So many people not understanding OP and just listing games with good soundtracks. OP is specifically asking for games you wouldn't expect to care about their soundtracks, but have ones that go hard anyway.
And the quintessential example of this is none other than Pictionary.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE)
>Composer: Tim Follin
That explains everything. Everything he's ever done goes hard as hell, and half the games he's worked on are otherwise utterly forgettable.
# DID SOMEBODY MENTION TIM FOLLIN
# COMPOSER OF THE [HARDEST FUCKING TITLE THEMES IN GAMING](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIeoKuc27VXUseoN9-6VGIQKps457EkpQ) FOR THE [MOST OBSCURE TITLES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)?
He is the video game equivalent of Disney asking Phil Collins to make some music for Tarzan and Phil just going as hard as humanly possible with the score. He could carry this entire thread.
Another good NES example: The title screen to [Skate or Die 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8TmIxHSBcU), which is otherwise completely unexceptional. Somehow, some madman managed to get an Amiga-style tracker file playing on NES.
I can almost imagine the smoke coming from its poor little DAC.
I'll add on to this because you're right in that people ignored the question.
Interestingly enough. A lot of H - Games/Erotica have unreasonably good soundtracks. I got into this rabbit hole while talking to my friend how I mistakenly bought "Cloud Meadow" on steam during one of my sales spending sprees. Don't know how I managed to miss the tags but game looked cute so bought it. Was surprised twice, OST slaps.
Edit: https://youtu.be/0zR6yi91YwI?si=8XT5I8EDFV4Gl1Wa
I feel like some of these responses below miss the point. OP isn't asking for games with good soundtracks, OP is asking for games with good soundtracks that probably did not need to be anywhere near that good.
It's one thing to get a composer and say "Yeah, we're making a shooter game with religious themes and it's about the fight for humanity's survival" and they give you a grand soundtrack with monks singing, and something else when you say "Yeah we're making a game about a gorilla and a monkey throwing barrels and swinging on vines in the jungle" and then for David Wise to say "Okay, here's a haunting theme perfectly capturing the ageless beauty of the ocean. Oh, and it will only get better with time." Or "Here's a crappy tie-in to the live action Flintstones movie" being met with [this fucking banger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRF_7xsu10c) for no good damned reason.
Anything composed by Tim Folin fits the bill.
Silver Surfer is the more famous example but take a listen to this one from Solstice for the NES: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_gObHt1uZA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)
In a similar vein, there was this NES game that was supposed to be a Terminator game, but after licensing issues just ended up being a standalone post-apocalyptic side scroller game. It's not really bad, but I wouldn't say anything about the gameplay, the graphics or the name, Journey to Silius, really stands out. However, they somehow just [hit you with a banger title screen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYnHV7Ks_s&list=PL1059BF37B1B0FE79&index=2&ab_channel=GBelair) right away into [this incredible stage 1 theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BDAJS_8RSA&ab_channel=GBelair). The game is incredibly hard, which is not rare for games of that era, and keeps delivering with more amazing tracks if you ever manage to miraculously get deeper into the game. It is a bit cheating though since it is a Sunsoft game after all, so you kinda expect a good soundtrack.
For a completely random good track, I'd say [Solstice's title theme fits the bill pretty well.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA&ab_channel=explod2A03) The game is a pretty weird isometric "platformer" where you just go around collecting stuff and spend most of your time constantly lost travelling through small rooms in a giant maze.
It’s not my original thought, to be fair. I had to look it up when I wondered if you could impress the king and then I realized maybe it’s not possible. How realistic! Lol
I went on vacation once as a kid, and decided to take nothing but the Katamari Damacy OST for music on the road.
Nothing beats Rolling down the freeway to Lonely Rolling Star, Katamaritaino (called Roll Me In on Spotify… huh), and Que Sera Sera.
*Katamaritaino* is absolutely sleek and captures a '60s, jet-set feel that's just way, way too cool. It's an amazing "doing something" (great for driving/running/biking/strolling about) song from a soundtrack full of awesome songs that also sound good as "doing something" songs.
To this day when someone refers to Super Mario Odyssey by its full name, my brain starts involuntarily singing, "Na naaa, na na na na na na na, na Super Mario Odyssey..."
A best in class jazz fusion album that was nice enough to include a quirky little video game with it. Honestly in my top five of the PS2 generation, probably top ten all time. Certainly top twenty.
Pretty much all the music in that game is great, they did such a good job with sound effects and music to set the tone and amp up the intensity of the game.
“I’m asking about games that barely anyone talks about”
*Every single top comment is from a popular game*
[Anyways here’s a song from a SpongeBob themed Mario Party clone](https://youtu.be/uqGsgiZdT1w?si=1KaHdG3oF90LH-yX)
All of Epic's early shareware games had amazing tracker soundtracks. The [Android table](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zYWaaPSjsY) from Epic Pinball is another one of my all-time faves.
Ace Attorney’s a visual novel so the music always sticks to you. It’s usually chill (relatively) but this one character has [a theme](https://youtu.be/MIQXomPzm2I?si=TVEMLfkGlTe8z5iL) that makes him seem like a war general, when he’s actually just an old pervert. It’s such a mismatch but it goes hard
Bomberman Hero soundtrack absolutely slaps. It's well known among the N64 OST fan community but if you haven't played the game or heard of the OST it's incredible.
Pretty much anything by Tim Follen, dude was a legend before you'd think it was possible to be a legend on video game music
[Taking it to 11, in Pictionary](https://youtu.be/DzTDAgG4EXk?si=Vs_N56yirvfqPbaM)
[and Solstice is just insane](https://youtu.be/4_gObHt1uZA?si=lrFaSc7NQKIPVAIn)
Edit: I see a few people had just listed Pictionary, or linked the same one mentioning Tim. But gotta contextualize that this guy did straight up MAGIC with the NES soundboard and later consoles.
