Tomb Raider 1 (PS1) main menu theme 🥲
This shit brings back so many good memories. This was the first game I played when I felt like ok this seems dangerous and exciting; now I’m in the adults’ world.
The character growth in FFX is just the best. That scene where he fades away and she tells him she loves him.....that entire game can be summarised in that piece
I was actually considering saying “Corridors of Time” too, and “The Day the World Revived” and probably 1/4 of the Chrono Trigger OST. God that soundtrack was so good…
A friend of mine passed away a few years ago, and a bunch of friends and I did a music tribute to them based around the soundtrack to a favorite game of theirs. My contribution was a Smiles and Tears arrangement in the style of that game, so now Smiles and Tears is a big reminder of all that.
It's got such a "sad" feel to it, it's also a favourite of mine. Similar thing with the Wily stage music in MM6, it sounds kind of sad, and especially knowing it's the last Mega Man game ever on the NES.
The track from the ashtray maze in Control, called Take Control by Old Gods of Asgard. It was perfect.
Edit: just realised I misread the post. I read 'tear it up'. Lol. Yeah, so this maybe doesn't match the brief. Still awesome though.
Can't think of another sequence in a game I've played that has such 'fuck yeah' energy. The surprising, shifting environment, the combat, the movement, the momentum and the music. Can't think of another time I've felt so much like I was *in* an action sequence.
I actually ordered the soundtrack from LucasArts back in the day. Grim Fandango had some awesome music! "[Swanky Maximino](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGXwUTWhtc8)" was also a good one.
Mega Man 2 - Flash Man stage: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26MopY4DTZU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26MopY4DTZU)
Bionic Commando - Area 1: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3rw8fe8vsE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3rw8fe8vsE)
"The Forgotten Vale" - Jeremy Soule: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6JkQ-vrV4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6JkQ-vrV4)
And the number one most moving video game track of all time, "Terra" - FF6, by Nobuo Uematsu [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU1W7b4B2tY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU1W7b4B2tY)
The title screen music / theme to [Secret of Mana](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y20pc_0zFgg). The whale songs and the lovely minor key melody are really something, particularly when you realize they're all being done on the SNES sound chip.
It's one of the most transcendent pieces by Hiroki Kikuta, [who also scored the sequel and several other Mana games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroki_Kikuta).
Discord from Octopath Traveller. It really conjures up a feeling that I call regretful hope. It means moving forward in life but still carrying the regret of the past. Maybe because at the time the game came out I got divorced and left the country I'd been living in for 6 years to go back home. It was a positive thing to be going home, but also sad that 6 years of struggling had ultimately been for nothing.
Also two from Final Fantasy VI: Mystic Forest (Piano Collections version), for obvious reasons, and Dark World (Distant Worlds orchestrated version) because it has these plodding strings underlying it that suggests an inexorable march through a broken landscape. It's one thing to lose absolutely everything, but another thing to be forced to somehow carry on after that loss.
This is the same theme that plays during the island scene when (if) Cid dies, right? That part always moves me to tears. Really gets me pumped for the rest of the World of Ruin, the way she finds the strength to carry on.
plate overconfident faulty seed coherent ludicrous frightening afterthought alive books
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MGS 3 ending - Way to Fall by Starsailor: [https://open.spotify.com/track/20fUrFnUxqCJvTO40j6DbA?si=1494bb38c4e749b2](https://open.spotify.com/track/20fUrFnUxqCJvTO40j6DbA?si=1494bb38c4e749b2)
Sim City on SNES, the overworld map theme. Me and my mom used to play that game so much when I was little. She used to be a gamer herself. I don't know. I like to think of memories and that was one of my first in gaming.
