Musical Numbers

No song on this list captures the spirit of the game its in better than There’s a Zombie on Your Lawn. The song was featured in the closing credits of Plants vs. Zombies, and it was also used as a promotional piece. The song’s title is basically a log line for the game, and the lyrics tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the premise. The song was composed and performed by Laura Shigihara and is sung from the perspective of a cheerful sunflower. The infectious tune is reminiscent of late ’90s bubblegum pop. The qualities that make There’s a Zombie on Your Lawn a memorable song were the same qualities that made Plants vs. Zombies a successful franchise. It’s an upbeat, catchy, and instantly appealing piece of music, and it’s the perfect fits for the game. Like in Klogg is Dead!, players can follow along with the lyrics by following a bouncing ball at the bottom of the screen.

Music plays a big role in the Ar Tonelico series, and a wide variety of musical genres are featured on the soundtrack. The heroines in the game are able to create magic through song, so music also plays a role in the gameplay itself. Luca Trulyworth is no stranger to song magic, but her most powerful performance didn’t have any sort of magical effects at all. At the climax of the game, Luca takes to the town square and sings her heart out in order to ask for help in the creation of a paradise-like land known as Metafalica. The song she sings is called Hartes ciel, melenas walasye (which translates to Beloved world, beloved people) and illustrates how much Luca has matured throughout the game. She started out as a deceitful bitch, but she evolved into someone who genuinely wanted to make others happy. Luca feels nervous before she starts to sing, but the town’s citizens are drawn to her voice and a crowd quickly forms. The festive atmosphere encourages everyone to sing along with her, and this further highlights Luca’s evolution and shows us all what she’s *ahem* truly worth.

Amped 3 is a snowboarding game that was notable for its irreverent sense of humor. The game featured a number of unique cutscenes using different visual media – ranging from hand puppets to anime. These segments would have been right at home on [adult swim], and they appeared to take inspiration directly from the likes of Robot Chicken and Tim and Eric. You’d think the initial shock value would wear thin after a while, but the big musical finale ends things on a high note. With singing pigs, blazing guitar solos, flying unicorns, and pretty much everything in between, the ending of Amped 3 is as entertaining as it is random. The Amped series hasn’t seen a new installment in well over a decade and the development studio was abruptly closed in 2006, but the spectacular musical finale will be remembered long after the games have been forgotten.

A Pirate I Was Meant to Be is probably the worst song on this list, but it’s intentionally bad. After Guybrush Threepwood sets sail with the members of the Barbery Coast, the merry band of pirates are reluctant to do any work. Instead of helping Guybrush in his quest, the pirates break out into song and become locked in a looping animation. The song they sing is almost as repetitive as the crew’s dance moves, and Guybrush struggles to find a way to put an end to the ridiculousness. Players choose Guybrush’s dialogue for him, but anytime he tries to interject, the singing pirates simply improvise a rhyme and parlay it into yet another verse. They continue to sing even when Guybrush implores them to stop. Ultimately, the song is brought to a halt when Guybrush makes a statement about oranges. Since the pirates are unable to come up with a sufficient rhyme, they finally decide to give Guybrush a hand.

An obvious homage to Britney Spears, Courtney Gears is the hottest pop star in the Solana Galaxy. The robotic singer is popular more for her looks than her singing, which is all-too-common in the music industry. Courtney has a bubbly personality, but her friendly attitude is merely a front. In reality, she’s a manipulative vamp who’s hungry for power. Death to Squishies is a call to arms that encourages robots of the galaxy to join together in an effort to eliminate all organic life. It’s more of a propaganda piece than a proper theme song, but the catchy beat and sexy dance moves deliver the message with flare. With an over-reliance on auto-tune and superficial production values, Death to Squishies is on point as a parody of modern pop music. Courtney is one of the most memorable characters in the Ratchet & Clank series and I’d love to see more performances from her in the future.

