Themes you still hum decades later: music is an integral part of video games. This Top 100 gathers the retro games with the most memorable soundtracks, from 8-bit sound chips to CD orchestrations, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each title: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"A return to medieval roots, Nobuo Uematsu's score wraps Zidane's adventure in a warm nostalgia, from the tender "Melodies of Life" to the most intimate themes. Each village breathes a rare gentleness and melancholy. This melodic elegance, often cited as the composer's own favourite, still moves the heart."
"Eclectic and warm, the soundtrack blends jazz, world, electro and licensed tracks in a joyful patchwork of irresistible whimsy. Each world has its own sonic colour, underlining the handmade, good-natured spirit of the game. This musical generosity, creative and sunny, instantly lifts the mood."
"Signed by Gustavo Santaolalla, the music reduces the orchestra to the essential: a bare guitar, scattered strings, heavy silences. This overwhelming restraint embraces the solitude and the fragile tenderness of Joel and Ellie. This sonic identity, minimal and heart-rending, remains one of the most beautiful achievements of the medium."
"Scored by Harry Gregson-Williams, the soundtrack founds the sound of the modern military thriller: tense electronic layers, muffled percussion and orchestra that embrace contemporary conflict. It breaks with the martial pomp of the World War II entries and imposes a main theme that became iconic. This new sonic language would lastingly define the mood of the whole series."
"Dark and martial, Kevin Riepl's music unfurls a heavy orchestra and low choirs that embrace the desolate brutality of the battlefield. The famous melancholy cover of 'Mad World,' in the trailer, stayed etched in memory as one of gaming's most striking trailers. An oppressive, cinematic breadth."
"Jazz, hip-hop and breakbeats signed by Hideki Okugawa give the bouts a wild class, a world away from martial fanfares. The legendary "Jazzy NYC '99" and its cousins stick to the millimetric tempo of the parries. This stylish freshness, unique in the genre, remains inseparable from the game's cult aura."
"Extending the symphonic splendour of the first, the score pushes the orchestral ambition even further, piling up heroic themes and cosmic flights of rare richness. Each galaxy pulses with a polished melody, between vertigo and wonder. This sonic generosity confirms the series as a musical peak for Nintendo."
"Hyper-charged pop and brassy fanfares mingle with jazzy covers of standards, in a fully owned kitsch. The tempo races during combos to underline the extravagance of the witch's battles. That almost comical exuberance suits Bayonetta's flair, where every dodge becomes a sonic choreography, and feeds the heady pleasure of the action."
"Playful and inventive, the music piles up rousing melodies and zany finds, right up to levels entirely choreographed to music. Each world overflows with a joyful, colourful whimsy. This sonic generosity, creative and sunny, makes the game a pure pleasure for the ears from start to finish."
"Blending an adventurous orchestra and ethnic accents, the music raises Nathan Drake's journeys to the scale of a great action film. The unforgettable "Nate's Theme" and epic flights accompany every stunt with flair. This cinematic breadth, generous and exhilarating, is the whole sweep of the saga."
"Rousing and mischievous, the repertoire of Super Mario Bros. 3 signed by Koji Kondo varies its themes with the worlds, from the desert to the sea by way of the skies. Each melody, lively and catchy, perfectly matches the rhythm of the jump and the challenge. This timeless chiptune classic keeps all its joyful power."
"Thunderous and martial, the music unfurls epic choirs, massive percussion and furious strings to accompany Kratos's revenge in Greek mythology. Each clash rises like a martial fresco of crushing intensity. This sonic grandeur, as immense as the game, strikes from the very first notes."
"Frantic and supercharged, Norio Hanzawa's music embraces the jubilant chaos of this Treasure run-and-gun with an overflowing energy. The nervy, rousing themes charge the action without ever letting up. This chiptune vitality, cut for all-out shooting, remains one of the most invigorating on the console."
"Sunnier still, Shoji Meguro's music combines sparkling pop-funk and irresistible sung themes, from "Reach Out to the Truth" to "Pursuing My True Self". Every day in Inaba pulses with a stylish, rousing groove. This sonic identity, joyful and inimitable, remains one of the most beloved of the whole JRPG."
"Blending cinematic orchestra and licensed 80s hits, the music weaves an espionage atmosphere at once grandiose and nostalgic. The harrowing "Sins of the Father" and the period radios underline the tragedy of the story. This sonic richness, broad and moving, elevates the saga's final chapter."
"Between dread and melancholy, Koji Kondo's music makes the moon's threat loom over Clock Town with rare evocative power. Anxious themes, the countdown waltz and ocarina melodies weave a strange, poignant atmosphere. This sonic singularity remains one of the most striking in the saga."
"Ever more colossal, the music combines unleashed choirs and a titanic orchestra to magnify Kratos's revenge. Each titan confrontation rises into a sonic deluge of unheard-of power. This epic breadth, overwhelming and grandiose, remains one of the peaks of action music on the machine."
"The series' first great orchestral score, the work of Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo unfurls symphonic flights of a celestial beauty, from the sublime "Gusty Garden Galaxy" to starlit waltzes. The music embraces weightlessness and cosmic wonder with an unprecedented grace. This sonic breadth redefined what a Mario could sound like."
"A reflection of the early 1990s on the West Coast, the game rolls out an anthology of hip-hop, G-funk, soul and rock of striking authenticity. Each radio recreates the atmosphere of an era with rare accuracy, from gangsta rap to funk classics. This gigantic licensed selection remains one of the most striking in video games."
"Rousing and mischievous, the repertoire of Super Mario Bros. 3 signed by Koji Kondo varies its themes with the worlds, from the desert to the sea by way of the skies. Each melody, lively and catchy, perfectly matches the rhythm of the jump and the challenge. This timeless chiptune classic keeps all its joyful power."