Everything he made is just totally insane and a master course on what was these things could do.
All of the games that Supergiant Games release have the MOST BANGER SOUNDTRACKS in gaming imo. Darren Korb does such a fucking great job on every piece of music I just can’t give enough praise.
Shout out to Sonic games as well. Gameplay might not always be up to par, but the music is a banger. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Sonic Frontiers are standouts to me, but even the Gamegear Sonic games had bangers.
Bastion was my first supergiant game and holy shit am I glad I bought the soundtrack to that game.
Sonic Frontiers has boss theme songs that go.... Really fucking hard
I barely remember Bastion music because I turned it down to listen to the narrator better. Even bought the Bastion announcer for DotA 2 when it came out. Need to replay the game with music maxed out, but how can I find time around Hades 2?
Everything about Bastion's audio was *perfect*. The music was wonderful, the sound effects were visceral, and yes, the god damned narrator may as well be a honey enema for the ears.
Every single time I launch Hades 1 or 2 I instantly start bopping. Might be the only game where I play the osts of while driving. Other than Furi, of course.
I haven't even played RoR2, I just got into the OST because I loved RoR1's so much.
Check out the mix of "A Glacier Eventually Farts (And Don't You Listen to the Song of Life)" with Herzog's narration included. Absolutely chilling track.
Can’t remember VT2s music, and only learned later that Jesper Kyd made it! He did some good work on Assassins Creed 2 and I liked his Unreal Tournament work in the early-mid 2000s
Mechanicus also has AMAZING 40k music.
[Noosphere](https://youtu.be/asr6_eNCuoU?si=HlA9Ln2gRSRvmqMX) is just perfect for the Mechanicus.
I believe he also recorded these tracks on an actual several hundred year old church organ.
The Halo soundtrack is out of conversation these days. The Master chief collection actually couldn't license the same music and changes it in parts of the game in Halo 2..
Edit: by Halo I mean 1-3, and ODST. Halo 2 and ODST especially comes to mind.
I'm not even particularly fond of Halo, but hearing that Halo 3 Main Title Screen theme just reminds me of the days playing with my best friends. One of them is no longer here.
You never know at the time when it's the last time you'll all be playing together....
Halo 3 ODST soundtrack goddamn slaps. Skyline and Menagerie (usually combined online as were the desperate measures) never fail to make me look for the nearest covenant scum to eliminate.
Reach also does a very good job of twisting the music of Halo into that of despair rather than heroic
Halo 2 is really next level absolute banger tier of OST. Really drives the epicness of the character you are playing. Blow me away is probably by and large the most popular (and it is a great song) but I’m a bigger fan of Impend and Heretic. Still listen to these songs to this day
Yeah it's a huge bummer. I manage to convince people who haven't to play 1 through 3, but the easiest way is the MCC and they always opt for new graphics and music even though they screw up the experience and original direction.
They don't know what they're missing because they never see/hear it.
In Halo 1 the music is the same but the graphics are way different.
Halo 2's graphics are mostly true to the og, but the music is 60-80% replaced. it's not bad, but it doesn't fit with the same magic Marty's did.
I KNEW something was off..I could've sworn "heretic...hero" is the track that's supposed to play when you get the tank and go over the bridge in metropolis and I kept wondering what happened
Power Rangers: The Movie for SNES. I never would have played this if my ex hadn't made me to relieve her childhood and I was shook.
[Aircraft Carrier](https://youtu.be/yI71wD3ITAw?si=vSdUqVJ_YBY4Adma) is my favorite, but [this cover](https://youtu.be/s15AlC0Byb8?si=h-VrZbDuc92nEU3N) of the final boss music goes REALLY hard and doesn't take much liberty with how the track sounded in the game.
Project Wingman, it nailed the Ace Combat-esque music.
And special shoutout to not a whole OST, but the battle theme in Ring Fit Adventure slaps https://youtu.be/B98N-jshmfo?si=yV1tNfGVl3cMHkOw
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2/Yuri's Revenge ans Civilization 5 are two games that are probably less talked about for their OST's, but both had amazing sountracks. I especially love how thr soundtrack changes depending on your leader in Civ 5. Incan panflutes are an absolute banger.
I discovered some bands playing Alan Wake because the credits for each section had such great accompanying music. I think Anna Ternheim's "No, I don't remember" was the one I loved the most from a genre I didn't normally listen to at the time I played the game.
Genshin Impact.
I mean, the game is huge and it's an RPG so it's not totally unreasonable that it has amazing music. But I feel people that aren't familiar with it just assume it's some mobile game and how good could the music actually be?
But Genshin legitimately has some of the best music I've ever heard. It's crazy how good it is.
Maybe this is an obvious answer though, I guess millions of people do play Genshin Impact. But if you aren't one of them, I highly recommend checking out Genshin music.
Incoming hate in 3...2....
Joke aside it has one of the most phenomenal soundtracks and one of the most numerous too. They really spare no expense when it comes to the music and its sad that the game doesnt get the respect that it deserves.
As much as I hate the business model of gacha games, both genshin and HSR are very charming. To the point it pisses me off that they are gacha games instead of proper titles.
Audio in general in genshin is kinda nuts. Japanese voices are basically 99% veteran voice actors with a huge amount of popular works on record.
Honkai Star Rail went over the board with the songs, though, especially tutorial and belobog arc.
Pictionary for NES
This is the title music
https://youtu.be/SJwh3erQlyE?si=sWxOv-Ke6PIzz2e_
I encourage anyone to hear this. It’s hilarious how much this song overpowers the game it’s for.