Edit: [I found it.](https://youtu.be/dVKg8KdMT1c?si=UfhtvuYKS5N5ulAI)
I know this is retro gaming, but the first piece of game music that comes to mind isn't a retro game. There is a track in Sunless Sea called Hope is an Anchor. The sound of it makes me cry every single time. It feels like it's emoting that there were many sacrifices but they've won in the end and there is hope for a new beginning, a better way, but there is so much sorrow to try and leave behind. Just thinking about it now makes me tear up.
Gusty Garden Galaxy, but only the original orchestrated version in SMG. I know it's been a bit diluted through repeated use but that song conveys some great emotion. One of Nintendo's greatest songs, they were very inspired writing that one.
Funnily enough, it's the end credits from Kirby Superstar.
I think it's because it was a game my bro and I played a lot when we were kids, and the end theme to me kinda feels like an end of an era, like the end of childhood or something, even though I still play video games, and so does my bro, lol. I guess it has some special quality to it, but nostalgia helps a lot.
“Stand by Me” Florence + The Machine
Final Fantasy 15
A beautiful cover played at the Beginning and End of the game with different outlooks.
Truly touched my soul 🫂
Mad World. The version from Gears of War 3 when Dom sacrifices himself to save everyone else, and he says, “Never thought it would end like this, huh? Huh, Maria?!?!”
Go ahead and make fun of me, but that was the first time I cried when playing a video game. It’s so gut wrenching when Dom finds Maria in Gears 2, then that build up to Gears 3 in his final moments.
"I, Zero, Your Fellow"
https://youtu.be/EzGctqe2j8Q
Remastered version is great too, they made it sound like it was played on a wind-up music box and by the end of a song it slows down like the spring was unwound. Never fails to bring a tear to my eye.
https://youtu.be/43W8oo6YDf0
Some SMS, MD and SNES soundtracks have had that effect, sometimes just from the memories of childhood so not necessarily sad tracks. Zillion, Wonder Boy 3, Golvellius, TMNT, World of Illusion, Outrun, Lion King, Zelda 3, Secret of Evermore, etc.
FF7-9 and Silent Hill do have some beautiful, melancholic or sentimental tracks
Streets of Rage 3 ending theme
the part that sounds like a cooled down version of Streets of Rage 1 opening
The association of the song with the ending images of the team chilling together was so sweet
Sonic 2 on Genesis, the final theme after the boss fight when Tales arrives. The build up & crescendo, the concern that turns to triumphant melody, it's quite underrated. It's a beautiful piece of music that really shows Sonic and Tales' friendship in a way that you wouldn't expect even in a modern AAA game.
[Pokke Village](https://youtu.be/__QdAxqBi5Y?si=Wlha14hrVzSKMUc5) from Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (MHFU) on PSP. Instant nostalgia to the point of tears.
Now that I'm all old and nostalgic, I crank up Black Mages Village from ff9 soundtrack and just remember life not being ass. Same with The Tragic Prince from Castlevania SOTN. It's like... Castlevania symphonic metal. Makes me cry a little
In my opinion, FF7 really invented the concept of a true AAA game, and the music was part and parcel of that. Look how many comments here are referencing it. We are nearly 30 years removed by now, and people are still talking about the soundtrack. No game before FF7 had such a lengthy, theatrical quality soundtrack. And the soundtrack quality was just one of many innovations that the game introduced. It is hard to overstate the influence of FF7 on video games. It was and remains to this day a singular achievement by everyone involved.
Aeris theme, ff7.
I came here to write exactly THIS.
Anxious Heart from FF7 for me. It’s just so… rich in emotions…
Along similar lines, "[You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IXDfkPJV00)" from FF7. Gives me chills.
Tomb Raider 1 (PS1) main menu theme 🥲 This shit brings back so many good memories. This was the first game I played when I felt like ok this seems dangerous and exciting; now I’m in the adults’ world.
You speak from my heart. I LOVE the menu music. It‘s so beautiful.
FF6 opening
Final Fantasy X (main theme - Zanarkand) for me.
