Board 8 > FL81 ranks Video Game Music again (Rankings: Part 2)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Nomination list: https://pastebin.com/Mt0VrRmx
Nomination playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGI-vEs5ZGOG8TwTBAelVtdCAOlaNgaHy

Will I ever be able to run one of these projects without me forgetting to bump it before it purges? no

Rankings so far: (will post the full document at the end)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4d0bbf7c.jpg

#83 Genshin Impact - Nippy Bout
Rating: 6.6/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @azuarc (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rS1nHRFvbw

Y'know what, wubstep (with a sprinkle of trance music) is not at all what I think of when Genshin Impact music is brought up, nor what I would expect from something titled "Nippy Bout" (what would I expect anyway?), but this is pretty cool. It's not overbearing like some gacha dubstep can be, just something short and sweet with a catchy melody.

#82 Raze 2 - Rose at Nightfall
Rating: 6.7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @tgs2 (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx-XvPEMKmQ

This has all of the production value of a late '00s Flash game (because that's what this is!), and I love it for it. There's something truly charming about that obviously fake strings sample and just how loud the mixing on this song is. But moreover, this is a rockin' tune, packed to the brim with energy. My favorite part of this is that synth instrument at 1:21 and how it layers over the guitar.

bad day for genshin fans

#81 Shadow Hearts: From the New World - Sabbath ~ Devil's Banquet
Rating: 6.7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @NFUN (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jacJHAZU9Lk

Whoa now there's a cool electric guitar intro! This is some heavy industrial rock here, if you didn't tell me what game this came from, I would've thought for sure this was a Command & Conquer song. This does not sound like a JRPG at all!! (hey, subverting expectations is cool) But this is something I'd expect from a 2001 release! (in the vocal sample is he saying SLAMMIN'?)

"Sabbath ~ Devil's Banquet" is the most Touhou-ass sounding title I've ever seen.

#80 Kingdom Hearts 3 - Scala Ad Caelum
Rating: 6.8/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @Pirateking2000 (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70zsjk99LGw

And, here is the other Kingdom Hearts song! I like this one considerably more because emotional piano really appeals to me. Again, it's another "classic Shimomura", but the melody is really pretty, and her work is great at capturing somber feels.

clearly he's saying "salami"

salami hearts

tag

FL81 posted...

#80 Kingdom Hearts 3 - Scala Ad Caelum

I'm pretty sure this is actually Edge of Existence, Scala ad Caelum's battle theme.

tag, again

rip sabbath

NFUN posted...

bad day for genshin fans

UF8 posted...

rip sabbath

I mean, for what it's worth, anything above a 6.5/10 is quite good (using 5 as an average, and for this list the total score average comes up to just under a 7)

#79 Evergrace 2 - Staff Roll Medley
Rating: 6.8/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @NFUN (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n54hFrnq848

One day I just randomly stumbled across the Evergrace soundtrack, and I was treated to one of the most avant-garde (frankly, bizarre) soundtracks I had ever heard, then used one of its songs in a guessing game only to find out that I was late to the party and everyone else already knew about this game . Oddly enough for how much I like Evergrace 1's soundtrack, I was only ever vaguely aware it had a sequel and hadn't taken a dive into its music. And yep, this is definitely Evergrace! Kota Hoshino's works fit nicely into the category of "specific FL81 weird", although my favorite pieces are the ones that go absolutely bonkers (e.g. Buying Goods At Palmira, Howl, what little I've heard from the Armored Core 6 soundtrack).

#78 Kirby Air Ride - Rainbow Resort
Rating: 6.8/10
Have I heard this before?: Yes
Nominator: @-hotdogturtle-- (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6syaNTpXlk

Oh hey it's that one Kirby song with the cool echoey sound! This one's short and sweet, and I have just as much of an appreciation for the mellow Kirby music as I do for the high octane boss themes. Especially so for classic Kirby tunes and their arrangements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0BZnguvW7w

#77 One Must Fall 2097 - Menu
Rating: 6.9/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @azuarc (1/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0FNUDLdT4A

Man, this is the essence of the synth sound that many of the '90s video games had. This actually reminds me of quite a few things in fact, but the first thing that pops to mind is MAIN MEN. (Do B8ers nowadays even remember that reference?) Groovy tune about super fighting robots mega man definitely danceable.

