Secret of Mana – JC Cawley

Kong’s T’day Tune #1

J.C. Cawley — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 17:21:38 +0000

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.

#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

Kong’s T’day Tune #10

J.C. Cawley — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 14:06:05 +0000

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

Kong’s T’day Tune #20

J.C. Cawley — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:26:31 +0000

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