Give me your favourite OSTs, individual tracks, whatever.
I have lots of favourites but I feel like most will be suggested by others so I’ll go for one that isn’t as popular: Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine. The whole soundtrack is amazing start to finish. Some of the best piano tunes to ever be in a video game, and a super under-appreciated game. It should’ve been way bigger than it was. Unfortunately it’s being tainted by its less-than-stellar sequel which came out recently. Don’t play the sequel, but definitely play the original. It’s fun solo but it really shines co-op with a friend (or three). It supports up to four players and I’d definitely recommend co-op if you have the means. I used to play it on 360 with a friend of mine and it’s some of my most fond gaming memories. It’s not a difficult game to figure out but it’s not an easy game to get good at. But all that is to say, play the game, or if you can’t, absolutely listen to the soundtrack. It’s awesome.
Seconding this for the co-op play. It just captures the feeling of a heist so perfectly in a bite-sized package. In a matter of seconds you’ll go from everyone calm and knowing their role, to full panic mode as soon as someone makes a mistake, to a wary sense of relief as you manage to barely get to safety but still have to complete your mission.
I didn’t know about the sequel. Now I’m tempted to try it…
Bastion. It’s Bastion. Holy shit the answer to this question is Bastion.
I’m assuming you know that Hades’ soundtrack is fucking amazing, but before that came Bastion (from the same developer), and it has possibly the most powerful soundtrack I’ve ever experienced. The way it’s integrated into the story genuinely blows my mind. Every track is a banger, but then you’ll start to get used to it, and then you’ll hear a song that’s so different, and it’s because something unexpected and beautiful is about to happen.
Then you’ll get to the end and you’ll have a choice to make. Except it won’t feel like a choice, because you’ll feel compelled to do exactly what the game wants you to do, and then you’re rewarded with one of the most beautiful sequences I’ve ever seen in a game, accompanied by a haunting song that I still sing fourteen years later.
I can’t stress this enough: if you want a game where the music is an essential part of the experience and is just so fucking amazing on its own that you’ll want to play it on repeat, the answer is Bastion.
I also really loved the soundtrack to Baldur’s Gate 3.
I prefered Transistor, but it is probably just because I played it first.
Love the writeup on Bastion. I have very similar feelings about Aquaria, an indie metroidvania from the beforetimes. The entire game is centered around the soundtrack, weaving the motifs into the game’s narrative. Even moreso than Bastion or Undertale, Aquaria makes it’s soundtrack a key narrative driver.
That sounds interesting, but it looks like it’s not available on any of my platforms, so I’ll have to take your word for it.
Yeah, pretty sure it’s just on PC. And the Dev passed away a few years ago so it’s essentially abandonware
Doom 2016
Recently,
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I think the soundtrack was the best part of the game.
All time,
Anything Final Fantasy or Elder Scrolls is timeless.
Katamari Damacy.
Na na, na na na na na, na na, na na na na na na…
I can make a song for you and me
I can make a song for ah foofy ruv.
Celeste.
The synergy between the soundtrack, the gameplay and the mechanics is just unparalleled.
Bastion had a fantastic soundtrack. I still have songs from that game in rotation. There are a few perfectly timed music queues that made each song just hit hard.
The soundtrack in Celeste is fantastic
Earthbound/Mother (mainly Mother 3)
Zelda (especially Ocarina and Twilight Princess)
Ratchet & Clank (especially the first game had some bangers)
Half Life, surprisingly. It has very little music but Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar drops at the perfect moment and makes you feel like you’re living in an action movie. 🤌
OFF by Mortis Ghost is similar. Mostly ambient tracks but the melodic ones hit differentGrim Fandango.
Seriously, it’s one of the only games I consider to even HAVE a soundtrack. It’s absolutely next-level.
I have it on physical CD!!
Night in the Woods
Hollow Knight
CrossCode
Minecraft
Cult of the Lamb
Chicory (Lena Raine is goated with the sauce)
Kirby’s Dream Course
Gen 3 and 4 Pokemon games
Anything Toby Fox touches
Later Alligator
Stardew Valley
Guitar Hero: Modern Hits for the DS baybee
Pretty much any Nintendo game since the NES
Night in the Woods soundtrack got me through recovery after having my appendix out. 10/10
Anything Xenoblade, but especially 1 and X.
I got bored of Undertale quickly, but the OST is an all-time great.
Shovel Knight is really good.
Anything by David Wise, especially Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2.
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest has the best music in the entire series, don’t @ me.
The Grandia theme.
The Nier games have gorgeous music.
Shadow of the Colossus
Surprised no one said Nier Automata yet. Great soundtrack and game
And I’d also mention Nier Replicant. The OST has a slightly different vibe, but it’s also fantastic
- All of the Zelda games
- All of the Ori games
- All of the Horizon games
- All of the Mario Galaxy games
So good.