And now for our second elimination, azuarc! You've managed to simultaneously be one of the last participants to have one of their songs show up in the ranking, and also one of the first to be eliminated. So congratulations on MIDDLE PLACE

wow, rip me. And you've never heard OMF before? Geez, I should have put this in tonight's crowdsource.

#76 Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica [Side Story] - Bulimia
Rating: 6.9/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @pyresword (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di0W8VxF-bw

Whoa surprise rock music. Madoka Magica and its various media has always had really good music, especially the video games. This one is a pretty big stylistic departure from what I'd normally associate with Madoka, but still has like that "darker" underlying feeling with the chord structure here. Pretty fun song, can feel we're getting into the songs I really like! (Before the halfway point too!)

#75 Hyperballoid - Carrot World
Rating: 6.9/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @Fluttershy_Pony (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnXL7XDJLYo

And now for the other Hyperballoid track! This one is a short and catchy techno jingle, the sort of which I associate with the early smartphone era (like Blackberry lol), back when there wasn't much of a distinction between the early phone app games and flash games you'd find on the internet. I also just wanna say, I really like this YouTube channel's name "The Archaeologist Of The Lost Music", like this is some music deep in the VGM rabbit hole that no one would randomly just stumble upon.

FL81 posted...

like this is some music deep in the VGM rabbit hole that no one would randomly just stumble upon.

as somebody who has listened to a lot of music from the channel, this is correct

NFUN posted...

as somebody who has listened to a lot of music from the channel, this is correct

I always keep a good handful of channels just like this bookmarked for future reference

I'm glad to see Carrot World do so decently, especially because I have no idea why I nominated it. With my other nominations, I can see why I was drawn to those tracks... but Carrot World has felt really out of place as I legitimately don't know why I latched onto it.

#74 Freedom Planet 2 - Lightning Tower
Rating: 6.9/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @tgs2 (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBxMJhj2mQ

Very funky music here, getting some strong Sonic Mania vibes. I'm pretty sure that the Freedom Planet games have the Sonic series as their main inspiration! Groovy synths, catchy beats, fits well with the aesthetic. It's still weird to me seeing the artist who designed the Krita mascot working on the art for a video game.

Also curious that this upload says "Official Music Upload (Direct Game Rip)". This is uploaded by the actual developer of the game, why would they need to rip the song from the game if they're the ones who made the game?!

#73 HoloCure - Holo Office: Evening (Stage 2: Hard)
Rating: 7/10
Have I heard this before?: Yes
Nominator: @handsomeboy2012 (3/3)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksO1QISPnJQ

Whoa, intense chiptune. Kicking off the 7/10 ratings strong here. I'm pretty sure with these VTuber fangames, their soundtracks comprise mostly arrangements of music performed by their respective talents. Which, going by the YouTube description Remix of "STARDUST SONG" by hololive IDOL PROJECT. I am right! (I have not listened to the original song.) I have sort of a passing interest in the VTuber medium/Hololive but I haven't dived, like, super deep into it or anything. Although I have watched, from time to time, streams of this game being played and it looks pretty fun. Maybe I'll give it a try myself some time.

"Stage 2: Hard" more like this song goes hard. Really actioney high-paced bop right here.

#72 Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny - Ultima Theme
Rating: 7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @PIayer_0 (2/3)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T8wsWOANqs

This sounds so much like Final Fantasy Legend music. I know the Ultima series is older than Final Fantasy by several years (and this game only came out a few months after FF1), but wow. Really goes to show how long this clich adventure music game music sound has been well-established. Which is to say that this sounds really, really cool! I love this kind of late '80s chiptune!