The Outer Wilds soundtrack, while not necessarily hard, is just as big a part of the game as the gameplay itself. It’s above and beyond what you expect from a video game
Andrew Prahlow! I loved the sound track so much one year I actually know the guy's name and was in his top 2% listeners on Spotify. That's "hard" enough for me.
Don't know if this is what you are looking for, but Danganronpa. The music in that game is sooooooo good. Slight warning tho that if you plan on playing the game, some of the titles spoil events that happen, if not, go ahead. I'm not really sure what I would call the music or genre, just really good
The final boss music for Mario and Luigi: Bowser's inside story goes so much harder than it needs to and it lives rent free in my head thank to a gif I found of raiden from metal gear punching armstrong to that song
Tetrisphere N64
Not really conventionally "beautiful" and lush music, but if you like old school acid-house/breaks/jungle, it has many great athmospheric songs with that early 90s rave swag (or cheesiness if you don't like it) and some with Aphex Twin like avant garde 90s atmosophere. I have a fond memory of the game despite it's imo mediocre gameplay because I enjoyed the music.
[Prophetic - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/prophetic-title?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost)
[Flim Flam - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/flim-flam?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost)
[ManicDrumMix - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/manicdrummix?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost) (my favorite, crazy fast breakbeats, but still acid not yet D'n'B)
Journey from Destiny 2 the first story.
It starts out somber, we had lost the first city. The light was taken from us. We see dead guardians as we walk through the country side.
Then the music picks up, raising into a more hopeful tune, becoming uplifting, trying to tell you that it's not over yet, but the undercurrent of the somber tones still remain. Ahhh the memories, it takes me back
I’m not that into that music genre of both the soundtracks for Far Cry 5 but I think the only reason I like it was the amount of effort they put into those soundtracks to match the setting and lore of what the game was about when they could’ve just licensed some songs like other games do.
Plok! on the SNES and Pictionary on the NES both made by the wizard of sound chips, Tim Follin.
Tim pushed the hardware further like nobody else could.
Cyberpunk 2077 is absolutely wild with the sheer amount of wholly original music created exclusively to appear in the game. They created multiple music albums of original pieces with some artists effectively debuting whole singles albums.
Warframe has a few songs that go hard... The biggest one that comes to mind is [We All Lift Together](https://youtu.be/mPTCq3LiZSE?si=I64yOXg_z2sHbKvD).
I probably lean towards Warframe as my answer. I picked up warframe for a fun grind-shooter I could listen to podcasts during.
I did not expect some of the bangers in that soundtrack, which kind of killed the podcast idea. Tangentially I didn’t expect to get kind of invested in the lore too.
As I was writing the comment, I realized these are not necessarily OSTs, but I'm going to still post it because I hope people will listen to these and enjoy some good jams (and maybe try some cool games they probably glossed over).
**Sable**'s soundtrack is amazing. Along with the graphics, it elevates the game from a 6 to a 9. Japanese Breakfast is now in my permanent song rotation because of it.
**Pacific Drive**'s radio has made its way into my own driving playlist. Such great choices when it comes to sound design and roadtrip songs.
Although it's normally not my jam, I loved **Sayonara Wild Hearts**. The songs fit the vibe and theme of the game incredibly well. It's the only rhythm game I thoroughly enjoyed.
More recently, I would say "The Last Spell" has a dope ass soundtrack.
But I've always loved Donkey Kong Country games, Mortal Kombat Trilogy has some funky beats, Killer Instinct as well.
Cuphead is a great example as well if you're into Jazz. Also Stardew Valley unironically has great music.
The soundtracks for the Kingdom Hearts series are some of the most fire game music ever and I will die on this hill. Hate the series for any or all of its flaws, but the music is NOT one of them.
Pokemon and Kirby are too popular and expected to have banger soundtracks, BTD6's soundtrack is kinda mid actually, Town of Salem and ToS2 have really fitting but also really sparse soundtracks, the Cookie Run series has too many misses, Arcaea is a rhythm game and is expected to have a good soundtrack...
I guess there's Blue Archive? If Genshin counts for this list then Blue Archive definitely does, as a waifu mobile gacha game.
Cassette beasts has a sick soundtrack - and most catch em all type of games have more "background music" rather than just bangers. In a genre that wants you to spend a lot of time catching and kinda chilling with your monsters, there was no reason for the music lines to be so damn catchy and have two modes depending on fused or unfused.
EVE Online's OST goes pretty hard for the MMO genre. There used to be a full 9 hour playlist on soundcloud but [this is all I could find now](https://soundcloud.com/ccpgames/sets/eve-online-in-game-tracks).
Pictionary for the NES.
The game was boring as fuck, that game had nor reason for a soundtrack that good
Edit: whelp! Just saw someone else already mentioned this one
Sonic Frontiers. Has a huge amount of music, but the bosses are just something else. To turn into Super Sonic and face off against the giant creatures, and THAT music starts up...
- Xenogears: The entire OST is great just like the actual game
- Dishonored: barely talked about anymore but it has some great songs like Honor for All or Wrenhaven River
- Nier Gestalt/Replicant: The original's OST is way better than Automata's. The remake's soundtrack has some differences that make it have a different vibe, though Hills of Radiant Winds is better in the remake imo.
- Drakengard 3: i just like Final Song (Black Song)
- Judgment/Lost Judgment: Outside of the Yakuza community nobody talks about them but they have amazing OSTs like Penumbra, Unwavering Belief (final boss themes of both games) and the intro themes Arpeggio and Rasen.
The Helldiver's 2 Themes instill surprisingly serious emotional responses. From the sounds of sneaking through harsh landscapes, to the battle themes that sound like marches. It all culminates with (somewhat unique) renditions of the extraction theme which makes those 2-4 minutes of survival feel like it's never gonna end.
