PixlBit

SNES, 1994

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu 

We had this game when I was a little kid, and the music blew us away. Of course, that can be said for anyone who played what was called Final Fantasy III in the ‘90s. It’s my opinion that this is the best OST on the SNES (Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid come very close). This is also my favorite video game soundtrack ever made. By this point, Uematsu had honed his music skills to such a point that he could do anything—FF VI has a wide range of music, from prog rock battle themes to a jazzy bar song to sweeping themes of adventure and even a freakin’ opera! This also has to be the best instrumentation of any SNES game (it even sounds better than the instrumentation in FF VII), and it holds up! Uematsu also used a wide variety of instruments. He was over-reliant on horns in FF IV and V, but here he uses more exotic instruments such as bag pipes, pan flutes, and organs. As a result, the soundtrack is far more fleshed out than previous games. It’s a masterpiece. Not only that, but almost every song in the game is memorable. If you’ve never heard this OST before, be sure to listen to the whole thing. I can only give a few songs here. 

Terra

This is the main theme of the game, and also the theme of the game’s main protagonist, Terra. It plays when you’re roaming around the overworld. The first half of the song gives a sense of melancholy with the pan flute and the strings in the background, but then things change in the second half as the song suddenly becomes hopeful with the addition of a French horn. The driving bass line and snare drums help to remind you to stay on the move. It’s simply perfect, and you’ll hear it a lot throughout the game, but you’ll never get sick of it. 

Kefka

You probably know that Kefka is a fantastic villain, and his theme matches him perfectly. The first part of the song sounds mischievous and naive, which matches Kefka’s character (he’s a dope). But then the second half becomes bombastic, playing more to Kefka’s maniacal nature. Kefka was the first Joker character of video games, seeming foolish and stupid, but actually being very clever and crazy. Uematsu could have easily just made an evil-sounding villain theme (as he did in the previous games), but instead, he tapped into Kefka’s character and gave us a far more interesting and fascinating villain theme.  

The Fierce Battle

Truly a masterpiece, this battle theme plays as you fight the Atma Weapon on the floating continent. There’s a sense of dread as the music sounds chaotic at first, and then an organ comes in with a seemingly unnatural tune. Once again, Uematsu gives us a sense of hope at the end of the loop as trumpets come in and sound more triumphant, but they don’t last long before getting back to the dreaded atmosphere of the song’s beginning. What’s cool is that the trumpet holds out that last note as if holding out hope for victory. At the time, no RPG had a battle song like this—and it still sounds badass. 

Blackjack

This is probably the most upbeat song of the entire soundtrack. It plays as you fly around the world in the airship. The theme seems overly triumphant as trumpets blast loud, backed up with consistent drums and exciting violin patterns. The second half of the song has the violins take over as the trumpets echo them, which sounds more melancholy, but only because the rest of the song is so triumphant. Uematsu is a master at contrast, and that’s what he does here. The song is also a reflection of Setzer, the gambler who owns and operates the airship. Setzer is a wild adventurer, and so it only makes sense that the airship theme is wild and adventurous too.

Dancing Mad

I’m gonna say something crazy: this is the single greatest video game composition of the 16-bit era. Wow! Go ahead and prove me wrong. This incredible masterpiece plays as you fight your way to the final boss, and then kicks it into overdrive for the fight against Kefka. There are three distinct overtures which play for each phase of the fight. This song can be analyzed to death, but let me just say this: the organ and the voices somehow blend together so well that they evoke so many different emotions as you progress. And then the fight against Kefka! This is a boss theme! It’s intense, and you’ll notice that it incorporates Kefka’s theme. It also has a slower part that sounds ominous, yet hopeful. Truly outstanding. 

Also check out: any other Final Fantasy OST

Download this freakin’ awesome OST here