Winter is Coming

Kirby and winter music go hand-in-hand, and there are at least two or three dozen tracks from the series that could have been mentioned on this countdown. “Silver Snow Story” from Kirby Triple Deluxe is a fascinating example, since it’s technically a remix of an earlier Kirby song. “Peanut Plains” was a standout track in Kirby Super Star, and it was largely defined by its fast pacing and upbeat melody. The “Silver Snow Story” arrangement keeps the catchy melody, but it slows the tempo down considerably and uses an entirely new set of instruments. The familiar chiptune timbres of the original version were replaced by virtual marimbas and sleigh bells, and this obviously creates a completely different vibe. “Peanut Plains” was already a bop, but it didn’t sound like a winter tune at all. Even though “Silver Snow Story” has the same musical core, the revisions make everything seem merry and bright. The stage that “Silver Snow Story” is associated with isn’t especially festive, but the song still reminds me of a winter wonderland.

Snowbelle City is located in the mountains of the Kalos region. The entire area is covered with ice and snow, and the low temperatures are apparently caused by frigid air that flows from the local Pokémon Gym. The so-called “city of everlasting winter” isn’t some sort of barren wasteland, however, and it’s actually a nice place to visit. The city’s theme has a romantic quality to it, and the soothing melody makes you feel like you’re in a fairytale. It’s the type of thing you’d expect to hear during an elegant figure skating routine as snow gently falls from the heavens. The dreamy melody and wistful tempo reminds me of “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia, and that’s a good thing! There are no shortage of great winter tracks from the Pokémon series, but it doesn’t get much better than the Snowbelle theme. It’s one of my favorite town themes from the entire franchise, and it packs an emotional punch. The fact that Snowbelle City is the last town you visit in the game makes your visit seem even more sentimental.

Trying to pick your favorite winter track form the Mario series is a bit like choosing your favorite flavor of ice cream. There are so many wonderful choices, and not many “wrong” answers. Standout tracks like “Cool, Cool Mountain” from Super Mario 64 and “Frappe Snowland” from Mario Kart 64 occupy a permanent place in my memory, but “Snowball Park” from Super Mario 3D World is almost impossibly whimsical. The jingling sleigh bells and poetic flutes wouldn’t be out of place in a Disney movie, and the jaunty melody will make you want to bob your head in time with the beat. A version of this track was first used in Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS, but the orchestral version from 3D World has a richer sound profile. Either version fills my heart with happiness, however. While the music is playing, you can expect to see Mario and his friends starting impromptu snowball fights or taking a ride in an oversized ice skate. Outside of the game, the track gives me an urge to string up Christmas lights and bake cookies.

The opening act of Final Fantasy VI is set against the backdrop of a quiet mining town nestled in the mountains. As three Imperial soldiers in mechanical exo-suits begin their march toward the snow-covered town, the epic title track sets the stage for the entire adventure. There is no dialogue during this sequence and the plot isn’t advanced in a meaningful way, but the scene never fails to give me goosebumps. The frozen tundra and relentless blizzards relay a sense of emptiness to the player, and it’s immediately apparent that the Empire is willing to venture to the middle of nowhere to achieve its goals. You really get a feeling for how isolated (and powerless) the town is as it slowly fades into view. The music that plays during this scene is as elegant as it is ominous, and I’m still not sure if it makes me feel hopeless or hopeful. (Fittingly, that’s exactly how winter makes me feel in the real world.) Nobuo Uematsu’s soundtrack uses recurring leitmotifs to help define its characters, and “Omen” borrows heavily from the game’s main theme. This means that segments from the opening track will be heard in other compositions throughout the game. The main melody isn’t exclusively tied to a winter setting, so it wouldn’t be fair to rank it higher on this list. Nevertheless, I’ll always associate the composition with falling snow. To this day, the melancholy intro sends shivers down my spine.

There are several tracks from Octopath Traveler that would be appropriate for this list, and Yasunori Nishiki’s award-winning soundtrack was clearly inspired by the classic RPGs of the 16-bit era. “Flamesgrace, Guiding Light” is an especially beautiful piece of music that straddles the line between a Disney ballad and a Henry Mancini composition. There’s something about the song that feels so familiar. For the uninitiated, Flamesgrace is a modest city in the Frostlands that’s routinely covered with a layer of snow. It wouldn’t be hard to depict the area as desolate or inhospitable, but the music makes it seem like a warm and friendly place. Its cozy cottages and cobblestone streets are like something out of a Charles Dickens novel, and the soft piano couldn’t be more relaxing. The chorus is somehow even more enchanting, and the strings make you feel like someone’s wrapping a warm blanket around you. The music immediately lets you know that the city is a safe place for weary travelers to rest, and it’s hard not to admire the scenery as the pixelated snow falls around you. Simple distractions from life’s problems are important when you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

We often conflate winter with feelings of isolation and loneliness. When the weather forces you to take shelter, the outside world can seem pretty barren. On that note, Valak Mountain is a desolate place located beyond the reaches of civilization. Aside from the occasional researcher, the only things waiting to greet you on the mountain are monsters and blizzards. It’s the largest (explorable) area in Xenoblade Chronicles by far, and this only serves to highlight how empty the place is. At the same time, there’s something to be said about the calming stillness of a cold winter night. It might seem bleak and inhospitable at first, but it’s downright gorgeous at night when the ice crystals illuminate the landscape with a yellow glow. The music also changes when the sun goes down, and this is where the player is coaxed into a state of relaxation. The deliberately paced piano melody is gentle enough to be a lullaby, and the soft percussion is almost as soothing. The music that plays during the day is beautiful in its own right, but the nighttime melody sounds more like winter. ACE+ contributed 29 tracks to the Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack, and none are more tranquil than the ones that play on Valak Mountain.