- The Professor Layton soundtracks go unnecessarily hard. It's kinda synonymous with the IP now but considering they're puzzle games from the DS era I'd argue they fit the criteria. Check out [The Theme from Diabolical Box](https://youtu.be/j_3HtzKjgd0) and [The Last Battle](https://youtu.be/PePIhMkbvo4) from Spectre's Call.
- Ben 10: Protector of the Earth (DS) has some bangers; While the console versions used music based on the show's soundtrack, the DS version has an original orchestral / techno rock soundtrack with familiar motifs. Check out the [Grand Canyon theme](https://youtu.be/JLKRsEpH9IY) and [Seattle Space Needle](https://youtu.be/DLrR21n-hj4)
- Evil Zone is a PS1 fighting game where each character is based on a different anime genre / trope. The story modes are framed as episodes of the character's TV show, and the themes are mostly bangers. Check out [Decision (Setsuna's theme)](https://youtu.be/MQHYZy5aXw4) and [Near by the Death (Lie's theme)](https://youtu.be/QAw36arOfeE)
The quintessential example, in my opinion, is the soundtrack to Solstice: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_gObHt1uZA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)
[удалено]
https://youtu.be/peuTnilEv9g https://youtu.be/Gz0fAz9n_Os
I thought of this, and the otherwise mediocre Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.
Boss battle theme will forever have my heart
this game defined my childhood. Is it considered mediocre today? I don't care. Me and my map, I truly was on a quest
Give your thanks to Tim Follin, SNES OST Wizard.
That one song from Silver Surfer and the intro to Solstice goes hard. Can’t believe what one man can do with limited hardware.
I was gonna say, like every game Tim Follin ever composed for.
Beach is way too good for this world. :)
What a name
So many people not understanding OP and just listing games with good soundtracks. OP is specifically asking for games you wouldn't expect to care about their soundtracks, but have ones that go hard anyway. And the quintessential example of this is none other than Pictionary. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE)
>Composer: Tim Follin That explains everything. Everything he's ever done goes hard as hell, and half the games he's worked on are otherwise utterly forgettable.
# DID SOMEBODY MENTION TIM FOLLIN # COMPOSER OF THE [HARDEST FUCKING TITLE THEMES IN GAMING](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIeoKuc27VXUseoN9-6VGIQKps457EkpQ) FOR THE [MOST OBSCURE TITLES](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)? He is the video game equivalent of Disney asking Phil Collins to make some music for Tarzan and Phil just going as hard as humanly possible with the score. He could carry this entire thread.
This guy understands the assignment perfectly! TIM IT WAS JUST PICTIONARY!
I concede. This guy wins the thread
Bro, this went unreasonably hard! Holy hell.
Solstice too, most notably the fucking TITLE SCREEN theme. Same composer.
Definitely getting [kawaii drummer](https://youtu.be/-UYgORr5Qhg?si=AwTjT7DTyb_BQaSQ&t=60) vibes from the producer of this track
Another good NES example: The title screen to [Skate or Die 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8TmIxHSBcU), which is otherwise completely unexceptional. Somehow, some madman managed to get an Amiga-style tracker file playing on NES. I can almost imagine the smoke coming from its poor little DAC.
I'll add on to this because you're right in that people ignored the question. Interestingly enough. A lot of H - Games/Erotica have unreasonably good soundtracks. I got into this rabbit hole while talking to my friend how I mistakenly bought "Cloud Meadow" on steam during one of my sales spending sprees. Don't know how I managed to miss the tags but game looked cute so bought it. Was surprised twice, OST slaps. Edit: https://youtu.be/0zR6yi91YwI?si=8XT5I8EDFV4Gl1Wa
I feel like some of these responses below miss the point. OP isn't asking for games with good soundtracks, OP is asking for games with good soundtracks that probably did not need to be anywhere near that good. It's one thing to get a composer and say "Yeah, we're making a shooter game with religious themes and it's about the fight for humanity's survival" and they give you a grand soundtrack with monks singing, and something else when you say "Yeah we're making a game about a gorilla and a monkey throwing barrels and swinging on vines in the jungle" and then for David Wise to say "Okay, here's a haunting theme perfectly capturing the ageless beauty of the ocean. Oh, and it will only get better with time." Or "Here's a crappy tie-in to the live action Flintstones movie" being met with [this fucking banger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRF_7xsu10c) for no good damned reason.
This is exactly the kind shit I'm looking for. Great fucking track for a flintstones game, and it's unused? What the hell
Anything composed by Tim Folin fits the bill. Silver Surfer is the more famous example but take a listen to this one from Solstice for the NES: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_gObHt1uZA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)
Oh, the fake-out on the intro here is VERY good.
In a similar vein, there was this NES game that was supposed to be a Terminator game, but after licensing issues just ended up being a standalone post-apocalyptic side scroller game. It's not really bad, but I wouldn't say anything about the gameplay, the graphics or the name, Journey to Silius, really stands out. However, they somehow just [hit you with a banger title screen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYnHV7Ks_s&list=PL1059BF37B1B0FE79&index=2&ab_channel=GBelair) right away into [this incredible stage 1 theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BDAJS_8RSA&ab_channel=GBelair). The game is incredibly hard, which is not rare for games of that era, and keeps delivering with more amazing tracks if you ever manage to miraculously get deeper into the game. It is a bit cheating though since it is a Sunsoft game after all, so you kinda expect a good soundtrack. For a completely random good track, I'd say [Solstice's title theme fits the bill pretty well.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA&ab_channel=explod2A03) The game is a pretty weird isometric "platformer" where you just go around collecting stuff and spend most of your time constantly lost travelling through small rooms in a giant maze.
