Boss Rush Banter: Which RPG Has the Most Gratifying Victory Theme?

If there’s one thing role-playing games excel at, it’s the music.

Throughout my gaming career, I’ve found RPG soundtracks tend to stick with me long after I roll credits. One lasting area in particular includes the victory themes that play after you win a battle.

Many RPGs utilize long battles through turn-based combat. The longer nature of these can mean you could be battling enemies for a while as you fish out the right strategy, but that makes victory so much more sweet.

Any RPG player knows how satisfying it is to finally hear the fanfare after a grueling battle as the game joins you in celebrating your accomplishment. What’s great is there are so many different ways and melodies RPGs use to signify victory.

So, which victory theme is most gratifying to you?

Video Credit: rubex74

When you think of RPG victory themes, Final Fantasy often comes to mind. Through the 15 mainline games, the same general theme plays with various iterations and instrumentation depending on the title.

I recently beat Final Fantasy VIII and boy, was it gratifying to hear that fanfare hit. I remember battling NORG in the basement of Balamb Garden and I had issues with this boss as the fight took me a while. Once I finally beat him, my excitement was audible and the fanfare only enhanced it.

Another long-running victory theme comes from the Pokémon franchise.

Unlike traditional Japanese RPGs, Pokémon has you battle using creatures and not actually going for any kills. Still, the victory theme from Pokémon comes after beating trainers and, for me, this theme was more relaxing, signifying I could breath again after a tough battle.

A fun aspect of RPG victory themes is they all differ so much.

You can enjoy more modern versions in the Persona games, especially in Persona 4 and 5. Others tap into bigger fanfare like Grandia or Golden Sun as a means of really celebrating your achievement. Some even go the more lighthearted route such as Super Mario RPG or Chrono Cross. And some opt for a jingle rather than a full song like Dragon Quest.

And yet there are still so many more including the wide swath from the Tales of franchise. Another personal favorite is from Octopath Traveler, which has fanfare and then leads into calming music with flutes.

Regardless of the kind of fanfare, one thing is for sure: whenever that victory theme hits, we will be celebrating.

So what about you? Which RPG victory theme is your favorite? Which was best captures the mood of snatching victory after a long fought battle? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

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