Ten Memorable Moments in SNES Music

Back in the day, the SNES and Sega Genesis pretty much ruled. There were a few in-between consoles that some people may have been fortunate enough to experience, (Neo-Geo, TurboGrafx-16) but I was not one of them. I was the Super Nintendo kid. To me there was nothing better then popping in a game (known today as “loading”) of Donkey Kong Country or Super Mario Kart. I still cry today thinking about some of the games my parents traded away, or ones I had stolen from my collection. It has dwindled down now to a mix of popular titles, and classics that some people may have never heard of.

The other day as I rummaged through YouTube and its amazing content, I came across users who had playlists of music from the 16-bit days. Like I said earlier, I was the SNES kid so I didn’t recognize any of the Sega music outside of Sonic the Hedgehog games, but the SNES music made me weep in nostalgia. The SNES games had some very memorable music, some more than others of course. After questing my way through YouTube, I have come up with a list of 10 pieces that are memorable to me, and that I think other gamers will remember and enjoy as well.

Note: I never played a Sega Genesis or any of the other 16-bit systems out at the time, so I am biased towards Nintendo, but I’m sure that the Sega games had their own unique music as well. Also, your Mortal Kombat had BLOOD.

Donkey Kong Country - Water Levels

Donkey Kong Country was full of crap to collect, baddies to kill and hidden things to find. It was also filled with some of the most unique music I heard at the time on the SNES. The water levels always gave me a creepy feeling, but out of all the ‘water level music’ I heard in SNES games, this one stands out above the rest with its ability to make your spine tingle with numbness.

Final Fantasy III (VI) - Dancing Mad

It’s hard not to use a Final Fantasy game on this list, but I promise I will only do it twice! Dancing Mad was not only an amazing organ-orgasm, it was one of the longest pieces of music in the game, proceeded only by the very last song in the game. Dancing Mad was featured on the Black Mages’ first album. The Black Mages are Nobuo Uematsu’s band that recreated popular Final Fantasy tracks into rock songs. If you’re a fan of the games and the music, it’s definitely worth the money.

The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse - Dark Forest

Yeah, I know. But really you guys, it was a fun game and the Dark Forest music was really well done. At first it sounds like generic forest music from any other game, but then a feeling of exploration kicks in and totally changes it around. Even for a Mickey Mouse game, the game and music were both fun and went together almost perfectly. I say almost because WTF, tomatoes that spin and fly into the air? There is no song that could possibly fit that.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island - Mini Boss

Yoshi’s Island was a very saccharine game. Everything was upbeat, the graphics were colorful, bright and super unique for an SNES game, and sometimes the music was head-turning, not what you expected. You knew the music was meant for the level, but it kept a happy feeling in your stomach all the way through, and was a big change from the previous Mario games, all the way up to the epic boss battle music, which was hard not to put here. This is undoubtedly boss-styled music, but still decidedly giddy.

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Boss Battle

Okay, the last Final Fantasy game, and maybe even one of the lesser known ones. Back when I played this, I wasn’t allowed to listen to awesome metal rock music because my parents thought it was EL DIABLO. Then I found this game, and for the SNES it was some of the most bad ass music I listened to. I often found myself holding off on the killing blow, turning down the music and banging out a killer solo for the songs on my customized air guitar. Parents couldn’t do a DAMN thing because it was just an innocent SNES game. It might also be noteworthy that this is one of the few Final Fantasy games that Nobuo wasn’t involved with.

Megaman X - Spark Mandrill’s Stage

While we’re talking about rock, why not mention Rockman X? It was better known as Megaman X in the US. I never got around to playing any other MMX games besides the first one because the others were so frustratingly hard to play, for me at least. Throughout the whole game there are definitely plenty of different styles of rock music but Spark Mandrill’s stage stuck out to me because of its smooth-sounding guitar melody and drum beats.

Illusion of Gaia - Sky Garden

Oh man. Enix back in the day. It’s so hard to pick a single song from this game. It is one of my all-time favorites and each piece of music always sticks with me. It feels highly orchestrated with each instrument right where it needs to be. The levels often feel like they were designed around the music. From frightening boss battles to the saddening, disheartening scenes, the music astounds me.

Super Mario Kart- Battle Mode music

This is another unique track from a Mario game. It reminds me a bit of acid rock with a quirky Mario twist. Though I wasn’t a fan of the racing part of the game, I loved to battle. There was nothing better then bouncing a turtle shell off a wall into an opponent, or just slamming into them with a star.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past- Death/Dark Mountain

Holy crap. This place is weird as hell, it’s creepy and I have no clue where to go, but I have to be brave and force my way through. Nothing can stop me no matter what happens. Also I’m a rabbit. That was one of the best feelings I ever got from an SNES game and its music, next to bawling like a baby during Aerith’s theme on Final Fantasy VII. I’m sure everyone knows this piece, but you know this theme because it’s good.

Secret of Mana - Spirit of the Night

This reminds me of Aerith’s theme in a small way. You know when this starts that all the emotions are about to pour out - someone is opening their soul. Someone is dying, something went wrong, or someone is leaving. It tugs the right part of the heart in the right way. It taps into the emotional part of the brain that makes you want to stop, but you keep going anyway. You have to fix what happened, one way or another.