I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#1

This is title/intro music at its finest. Opens with crying Mana Beast(s) to set the tone, and then a beautiful splash of piano melody to establish atmosphere, gradually swelling up to the lush, organic totality that permeates the whole game, from the sprite-work of the game’s many environment, all the way to the box art.

Track: “Fear of the Heavens” (YouTube Link)
Game: Secret of Mana (SNES, 1993)
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#3

This song is so damn cute.

Track: “Yearnings of the Wind ” (YouTube Link)
Game: Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#4

Maybe this section of Final Fantasy VI‘s lengthy ending sequence stands out to me because I like Shadow. The smooth transition between these two characters’ themes and the way they blend together perfectly is only finally revealed in immediate juxtaposition in the ending. The beauty is that these have been the characters’ themes throughout the game, but you don’t get to hear them together until now. Shadow’s theme is normally quiet, spare, and measured in pace, so rearranging it as a swelling string crescendo gives it a real emotional gut-punch. I hope Interceptor’s going to be OK.

Track: “End Theme (Relm & Shadow) ” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy VI (SNES, 1994)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#7

VVVVVV hinted at the next game featured here: Final Fantasy V, Nobuo Uematsu’s penultimate game on the list (what will the Final one be?).

“Clash on the Big Bridge” might be the pinnacle of RPG battle music—so much so that they turned Gilgamesh into a recurring character just so they could keep using it. It’s got a wicked double-kick intro that builds into the main horn & bass section followed by a more traditional Final Fantasy battle melody. It almost sounds like it’s inspired by Rush. Epic tune.

Track: “Clash on the Big Bridge” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy V (SFC, 1992)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#10

We’ve reached the Top 10! Only about half of the remaining tracks are from games that haven’t already been mentioned in this list. So we’re in for a few more surprises and a few games that had strong enough soundtracks to get more representation.

I like the mysterious opening melody of this song. It resolves itself in such a satisfying way. It loses points for drifting off near the end of the loop.

Track: “The Dark Star” (YouTube Link)
Game: Secret of Mana (SNES, 1993)
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#14

This glorious tune is used early in Final Fantasy IV as the Red Wings’ theme in the lengthy semi-playable intro, and pops up several more times throughout the course of the game, usually at dramatic moments. Final Fantasy IV has its weaknesses, but it was one of the first epic story-driven RPGs I ever played, after cutting my teeth on the largely mechanical forerunners in the genre. This song made me feel like my characters were world-famous unstoppable champions. Adrenaline music.

Track: “Lunar Subterrane” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy IV (SNES, 1991)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#20

It makes sense to kick off the Top 20 with Secret of Mana, which might be the game with the best overall soundtrack of all time. The music in this game is moody and atmospheric, and the instrumentation is bananas.

I’m introducing Secret of Mana here with the tune from the final boss fight. While it’s not the best song in the game, it exemplifies the direction of the soundtrack as a whole. We get a frenetic intro and a breakdown/build-up before the soaring main melody even begins near the 1-minute mark. The bass and drums are going crazy the whole time, but it’s done in a way that contributes to the feeling of a lush and dynamic world rather than the mosh pit of a rock concert.

Track: “Meridian Dance” (YouTube Link)
Game: Secret of Mana (SNES, 1993)
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#26

This song is so good. It’s pretty much the definitive ’90s rock battle theme: fast-paced, hard-rocking, with a soaring epic melody. Mystic Quest‘s intentional break from series traditions allowed great work like this to shine, and it would be a worthy entry in the retro pantheon for that reason alone if it weren’t also a fun little RPG on its own merits.

Track: “Boss Theme” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES, 1992)
Composer: Ryuji Sasai

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#27

Uematsu does a great job of evoking classic spaghetti westerns with his arrangement for Shadow’s theme in Final Fantasy VI. The only way to make a cowboy ninja with a Doberman sidekick even cooler was with a great tune that captures the mystery and sadness of the character.

Track: “Shadow” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy VI (SNES, 1994)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#28

Geez, it’s really hard to believe this isn’t higher on the list. Final Fantasy IV, and this song in particular, define some of the most nostalgic moments of my childhood.

This is a wonderfully dynamic 90-second loop, with an intimidating intro, an almost ominous opening that sets the tone and scale of the battle, a nice little breakdown, and then a full-scale horn & bass section that predicts the lofty heights to which Uematsu would take this kind of arrangement in Final Fantasy V‘s “Clash on the Big Bridge” a year later.

I don’t sing this to my dog, but a smile occasionally comes to my face when I remember Tristan and I defeating Valvalis with Kain as the only survivor at 1 HP.

Track: “The Dreadful Fight” (YouTube Link)
Game: Final Fantasy IV (SNES, 1991)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu