Some of my favourite songs in Role Playing (and RP adjacent) games

[demoman]

Had some free time and decided to share this. Lately as i have less and less time to game, I found myself melancholic about some of the good experiences Ive had and how much they were magnified by good soundtracks. Here is a smattering of songs from RPGs i like.
DISCLAIMERS:
1) It is not in any way ranked, in fact they are arranged chronologically.
2) Not all of these are my top pics, I'm guessing most of you like me have shifting tastes so these are the ones i have been thinking about or listening to recently.
3) I am not affiliated with any of the youtube channels i have provided, i just searched and picked the ones I liked. You are free to search for others you prefer.
4) I know some of them are trash games but meh...

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Game : Bloodwych (1989)

Track: David Whittaker – Main Theme (Probably?)




Around 1995 I was young enough not to be left alone at home but old enough to play (or watch) games. My mother used to take me to her office when she was working late where I hanged out with other kids older than me and play demos and actual games (usually pirated) in one of the older office computers. When I watched them play Bloodwych I had absolutely no idea what was going on in there but I was smitten with this song. Some years ago, while searching for “history of RPG games “ videos on youtube, one of those videos had a part of Bloodwych and I heard this song again. I actually teared up...



The version I included starts at around 0:20

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Game : Diablo (1996)

Track : Matt Uelmen - Town



Come now, admit it, you liked it too. In a documentary i saw that they almost made this game turn-based. I cannot imagine how that would work and I am kinda bummed about it but still, it turned fine i guess. Played a shit ton of it anyway. Kick ass song...

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Game : Hexplore (1998)

Track : Oliver Gaudino(probably?) - The Village of Zarko



Cute little oldie. Not a very good game but I distinctly remember this song while trying to figure out what the hell was going on in the first map of the game. Years later i came back and finished this and it had a cute

Spoiler

It was sci-fi all along

twist that was typical in a lot of rpg's of that time.

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Game : Omikron : The Nomad Soul (1999)

Track : David Bowie – New Angels of Promise



Ok hear me out, I know this is hardly an RPG. Also I can already feel half of you complaining about Bowie being a complete degenerate and the other half raging over what a humongous dick David Cage is. What I will always remember about this game is having access to a demo version that included most of the first district and playing it so much that I could probably play GeoGuessr from any point in it just by using mouselook. Many years later, after adult me tried actually playing it, fully understanding the dialogues and lore but I bitterly gave up after realizing Kay'l was scripted to die. Nonetheless it is still an awesome and fitting soundtrack and David Cage is still a humongous dick.

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Game : Baldur’s Gate 2 - Throne of Bhaal (2001)

Track : Michael Hoenig – Main Theme



Young me used to spend literal hours creating a character in ToB to import into the SaO campaign in order to solo it. Typically I would roll for stats for half my “game time” and then, if I rolled a Sorcerer I would meticulously check my personal notes and every single guide I could find on Gamefaqs or other obscure sites in order to pick the optimal spells. This song is playing in the back of my head EVERY time I roll a character in a tabletop rpg. Love the flutes after 0:50.

 

[demoman]

Game : Lineage 2 (2003)

Track Bill Brown – Dion Theme




One of the two MMORPG songs on this list. Bring in the hate, I don’t care. I haven't touched one since 2011 which is discussed below but this particular one is much much before then. In my final years in High School some of the biggest internet cafe chains in my country used to host private servers of Lineage. Since most of my friends weren’t enough into gaming to fork over money for a monthly sub in WoW but we still wanted to hang out, this was the game of choice. For some reason, this song is stuck in my nostalgia vault while I have forgotten almost everything else about that game.

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Game : World of Warcraft (2004)

Track : Russell H. Brower , Neal A. Acree , Derek M. Duke – Invincible



My drug of choice for almost 8 years of my life. Loved and Hated this game. The ark of Arthas in Warcraft 3 was mind blowing to my young brain and when I was finally able to defeat him in probably my final endgame raid ever, that cinematic broke me. I had to deal with some major IRL issues around that time and I ended up selling my character not long after that. The money helped and I felt that the game story ended at that point. Years later I feel it was the right choice. This song still chills me to this day. I chose to include an orchestral version instead of a game one, feel free to search for the original one but trust me, its the same in spirit but much better as a video. One of my overall favorite songs in any media.

