incredible, but the final fight is a grade above the rest, deservedly. i don't even know what sounds are happening in this song - "It Just Bangs". Shadow Queen - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Original Soundtrack would be a beautiful name for a baby boy

5. World Revolution (Chrono Trigger)
   
   the feeling of hearing this song after finally penetrating lavos's shell and going to confront its core.. it’s an all-timer in video games for sure. i love that it combines lavos's theme and CT's main theme to represent the climactic fight. the cascading synths go down in pitch² once you get to the “chorus”, which is a nice touch!

6. Darkness of the Unknown (Kingdom Hearts 2) / L'Oscurita dell'Ignoto (Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance)
   
   i couldn't really decide between the two so i've declared them twinsies. darkness is an obvious classic as far as KH goes; my favourite part is when the fucking accordion (?) gets involved in the second part, eventually Blasting You with beam of "a bunch of instruments" at the crescendo and it's just Epic. i think l'oscurita is also beautiful, it's a much higher intensity than darkness and there are times i prefer listening to it. darkness is before l'oscurita though because i think darkness wins points for being more elegant, and also - this means nothing for the music itself but also yeah a little bit - the fight that darkness was composed for is a much, much more interesting setpiece than l'oscurita in dream drop distance. can you imagine my sadness as someone who discovered the song before seeing the fight, come to find out you fight xemnas on a static strip of building while this song plays. a waste i tell you!!

7. The end of a thought (Tales of Symphonia)
   
   being that symphonia is an older RPG, it only has a couple themes that are unique to a single fight - this is one of the single-instance tracks, and it speaks to the significance of this moment that this isn't even the final boss. just a really cool no-frills electric guitar type thing. i like that the bridge switches into a remix of one of the relevant characters' themes, too.

8. Dancing Mad (Final Fantasy VI)
   
   i have never played FFVI. i still ended up falling in love with this track and always intended to check this game out eventually - it was genuinely impossible to avoid people praising it in late 2000s/early 2010s gaming circles online. it is an incredibly nuanced song to have come out in the era that it did (SNES).

9. Une vie a t'aimer (Clair Obscur)
   
   while i really really love rain from the ground and rated it first in my clair obscur review, i think une vie a t'aimer has grown even more on me over time. it would kill me to deny the sheer aura of the screaming vocals in the various iterations. i think that was especially an amazing artistic choice given that historically, any vocals in RPG music are very scarce, let alone something as intense as this - but it paid off so well for selling the emotional intensity of the fights they appear in.

10. VS. Champion/Red (Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver)
    
    this is genuinely the pokemon track of all time to me. it is such a perfect re-imagining of the original chiptune, the HGSS soundfont is perfect, the way it loops and maintains tension is perfect, and it's so intimidating! i love pokemon battle music, i really do, but i think especially the contemporary stuff has gotten stuck in maximalism. songs tend to be complexly arranged and have a lot of sounds going on, and it Always Rips don't get me wrong, but what about a vibe? the newer super jammy songs tend to just be cheery or triumphant in mood, because it's hard to be much else with that much going on. the HGSS rendition of red's theme is a little more restrained and it's honestly anxiety-inducing. it's such an interesting take on the track. (an extremely close runner-up would be another HGSS track, Johto Gym Leader, to which i would say pretty much the exact same stuff.)

11. Life Will Change (Persona 5)
    
    i just can't help it. not technically a fight track but the energy is basically there, and it's the prelude to the dungeon bosses anyway. i adore all of P5's boss music but this track is like, infectiously heroic. i always get a huge smile on my face when it comes on my shuffle.

12. King of Destruction (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
    
    the first orchestral track on the list and it's not even #10. sorry i am definitely biased! i am not the biggest enjoyer of orchestra. it's just difficult to make it pack as hard of a punch as rock or electronic. metaphor's flavour of orchestra really stands out, though. it's just unique in a way i can't articulate. all the different instrument sections are so so powerful and satisfying and this song has a fantastic progression.

13. Live & Learn / Supporting Me (Sonic Adventure 2: Battle)
    
    another twinsies because it concerns the same boss and i get diseases if i ever make a decision. live & learn is amazing, but it's hard to think of anything special to say about it because it's like.. a solid rock song that suits the moment really well. get in line. supporting me however, now that's fun to talk about. it sounds so unlike anything else in the game that it just sticks out, it's so weirdly ominous. i think it's the most successful a sonic game has ever been at actually being serious and foreboding.