Grant Kirkhope’s Banjo-Kazooie soundtrack relies heavily on “oom-pah” baselines that alternate between tonic and dominant notes. Electronic Gaming Monthly compared it to the sound of a “retard circus” moving in next door, but there’s actually a lot going on with the music. Each level has its own dynamic theme that changes in accordance to what’s happening on screen. Instruments are added or stripped away depending where you are in a particular stage, and the harmonics change in real time. (The acoustics change when you enter a building, for example, and the tempo will change to better match your current objective.) Freezeezy Peak is a great showcase of these various dynamic music techniques. The snow-covered level makes use of familiar Christmas instruments – like sleigh bells and glockenspiels – but the game isn’t afraid to swap out flutes for bassoons if the situation calls for it. There are also times where the music changes keys to reflect the emotional tone of a particular scene. In one instance, you’ll meet three neglected polar bear cubs who didn’t get any gifts for Christmas. At this point, the tempo slows down and the melody shifts to a minor key in order to produce the most depressing Christmas music I’ve ever heard. During your adventures through Freezeezy Peak, you’ll light a Christmas tree, fly to the top of a mountain-sized snowman, and compete in epic sled races. Regardless of what wintertime activity you’re involved in, the dynamic soundtrack will underline the on-screen action.

Even though the town is technically located underground, Snowdin is somehow surrounded by forests and blanketed with snow. I don’t quite understand the logistics, but the place sure looks cozy! Cold weather often forces people into isolation, but the residents of Snowdin couldn’t be more outgoing. The first thing you’ll see during your visit is a festive welcome sign that’s adorned with Christmas lights. This sign proves to be an accurate reflection of the town itself. (The townsfolk are so friendly that they started giving presents to a local monster to cheer him up, and they carried on this tradition by placing wrapped presents under a decorated tree each year.) Snowdin has all the commodities you could ask for, and it gives off the same small-town vibe that you’d get from a Frank Capra film. The villagers will always greet you with a smile, and the relaxed tempo of the Snowdin theme mirrors the easygoing nature of its residents. It’s a mellow tune, and the gentle instruments make everyone feel welcome. Snowdin is the kind of place I’d like to visit, and I’d even risk being snowed in… Wait a minute… I think “Snowdin” is just an elaborate pun! I did it guys! I cracked the code! In any regard, Toby Fox is a brilliant musician, and his music is one of the reasons why Undertale is so special.

“Snowflakes” from Persona 4 Golden has a walking tempo, gentle instrumentation, and an evocative melody. Put another way, it has all of the qualities you’d expect from a contemplative winter song. The track also happens to have lyrics, which immediately makes it stand out from all of the other entries on this list. The music has a wistful, introspective quality that forces you to think about the past. Meanwhile, the lyrics underpin the fact that your adventure is nearly over. With the school year drawing to a close, the protagonist is encouraged to spend time with his friends before he has to move back to the city. It’s a somber reminder to savor the good things in life, and it should resonate with anyone who has ever felt uncertain about the future. Much in the same way that winter signifies the end of the year, “Snowflakes” let’s you know that it’s time to say farewell. The wind will feel a little bit colder after the journey is complete, but the memories you make can last forever. In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” If that doesn’t work, you can always start a new save file and play through the game again. Post-Persona depression is real!

The Donkey Kong Country games have some great winter themes composed by the incomparable David Wise. Unfortunately, our “one entry per franchise” rule means that they won’t be mentioned on this countdown. The Frosty Village theme from Diddy Kong Racing is just too infectious to ignore, and the holly jolly tune (also composed by David Wise) is literally the first track that came to mind when I started working on this list. The streets of the snow-covered village are lined with Christmas trees and candy canes, so it only makes sense that the background music would evoke the feeling of the holiday season. The upbeat tempo is a great fit for a racing game, and the instruments help accentuate the wintertime setting. More than any other track on this countdown, the Frosty Village theme sounds like something you’d hear on the radio in December. I’m sure I’m not the first person to point this out, but the song sounds like a remixed version of Winter Wonderland with a boogie-woogie beat. In fact, I often find myself singing the lyrics to the Christmas classic when I roll into the Frosty Village. The theme from Walrus Cove similarly draws obvious inspiration from Here Comes Santa Claus, so I can assume that David Wise really likes Christmas music. In any regard, his Yuletide homage never fails to bring a smile to my face.