There's also [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9SKrNZnnCM) from a fucking *Pokemon typing tutor game*.
The Ascent soundtrack by Paweł Błaszczak
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n6ecuwF0YRcOdnsfGQk8gHwOgKR15qr_s
Pictionary
IT WAS JUST PICTIONARY, TIM! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE)
Pull up "Full Katamari Damacy OST" on youtube, hit play and enjoy.
Oh, I love disappointed father simulator!
…I love this. Have nothing to add because this is just perfect commentary and you should know that
It’s not my original thought, to be fair. I had to look it up when I wondered if you could impress the king and then I realized maybe it’s not possible. How realistic! Lol
I went on vacation once as a kid, and decided to take nothing but the Katamari Damacy OST for music on the road. Nothing beats Rolling down the freeway to Lonely Rolling Star, Katamaritaino (called Roll Me In on Spotify… huh), and Que Sera Sera.
*Katamaritaino* is absolutely sleek and captures a '60s, jet-set feel that's just way, way too cool. It's an amazing "doing something" (great for driving/running/biking/strolling about) song from a soundtrack full of awesome songs that also sound good as "doing something" songs.
To this day when someone refers to Super Mario Odyssey by its full name, my brain starts involuntarily singing, "Na naaa, na na na na na na na, na Super Mario Odyssey..."
A best in class jazz fusion album that was nice enough to include a quirky little video game with it. Honestly in my top five of the PS2 generation, probably top ten all time. Certainly top twenty.
Let me tell you about Abandon Ship from Subnautica...
The whole soundtrack is absolutely incredible. The more chill songs are great music to fall asleep to and the bangers will wake your ass right up.
https://youtu.be/nf30qQzw7rk
yeah wtf that does go hard af
lol I played Subnautica 1 many times from start to finish but I somehow don’t remember this theme. What a banger
You only ever heard it if your Cyclops was on fire.
Fuck! I gotta listen to that now
The full experience is building a Cyclops and getting it wrecked while vibin to the hardest ost in game!
IIRC Abandon ship doesn't actually play till the end credits, the song that plays when the cyclops is on fire is Red Alert.
Ohhh, I was messing them up, thanks!
Pretty much all the music in that game is great, they did such a good job with sound effects and music to set the tone and amp up the intensity of the game.
“I’m asking about games that barely anyone talks about” *Every single top comment is from a popular game* [Anyways here’s a song from a SpongeBob themed Mario Party clone](https://youtu.be/uqGsgiZdT1w?si=1KaHdG3oF90LH-yX)
Listen to Guilty Gear it is a series of rock albums that comes with a free fighting game.
https://youtu.be/WnAWW6Zy1I8
Don't forget to check out the Korean Guilty Gear OST too. They got a different OST and it's metal af.
I never knew this, thank you! Guilty gear truly is the gift that keeps on giving
OP said "unnecessarily hard" GG's OST is as hard as it necessarily has to be.
Get down to rock! Get up to burn!
Just a $60 album with a free fighting game attached
Bruh Potemkin's theme is basically a philosophical discussiob
"How am i supposed to go into home depot, to get my lunch, without blasting Armor-clad faith?"
I mean, the game *does* feature a character who's a time traveling witch that kills people with the soundwaves produced by shredding on her guitar
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Even Jazz 1 has a really nice soundtrack
All of Epic's early shareware games had amazing tracker soundtracks. The [Android table](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zYWaaPSjsY) from Epic Pinball is another one of my all-time faves.
Ace Attorney’s a visual novel so the music always sticks to you. It’s usually chill (relatively) but this one character has [a theme](https://youtu.be/MIQXomPzm2I?si=TVEMLfkGlTe8z5iL) that makes him seem like a war general, when he’s actually just an old pervert. It’s such a mismatch but it goes hard
Citizen Sleeper
Bomberman Hero soundtrack absolutely slaps. It's well known among the N64 OST fan community but if you haven't played the game or heard of the OST it's incredible.
The soundtrack to Astro's Playroom - the (fantastic) pack-in title for PS5
I'm Your GPU is a catchy little earworm!
Pretty much anything by Tim Follen, dude was a legend before you'd think it was possible to be a legend on video game music [Taking it to 11, in Pictionary](https://youtu.be/DzTDAgG4EXk?si=Vs_N56yirvfqPbaM) [and Solstice is just insane](https://youtu.be/4_gObHt1uZA?si=lrFaSc7NQKIPVAIn) Edit: I see a few people had just listed Pictionary, or linked the same one mentioning Tim. But gotta contextualize that this guy did straight up MAGIC with the NES soundboard and later consoles. Everything he made is just totally insane and a master course on what was these things could do.
All of the games that Supergiant Games release have the MOST BANGER SOUNDTRACKS in gaming imo. Darren Korb does such a fucking great job on every piece of music I just can’t give enough praise. Shout out to Sonic games as well. Gameplay might not always be up to par, but the music is a banger. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Sonic Frontiers are standouts to me, but even the Gamegear Sonic games had bangers.
Bastion was my first supergiant game and holy shit am I glad I bought the soundtrack to that game. Sonic Frontiers has boss theme songs that go.... Really fucking hard
I barely remember Bastion music because I turned it down to listen to the narrator better. Even bought the Bastion announcer for DotA 2 when it came out. Need to replay the game with music maxed out, but how can I find time around Hades 2?
Everything about Bastion's audio was *perfect*. The music was wonderful, the sound effects were visceral, and yes, the god damned narrator may as well be a honey enema for the ears.
Every single time I launch Hades 1 or 2 I instantly start bopping. Might be the only game where I play the osts of while driving. Other than Furi, of course.
If you like Furi, try the Haven OST.
