Posted
by
Bob Mackey
When you live in something called "the snow belt," your tolerance for inclement weather wholly determines your sanity. We've gotten so much of the fluffy white stuff recently that traveling anywhere in my town now involves following a carved-out snow trench to its logical end, all while hoping you don't end up in another state or the fabled Canadas. But even with nature trying to snuff me out under a thick pillow of precipitation, I've gone through most of my life without hating this time of the year; in fact, winter-themed video game levels have always been a favorite of mine, despite their irritating qualities. And for some reason, they always seem to have great music--which I'd like to share with you today.
The following are some of my favorite winter-themed video game tunes; they evoke the spirit of the season perfectly without such real-word drawbacks as windshield-scraping, frostbite, and heating bills which spiral out of control.
Super Mario 64 - Snow Mountain
"Snow Mountain" is just a take on Super Mario 64's main theme--which itself is an odd inverse version of the original Super Mario Bros. theme--but the bouncy accordian mixed with traditional tingly instruments makes the perfect soundtrack for bouncing through the snow. If city parks played this on a nonstop loop from December to March, I assume we'd have one more weapon in the fight against seasonal affective disorder.
Donkey Kong Country - Nothern Hemispheres
I don't have many good memories of Donkey Kong Country aside from the snow levels, and "Northern Hemispheres" is probably the reason why. Music in winter-themed video game levels is usually playful, but Donkey Kong Country took a completely different route by including a song that evoked the feeling of aimlessly wandering through a vast, snowy wasteland. Very effective.
Earthbound - "Winters"
All of the music in Earthbound is amazing, and "Winters" is no exception. It has the same sort of bittersweet, nostalgic tint as the rest of the soundtrack, but the jingling bells and oddly trilling organ really make it a highlight of the game. The song has a strange, hopeful feeling that really matches both its location in the game and its specific point in the story.
Final Fantasy VI - The Mines of Narshe
"The Mines of Narshe" is one of the first songs you hear in Final Fantasy VI, and it matches the somewhat-mournful tone of the game perfectly. From the tinkly piano to the breathy sound effect interspersed throughout the track, you get a sense of the gloomy atmosphere and an ominous feeling of what's to come. It always annoyed me a little that the Narshe theme went away after the transition to the World of Ruin.
So, did I miss anything important? Let me know in the comments. Also, links to the songs would be nice if you could dig them up.
Related Links:
OST: Treasure of the Rudras
OST: Rule of Rose
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About Bob Mackey
For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's
Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's
The Jambar, Kent State University's
The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on
Something Awful. I've also blogged for
Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM,
1UP,
GameSpite and
Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.
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