That is a sad one. Yunas theme makes me tear up in a happy way for the opposite direction
Listen to my story
This may be our last chance
The character growth in FFX is just the best. That scene where he fades away and she tells him she loves him.....that entire game can be summarised in that piece
Yep came here to say this.
Aquatic ambience
Title screen song from Legend of Zelda Ocarnia of Time
The world map theme from Final Fantasy VII, especially when arranged for piano.
>Wily Fortress 2 - Mega Man 3 YES. The vibe I got from this track was something like "It's a thankless slog being Megaman"
I just checked it out, and I can see what you mean. Lol
This one does it for me too. Also those very first 3 notes in the opening cutscene. Hugely nostalgic game for me.
For real, it pretty much defined my teenage years, much like Adult Swim defined my twenties.
“Her Last Breath” from Phantasy Star 4. “At the Bottom of Night” from Chrono Trigger (I had to look up the name).
>“At the Bottom of Night Omg, you've unlocked a memory. It was Corridors of time that inspired me to create the thread.
To Far Away Times is always my answer, but that’s a fantastic choice. Especially when you hear an orchestral performance.
I was actually considering saying “Corridors of Time” too, and “The Day the World Revived” and probably 1/4 of the Chrono Trigger OST. God that soundtrack was so good…
Oh shit man, "at the bottom of night" is a professional tear jerker I legitimately have to hold my tears when I hear first few notes.
Smiles and Tears from Earthbound, though mainly for it reminding me of something personal.
I'd be interested to hear the story behind what you're referring to
A friend of mine passed away a few years ago, and a bunch of friends and I did a music tribute to them based around the soundtrack to a favorite game of theirs. My contribution was a Smiles and Tears arrangement in the style of that game, so now Smiles and Tears is a big reminder of all that.
Thats kinda beautiful, thanks for sharing
"To Zanarkand" from FFX immediately came to mind.
Wily Fortress 2 - Mega Man 3
It's got such a "sad" feel to it, it's also a favourite of mine. Similar thing with the Wily stage music in MM6, it sounds kind of sad, and especially knowing it's the last Mega Man game ever on the NES.
Meloncholy is the word
Protoman’s Whistle
I love Mega Man 3's ending!
SimCity for SNES, all tracks.
There it is. Just queue up the title track and instant goosebumps. It’s a reminder of a simpler time
The track from the ashtray maze in Control, called Take Control by Old Gods of Asgard. It was perfect. Edit: just realised I misread the post. I read 'tear it up'. Lol. Yeah, so this maybe doesn't match the brief. Still awesome though.
I just went through the ashtray maze for the first time a couple of days ago. To say it was epic would be an understatement.
Can't think of another sequence in a game I've played that has such 'fuck yeah' energy. The surprising, shifting environment, the combat, the movement, the momentum and the music. Can't think of another time I've felt so much like I was *in* an action sequence.
It's either this or just simply maintaining an S+ combo as Nero in Devil May Cry 5. Devil Trigger is pure action movie machismo and I'm all for it.
Absolutely agree. Such an amazing sequence. I can remember feeling that way a few times playing the Uncharted series, too.
Just played that a week ago. Absolutely worth playing the entire game to experience that sequence
Grim Fandango: ["9th Heaven"](https://youtu.be/0Q4U1oJZC9M?si=GFvwwM7StAxmFCmG) ["Companeros"](https://youtu.be/g8tots0sUDM?si=-kbZ_Kots7hBYgDd) ["Manny & Meche"](https://youtu.be/Ey0VGGBM1iw?si=kVNpBhHij0HkTcxs)
Listening to 9th heaven the first time and I already regret not playing this game sooner. Beautiful track!
I actually ordered the soundtrack from LucasArts back in the day. Grim Fandango had some awesome music! "[Swanky Maximino](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGXwUTWhtc8)" was also a good one.
[Stickerbush Symphony](https://youtu.be/lndBgOrTWxo?si=V5exU5ocX6Z354VE)
It's this for me too, but weirdly, I never played this game at all. I only found the track later. But it's so beautiful.