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Game : Battle Brothers (2015)

Track : Breakdown Epiphanies - Thug Life (Brigands)




Not much to say here. Awesome game with occasionally infuriating RNG but when the stars align it is one of the best and most tactical experiences I have ever had the chance to...well...experience. This specific song is my favorite out of a lot of good ones. I catch myself randomly playing it in my mind while doing random things. Absolutely love it.

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Game : UnderRail (2015)

Track : Josh Culler – City Station



I have a complicated relationship with UnderRail. I will not go into detail about it, there are enough threads and posts about it around here. Really I cannot find another word about it. I really like Culler’s work in NEOscavanger as well, I happened to play that first for some reason and I was already familiar with him so when I heard this track and searched frantically about the composer, I was pleasantly surprised. This song has haunted me.

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Game : Mass Effect Andromeda (2017)

Track : John Paesano – A Better Beginning




<sighs> Yeah I know...Nope, its not a typo...What’s even worse is I can honestly admit I did have some fun with this game, warts and all. The main reason I am not that bitter about it is I pirated a hell of a lot of EA games back then so the only thing I wasted was time. Still, if you look past the almost ironic title of this song, I consider it one of the best Main Theme soundtracks I have ever listened to. I actually occasionally put it on youtube and just listen to it. Give it a try and at least couple of minutes for the "good" part to start.

 

[demoman]

Game : Divinity Original Sin 2 (2017)

Track : Borislav Slavov - Rivellon



Last but not least, a pretty divisive game, at least around here. I am fairly certain that I have seen a comment in one of the many versions of this song on youtube that describes my own experience with it. Me in front of the respec mirror trying countless combinations before going out testing it and going back to the ship to micromanage something, probably pointless while humming the orchestral part of this song. I also like the Main Theme song!

---

Curses, a new post for one song...

Ok that is probably enough at least for now, thx for your time.

 

[Yosharian]

I actually agree about that ME:A theme, I've sunk quite a few hours into the game so far and the most memorable thing is how that main menu theme is actually quite good and the game totally fails to live up to it

 

[NJClaw]

Nothing like firing up a game and being greeted by this (4:56):



Or moving your first steps in a snowy town and being accompanied by this (6:49):



Or facing your first Priestess of Auril (18:51):



Or hearing this while entering Targos for the first time and falling in love with the game in a single minute:

 

[Yosharian]

Back when Blizzard actually had talent working for them:

Spoiler

Pillars 1 had some good music:

Spoiler

 

[Yosharian]

This OST might even be better than D2's:

Spoiler

But then again, Grim Dawn doesn't have this absolutely peerless track, so...

Spoiler

 

[Yosharian]

As flawed as Skyrim is as an RPG, it has a truly great OST, and this track is easily the best:

Spoiler

Or is it...

Spoiler

Anyway. Get out of here. And get me some money while you're at it.

Spoiler

 

[Lady Error]

Shadowrun Dragonfall has the best RPG music of the last decade:



Lots of great tracks in this one.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Hexplore was decent but repetitive sort-of hack'n'slash, beat it recently and it was ok, no wonder it was forgotten. Like Hexen every secret is mandatory. Good luck beating chapters without Fountain of Youth and rely on respawning.

Managed to beat Ravenloft SP, some nice tunes. Sadly Stone Prophet had forgettable soundtrack.

 

[Tihskael]

Pt. 1/2


Music at 1:31 mark is outrageously beautiful.


Flotsam is great and so is the music.


Just because my favorite video game moment is accompanied by this music. The Witcher 3 has a great OST.


I don't know what she is singing but its beautiful nonetheless.

 

[Tihskael]

Pt. 2/2


Some other guy has already suggested good picks from Skyrim. Just listen to the whole damn OST while driving at night on an empty road or something.


This is good too.


More Dragon Age


This comes packed with Fallout 76 Collectors Edition.

 

[Akratus II]

Game : Mass Effect Andromeda (2017)

"I know I stepped in dogshit, but I liked the funny squishing noise that made!"

 

[vazha]

Pffft, amateurs. THIS is THE ONE.

 

[demoman]

Dog gone it, some mighty fine suggestions here.

NWN the Easthaven song and the one from NWN2 are easily some of the best of the IE era songs. Dem feelz too...

WoW had some fine tunes... Pillars too although not as memorable as some other isometrics imho although it might be cause I burned out on that game...

Grim dawn! It was a guilty pleasure of mine for a while. Fine tunes and some cool environments. I kinda agree with you now, the D2 version of Tristam is better.

Hey if you are talking elder scrolls, i feel that the menu theme of all 3 latest iterations is really good. I had the chance to listen to the dhovakin one from a symphonic orchestra and i was at the edge of my seat. I also like FO4 main theme. Also, hey don't cheat, new vegas ost playlists have been a staple of mine while doing stuff around a youtube enabled sound producing thing.

Dragonfall, the best of the nuShadowruns and a really good soundtrack.

All true about hexplore, gz on finishing rvnloft, , nice tunes, might check it out.

Hehe arcanum and witcher trilogy were final contenders for my list! Amazing one from da fine orchestral part and awesome vocals. Damn , sitting out of the loop about Failout76 I had missed this Sweet little lies version. Nice!

Hey i cant argue with good masturbation advice...

Ok imma gonna dig up some more.

 

[d1r]

Forever stuck in my mind.

 

[JarlFrank]

I love the Deus Ex soundtrack. Very smooth synths, and especially the more relaxed areas have great music to chill to. The Wan Chai market and the duClare Chateau are my favorites.


Erana's Peace in Quest for Glory. A safe and welcoming place, with lovely music.


Morrowind's theme song. They tried to copy it for Oblivion and Skyrim, but failed to recapture its magic. Still the best rendition of that tune.


Heroes of Might and Magic 4 may not be an RPG, but it's definitely "adjacent". Not the best game in the series, but the best soundtrack. I often listen to it outside of the game, it's great background music to chill to.


I'm not the biggest Ultima fan, but how come nobody has mentioned Stones here yet? It's an absolute classic of CRPG tunes.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

It's a fucking crime that this isn't used in game.

 

[Pink Eye]

Sadly Stone Prophet had forgettable soundtrack.

Yeah, Strahd's Possession has really good tracks. With the right sound font, it's gorgeous. Shame to hear you didn't like Stone Prophet much. I though it had a couple of really good tracks. Love listening to it whilst playing video games.

 

[demoman]

I am really glad HOMAM was mentioned! While obviously an rpg adjacent series, I have a soft spot for 4 (3 being my fav of course) because it felt a lot more robust in terms of rpg mechanics. I especially enjoeyed controlling my heroes and finding out about the different classes you could get by combining skill trees. I also agree it had probably the best music in the series, my favourite song being



But i must say that imho the best song in the whole series comes from homam2 and is by far one of my favourite game OSTs ever.
The incredible :



Borrowing heavily from Bach, and tastefully adding vocals, even in all its synthetic glory that song is Legendary.

Hated the knight playstyle tho

 

[Drowed]

Honestly, in most cases, the music in RPGs is a great addition to the environment to the point that it becomes almost unnoticeable to me. So, there are many games where I really enjoy the music (like Fallout or Underrail) but it ends up not lingering in my mind me because it ends up being indistinguishable from the experience itself. It's like the seasoning in some dishes, it's an essential part of what makes them tasty but I often can't figure out or point out what ingredients were used specifically.

That said, there are some exceptions. I know Codex simultaneously love and hate Witcher 3, but the game's OST made it 300% more memorable for me with songs like these:


The guy was really rocking that accordion, goddam. I really love it.

HOMM3 Battle OST is also burned in my mind at this point:

 

[Tihskael]

Pffft, amateurs. THIS is THE ONE.

Right up your alley?

 

[Tihskael]

Both DS1 and DS2 had great end credits music which hit different when you are finally done with the games. If you haven't played either and would like to play them one day, I would recommend not listening to it yet.



Hell, the Dark Souls series features some of the best music in video games.

Spoiler

 

[Yosharian]

Todd Howard's Theme

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XQ63U9icDU

 

[RPK]

hard to believe no one has mentioned Legend of Grimrock's main theme yet