We at MMORPG.com can’t be the only ones who walk around our houses in bathrobes humming the Duck Tales theme song. There’s something about a show’s title track that sticks with you long after you’ve watched it, and video games are no different in this respect. Roleplaying games are particularly well-known for having spectacular music, so here are five of the best RPG theme songs out there!
5. Final Fantasy XIII (Sunleth Waterscape)
Say what you might about Final Fantasy XIII’s railroaded gameplay for the first thirty or so hours, but Square Enix’s RPG has got great music. The “Sunleth Waterscape” version of the title track, “The Promise,” may sound a bit EDM for a fantasy RPG, but it encapsulates many things about the Final Fantasy games. It’s whimsical, wistful, expansive, and just the tiniest bit melancholy, which is in line with the series’ overall ethos.
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Why do so many JRPGs (specifically, those developed by Square Enix) tend to have beautifully crafted piano pieces? If your first experience with the Kingdom Hearts series was being greeted with the classic silhouetted splash screen of Sora and company set against the musical backdrop of “Dearly Beloved,” you had to have known that you were in for an adventure unlike any other. It’s still one of the best themes around!
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Although technically not a title track, Persona 4’s “Your Affection” is an iconic representation of just how ridiculously good is Atlus’ music production. You’ll spend a good deal of the game listening to it and trying to decide if it’s better than “Heartbeat, Heartbreak,” both of which will easily get stuck in your head. The Persona games are phenomenal in their own right, and their themes stand out as being better than a lot of non-game music.
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2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Admittedly, most of the tracks on this week’s List are from JRPGs, but coming in at second place is (most) everybody’s favorite western RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda’s “Dovahkiin” theme perfects a formula that we’ve heard from Morrowind and Oblivion before it, and captures the epicness (and Nord-ness) of Skyrim as a game and region. It also sets the stage for the Elder Scrolls Online theme, which is no slouch, either!
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Aside from perhaps the Super Mario Bros. theme, is there a more iconic video game title track than that of The Legend of Zelda? Just one toot of the theme’s trumpets makes us want to grab a boomerang and ride through Hyrule Field in search of the Triforce. Nintendo’s beloved series has inspired generations of RPG gamers to seek adventure both within and outside of Hyrule, and its title song is the perfect theme to match.
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What are some of your favorite RPG theme songs?
