Summary
A dungeon theme has a lot of responsibility in an RPG. Depending on the tone of the dungeon, its theme needs to convey a sense of danger, mystery, wonder, or dread – ideally, without ever drifting into boring, samey, or annoying territory.
A dungeon theme needs to simultaneously work as background noise and grab your attention. It needs to hype you up for some of the game’s most rousing moments while not straining your ears from listening to its tune over and over again. Music can make or break an RPG. And dungeon themes play a crucial role in that equation.
10Tower Of The Shadow Of Death – Ys 1 & 2
Heading Up The Tower Of Darm
Some dungeon themes are going to be heard a lot more than others. Tower of the Shadow of Death is the music that plays while exploring the Tower of Darm (also known as the Devil’s Tower) in Ys 1 & 2 – a location in which you will be spending a lot of time.
Thankfully, this stirring track encompasses everything great about Ys music: epic melodies and riffs played on top of a base rich in gravitas. The arrangement for Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles on PSP is particularly thrilling, thanks to the electric guitar solo that plays on every second repeat of the track.
9Wise Owl Forest – Dark Cloud
Must Be Played With Accompanying Pitter-Patter Foot Sound Effects
While the dungeon music in a Ys game is often designed to get your blood pumping, other dungeon themes are more interesting in establishing a mood and atmosphere. The Wise Owl Forest theme from Dark Cloud uses a steady beat and largely acoustic instruments to perfectly capture the sense of venturing deeper and deeper into the heart of these mysterious woods.
Of course, just because this track is more mellow, doesn’t mean it isn’t also catchy. You’ll likely still be whistling along to the flute section long after you put the game down, which is proof enough that this dungeon theme has fulfilled its mission.
8Magitek Research Facility – Final Fantasy 6
Where Magic And Technology Meet
While there is nothing wrong with a dungeon theme that gets used over and over again in an RPG, there is something special about the “one-off” dungeon theme. Magitek Research Facility was composed specifically for the area it shares its name with, and boy, does it leave a strong impression.
The track combines an industrial-sounding beat with a sinister electronic melody. Only toward the end of the track does the heroic string section cut through, representing the party’s slim chances of completing this crucial mission against the Imperial forces.
7Silence Of The Forest – Bravely Default
An Emotionally Stirring Dungeon Theme
Even if you have never played Bravely Default before, it’s hard to not shed a tear when listening to Silence of the Forest. Evoking such a deep emotional response isn’t typically the goal of a dungeon theme, and yet, this track’s undeniable beauty fully justifies its approach.
Silence of the Forest starts slow and mysterious, even a little bit daunting. Eventually though, the track builds and builds, reaching a dazzling, twinkling crescendo that’s as rich with feeling as any other song in this wonderful soundtrack.
6Rafflesia Training Grounds – Crusader Of Centy
Great Music For A Training Workout
It’s hard to imagine why Crusader of Centy composer Motokazu Shinoda went so hard writing the track for an area in the game which, as its name suggests, is only a training ground. One obvious thing is that Rafflesia Training Grounds is the hit of early nineties Japanese pop magic that you need to start every day listening to.
Part of the reason the track works so well is because it fully embraces the qualities and limitations of the Mega Drive’s sound chip. The buoyant texture of the theme fills you with an abundance of energy and a drive to complete the location, no matter the challenges that face you.
5Silent Light – Chrono Trigger
Making The Most Of The SNES Sound Processor
Silent Light distils everything that makes the Chrono Trigger soundtrack so – dare we say it? – timeless into one piece of music. There’s something almost ethereal about how crisp the bassline sounds, especially when mixed alongside the twinkling keys and 16-bit choir that somehow manages to sound heavenly and haunting at the same time.
Thankfully, this dungeon theme isn’t given the one-off treatment and appears a few times throughout the game. Each time it begins playing through the speakers, it transports you to a world of magic and adventure, almost sounding as if it exists outside of time itself.
4Dungeon One – Phantasy Star
A Terrific Theme For Some Terrific Dungeons
The original Phantasy Star made waves on the Master System for its pseudo-3D first-person dungeons – something that was practically unheard of on consoles at the time. Thankfully, the look of these dungeons wasn’t the only impressive thing about them as their music was equally as dynamic.
While there are a couple of Phantasy Star dungeon themes to choose from, it’s hard to go past the first one you hear. Dungeon One hits hard – revving up into a fist-pumping good time that blew away gamers and their stereo system back in 1988.
3Tower Of The Four-Wheels – The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky
A Towering Achievement
One of the reasons Trails in the Sky is often consideredone of the best Falcom RPGsis because of the way its soundtrack elegantly weaves through recurring musical motifs across its tracks. Tower of the Four-Wheels is the dungeon theme that plays whenever you explore one of Liberl’s towers, and it’s a wonderfully weird remixing of the game’s main theme.
The rhythm section (if you could call it that) has an almost alien quality to it, which suits the mysterious vibes of the tower well. But when that main theme kicks in, it’s a stirring reminder of your party’s heroic cause and why you need to make it to the top of these towers in the first place.
2Corridor – Persona 4
A Sombre Ending
Some final dungeon themes go big to get you hyped for the dramatic ending of your quest. Corridor from Persona 4 is not one of those final dungeon themes.
Instead, it is melancholic and reflective, feeling you with sadness at the doorstep of your journey’s end as well as a nagging dread about how it will all end. It’s not only one of thebest tracks in Persona 4, but one of the most emotionally moving dungeon themes ever composed.
1Collapsed Expressway – Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Doesn’t Collapse Under Pressure
For a dungeon that is essentially one long dull tunnel filled with debris, it’s surprising just how airy and vibrant the Collapsed Expressway theme is from Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It floats along with its stirring orchestration and catchy main hook, making it nearly impossible to listen to this piece of music without a big, goofy grin forming across your face.
Given this track was an original composition for Final Fantasy 7 Remake and not taken from the original game just makes it all the more impressive. And while this is a list of dungeon themes in RPGs, it would be hard not to mention theexcellent battle musicthat also plays in the Collapsed Expressway.