The Ultima series has music starting with Ultima III in 1983 (first RPG soundtrack ever?), but V has my favourite theme from those early entries, it was surprisingly reused as the theme for VI. It really tells a story of a grand adventure, especially when coupled with the box art!

#71 GAMERA2000 - The One GENESIS
Rating: 7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @failgirlema (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjU8mS5B_LQ

Congratulations on having all five of your nominations rate as a 7/10 or higher! There should still be three (if I counted correctly) other nominators who still have yet to see a single nomination drop!

This One GENESIS here is the quintessential Zuntata song. Zuntata was one of the first groups I discovered after my initial dive into B8 and its VGM community, and has always been among my favorites. Indeed, I am always discovering stuff from them I've never heard before and am always impressed! This song's ethereal sound design reminds me heavily of G-Darius (one of my favorite game soundtracks ever). It's a bit on the long side, over 8 minutes, but it's a neat groove that's almost ambient.

FL81 posted...

#75 Hyperballoid - Carrot World
Rating: 6.9/10

oh omg? i really hadn't been catching up on this and i've missed hyperballoid?? amazing nomination

speaking of which

#70 Senran Kagura Estival Versus - I Want to Convey My Feelings
Rating: 7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @DanKirby (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLdz-MUYDGI

Listening to this song, the first thing that pops to mind is how much this reminds me of Shade's works. (a composer who will show up later in this list!) Anyhow, the combination of the Chinese instruments and hard rock electric guitar here is sublime. I don't think I've ever sat down to just listen through Senran Kagura music (I dunno, I guess I wasn't expecting it to be this good), but this is fun, it's exciting, it goes hard.

#69 Ridge Racer 2 - MAXIMUM ZONE
Rating: 7.1/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @failgirlema (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gzjU78uEoI

Ah yes, it's this specific type of '90s music. What is this genre called? This is the very essence of arcade fighting game music (Ridge Racer 2 is in fact a racing game, not a fighting game). Like, I'm getting big vibes of Ethereal Dance or something like Mortal Kombat off this lol. In any case it's definitely '94 Arcade/PS1 music. MAXIMUM energy for the MAXIMUM ZONE.

FL81 posted...

Ah yes, it's this specific type of '90s music. What is this genre called?

I'd probably call this breakbeat hardcore

FL81 posted...

#70 Senran Kagura Estival Versus - I Want to Convey My Feelings
Rating: 7/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @DanKirby (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLdz-MUYDGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqdrMgGSQMA
these songs were made for eachother

#68 Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection - Restless Prison
Rating: 7.1/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @Haste_2 (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVkQ0f-EezE

This is some classic mid/late-2000s Falcom right here. Which is to say, the peak era for Falcom music. Am I saying this just because of how much I love the Trails 3rd and Ys 7 soundtracks? yes Cool rock sound with some jazzy elements thrown in too!

#67 Face Racers: Photo Finish - Quakeville
Rating: 7.1/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @failgirlema (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q3E3p1tqn8

Jesus Christ that is the most horrifying cover art I have ever seen. As I stare at this cosmic abomination, I can slowly feel my soul leaving my body. Oh yeah, the song is pretty cool too. DS shovelware music, but it's in that subset of DS shovelware music where it's actually good. I've acquired a small appreciation for that crispy trumpet sample, reminds me of old Pokmon games.

face racers more like face erasers

up

#66 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Argentum/Night
Rating: 7.1/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @pyresword (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JETzyfR_jM0

I really love the calming flute in this. This is perfect music for a relaxing morning. (Why is this song's title have "Night"???) Okay you know what I'm serious now, y'all need to start nominating stuff like this in VGMC over the heavy metal Xenoblade music (DO NOT expect me to say this for any other series' music ha ha). Really just overall pretty, would definitely see this in one of those Nintendo Music moods playlists (if it's not already there).

