Official(?) Nintendo Consoles Music Thread v2.0

Just for fun, I thought I'd go through my top five tracks (each from different games, natch) of 2021's Switch games.  It's arguably been a richer year for me for musical quality than it has been for games on Switch, so some bangers miss out (tip of the hat to WarioWare and Great Ace Attorney, and acknowledging that Sam &a Max 2 and Ys IX could both very well compete for this).  Also, the first three are all late-game boss themes in their respective games, so I've provided some less spoilery alternatives that are still top.


5. The Beast, Death's Door
(alt: Avarice)



I was cooler on Death's Door than many, and that includes the soundtrack.  Too many piano repetitions of the same tune.  That said, when the soundtrack bangs, it really bangs.  The beast's theme is my favourite, mixing whimsy and combat - Avarice meanwhile goes much harder on the combat, and has the added benefit of being in 7/8 time.  Nice!  

Fun fact: both of these were repurposed from previous game by the same lot, Titan Souls.  (First piece/second piece.)  They're both much better in DD.


4. Unpainted (Penultimate Boss), NEO: The World Ends With You
(alt: Beginning of a Happy Life)



The follow-up to musical standout TWEWY was always going to have some new and great tunes.  My favourite is one of the big boss', and I don't think this piece is too spoilery - the lyrics are bobbins but the tune is excellent.  Meanwhile the first overworld theme is, according to me three months ago, 'a brash brassy ballsy number.  Try to hum/sing it to yourself and walk without swaggering.  You can't.  I've tried.'  This still stands.


3. Trial for the Brave, Bravely Default 2
(alt: Seth special theme)



The Bravely series continues its tradition from the first game of having decent RPGs with ace soundtracks.  (Second did it the other way around.)  Trial for the Brave (which appears on YouTube with about five slight variations) is a late-game boss fight that's truly challenging, but you don't mind being beaten to a pulp repeatedly because that mandolin. It also has special move themes that I love, again like the first game.  I do love them slightly less this time around, but they're still very good.


2. A Cyber's World, Deltarune Chapter 2



I didn't actually play Deltarune C2 on Switch, but it came out on Switch this year and, of course, the soundtrack's chock full of bangers.  Here's the first overworld theme: very much a callback to chapter 1's, but that was belting too so we're all good.


1. Hex, The House in Fata Morgana



100% context pick.  So what?  It's beautiful.  


Over to you!  What have been your favourite tunes from games released on Switch in 2021?

Like the Fata one, can see that fitting into the game very well.

Game only had to come to Switch this year and not be from this year then? No order for mine.


Also posted a bunch of tracks from games not playable (all these are) on Switch elsewhere

It's up to you what games you cover, but that's what I used! (I did play all mine in 2021 as well.) Quickfire responses time:

• I'll admit to skipping the first minute and a half or so of the Tetris Effect one waiting for something to happen. Even when the lyrics kick in, though, I didn't really get on with it. It feels like it's building up to something that never really comes.
  
• This is okay. Bit melancholic, but that fits the context better than the light show of the previous piece.
  
• Big dumb smile on my face at this one. The previous two are probably 'objectively' better, but stuff it.
  
• That sure is a jingle!
  
• Like Hex, I reckon this is a context pick. It's lovely enough, but probably works better when it comes at the end of a moving game.
  
• If I was going to pick a piece from Dread, this'd be it. There's not a bad version of the Metroid theme in existence, although I reckon Prime dumps on this iteration. Not a great soundtrack all round though.
  
• Great piece, decent arrangement. At least she doesn't do a daft high-kicking walk while she plays it.

Nice! I'll have a listen to these later (I'm at work) but I probably won't have much to add. Most of what I played this year wasn't from this year, and I haven't finished most of the new stuff I did pick up. Assume I posted three Monhan tracks, and some token somethings from NMH3 and Bowser's Fury or Death's Door.

I hope you do Buska, like Mas in Nontendo I appreciate your comprehensive listens and feedback!

I'm going to assume Kamura Village, Mizutsune, that jingle when you cook raw meat, a DD track that isn't one of mine above and wouldn't be even if I hadn't done them, and one other.

Some thoughts on your top 5 Balla:

Unpainted is my standout track from NTWEWY as well. I think as a whole the soundtrack isn't as much of a standout as the original game, but that might be partly because at the time I'd NEVER heard a video game soundtrack like what TWEWY offered up.