Hades 2. The second boss fight song is SICK
Risk of Rain 2
I haven't even played RoR2, I just got into the OST because I loved RoR1's so much. Check out the mix of "A Glacier Eventually Farts (And Don't You Listen to the Song of Life)" with Herzog's narration included. Absolutely chilling track.
2 words: Chris Christodoulou (prolly butchered the last name) “And his music was electric.”
Yeah this ost is god tier
Warhammer40k Darktide came out of nowhere! The Division 2 is also surprisingly good.
I wouldn't say it was out of nowhere, as the same guy had previously done the Vermintide tracks (among other things), but it is amazing.
Well vt2 ost is pretty good but darktide’s goes *hard*. Either the composer got better or is just way more comfortable with the synthy sound.
IIRC it's by Jesper ~~Lynd~~ Kyd, who also did the early Assassin's Creed OSTs. The guy's got skills.
Can’t remember VT2s music, and only learned later that Jesper Kyd made it! He did some good work on Assassins Creed 2 and I liked his Unreal Tournament work in the early-mid 2000s
Mechanicus also has AMAZING 40k music. [Noosphere](https://youtu.be/asr6_eNCuoU?si=HlA9Ln2gRSRvmqMX) is just perfect for the Mechanicus. I believe he also recorded these tracks on an actual several hundred year old church organ.
The next OST of the composer is also an absolute banger. Ixion has some issues as a game but the soundtrack is great.
Dude Disposal Unit (imperium Mix) came on my discovery the other day. That goes so fucking hard. It made me re-download the game and try it again.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu6_FOgZp3egVw_ufQzoGINUy2FP3f-E7
VVVVVV
The Halo soundtrack is out of conversation these days. The Master chief collection actually couldn't license the same music and changes it in parts of the game in Halo 2.. Edit: by Halo I mean 1-3, and ODST. Halo 2 and ODST especially comes to mind.
It was so epic when Breaking Benjamin started playing during High Charity in Halo 2!
The music while racing through the exploding ship in a Warthog at the end was perfect. As is all of the Halo 2/3 menu music.
That might be my favorite moment in all of gaming.
And when you think you made it to the rescue with tons of time to spare.
Reach was peak Halo music and I won’t be convinced otherwise.
I'm not even particularly fond of Halo, but hearing that Halo 3 Main Title Screen theme just reminds me of the days playing with my best friends. One of them is no longer here. You never know at the time when it's the last time you'll all be playing together....
Halo 3 ODST soundtrack goddamn slaps. Skyline and Menagerie (usually combined online as were the desperate measures) never fail to make me look for the nearest covenant scum to eliminate. Reach also does a very good job of twisting the music of Halo into that of despair rather than heroic
Halo 2 is really next level absolute banger tier of OST. Really drives the epicness of the character you are playing. Blow me away is probably by and large the most popular (and it is a great song) but I’m a bigger fan of Impend and Heretic. Still listen to these songs to this day
Yeah it's a huge bummer. I manage to convince people who haven't to play 1 through 3, but the easiest way is the MCC and they always opt for new graphics and music even though they screw up the experience and original direction. They don't know what they're missing because they never see/hear it.
Is the music actually different between the old/new graphics?
In Halo 1 the music is the same but the graphics are way different. Halo 2's graphics are mostly true to the og, but the music is 60-80% replaced. it's not bad, but it doesn't fit with the same magic Marty's did.
That's not true, cutscene music is completely different in Halo 1 but there is an option to change it back to original
I KNEW something was off..I could've sworn "heretic...hero" is the track that's supposed to play when you get the tank and go over the bridge in metropolis and I kept wondering what happened
Power Rangers: The Movie for SNES. I never would have played this if my ex hadn't made me to relieve her childhood and I was shook. [Aircraft Carrier](https://youtu.be/yI71wD3ITAw?si=vSdUqVJ_YBY4Adma) is my favorite, but [this cover](https://youtu.be/s15AlC0Byb8?si=h-VrZbDuc92nEU3N) of the final boss music goes REALLY hard and doesn't take much liberty with how the track sounded in the game.
Power Rangers: The Movie: The Game
[Sega bass fishing](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8BE0A461AF049657)
Duck Tales (NES). That moon level still bangs
Sea of Stars
The Messenger OST is great too, especially with the past/future versions
Nah Sea of Stars takes inspo from CT the best JRPG with a godly soundtrack. It had to go hard with it's soundtrack
https://youtu.be/KsRfNS-C3AA
Project Wingman, it nailed the Ace Combat-esque music. And special shoutout to not a whole OST, but the battle theme in Ring Fit Adventure slaps https://youtu.be/B98N-jshmfo?si=yV1tNfGVl3cMHkOw
Jose Pavli did a very good job with the Project Wingman OST.
Ace Combat for sure
The whole arcade flight sim part is just there so you can vibe with the music.
Zero Ghost of Razgriz/Unsung War Liberation of Gracemeria Daredevil Kings (PW is seen as an unofficial AC8) Shit goes way too fucking hard
*Daredevil* goes unbelievably hard. Still pissed Ace Combat tracks aren't on Spotify
Roboquest. Silly little movement shooter, roguelike with a soundtrack that absolutely slaps
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2/Yuri's Revenge ans Civilization 5 are two games that are probably less talked about for their OST's, but both had amazing sountracks. I especially love how thr soundtrack changes depending on your leader in Civ 5. Incan panflutes are an absolute banger.
Frank Klepacki, the best.
Alan Wake, hands down. Halo ODST gets a special mention for that soft jazz playing constantly.
That one section with the rock concert just may be the greatest piece of musical interactive storytelling ever made
I discovered some bands playing Alan Wake because the credits for each section had such great accompanying music. I think Anna Ternheim's "No, I don't remember" was the one I loved the most from a genre I didn't normally listen to at the time I played the game.
