Even if you haven’t played the games from which they are derived.
From early chiptune melodies to elaborate orchestrations, video games have always produced some of the most memorable and inventive music. While many video games have had outstanding audio design and composition, there are a few themes that have caught the ears of enough listeners to be recognized around the world.
The most identifiable tunes are found in older titles, gaming classics that have been enjoyed by numerous generations and have had time to successfully distribute the earworms contained inside them. Here, we look at some of gaming’s most well-known songs and the games that include them.
Green Greens – Kirby
Green Greens was initially heard in Kirby’s Dream Land and serves as the unofficial main theme for gaming’s hungriest hero as well as the soundtrack for the very first Kirby level. A bouncy and upbeat tune suited for Kirby’s first trip across the famous green plain/forest level, it has been remixed and remastered numerous times as the series has progressed.
While other Kirby songs, such as King Dedede’s Theme and Gourmet Race, are significant, Green Greens’ simple melody is arguably the series’ most catchy and iconic.
Techno Syndrome – Mortal Kombat
This energetic techno track from one of gaming’s most bloody battle series is one to remember. This music is famed for its synth syncopation, gong crashes, and the characteristic ‘Mortal Kombat’ scream. It was used in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film and several remixes.
The music, which was created entirely on an Atari computer, has the same self-aware quirky comedy as the game’s over-the-top finishers: brutal, bloody Fatalities, even more gory Brutalities, and, oddly, Friendships. Techno Syndrome’s catchiness is genuinely fatal, since it is one of the rare gaming tunes to chart on Billboard.
Megalovania – Undertale
After its initial release, Undertale captured countless hearts and is noteworthy for a variety of reasons. Undertale’s most iconic music is likely Megalovania, a grungy and frenzied boss theme for the nihilistic skeleton Sans, created by independent developer Toby Fox, who worked as a composer before stepping into video games.
The furious chip-tune synths and powerful guitar bassline weave a web of sound suitable of a notoriously difficult duel. Though Undertale may force you to make some questionable decisions, this music is never out of place. The song also has a long history, having previously served as the final boss music for a popular Earthbound fan-made romhack as well as being included on the Homestuck album.
Dearly Beloved – Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts franchise’s main theme is the somber and emotional Dearly Beloved. This beautiful and simple melody, composed by Yoko Shimomura as a solo piano instrumental, plays on the menu screen of these titles.
Despite being altered into orchestral and even big-band versions, the simple piano melody and ambient ocean waves remain the song’s most remembered form. Dearly Beloved is a romantic and melancholy main subject in these games that reminds us all of the heart.
Main Theme – Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Though Lifelight from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is quickly becoming a modern classic, Super Smash Bros. Brawl from 2008 remains the most famous Smash theme. This song is filled with majestic strings orchestration, strong snare drums, and a Latin chorus.
This tune, composed by Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, transforms this Nintendo combat game into a clash of ancient Roman troops. One of the few video game tunes containing voices, the choir elevates this song like no other instrument could.
Sweden – Minecraft
Given Minecraft‘s popularity in the gaming world, it’s no wonder that its music has received attention. The quiet and simple piano theme Sweden, sparse and unobtrusive like the rest of the music, has become an industry favorite.
While other songs, such as Wet Hands and Minecraft (Overworld), are similarly legendary, Sweden has been hailed by reviewers and adored by fans, becoming one of Spotify’s most-streamed video game tracks. This contemplative and lonely tune is sure to captivate any future survivalists’ hearts.
Mii Channel – Wii
The Mii Channel theme, like many other Nintendo Wii tunes, is well-known (or possibly infamous) among video game fans. Despite the fact that it accompanied the Wii’s avatar creation rather than a genuine game, its basic organ and crisp strings have earned it legendary fame.
Along with the Wii Shop Channel theme, this music has been repurposed and memorialized in innumerable memes. This Nintendo tune is undeniably catchy, and it has captivated the attention of thousands of listeners.
Zelda’s Lullaby – The Legend of Zelda
This charming tune appears as frequently as the Hero and Princess do. This song, written by Koji Kondo for A Link to the Past in 1991, was widely popularized in the universally acclaimed Ocarina of Time, which essentially defined Zelda’s musical canon.
Zelda’s Lullaby, a basic five-note melody typical of Kondo’s simple genius, has also been remastered and utilized throughout the series as a royal motif or a leitmotif for the princess. This sculpture is known all over the world for its simplicity and elegance.
Main Theme – Pokemon Red & Blue
The early volumes of the Pokemon series contain an iconic piece of music as well as the series’ primary theme. Junichi Masuda created the games’ shared main theme in 1996, which features a frenetic progression paired with wacky sound effects.
Despite being beloved by fans and being recreated multiple times throughout the series, this Pokemon theme is frequently overshadowed by the anime’s grandiose title tune, ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All.’ Despite this, the fundamental concept of Red and Blue stands on its own as an emblem in its own right.
Green Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog
The Blue Blur’s opening theme, composed by Masato Nakamura, is one of the most renowned melodies of the 16-bit classic era. The purpose of this game and its joyful synth-pop tune was to compete with Nintendo and position Sonic as a rival to Super Mario.
This theme has remained a standout song despite Sonic’s rich growth of musical styling into the current era, inspired by Japanese pop and able to achieve uncommon richness by utilizing the more powerful audio capabilities of the Genesis.
Underground – Super Mario Bros.
Though arguably not a song due to its brief eleven-second duration, Super Mario’s Underground Theme is certainly memorable. The simple 8-bit tune by Koji Kondo, which looped at arrhythmic intervals, has been utilized numerous times throughout the Mario series.
This strangely unsettling tune is a dark and odd break from the game’s rest of the soundtrack, which emphasizes bright and rhythmic melody. It’s likely that the unusual and easily repeatable quality of this melody contributed to its enormous popularity.
Main Theme (A-Type) – Tetris
The Tetris theme, created by Hirokazu Tanaka in 1989, is well-known among both gamers and non-gamers. The theme is a lively and energetic Russian folk song called ‘Korobeiniki,’ which portrays a tense encounter between a traveling merchant and a rural girl.
Regardless of its origins, this music is known around the world as “the Tetris song,” and it has been altered and used in other media. Though Snake Game appears to be tiny and straightforward, the implications of its topic are anything but.
Opening Suite – Halo
Halo‘s Opening Suite is a crucial landmark in video game music and is maybe the best example of video game orchestrations as musical icons. It combines enormous orchestration with Qawwali devotional singing and Gregorian chant’s lush harmonics.
Understanding the significance of the music they had created, composer Martin O’Donnell pioneered one of the first original video game soundtracks released independently of the game itself. This suite has infiltrated the ears of innumerable eager shooters.
Main Theme Song – The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda Main Theme, from its humble beginnings as an 8-bit chip-tune title music in 1986 to its stunning concert-hall orchestration, is without a doubt one of the most recognizable video game tunes of all time. Its phrases, composed overnight by Koji Kondo, have infected practically every Zelda game.
The composition is adventurous and hopeful, with a marching rhythm and a strange B-flat minor key interspersed with hopeful and heroic major-chord accents. This video game tune will undoubtedly be enjoyed by countless reincarnations.
Ground Theme – Super Mario Bros.
Once more, Koji Kondo delivers the Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme. While Zelda’s theme is slower and more enigmatic in order to reflect the exploration-focused gameplay, Mario’s tune is bouncy and bright in order to reflect the action-centric platforming.
This song, set confidently in C Major with a syncopated calypso tone, is instantly recognizable around the world. Its fame is so widespread that it was the first video game music ever to be added to the Library of Congress. In terms of recognition, this song is the undisputed champion.