A video game can excel in all aspects but without a good soundtrack, it can’t realize its full potential.

Music is often the forgotten aspect of many forms of visual media. When it’s good, it really stands out and is memorable. In all other cases, we tend to not pay as much attention.

This applies to video games. I often return to soundtracks of games that just thrive in the music department. These include many Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Pokémon games.

A good soundtrack is a necessity for any masterpiece because it is constantly in the backdrop whenever you are playing. Furthermore, it plays a key role in storytelling that other features cannot accomplish.

For example, if you venture into a sleepy village in a JRPG, you may see the farms or the simple villagers. It isn’t until the music hits that really understand how it feels to live in this peaceful village.

Music can convey emotions in a more powerful way than just about anything else in a video game. Sonic the Hedgehog games tend to carry a fast-paced and frantic song to communicate the idea of the need to move quickly while Kirby games tend to have more whimsical sounds to eventuate the colorful world.

A game can still be good without a solid soundtrack, but it feels really noticeable when one is missing.

I loved Dragon Quest XI and thought the songs that were in there were really good. Square Enix leaned on the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra for some gorgeous sounding songs. That said, there weren’t many of them and many of the areas felt too similar because of the repeat of songs.

I still thought DQXI was really good but parts started to be a drag when the songs were repeating.

Another reason music can be so crucial is the impact it can have on you long after you end the game. I recently beat Persona 5 Royal and thought the soundtrack was absolutely phenomenal.

As I ended my playthrough, I’ve found myself going back to songs such as the battle theme “Last Surprise.” Every time I listen to it, I find myself reminiscing about my experience with the game. This leaves me pondering on the story and remembering how much fun I had with the game.

Songs from games can do this for other reasons.

Whenever I hear songs from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I am transported back to my childhood days when I first played the game on the Nintendo 64. Super Mario Sunshine does the same thing as it reminds me of a childhood move and how the game helped me through that anxiety.

Many might think that music is low on the list of factors for a good video game. While it may seem expendable, I believe it’s crucial to properly achieve a good all around experience.

Good video games use all their elements to provide a quality experience. Music is such a small one that looms large over the entire game. Without it, we might as well be going about our daily lives.

Music will always play a big factor in the quality of video games and it’s awesome to see more developers investing in the creation of a good soundtrack.

What about you? Do you think music is vital to a gaming experience? What games have your favorite soundtrack? What games could’ve improved on their soundtracks? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Nintendo (via IGN)

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Boss Rush Gamescast is the gameplay deep dive discussion podcast from Boss Rush Network. Every other week, a panel of hosts and friends from across the internet take a deeper dive into the games they’ve been playing, featuring light spoilers, fun segments, and great conversations. New episodes drop every other week as part of Boss Rush Podcast Plus, with Patreon members getting early access one week in advance.

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