Overshadowed Video Game Music

[Marilink]

Alternate title: Great music from well-known and beloved video game soundtracks, but not the tracks that are usually bandied about

I believe we've had a topic like this in the past, but I couldn't find it...and even if we did have this topic in the past, all the links are certainly broken due to the server move.

So, what's a song from a great game soundtrack that isn't as well-known?

I've got two off the top of my head:

1. Undertale - "Here We Are"

Undertale gets a lot of love in a lot of ways, including its soundtrack. Its set piece themes are all amazing--Megalovania, Undertale, Hopes and Dreams, and so on. However, some of the more interstitial music gets overlooked in the shuffle. I love "Here We Are" from a musical standpoint, but also for the uneasy feeling it invokes which is so perfect for that point in the game.

2. Donkey Kong County 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - "Forest Interlude"

Alternatively, I could have listed any song from DKC2 that isn't Bramble Blast. I love Forest Interlude, and I don't think it gets enough love. The swamp levels are some of my favorite in the game, so it takes me to a good place, aside from just being a great piece of music.

[Valigarmander]

3. Final Fantasy VI - "Gau's Theme"

This is probably my favorite character theme in the game (and this game had some great character themes), yet it seems like it hardly ever gets brought up in discussions of this game's music.

[I am nobody]

4. Persona 4 - Kerorin MAGIC!

It plays in Rise's soda commercial, which is in the background of one cutscene five minutes into an 80 hour game. I'm not surprised that nobody remembers it, especially since the Junes theme had the jingle market cornered, but it's pretty catchy.

5. Transistor - Paper Boats

"The Spine" and "We all Become" are both phenomenal songs, don't get me wrong, but if I have to pick one song from Transistor's OST, it's always going to be this one.

[Bomby]

2. Donkey Kong County 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - "Forest Interlude"

I actually just made a beat sampling that song a few months ago. Love it.

[Apollo the Just]

Forest Interlude is literally my favorite track in that game IT IS SO HECKIN GORGEOUS

~~~~

So Tales of the Abyss's soundtrack doesn't get a lot of attention because it's good but not all that remarkable. HOWEVER, Grand Chokmah's atmosphere and design is probably my favorite out of any JRPG town and its BGM is EXCELLENT:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=24tx13MNKS0

There straight up isn't a single town theme in gaming that I like better.

[Marilink]

6. Chrono Trigger - Secret of the Forest

https://youtu.be/2r1iesThvYg

All things being relative, when it comes to the CT soundtrack, this song just doesn't get the spotlight like Frog's Theme or Schala's Theme or To Far Away times. But it's absolutely gorgeous and has one of my favorite bass guitar lines in game music.

[Valigarmander]

On the subject of CT...

7. Chrono Trigger - "Schala's Theme"

A lot of people seem to forget this song even exists (though you can hardly blame them considering it only appears in-game twice, one appearance being optional), but it's in my top ten from the game.

[Marilink]

^I've got a great video for you, then.

8. Mario RPG - Bowser's Keep (Second Time)

I think this song gets forgotten a lot because it sounds very similar to the first time you're there, which itself is just a remix of Bowser's Castle music from previous Mario games. However, the new B section introduced around 0:23 is really freaking cool.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

9. Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers - Cammy's Stage

I'm not sure if this counts because everyone loves the old Street Fighter music a lot and I'm kinda talking about an entire soundtrack here really, but from what I can tell it doesn't seem like this version of Street Fighter II is very popular (at least among the competitive crowd, maybe even less than HD Remix), so the music in USF2 seems to be overlooked. That's unfortunate because while I don't like a lot of the changes to the game it has a good soundtrack in its own right. I'm not actually sure how people rank the individual songs in this version so I'm just picking the best one to post here as an example of how good it is.

[I am nobody]

10. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Sage Fodo


I guess it's not especially surprising considering the caliber of its OST, but WW is loaded with great, short tracks that only play once.

[Artemis008]

I don't like Sonic CD's US soundtrack better than the JP one because a lot of the tracks were really unfitting (collision chaos, wacky workbench). The only exception Imo is
11. Metallic Madness Bad Future US
The JP track is good too, but god damn I love this theme.

[X-3]

12.) Transformers Devastation: Autobots' Theme

Only plays when you fight an Autobot...which happens only in a few Challenge Mode missions.

[The Amazing Tazy Ten]

13) The Munchables- Panic Restaurant

Not that many people know what game this is either, but if anything that makes it count more.

[X-3]

14.) FF7: Birth of a God

It plays in the penultimate battle with Bizarro-Sephiroth, which means it's sandwiched between J-E-N-O-V-A (edit: okay, something else plays for the last Jenova fight) and One Winged Angel. Enough said.

[I am nobody]

15.Persona 3 Portable - Soul Phrase

It's the opening for P3P. It's one of the few overshadowed things about P3P that I agree with ("Burn my Dread" is better), but it's still good.

[Marilink]

16. Super Mario Kart - Rainbow Road

This one is more of a series-long overshadowing. The Rainbow Road music from just about every other Mario Kart game gets a lot more play, especially 64 and Double Dash!!. But SMK's Rainbow Road is in a sonic class of its own, being extremely different from the other RR interpretations in the series but equally as good.

[Marilink]

17. Super Mario Odyssey - Shiveria Town

18. Super Mario Odyssey - Tostarena Ruins

I'm afraid that people are writing these songs off as "Just another snow level theme" and "Just another sand level theme," without recognizing that both of them are absolutely fantastic pieces of music in their own rights.

[I am nobody]

19. A Hat in TIme - Trainwreck of Electro Swing Remix

The base track is overshadowed enough between being from A Hat in Time and not being "Your Contract has Expired." The remix version is even more so since it's a secret unlockable.

[Booyakasha]

^^Those are both really nice. People don't like them? Are they dumb-faces or something?!?

[Marilink]

^I think people like them, but other songs from the soundtrack like Steam Gardens and Fossil Falls are getting more attention.