Justniin on Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:52 pm
What happens when I'm too bored to play anything but not bored enough to actually think about experiment reports? I put stuff here where no one reads it anyway.
For no particular reason, here are my top 10 final boss themes. First some ground rules. One game per series, spin-offs are counted as being separate (because they're usually rather different especially when it comes to music). Here a BGM is considered a final boss theme if it plays in any part of the final boss, so if there's different music for different phases they all count, not just the last one. That's enough technical stuff, time to get to the actual list!
10. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest - Battle 3
While I refuse to accept Mystic Quest as a Final Fantasy game (I consider it a spin-off, I don't think the European release even had "Final Fantasy" in the title), I think it still gets bashed a little bit too much. Yes, it's really easy and the story is a joke, but that's kind of intended...well, the difficulty part anyway. It says "entry-level RPG" on the box! The game had its moments and served its purpose for what it was. And at least the music's pretty good. As for the music in question, it really gets you pumped up, and the composition is surprisingly good. As a final boss theme it's actually rather standard, which is why it's so low on the list.
9. Kirby Super Star Ultra - The Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy
Ahh, Kirby. So upbeat, cheery and WHAT IS WITH THIS THEME. It's so different, intimidating and chaotic. The boss itself isn't too hard, in Meta Knight mode at least. The music's still awesome though.
8. Pokémon Fire Red/Leaf Green - Champion Battle
It's Blue/Green/Gary at maximum douchiness. What's not to love/hate? Oh and I guess the theme is pretty awesome too. I really prefer the GBA remake soundtrack to the original, the remixes are just spot-on and the original soundtrack kinda feels like it suffered from hardware limitations (not as bad as Gold/Silver though).
7. Golden Sun: The Lost Age - Doom Dragon
Golden Sun just doesn't get enough love. No matter how much it is, it's not enough! And where the hell is GS4? Dark Dawn's ending was pretty much begging for a sequel! Nevertheless, out of the games released so far, the second one just seemed to do everything right, especially the music was astounding, and the final boss theme is no exception...even though it sort of seems it's just a part of another song. Maybe it's because I heard the Felix/final battle mashup in Brawl so much.
6. Cave Story - Last Battle
Of course I had to have Cave Story in here somewhere. What did you expect?
5. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Final Battle
Ah, Yoshi's Island. So bright, colorful, happy...wait, didn't I do this joke already? Yeah, the theme's memorable because it's so different from the rest of the game's brainwashingly cheery music. It's just pure awesomeness.
4. Romancing SaGa 3 - Last Battle
Romancing SaGa 3's soundtrack is just amazing, and the final boss theme is among the best tracks. It's just so incredibly epic.
3. Earthbound - Pokey Means Business!
Oh cool, they're going for a retroish sound. Seems like a standard NES-era boss theme HOLY SHIT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. Another style breaker...I'd say, but Earthbound's soundtrack is all over the place as it is. Still, I'm pretty sure everyone's at least taken off guard by the sudden change about a minute in. That aside the theme is certainly intimidating and fit for a final boss.
2. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time/Sky - Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
Most battle themes, I find, can be divided into three categories:
1. Intimidating, to emphasize the threat of the enemy.
2. Energetic, to get the player pumped up for the fight.
3. Atmospheric, contributes to the atmosphere created by the situation and the environment.
Most normal battle themes tend to be energetic while obviously final boss themes tend to be intimidating. However, this theme doesn't really fit any of the categories. If I had to describe it with a word I'd say...adventurous. It really does feel like it's the climax of your adventure and that it's over after this one final fight, for better or worse. The Mystery Dungeon games have surprisingly emotional stories and the music really conveys that.
1. Final Fantasy VI - Dancing Mad
You just can't beat Final Fantasy when it comes to epic music, and Dancing Mad is the most epic of the epic. The earlier phases build up to a grand payoff when Kefka finally shows up and the final part of the song starts. It's just unbeatable when it comes to final boss themes.
...What, were you expecting One Winged Angel? Waaaay overrated, both the theme and especially the character. Just let the mama's boy stay in the basement.