Also, uhhh, props to this one person leaving a random YouTube comment that's just their own whole writeup on the song.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a0be72e1.png

And with that, we are halfway through! When I first listened to the last few ones that popped up (in particular the Senran Kagura and Face Racers songs) I thought for sure they'd be in the top half; they left an impression on me! Definitely all good stuff from here on out!

You should check the comments on Max's other uploads of that soundtrack

FL81 posted...

Okay you know what I'm serious now, y'all need to start nominating stuff like this in VGMC over the heavy metal Xenoblade music

I've tried :(

Admittedly not with this specific song I don't think.

#65 Mad Rat Dead - Emmental Catalepsy
Rating: 7.1/10
Have I heard this before?: Yes
Nominator: @Pirateking2000 (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuIQQC3-OVo

Y'know I looked up both words in this song's title in the dictionary, only to see that the top YouTube comment had already done so. Strangest thing is, before Mad Rat Dead music was a VGMC staple, I had already known a_hisa's work from this doujin Ar Tonelico-style music album. (what a specifically B8 thing to say wow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEuiZDfX0T4

Anyway he is for sure one of the more underrated VGM composers out there. This is one of those games where I've been tempted to try it out just for how good the soundtrack is, and this song here is in the better half of MRD songs I've heard. Everyone in the comments section has a different idea of what this reminds them of, but the section starting at 1:05 is giving me some major Kirby and the Forgotten Land flashbacks. Energetic song with a cool, dark tone.

#64 Virtua Fighter Remix - Character Select/Dural Theme
Rating: 7.2/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @paulg235 (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs-PO9VmmmE

Another cool arcade fighting game song (that is, in fact, actually an arcade fighting game this time)! The '90s were all about making everything cool, and this song just oozes coolness with its funky beat. I kinda wish the melody on this was just a little bit "catchier", but who needs something like that when you have style. (Really though, fighting games need to bring this sort of thing back)

#63 DragonFangZ - The Rose & Dungeon of Time - Dungeon (B1-5)
Rating: 7.2/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @failgirlema (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU2uNo3lUmc

What kind of a title is DragonFangZ anyway? Whatever it is, this isn't the sort of music I was expecting from it! This captures all the essence of adventurous dungeoneering. The strings remind me of Kirby music everything reminds me of Kirby music. Supposedly this is a Mystery Dungeon-style game, and the music would fit that too!

#62 DRAINUS - Final Sequence -STAGE 6-
Rating: 7.2/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @TunnelScene (3/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xccvmb6dt0Q

Whoa funky techno beat. This style reminds me of the VGM composer Chimeratio (you should all check their music out!!) with "final stage shmup music" flair. In terms of mood, I'm even getting some of that ethereal space sound I'm familiar with from the PSO2 soundtrack that has been posted on this board in the past. Pretty wild stuff here, easy to forget that this is an 8-minute long song.

#61 Splatoon 3 - Rainbow Color Inkantation
Rating: 7.2/10
Have I heard this before?: Yes
Nominator: @-hotdogturtle-- (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRKZtd04r84

I don't "get" Splatoon music. I don't know if I ever will! It must be an acquired taste! It always does its own, very unique thing, that is distinctly "Splatoon". Still though, this song is really fun to listen to and I really respect the high energy here.

#60 Little Busters! - Heroic Battle
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @loweffortmemes (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLq0KorDC1M

Ah yes this is what I think of when I hear "Little Busters music". No but really I would never guess that this is Little Busters. This actually kinda sounds like old school Falcom, like their '90s stuff. Like seriously what even is this game's soundtrack ha ha ha

FL81 posted...

It must be an acquired taste!

Taste the rainbow.

Ironically I don't actually like this song that much myself, because it sounds too much like the usual style of countless low-effort internet mashups that just layer songs on top of each other and speed them up. Though it was pretty good in the context of the game, I'll give it that.