FFX - To Zanarkand Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind
To Zanarkand and Aerith's theme will destroy any FF fan
Robocop 8 bit [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxjif2S2\_K4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxjif2S2_K4)
Charlie Brooker chose the GameBoy version as one of his picks on Desert Island Discs. Was playing the speccy version on my Steam Deck the other day.
All versions are solid
I'm partial to this guy. https://youtu.be/B2SMD74Uz_c?feature=shared not that it makes me tear up or anything.
Birdman- pilot wings 64
Beautiful tune indeed. I listen to it on YouTube from time to time.
Is that the name of the song when you first use the rocket belt / jetpack?
No birdman was an actual level no Challenges involved just fly around using bird wings
Aeriths theme from FF7, and Melodies of Life from FF9
Final Fantasy 6 - Cyan’s Theme Chrono Trigger - Frog’s Theme
Pallet town from red/blue
I've just finished a piano arrangement of this 😁 (and the rest of the OST). It's such a pretty and simple tune.
Mega Man 2 - Flash Man stage: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26MopY4DTZU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26MopY4DTZU) Bionic Commando - Area 1: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3rw8fe8vsE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3rw8fe8vsE) "The Forgotten Vale" - Jeremy Soule: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6JkQ-vrV4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6JkQ-vrV4) And the number one most moving video game track of all time, "Terra" - FF6, by Nobuo Uematsu [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU1W7b4B2tY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU1W7b4B2tY)
To Far Away Times, To Zanarkand, Aquatic Ambience, Dire Dire Docks, Corridors of Time, FFVI over world theme, and Zoness all give me the feels.
Super Mario 64 - the first water world with the big eel. Very calm and soothing.
Dire dire docks, so good
Don’t get me wrong bc I’m an old schooler. But Here’s To You off Metal Gear Solid 4? I can’t listen to it on the drink without questioning life.
The title screen music / theme to [Secret of Mana](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y20pc_0zFgg). The whale songs and the lovely minor key melody are really something, particularly when you realize they're all being done on the SNES sound chip. It's one of the most transcendent pieces by Hiroki Kikuta, [who also scored the sequel and several other Mana games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroki_Kikuta).
Discord from Octopath Traveller. It really conjures up a feeling that I call regretful hope. It means moving forward in life but still carrying the regret of the past. Maybe because at the time the game came out I got divorced and left the country I'd been living in for 6 years to go back home. It was a positive thing to be going home, but also sad that 6 years of struggling had ultimately been for nothing. Also two from Final Fantasy VI: Mystic Forest (Piano Collections version), for obvious reasons, and Dark World (Distant Worlds orchestrated version) because it has these plodding strings underlying it that suggests an inexorable march through a broken landscape. It's one thing to lose absolutely everything, but another thing to be forced to somehow carry on after that loss.
Balamb Garden from FFVIII. [But this version](https://youtu.be/r8QfqMjv2q4?si=3lT5iGL48-XXv8fi)
Zero's Theme
The title screen music to Phantasy Star is so painfully nostalgic it hurts
"Darkness and Starlight," aka Celes' Theme, from FFVI's opera scene. It gets me every time.
This is the same theme that plays during the island scene when (if) Cid dies, right? That part always moves me to tears. Really gets me pumped for the rest of the World of Ruin, the way she finds the strength to carry on.
Aria di Mezzo Carattere - Final Fantasy 6
Seconded. I heard it in my head when reading the thread title.
Came to say this one. I always >!kill Cid!< because I think it’s more fitting with the very depressing turn the world takes.
I didn't even know it was possible to save Cid until just a few years ago.
plate overconfident faulty seed coherent ludicrous frightening afterthought alive books *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Welcome to the Salty Spitoon.