14. Hyrule Castle (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
    
    very obviously the best rendition of hyrule castle in the series. the stomping in the background, the dreadful little bell in the distance, the buildup to the crescendo... <- nintendo adult

15. Sanctuary Guardians (Earthbound)
    
    what mostly determines whether i'll revisit a fight theme is how much does it make me want to bounce off the walls. this one, is different. i thought i didn't mind earthbound's music too much the first time i played, but i've appreciated it a lot more as i've gotten older. just like the rest of the soundtrack (and like the rest of the game), it's just such an oddball boss theme and i truly love it for that. very bold choice by the composer to have it be completely missing seconds 21 through 30 of its track. just skips right over it in the youtube playback. weird!

area/cutscene (emotional escapism) tracks

for this section, i'll stay away from things like main/menu themes and credits songs when possible. i do often like these, but this listening mood is restricted to music that takes me to a place or part of a journey - menus and credits scrolls are a little difficult to immerse in that way given their "text in a floating void" nature. so here's some of.. that!

1. Sky Tower / Run Away, Fugitives (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team)
   
   i would do literally anything in the entire world for sky tower. it's remained one of my very favourite video game songs since i was single digits age. it is exactly the sort of song i would expect to hear while ascending the clouds to sacrifice myself for the sake of the world. also sharing this spot with run away, fugitives, because that sequence altered my brain chemistry forever and that very beautiful song is partially responsible.

2. Living With Determination (Persona 3)
   
   i've returned to this song so many times over the years. out of any obligatory "somber" or "sad character exposition" song that every RPG has to have, this one absolutely clears. nothing will ever come close to it.

3. Leyndell / Stone Coffin Fissure & St. Trina (Elden Ring)
   
   leyndell has genuinely some of the most beautiful area music i've ever heard. it floors me every single time. i always listen in anticipation for the string at 2:02, it does something funny to my heart. it helps that my first experience with this track was through the teleporter chest in the southern peninsula that takes you to the leyndell preview area; having this song start to unfold as i saw how near the erdtree was, completely stunned that we actually get that close to it, was probably the highlight of the game for me when it released. stone coffin fissure / st. trina are a very very close second in terms of ER area music, also - they take it a lot further with the mournful string instruments that really draw out their notes, forcing you to linger on the sorrow of this place. god, thiollier’s arc here drives me crazy. i abandon here my love.

4. Secret of the forest (Chrono Trigger)
   
   CT has so much incredible area music, but i think this is the one i return to the most. it's mysterious, beautiful, and spiritual. for being something you hear so early, it sounds so timeless and sentimental. that’s chrono trigger for you. it also sounds similar to the main motif of the game which is cool!

5. The Zelda Music Slot
   
   i was torn for this one and i like these songs about the same amount, so fuck it. it's My chungus blog
   Dragon Roost Island / The Great Sea (Wind Waker): admittedly, i do have a small preference for my WW faves. dragon roost is so fun and iconic, and the great sea nails the embarking on an adventure sound.
   Gerudo Valley / Spirit Temple / Forest Temple (Ocarina of Time): gerudo valley is of course extremely good. spirit and forest temple are both the standout temple tracks for me from OOT - spirit sounds so grand and challenging, while forest is super unconventional in a really fitting way!

6. Devastated Fortress (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
   
   a tentative choice for sure. i didn't even name this one in my top favourites in my original review post for metaphor, but most of metaphor's songs rank so close for me that depending on the hour i could pick a different favourite.

7. Route 120 (Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald) / Mt. Coronet (Diamond / Pearl / Platinum)
   route 120 is definitely my fave out of all poke route music, i used to loop it on my GBA for hours and hours.. and mt. coronet is an incredible pokemon track. every playthrough i ever did i looked forward to this sequence, it's one of the coolest areas of any of the games.

8. Search a Seal ~Sylvarant (Tales of Symphonia)
   
   i love this game's soundfont so much and i think this track makes a great use of it. it's a nice Mystery Song, many fond memories of running around in the seals solving puzzles..

9. Shooting Star Summit (Paper Mario)
   
   i always remember feeling something very special whenever i approached this area.. this song isn't really technically impressive, but as a kid who inexplicably already found stars to be sacred things, it struck me. it was hallowed ground - i was anxious about idling too long because it felt like i was intruding on something very important and beyond my understanding.

10. Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64)
    
    they're calling me a fraud for having the most obvious nostalgia pick of all time. i'm going on the news to refute the claims. they're in twitch chats calling me a "Copium Andy". dominated. i delete my social media

11. Onett (Earthbound)
    
    used to listen to this walking around my hometown.. it shows off the game’s unique sound repertoire so well, it’s awesome. it is much like a twix bar - crunchy and whimsical.

12. Bowser's Castle 1 & 2 (Super Mario Odyssey)
    
    you HAVE to respect that they did something wildly different for the Bowser's Lair trope here AND it paid off so well. they didn't even take the easy way out - literally not a single reference to any mario leitmotif to be seen here. genuinely impressive. i love the flute (?) that comes in during part 2.

wholesale game soundtracks

1. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team. pokemon mystery dungeon is forever warring with P3 and elden ring for my favourite games of all time. when it comes to the music, PMD is my golden child. i recall reading over the years that some people thought RRT’s soundtrack was barebones. whimsy has been stolen from the world for far longer than any of us will admit.. in all seriousness, i don’t get it! maybe the actual sound design is unimpressive - i don’t know. i adore so many of the tracks from this game. there are so many melodies that still get stuck in my head constantly. especially for this being a spin-off on the GBA, i think the compositions are fantastic. there was literally no reason for the music to be this good for a game of this scale.