#59 3D Maze Man - Toys
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @failgirlema (1/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSNSBs0TmnA

OKAY WHICH SONG IS THIS REMINDING ME OF?? Seriously I am positive it's something from Tim Follin (maybe the Plok soundtrack?) Okay actually beyond that I haven't really taken a deeper dive into just what this 3D Maze Man OST - Toys upload on YouTube really is. We have those wacky, zany, whimsical sound effects on top of that cool synth pad (that doesn't actually affect my ranking of this for better or for worse), we have a blatant knockoff Pac-Man there on the cover staring into my soul, and according to the description, this was made by Webfoot (the same people who made those GBA DBZ games)?? It's a short, but cool song whatever this is.

Anyway next ELIMINATION. You managed to get all five of your nominations with 13 places of one another, which is kind of impressive in its own right.

-hotdogturtle-- posted...

Taste the rainbow.

And with that, our last rainbow song! From you at least, there is one still alive in the ranking!!

FL81 posted...

#60 Little Busters! - Heroic Battle
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @loweffortmemes (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLq0KorDC1M

Ah yes this is what I think of when I hear "Little Busters music". No but really I would never guess that this is Little Busters. This actually kinda sounds like old school Falcom, like their '90s stuff. Like seriously what even is this game's soundtrack ha ha ha

I had Mega Man X music in mind when I nominated this track, since I know youre a big fan of that. This songs not quite as high energy as those, sure, but Im glad you liked it!

This is one of the songs that plays during a fighting minigame in the game. Yes, you read that right, theres a fighting minigame in Little Busters. If my memorys correct, you cant actually control anything during it and its entirely RNG who wins, but yeah, definitely not the first thing you expect from a slice of life/drama visual novel about playing baseball with friends haha.

This is another song that plays during this minigame, which I didnt think youd like as much, but maybe Im wrong! https://youtube.com/watch?v=5n7hG02hTng

Edit: Better quality link here https://youtube.com/watch?v=DY559LCZsUA. Im keeping the other one though so you can see the similarly out-of-character song name lol. The official soundtrack on vgmdb lists the English title as Epic Mortal Fight though, which doesnt sound quite as crazy as Commanding Struggle to the Death but you get the idea.

FL81 posted...

(the same people who made those GBA DBZ games)??

Yes! I believe Ariel Gross (composer for this) did at least one of them too. They were big on these "arcade game but 3D" games for a while, must have been decent money I guess.

#58 Scouter - Fresh Forest
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @NFUN (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4KkfQd1y0w

Cool guitars here. I'm not sure what kind of "Fresh Forest" this would fit in, but it would make for a nice battle theme. Unless maybe it's one of those Ys area themes (I can hear some heavy Falcom influence in this one). I'd definitely like to hear the eventual full OST of this game.

#57 TechnoSylph vsys gaiden - Float in Flow
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @Tked (5/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK62_FAwW9s

The original track was a MIDI file; this version is played using Wingroove.

What the hell, this is one of the coolest sounding MIDI files I've heard. Shmup music never misses, I tell ya. I love the synth lead used here, I could go on and on about how crisp it is. It's almost contradictory how this managed to sound both energetic and chill, but creates this soundscape that's just overall pleasant to listen to. (this kinda sounds like something I'd expect deo to nom ha ha)

And with that, all of our players have finally assembled! Congrats to Tked on being the last nominator to have a song drop!

speaking of whom

#56 SaGa: Emerald Beyond - Auld Lang Syne
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @banshiryuu (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VsVZkPAXz4

One of the top YouTube comments on this upload likens this to be a logical extension of T260G. I don't think that they sound similar, but at the same time, they both sort of evoke the same sort of feeling. T260G (hi winner of tazzy's final boss theme ranking) is one of my favorite final boss themes specifically because it completely subverts what one would expect a JRPG final boss theme to sound like. This one's mech techno doesn't follow in T260G's disco-esque sound, but in a more relaxed musical fashion, almost folky even. This even reminds me of some of the music from 13 Sentinels. I quite like the calm vocals in this, and it creates a nice contrast with the instrumentals that completes the piece.