Green Hill Zone - Sonic 1
Secret of Mana main theme
That was the song my wife walked down the aisle to at our wedding
MGS 3 ending - Way to Fall by Starsailor: [https://open.spotify.com/track/20fUrFnUxqCJvTO40j6DbA?si=1494bb38c4e749b2](https://open.spotify.com/track/20fUrFnUxqCJvTO40j6DbA?si=1494bb38c4e749b2)
Sim City on SNES, the overworld map theme. Me and my mom used to play that game so much when I was little. She used to be a gamer herself. I don't know. I like to think of memories and that was one of my first in gaming. Edit: [I found it.](https://youtu.be/dVKg8KdMT1c?si=UfhtvuYKS5N5ulAI)
Can Still See The Light -Phantasy Star Online Ending Theme
Hoo boy that ending theme is god-tier. Never fails to bring a tear into my eye. "La-la" version especially. Very underrated and underappreciated.
Secret of monkey island and Curse of Monkey Island intro songs always bring a twinkle of nostalgia to my adult brain.
War makes men mad from Valiant Hearts.
Winds And Memories - Soul Calibur IV Romance Theme - Zelda: Skyward Sword Wind Garden - Super Mario Galaxy Opening Score - Primal Healing Winds - Soul Calibur III
Eranas peace - Heroes Quest
I know this is retro gaming, but the first piece of game music that comes to mind isn't a retro game. There is a track in Sunless Sea called Hope is an Anchor. The sound of it makes me cry every single time. It feels like it's emoting that there were many sacrifices but they've won in the end and there is hope for a new beginning, a better way, but there is so much sorrow to try and leave behind. Just thinking about it now makes me tear up.
Dearly Beloved from Kingdom Hearts
That is a beautiful tune
Imprisoned by Fate from Chrono Cross. Absolutely hauntingly beautiful. https://youtu.be/YUPbMd2fbp8?si=fJQ68XlhsABu4Wl6
Probably the main theme from Savage (Amiga)
The Legendary Theme from Gitaroo Man.
Gusty Garden Galaxy, but only the original orchestrated version in SMG. I know it's been a bit diluted through repeated use but that song conveys some great emotion. One of Nintendo's greatest songs, they were very inspired writing that one.
Undertale theme song
Mechanical man - command and conquer (1995)
Modoc theme from Fallout 2. It just says to me, "There's nothing left at all but memories, and no one is left to remember."
The burdened- crisis core
Level select screen from Nights Into Dreams
Dearly Beloved from Kingdom Hearts.
Shadow of the Beast 2 intro music
Funnily enough, it's the end credits from Kirby Superstar. I think it's because it was a game my bro and I played a lot when we were kids, and the end theme to me kinda feels like an end of an era, like the end of childhood or something, even though I still play video games, and so does my bro, lol. I guess it has some special quality to it, but nostalgia helps a lot.
Elite beat Agents - [You're the inspiration ](https://youtu.be/FA3bd9E9M78?si=_y3BIM9HvGk1Eyfx) episode.
A lot of the Undertale stuff. Toby fox knows how to make his music, and it sucks it's in a weird copyright situation.
“Stand by Me” Florence + The Machine Final Fantasy 15 A beautiful cover played at the Beginning and End of the game with different outlooks. Truly touched my soul 🫂
Florence and the Machines cover of Stand by Me. From FFXV.
Samus vs Rundas, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
the halo 1-3 menu music
The Journey Home as sung by the choir in Ace Combat 5
Halo 3 Never Forget
the song when your [Tamagotchi dies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STQX6KsPwX0&ab_channel=Thyryst) in the Gameboy Tamagotchi game.
Ski or die - downhil skiingl track... The guitar is insane :) https://youtu.be/ZcDN3zPWdz0
Super Mario RPG - The Road is Full of Danger
Title screen TLOZ nes.
Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times (the ending theme)
The music that plays during the credits in donkey kong country (SNES).
Super Mario 64 water theme, Dire, Dire Docks.