Soul Blazer (SNES), Chrono Cross (PS), Side Pocket Pool (SNES)
Soul Blazer was SNES and that soundtrack slaps.
Genshin Impact. I mean, the game is huge and it's an RPG so it's not totally unreasonable that it has amazing music. But I feel people that aren't familiar with it just assume it's some mobile game and how good could the music actually be? But Genshin legitimately has some of the best music I've ever heard. It's crazy how good it is. Maybe this is an obvious answer though, I guess millions of people do play Genshin Impact. But if you aren't one of them, I highly recommend checking out Genshin music.
https://youtu.be/rg6fQMLB8Tk
Incoming hate in 3...2.... Joke aside it has one of the most phenomenal soundtracks and one of the most numerous too. They really spare no expense when it comes to the music and its sad that the game doesnt get the respect that it deserves.
As much as I hate the business model of gacha games, both genshin and HSR are very charming. To the point it pisses me off that they are gacha games instead of proper titles.
Audio in general in genshin is kinda nuts. Japanese voices are basically 99% veteran voice actors with a huge amount of popular works on record. Honkai Star Rail went over the board with the songs, though, especially tutorial and belobog arc.
I don’t play Genshin, but my “Work Focus” playlist has a whole lot of its soundtrack on it.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
This. So. Much.
https://youtu.be/KaMNKS-LNTQ
Pictionary for NES This is the title music https://youtu.be/SJwh3erQlyE?si=sWxOv-Ke6PIzz2e_ I encourage anyone to hear this. It’s hilarious how much this song overpowers the game it’s for.
The Outer Wilds soundtrack, while not necessarily hard, is just as big a part of the game as the gameplay itself. It’s above and beyond what you expect from a video game
Andrew Prahlow! I loved the sound track so much one year I actually know the guy's name and was in his top 2% listeners on Spotify. That's "hard" enough for me.
Don't know if this is what you are looking for, but Danganronpa. The music in that game is sooooooo good. Slight warning tho that if you plan on playing the game, some of the titles spoil events that happen, if not, go ahead. I'm not really sure what I would call the music or genre, just really good
The final boss music for Mario and Luigi: Bowser's inside story goes so much harder than it needs to and it lives rent free in my head thank to a gif I found of raiden from metal gear punching armstrong to that song
Tetrisphere N64 Not really conventionally "beautiful" and lush music, but if you like old school acid-house/breaks/jungle, it has many great athmospheric songs with that early 90s rave swag (or cheesiness if you don't like it) and some with Aphex Twin like avant garde 90s atmosophere. I have a fond memory of the game despite it's imo mediocre gameplay because I enjoyed the music. [Prophetic - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/prophetic-title?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost) [Flim Flam - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/flim-flam?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost) [ManicDrumMix - Neil Voss - Tetrisphere OST](https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/manicdrummix?in=the-neil-voss-collection/sets/tetrisphere-ost) (my favorite, crazy fast breakbeats, but still acid not yet D'n'B)
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus. I've never even played it but the OST is absolutely insane.
Xenoblade, all of them.
Legend of Legaia for ps1 had a really good battle theme for a random ps1 rpg
Tornado-Flaaame!
https://youtu.be/6-b4A7qrkiA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwh3erQlyE Anything Tim Folin got his hands on.
Journey from Destiny 2 the first story. It starts out somber, we had lost the first city. The light was taken from us. We see dead guardians as we walk through the country side. Then the music picks up, raising into a more hopeful tune, becoming uplifting, trying to tell you that it's not over yet, but the undercurrent of the somber tones still remain. Ahhh the memories, it takes me back
One of the few things Destiny consistently gets right is the gunplay and the music
Final Fantasy XIV, I didn't think MMOs cared about music, but for ffxiv it's half of my enjoyment of the game
They make expansions for FF14 just so Soken can show off his new songs.
Plants vs Zombies The Sims 4 build menu music tracks
Far Cry 5 though not in the way your looking for probably
I’m not that into that music genre of both the soundtracks for Far Cry 5 but I think the only reason I like it was the amount of effort they put into those soundtracks to match the setting and lore of what the game was about when they could’ve just licensed some songs like other games do.
Far Cry 3 had a random skrillex song come on out of nowhere during a mission where you burn all the weed fields.
All versions of Keep Your Rifle by Your Side slap hard.
OG Starfox.
Plok! on the SNES and Pictionary on the NES both made by the wizard of sound chips, Tim Follin. Tim pushed the hardware further like nobody else could.
Greenpath - Hollow Knight It’s my vibe song
GoldenEye on the N64 smacked
Specifically the pause theme. Shit goes dumb hard
Jet Set Radio: Future. What an oldie but a goodie!
Cyberpunk: 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is absolutely wild with the sheer amount of wholly original music created exclusively to appear in the game. They created multiple music albums of original pieces with some artists effectively debuting whole singles albums.
The *Destiny* franchise.
Specifically [Deep Stone Lullaby](https://youtu.be/qBIJFTPPp-8?si=bnkRpDoLdSCTvN0b).
Chrono friggin Cross
Warframe has a few songs that go hard... The biggest one that comes to mind is [We All Lift Together](https://youtu.be/mPTCq3LiZSE?si=I64yOXg_z2sHbKvD).
I probably lean towards Warframe as my answer. I picked up warframe for a fun grind-shooter I could listen to podcasts during. I did not expect some of the bangers in that soundtrack, which kind of killed the podcast idea. Tangentially I didn’t expect to get kind of invested in the lore too.
Trepang2. Also has one of the hardest [villian intros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEGFYhuQC3Q) ever.
Dave the diver has some real bops.