• faves: Sky Tower, Run Away, Mt. Blaze, Mt. Blaze Peak, Great Canyon, Pokemon Square, just about every single song in this game, jesus christ.

2. Persona 3. in the end i couldn’t deny PMD’s devastating impact on my psyche. P3 is a whole other thing though; the way its musical identity is used in the storytelling is the most rewarding of any RPG i've played.³ for example, many RPGs have a repertoire of things like "panic song" or "sad song" that are deployed repetitively to cue certain moods; this music can sometimes sound a little stock or rote. but P3 goes further by having living with determination as a hardhitter, a much more beautiful and nuanced track, and the way it's used throughout as a somber moodsetter during certain character moments is way more satisfying - especially because it's put on again late-game for the part when [redacted] and [redacted] in the [redac

• faves: The Battle For Everyone's Souls, Living With Determination, Memories of the City, Darkness (FES), Burn My Dread

2. Chrono Trigger. chrono trigger may not be the top 3 leviathans duking it out in my head all the time for #1, but it's certainly very very close. one thing i completely revere it for is its soundtrack. i don't think there is a single song i dislike in this entire game. the regular battle theme gets a tad repetitive, but it fares better than a lot of other RPGs' Basic Bitch fight themes that i mute after hearing enough times. all of the area music is either beautiful, energizing, or both. there are multiple songs from this soundtrack that, despite playing CT a little later than most who are very nostalgic for it (teenager), hearing them inexplicably brings me close to tears; the heroism and determination of the game bursts from its sound and gets to me. no doubt this game's music went on to influence and inspire that of many, many other games. we love you chrono trigger.

• faves: Secret of the forest, World Revolution, Far Off Promise, Undersea Palace, Wings that Cross Time

4. Clair Obscur. i still have somewhat mixed feelings about clair obscur, but the soundtrack is an unmitigated win. there's literally too much creativity pouring from every single song - something is bound to catch you off guard for being unnerving, or enchant you for being wonderful, or throw you right on your ass for going hard as fuck. it's all so painfully thoughtful of the story's themes. i could critique that it's almost too diverse, but i also appreciate that lorien kept things so fresh with all the different battle music. something i am hoping very strongly other RPGs pick up on wink.

• faves: wrote about it in my CO review! i'm not solid on the order of the top few, but my thoughts are largely the same.

5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. i wasn’t expecting to name something like this in this section! when i really think about it though, it's the boss music that really sets this game apart for me. every few years i've gone "wait, THIS has always been my favourite TTYD boss theme", remembered another one exists, and then "wait, THIS one has always b..." until only recently realizing that's because every single one of them slaps about as hard as any other. it's incredible how they accomplished that.

• faves: Shadow Queen, It's a Swarm of Smorgs!, Macho Grubba, X-Naut Fortress, Riddle Tower, Pirate's Grotto

6. Earthbound. i’m REALLY surprising myself with this one - as mentioned before, i always thought of EB’s soundtrack as unique and something i very much appreciate existing, but not something i’d return to. you are watching me discover in real-time that i somehow made a complete 180 at some point. i love this stupid game’s music. the soundfont itself and the way songs are composed is so whimsical and kindof avant garde. there are quite a few fight tracks, all of which are so inspired in different ways. the OST is so iconic that it’s been the subject of multiple memes over the years, such that my girlfriend heard the “sanctuary guardian” theme recently and went “wait, oh my god. that’s the ‘what’ song!”. earthbound, in so many ways, continues to have an exponentially outsized impact 30 years after its flop release, and so few people will ever come to recognize its contours left on so much culture.

• faves: Onett, Sanctuary Guardian, Battle Against a Weird Opponent, Snowman, Super Dry Dance

7. Metaphor: ReFantazio. this one was completely expected. at first, i was a little underwhelmed with the orchestra compared with Persona’s much punchier tendencies. as the game progressed, frequently a track would come on that stunlock me for minutes; usually, the vocals were the culprit. both the masculine and feminine vocals have utterly striking performances at different points in the OST. the orchestra itself is also frequently beautiful and interesting, like featuring a unique time signature or just sounding great in a different way.

• faves: went over it in my metaphor review - i could switch out a couple songs though, like putting in devastated cathedral.

like my other music post, i plan on refining or adding to this over time - maybe i’ll repost it as new every year or two or whenever i think i have new insight. i’m already a little indecisive about some aspects of the list except for the very top picks, so we’ll have to see! thanks for reading my silly gamer opinions