A Cyber's World gripped me from that little opening bit in-game with the fireworks going off in sync. I think my favourite from that game though is BIG SHOT, if you've heard that one.

That track from The House in Fata Morgana had some lovely strings in it. Thumbs up. And never feel guilty about a context pick - whenever I get my finger out and do my big FFXIV music roundup, it will be replete with context picks!

I didn't have any massive musical standouts from my Switch games I played in 2021, but two that come to mind are the following:



I remember just appreciating the hell out of this track climbing that snowy tower in Bowser's Fury. Gorgeous wintery vibes.



Say what you will about Fi as a character in Skyward Sword, but her theme and its variants are just divine.

I have heard BIG SHOT, even though I've not got to where it plays. It's good, but it feels a bit much like a big medley instead of doing anything interesting itself. The emphasis seems to be on the lore of the tracks integrated rather than on making a coherent piece sometimes, if that makes sense? I preferred C1's hidden boss theme, that's a corker.

That Bowser's Fury track is nice and whimsical, but I don't think it matches the heights that I know Mario's snowy music can scale. In that regard it's rather like the game it comes from... That Fi theme is very nice though.

And yes fine I'll listen to your FFXIV tunes now.

Hmm. A lot of forumites showing their arses here, making clear that they've not played Cruis'n Blast.

I will admit to not having played Cruis'n Blast.  I have, however, played Pokémon Legends Arceus.  I remember DP's soundtrack being utter bobbins, with the odd decent track being put in exactly the wrong place.  I was really impressed, then, with how Legends bought some of these pieces a new lease of life.  

Oh, and - ideally scroll away from the visuals while they're playing.  They play some of the games and spoil bits.



Just the wood theme from DP, but by moving away from boopy beeps, so much better this way.



Route 210, but again, the new sound quality raises it a level.



Again, takes what is a muted not-fit-for-purpose theme in the originals and turns it into something good!  (Skip to 1:20 if you want the bit that sounds like this.  I can't remember where the first minute comes from!)

The best examples, sadly, are hella spoilery.  The end credits made me almost well up, and the postgame boss music music knows exactly what it's doing and I am all the way here for it.  Hopefully there's something here to waken the nostalgia in anyone.  Enjoy!

I feel Pokémon Legends one of the boss battles also like this from SMTV

I'm afraid I don't understand that sentence at all Mas. Banger of a tune though, something for me to forward to when I eventually carry on with the game again.

In Pokemon Legends, I'm sure one of the boss battles in that is similar to the SMTV one.

Hmm, not sure which one you mean. (Post-game spoilers) This maybe? Has the same electro energy. Alternatively this one, where the pacing's closer?

The second one is it and what I would have posted.

Not got anything really from Land of Screens, even though they do go to a gig.

Some tunes from XC2 Torna

Title Theme


Time for Battle


Credits

That Battle tune absolutely slaps (do the kids still say that?).

A Xenoblade game with a great soundtrack? fryshocked.gif But seriously, that's a really nice piece, followed by a theme I don't like as much as everybody else seems to but it's still a decent bop, followed by another really nice piece that of course Mas has chosen. Got to have the big exploration piece in there too!

The arseholes at Nintendo's legal department have taken down all my Legends pieces. I'll find replacements: I'm not going to let that happen before we're even onto another page!

I'm dreading checking everyone's playlists since the news about them being gits and removing loads of videos. Still baffles me why Nintendo are so intent on making their great music so hard to listen to.

I think we've got to acknowledge that the playlists were a beautiful and much-appreciated moment in time, never to be returned to. Sigh.

The Road 96 has some okay tunes, which work the game with this being the best IMO

Balladeer wrote:

I think we've got to acknowledge that the playlists were a beautiful and much-appreciated moment in time, never to be returned to.  Sigh.

I've been back a few times and replaced the missing ones, it's not actually that tall a task even now after a quick look.

The hero we don't deserve!

That is a very Mas music pick.

It is a Mas pick, but the whole game is like that, pretty much.

People keep telling me to

In before 'better soundtrack than Breath of the Wild'.

I've made myself faintly miserable by listening to this on repeat.  It's a lovely song with nice lyrics and a touching premise (ignore the squeak at the beginning), but at the risk of inviting out-of-context quoting, I didn't want to be touched in this way right now.