I’ve put together a list of 60 tunes that have stuck with me through the years, inspired by Jeffrey Canam (@GrahfMetal)’s Twitter rundown of his top 100 favourite video game tracks. I’ve attempted to limit myself to a couple songs per game, but there are exceptions.

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

#41

Zelda II is the weird one, especially in hindsight. But at the time, it was simply the next Zelda, and it was good. And hard! But most importantly awesome. Exploring creepy towns and talking to NPCs was fresh and exciting. And you could level up your stats and learn new moves!

My uncle gave me this game for my birthday, and he gave my little sister Adventure Island at the same time. I was able to trade Adventure Island for Mega Man 2, which I later flipped (plus $4) for a copy of Final Fantasy. Those were the days!

This tune has a jangly, dynamic, almost headlong flow to it that makes it perfect for exploring old castles and dungeons and resplendent palaces (they have hanging tapestries!).

Track: “Palace” (YouTube Link)
Game: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES, 1987)
Composer: Akito Nakatsuka