On a list filled with elaborate musical numbers, Elizabeth’s understated rendition of Will the Circle be Unbroken? feels completely organic. It’s not performed in front of a large audience, it’s not backed by an orchestra, and it doesn’t drive the plot forward in a significant way. When Booker DeWitt picks up a guitar, Elizabeth simply chimes in with a couple of bars. The scene had an undeniable sweetness to it, and it provided a much-needed break from the gunplay that defines the game. In addition to the brilliant acoustic version of the song, a traditional choir version is also featured on the soundtrack. Rest assured, both renditions are worthy of a place on this list. I wanted to focus on original songs for this list, but Will the Circle be Unbroken? fits so perfectly into the game that it may as well have been written for Bioshock Infinite. Its lyrics underline many of the game’s central themes and speak directly to the repeating cycles that exist across the game’s multiple realities.

As its name implies, the Song of the Ancients is sung in a forgotten language. Its lyrics are indecipherable to the player and the in-game characters alike, but the brilliance of the song transcends language. The song apparently deals with the restoration of peace in the wake of an ancient war, but the calm music and peaceful vocals illicit an emotional response even in the absence of words. Twin sisters Devola and Popola frequently sing the song together, and we hear it several times during the course of the game. Devola gives a soulful solo rendition near the village fountain while her sister is working, but it’s hard to beat the harmonies of the twins when they’re together. At the end of the “Ballad of the Twins” side quest, Devola and Popola deliver a beautiful performance in a gloomy tavern. Regardless of the setting, the Song of the Ancients is comforting and reassuring even though the lyrics are unknowable. It’s easily my favorite song on this list. The only reason it wasn’t rated higher is because it’s relatively inconsequential as far as the game’s overarching plot is concerned.

Quiet’s Theme from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was touching and heartfelt, but Snake Eater stands as the greatest song from the franchise. With powerful vocals from Cynthia Harrell and an orchestra punctuated by brass, the song sounds like it was ripped right out of a James Bond film. Played during the opening credits of Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake Eater is the perfect theme for a spy-centric game set in the 1960s. The lyrics focus heavily on concepts like survival and sacrifice, and the song is rife with metaphors that (hypothetically) relate to Ocelot’s admiration for Snake. There is much debate about the song’s true meaning, but there’s obviously a lot of emotion behind the tongue-in-cheek presentation. Snake Eater is the best opening track in gaming history and it did an excellent job of setting the stage for a new chapter in the Metal Gear franchise.

The iconic Final Fantasy VI opera scene focuses on an insurgent general named Celes who impersonates a renowned opera singer in an effort to impede a kidnapping attempt. Celes is given time to study her lines before she takes the stage, and players have to select the appropriate lyrics during the performance. (The concept of an interactive musical number was a novel concept in 1994.) There are technically four parts to the opera scene, but Aria di Mezzo Carattere is the most iconic. The composition is downright beautiful, and the track actually says something about the person who is singing it. As a former imperial officer, Celes is reluctant to show vulnerabilities. Even though she’s technically in character during the opera scene, the performance highlights her softer side and makes her more relatable. Final Fantasy VI was released in an era (and on a system) in which it wasn’t feasible to use real voice samples, so synthesized “wah wah” voices were used to simulate singing. These sounds are a far cry from the amazing vocals that the other games on this list showcase, but they’re filled with emotion all the same.

It sounds like hyperbole, but the traditional festival from Super Mario Odyssey is one of my favorite moments in any game. Ever. Pauline hadn’t made a meaningful appearance in the Mario series outside of the Donkey Kong games, but she was finally given her chance to shine. As players guide Mario through a 8-bit-inspired 2D section (culminating in an encounter with Donkey Kong himself), Pauline entertains the citizens of New Donk City with a jazzy, big-band performance. Jump Up, Super Star! is immediately catchy, its lyrics are a perfect fit for the game’s theme, and the vocals (provided by Kate Higgins) are outstanding. The song also has musical cues that reference the original Donkey Kong, and Pauline’s dance moves mimic her original sprite animations from the 1981 arcade classic. Nintendo obviously knew they had something special with the song. Jump Up, Super Star! was prominently featured in the 2017 E3 trailer, it was the focal point of the TV campaign, and the lyrics were even printed on the inside cover of the game. I can’t help but smile when I hear the song, and I’d love for Pauline to be my 1up girl.