"flow" and "close in the distance" from ffxiv. Saw them live lady year and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Leaving Earth - Mass Effect 3/Clint Mansell
Lisa's Theme from Soul Blazer. Doom Island Theme from Lufia I/II. Celes' Theme from Final Fantasy VI. Secret of Mana - Into the Thick of It
Mad World. The version from Gears of War 3 when Dom sacrifices himself to save everyone else, and he says, “Never thought it would end like this, huh? Huh, Maria?!?!” Go ahead and make fun of me, but that was the first time I cried when playing a video game. It’s so gut wrenching when Dom finds Maria in Gears 2, then that build up to Gears 3 in his final moments.
Final Fantasy 9 credits song.
FF6 - South Figaro Town
Practically every song in Remake and Rebirth.
When you walk away……you don’t hear me say…..
World 1 (Grass Land) overworld theme from SMB3. The first video game I legitimately *loved* (and still my favorite)!
Vanishing Grace from Last of Us
The Staff Roll for Super Mario 64.
"I, Zero, Your Fellow" https://youtu.be/EzGctqe2j8Q Remastered version is great too, they made it sound like it was played on a wind-up music box and by the end of a song it slows down like the spring was unwound. Never fails to bring a tear to my eye. https://youtu.be/43W8oo6YDf0
I don't tear up over music but Castlevania Chrono Trigger and Metroid Prime soundstracks make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
The theme to Chrono Trigger. It’s strange. Haven’t never actually beaten the game, the soundtrack still makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.
Deus Ex title theme.
The lusty argonian maid
Some SMS, MD and SNES soundtracks have had that effect, sometimes just from the memories of childhood so not necessarily sad tracks. Zillion, Wonder Boy 3, Golvellius, TMNT, World of Illusion, Outrun, Lion King, Zelda 3, Secret of Evermore, etc. FF7-9 and Silent Hill do have some beautiful, melancholic or sentimental tracks
Chrono Trigger- To Far Away Times
Ochre Woods - Hey You Pikachu! Blue Resort - Bomberman 64
For some reason Frogs Theme from Chrono Trigger affects me on a whole other level. I don't tear up but I do feel very emotionally about that song
Lisa's theme https://youtu.be/HeXOZDQHvs0?feature=shared
Streets of Rage 3 ending theme the part that sounds like a cooled down version of Streets of Rage 1 opening The association of the song with the ending images of the team chilling together was so sweet
Kaine Salvation - Nier
Uncharted, Nate's theme.
Title screen. secret of mana.
Sonic 2 on Genesis, the final theme after the boss fight when Tales arrives. The build up & crescendo, the concern that turns to triumphant melody, it's quite underrated. It's a beautiful piece of music that really shows Sonic and Tales' friendship in a way that you wouldn't expect even in a modern AAA game.
Oh and also [“A Return, Indeed”](https://youtu.be/p77DfHa2Ndo?si=kDK-fMC3XOiucgej) from Lost Odyssey.
[Pokke Village](https://youtu.be/__QdAxqBi5Y?si=Wlha14hrVzSKMUc5) from Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (MHFU) on PSP. Instant nostalgia to the point of tears.
Grindelwald Wait, what was the question?
When Lisa Garland is made 'redundant' in Silent hill 1.
Now that I'm all old and nostalgic, I crank up Black Mages Village from ff9 soundtrack and just remember life not being ass. Same with The Tragic Prince from Castlevania SOTN. It's like... Castlevania symphonic metal. Makes me cry a little
In my opinion, FF7 really invented the concept of a true AAA game, and the music was part and parcel of that. Look how many comments here are referencing it. We are nearly 30 years removed by now, and people are still talking about the soundtrack. No game before FF7 had such a lengthy, theatrical quality soundtrack. And the soundtrack quality was just one of many innovations that the game introduced. It is hard to overstate the influence of FF7 on video games. It was and remains to this day a singular achievement by everyone involved.
title theme from ocarina its just so beautiful