#55 Gensokyo Fantasia - Lost Forest
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @UF8 (4/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWteMRb7zIo

Hey, "Fresh" Forest drops and immediately after we have "Lost" Forest! Ooh nice jazzstep sound here. (Note: I don't know if "jazzstep" is an actual, real accepted genre classification per se, but it was what was used to describe, coincidentally enough, two Touhou doujin albums I really loved back in the day. Specifically, DDBY's Highway and Highway 2 albums.) I've always had a soft spot for these catchy lofi loops. It's amazing just how many cool songs have come from Touhou music arrangements alone.

bump

#54 SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - veRtrageS
Rating: 7.3/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @banshiryuu (3/5)
Link: https://downloads.khinsider.com/game-soundtracks/album/sound-voltex-iii-gravity-wars-ost/0596%2520-%2520veRtrageS.mp3

I suppose one of the inevitable consequences of me never finishing these ranking topics in a timely manner is that several of the uploads will just die. There were no other YouTube uploads either, so you just get this! My notes for this just say "Power metal-coded EDM", and by that I mean this does a lot of stuff the music I listen to does, but it's all EDM! (specifically it's that cool symphonic/gothic sound here) Curse these rhythm game songs for always only being 2 minutes long (and always getting deleted) because this is pretty cool.

#53 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Jaws of a Scorched Earth
Rating: 7.4/10
Have I heard this before?: Yes
Nominator: Hbthebattle (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2kcrtFrw_c

Castlevania elevator music.
Michiru Yamane is the composer I associate with Castlevania, and in particular it's always the DS soundtracks that jump to mind. Chill but with a mysterious "spooky" sound, this song is hard to put into words. That high-pitch instrument playing at the very beginning is always my favorite thing about this one.

#52 Darkened Skye - Lynlora, 3rd Visit
Rating: 7.5/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @-hotdogturtle-- (1/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9RHSWQbMXk

This has a funky N64-type beat (ok GameCube, I was close). I don't know if the wacky sound effects add to or detract from this, but it's fun and unique. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought this was a game developed by Rare. But no, I look a little bit deeper, and the franchise this belongs to is
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/franchise/11639-skittles
Skittles? The candy?! I guess all of your nominations were rainbow-themed after all! Both from the stylistic aspect of the music itself, and why there exists a fantasy adventure game about Skittles of all things only leaves me with questions.

#51 Planet Laika - Final Boss Battle
Rating: 7.5/10
Have I heard this before?: No
Nominator: @TunnelScene (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_cMXyxvkFk

This sounds like something straight from the Mischief Makers soundtrack! I actually did have to check who worked on this soundtrack, since I was convinced this was Norio Hanzawa (it is not). This is zany, dissonant, whimsical, and all over the place! Like the previous song I thought this was N64 (it's PS1, at least I got the right generation!) The "cartooney" instruments creating a progrock-like sound here is such a late '90s flex that I kinda miss.

#50 Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - Hikari
Rating: 7.5/10
Have I heard this before?: No? Maybe?
Nominator: @Arti (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyG-RwUCBrc

Man, I really need to play the other Utawarerumono games. I finished the first one, bought the other two games in the trilogy but they've been on the backburner forever. This song here is about standard for Utawarerumono vocal tracks (a good thing). These games have their own folky sound to them that is distinctly Utawarerumono, and quite unlike other VN and SRPG soundtracks.

#49 The Last Ninja - The Wilderness
Rating: 7.5/10
Have I heard this before?: Maybe
Nominator: @rwlh (2/5)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjPpVrc3gM

BOOP BOOP beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep

This is so very much, the archetypical C64 classic, to the point where I can't recall if I have heard this before or not. That bass line is such a common thing in VGM from this era, that it gives me a sense of perhaps misplaced familiarity. But wow if I can say anything about this, it's that its main beat is so catchy! I can't get it out of my head!

where bracket

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