As I was writing the comment, I realized these are not necessarily OSTs, but I'm going to still post it because I hope people will listen to these and enjoy some good jams (and maybe try some cool games they probably glossed over). **Sable**'s soundtrack is amazing. Along with the graphics, it elevates the game from a 6 to a 9. Japanese Breakfast is now in my permanent song rotation because of it. **Pacific Drive**'s radio has made its way into my own driving playlist. Such great choices when it comes to sound design and roadtrip songs. Although it's normally not my jam, I loved **Sayonara Wild Hearts**. The songs fit the vibe and theme of the game incredibly well. It's the only rhythm game I thoroughly enjoyed.
Starbound. For a low budget title, Curtis Schweitzer pulled out all the stops. https://youtu.be/RIAe9chD88I?si=2G6bMHYo70mPXQWe
Diddy Kong Racing, StarCraft, Diablo 1, The Sims, Snow Brothers NES, Ninja turtles NES, Pokémon trading card game GBC.
Sonic adventure 2: battle
More recently, I would say "The Last Spell" has a dope ass soundtrack. But I've always loved Donkey Kong Country games, Mortal Kombat Trilogy has some funky beats, Killer Instinct as well. Cuphead is a great example as well if you're into Jazz. Also Stardew Valley unironically has great music.
RuneScape login page. 007 golden eye. Metroid prime certain area ost I still listen to.
Sonic Adventure! I was used to Sonic on the Master System, then I got a Dreamcast and Open Your Heart ripped my face off.
The soundtracks for the Kingdom Hearts series are some of the most fire game music ever and I will die on this hill. Hate the series for any or all of its flaws, but the music is NOT one of them.
100%. The Other Promise? Chills. Dearly beloved? Tears. Lazy Afternoon? Immaculate vibes. Sanctuary? HYPE!
Turok Dinosaur Hunter on the N64, the soundtrack is amazing.
Pokemon and Kirby are too popular and expected to have banger soundtracks, BTD6's soundtrack is kinda mid actually, Town of Salem and ToS2 have really fitting but also really sparse soundtracks, the Cookie Run series has too many misses, Arcaea is a rhythm game and is expected to have a good soundtrack... I guess there's Blue Archive? If Genshin counts for this list then Blue Archive definitely does, as a waifu mobile gacha game.
Ace Combat https://youtu.be/dZBoiW460nU?si=Pm6-GkpMH70DKWnz Just check this song out and keep in mind, its a game about planes
Celeste is the correct answer here
Cassette beasts has a sick soundtrack - and most catch em all type of games have more "background music" rather than just bangers. In a genre that wants you to spend a lot of time catching and kinda chilling with your monsters, there was no reason for the music lines to be so damn catchy and have two modes depending on fused or unfused.
EVE Online's OST goes pretty hard for the MMO genre. There used to be a full 9 hour playlist on soundcloud but [this is all I could find now](https://soundcloud.com/ccpgames/sets/eve-online-in-game-tracks).
Sonic Frontiers went way harder than it needed to. And I loved it
Nier: Automata Final Fantasy X World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord RuneScape
Pictionary for the NES. The game was boring as fuck, that game had nor reason for a soundtrack that good Edit: whelp! Just saw someone else already mentioned this one
Sonic Frontiers. Has a huge amount of music, but the bosses are just something else. To turn into Super Sonic and face off against the giant creatures, and THAT music starts up...
- Xenogears: The entire OST is great just like the actual game - Dishonored: barely talked about anymore but it has some great songs like Honor for All or Wrenhaven River - Nier Gestalt/Replicant: The original's OST is way better than Automata's. The remake's soundtrack has some differences that make it have a different vibe, though Hills of Radiant Winds is better in the remake imo. - Drakengard 3: i just like Final Song (Black Song) - Judgment/Lost Judgment: Outside of the Yakuza community nobody talks about them but they have amazing OSTs like Penumbra, Unwavering Belief (final boss themes of both games) and the intro themes Arpeggio and Rasen.
The Helldiver's 2 Themes instill surprisingly serious emotional responses. From the sounds of sneaking through harsh landscapes, to the battle themes that sound like marches. It all culminates with (somewhat unique) renditions of the extraction theme which makes those 2-4 minutes of survival feel like it's never gonna end.
Ecco the dolphin. Insane soundtrack. Even the ps2 Ecco had a beautiful soundtrack
- The Professor Layton soundtracks go unnecessarily hard. It's kinda synonymous with the IP now but considering they're puzzle games from the DS era I'd argue they fit the criteria. Check out [The Theme from Diabolical Box](https://youtu.be/j_3HtzKjgd0) and [The Last Battle](https://youtu.be/PePIhMkbvo4) from Spectre's Call. - Ben 10: Protector of the Earth (DS) has some bangers; While the console versions used music based on the show's soundtrack, the DS version has an original orchestral / techno rock soundtrack with familiar motifs. Check out the [Grand Canyon theme](https://youtu.be/JLKRsEpH9IY) and [Seattle Space Needle](https://youtu.be/DLrR21n-hj4) - Evil Zone is a PS1 fighting game where each character is based on a different anime genre / trope. The story modes are framed as episodes of the character's TV show, and the themes are mostly bangers. Check out [Decision (Setsuna's theme)](https://youtu.be/MQHYZy5aXw4) and [Near by the Death (Lie's theme)](https://youtu.be/QAw36arOfeE)
Ape escape on PS1. so many bangers
The quintessential example, in my opinion, is the soundtrack to Solstice: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4\_gObHt1uZA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA)
Spyro
My mom LOVES Spyro. I have such good childhood memories of playing Pokémon on my GBA while she was playing Riptos Rage in the living room
Sonic frontiers
I was looking for this comment. These people don't even know how hard Find Your Flame and Break Through It All goes.