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.
"Signed by Jason Graves, the music favours dissonance and orchestral chaos over melody, instilling a visceral terror. Strident strings and atonal clusters make dread rise in the slightest corridor of the ship. This sonic horror, daring and suffocating, remains one of the peaks of horror sound design."
"Signed by Inon Zur, the music combines a desolate orchestra and nostalgic hits of the 1940s and 50s broadcast by the radio, from the Ink Spots to the crooners. This contrast between retro sweetness and devastated lands elevates the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. This singular sonic identity, ironic and touching, leaves a lasting mark."
"Christophe Héral and Billy Martin dress each world in its own sonic color, from hushed jazz to mariachi fanfares. And then come those musical levels where every jump syncs to the melody: "Castle Rock" and its cult rock covers turn platforming into a gleeful rhythmic choreography. Few games fuse sound and motion this completely."
"Signed by Garry Schyman, the music blends dissonant, anxiety-inducing strings with the nostalgic hits of the 1940s and 50s echoing through Rapture. This chilling contrast between retro sweetness and muffled terror elevates the decadent atmosphere of the underwater city. This unique sonic identity remains a peak of sound design."
"Darker and more solemn, the music embraces Hyrule's twilight with low strings and melancholy motifs. Midna's spellbinding theme, between fragility and mystery, haunts you long after the controller is set down. This orchestral gravity, in perfect harmony with the mood, marks one of the saga's emotional peaks."
"Signed by Amon Tobin, the music weaves a dark, organic jazz-breakbeat electro perfectly attuned to infiltration. The pads tighten with the tension, reacting to every move of Sam Fisher. This unique sonic identity, light-years from the genre's standards, makes the whole class of the game."
"A compilation of several masterpieces, the box brings together the electro-ambient of Half-Life 2, the hushed pads of Portal and the unforgettable "Still Alive", sung over the credits. Each game unfurls a singular, striking sonic identity. This musical generosity, at the crossroads of minimalism and humour, makes it a treasure for music lovers."
"Signed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, the music combines Gregorian chant, epic orchestra and electric guitars in an immediately legendary grandeur. The main theme, etched into collective memory, embodies the Master Chief's odyssey. This symphonic breadth, iconic and powerful, redefined action-game music."
"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."
"Signed by Jason Graves, the music favours dissonance and orchestral chaos over melody, instilling a visceral terror. Strident strings and atonal clusters make dread rise in the slightest corridor of the ship. This sonic horror, daring and suffocating, remains one of the peaks of horror sound design."
"Grandiose and cinematic, the orchestral accompaniment raises every weapon duel to the rank of a heroic fresco. Vibrant strings and conquering brass build tension as the blades clash. This sonic breadth, of rare martial elegance, helped make the game an absolute benchmark of the console."
"Signed by Inon Zur, the music combines a desolate orchestra and nostalgic hits of the 1940s and 50s broadcast by the radio, from the Ink Spots to the crooners. This contrast between retro sweetness and devastated lands elevates the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. This singular sonic identity, ironic and touching, leaves a lasting mark."
"Dramatic and solemn, Hiroshi Iuchi's work cloaks the chaos of gunfire in an almost sacred gravity. The orchestral pads build tension as the screen saturates, supporting an extreme concentration. This controlled intensity, far from the genre's usual din, heightens the game's glacial elegance."
"Tender and inventive, the music of Yoshi's Island signed by Koji Kondo wraps the crayon world in an unforgettable childlike gentleness. From the soothing "Flower Garden" to the livelier themes, every tune breathes carefreeness and whimsy. This melodic freshness, deeply endearing, remains a peak of video-game tenderness."
"Takeru Kanazaki and the Intelligent Systems team let Garreg Mach breathe, swinging between hushed choral solemnity and the blazing brass of combat. Each house carries its own tonal color, and the central motif returns in countless guises as the story darkens, binding you emotionally to a cast you command for dozens of hours. Years on, those arrangements still surface unbidden."
"Dark and cinematic, the music wraps the Dark Knight in a gothic orchestra with eerie accents. Each confrontation and each prowl through the shadows pulses with a menacing tension, worthy of a great film. This sonic breadth, faithful to Batman's universe, elevates the game's oppressive atmosphere."
"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."
"An ode to lightness, the main theme of Super Mario World signed by Koji Kondo varies mischievously with the settings, from the underground to the sunlit sky. Its skipping melody, etched in memory, accompanies every jump with an intact joy. This timeless chiptune classic irresistibly lifts the mood."
"An ode to lightness, the main theme of Super Mario World signed by Koji Kondo varies mischievously with the settings, from the underground to the sunlit sky. Its skipping melody, etched in memory, accompanies every jump with an intact joy. This timeless chiptune classic irresistibly lifts the mood."
"For this sweeping tactical fresco, Basiscape under Hitoshi Sakimoto unfurls orchestral pomp worthy of the Ogre Battle lineage he helped define. Heroic fanfares, solemn marches and finely chiseled national themes give the reconquest of Fevrith a constant epic surge. The contrapuntal richness drapes every skirmish in a grandeur that flatters strategist and music lover alike."
