By Riley Neilson
Video games have a way of allowing people to connect. Everyone has a different interest in gaming, but one common topic for discussion is the music of these games.
Here is a combination of some relaxing study songs and pump-up gaming themes with a bonus at the end.
“Littleroot Town” from the Pokémon Series
The starting towns in Pokémon have soft and calm themes, but Littleroot Town does it best. The game starts with you moving in and makes this town feel like home with a melody that will leave players calm and ready to begin their journey through the Hoenn region.
“Maple Treeway” from the Mariokart Series
Maple Treeway’s theme is different from most Mariokart track themes. Most are made to make the players feel pumped up and race at their best. Meanwhile, Maple Treeway’s theme is a piece that makes players feel like they are taking a relaxing fall drive instead of racing.
“Raquel, the Amusement Town” from Trails of Cold Steel III
Raquel is Zemuria’s Las Vegas. Nicknamed “Entertainment City”, this city has everything you would expect it to, from a club and a casino to shady characters. However, the song is more peaceful than the city itself, with calming jazz feeling to relax players… At least until they have to fight more monsters in the area.
“Life at Garreg Mach Monastery” from Fire Emblem Three Houses
In the first half of this game, this piece makes players feel like it is a relaxing day off from classes and refreshes them for the week to come. In the second half of the game, it can make players forget that there is a war going on outside that they are supposed to be participating in.
“Coconut Mall” from the Mariokart Series
Unlike Maple Treeway, Coconut Mall has an upbeat, fast-paced theme that adds a lot to this track. Coconut Mall is one of the most original courses in the series, with the racers speeding through a mall and parking lot. This track is many players’ favourite and is among the best in the Mariokart series.
“Royal Knights” from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory
The Royal Knights are some of the most iconic and powerful Digimon in the series, and Cyber Sleuth delivers a fantastic theme for them. The song begins with a big bass drum beat and gets better from there, becoming one of the best battle themes in the entire series. While not the hardest fights in the game, they are close, and the theme gives players a perfect piece to tell them to use every tool in their arsenal to lead them to victory.
“Silver Will” from Trails in the Sky Series
This song has four different arrangements, every one an absolute hit. It is not an overstatement to say that the song is more popular than the series itself, as it is rated one of the most popular RPG battle themes of all time. It starts with a beautiful violin solo, steadily picks up the pace to a climactic finale that comes together at its fastest and loudest. Anyone who has never heard these arrangements should do themselves a favour and find this song.
“The Labyrinth” from Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
While neither a pump-up song nor a relaxing song, this list would be incomplete without at least one piece from Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and this is one of the best. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a music-heavy game with all the main characters having at least one song, and many are great. This song focuses on Kiria’s and many celebrities’ challenges about the stress of hiding their true selves to be what the public wants them to be.
