Top 10 Snowy Music in
Video Games!
Well, it’s that magical day of the
year again! I didn’t wanna go without doing a small Christmas special, so
here’s my list of the Top 10 Wintery/Snowy Music in video games! As always I’m
only allowing one game per franchise. So without further ado…
#10: Cool, Cool Mountain
(Super Mario 64)
Can’t
go wrong with this old favourite. For many this was their first ever song from
a snow level. The reason it’s at number 10 though is that it’s such an obvious
choice. Everybody puts this one on their list because it’s both great and also
nostalgic, so I’ll just leave it at number 10 and move on.
#9: Diamond Dust Zone (Sonic 3D)
I only found this one while doing
research for this list, but I’m glad I did. This song definitely has a lot of
Christmas spirit, from the jingle bells to the overlayed instruments used later
on. It really sounds like something you’d hear during a particularly exciting
Christmas movie.
#8: Snowdin Town
(Undertale)
From a game where nearly every song on the soundtrack is amazing
in its own right, this song really captures the feel of the hustle and bustle of
a small town around the holiday season. It’s fast, it’s busy, but it still has
enough time to have that holly jolly cheer that makes this time of year so
appealing.
#7: Christmas
(Nintendo eShop)
It’s not a game but this is my list
and I can cheat if I want to!
This plays on Christmas Day in the Wii
U eShop, and it perfectly captures the spirit of the season in a remix of the
usual song. It feels like something you’d hear played in a mall during the
holiday season, while still keeping that classic Nintendo sound.
Here’s hoping it makes the jump to
Nintendo Switch someday, because their store still seriously needs some music.
#6: White Falls
(Horizon: Zero Dawn)
This one’s pretty different from most
of the others I have on my list. It’s much more atmospheric than Christmasy,
capturing more the feel of ice and snow. Using Horizon’s unique mixture of sci-fi-style music and traditional
Aborigines-like songs, this feels like it could play when you walk out on a
cold night with the snow still coming down.
#5: Fluffy Snow, Here
We Go! (Yoshi’s Woolly World)
This is more or less a winter-themed
remix of the game’s main theme, but you can’t tell me you can listen to this
one without a smile. The snow levels were easily one of my favourite parts of
this criminally underrated gem (if you missed it on Wii U check out the 3DS
version!), putting the yarn aesthetic to great use, with this song being the
icing on the cake.
#4: Phendrana Drifts
(Metroid Prime)
Another more atmospheric piece,
Phendrana Drifts is just plain awesome. It captures both the feel of snow and
the sci-fi atmosphere of the Metroid games
perfectly, being both slow and eerie but at the same time a little
light-hearted and mysterious. It’s incredibly hard to describe, but you’ll agree
with me after you listen to it.
#3: Snowbelle City
(Pokémon X and Y)
Just like Snowdin Town, this is a song
that plays when you visit an ice-themed city in an RPG. The Pokémon series has always had great
music for their winter themed levels, but this one is definitely my favourite. It
captures the feel of watching snow fall outside from the comfort of a cozy
living room for me.
#2: Freezeezy Peak
(Banjo-Kazooie)
Another classic from the N64 days,
this is still perhaps my favourite composition by Grant Kirkhope. While he’s
done several incredible soundtracks for games since then, the song that plays
for Freezeezy Peak is still his most memorable, at least for me. I’ll find
myself humming this song often, even more so than the other songs from Banjo. It’s just great.
#1: Toy Day (Animal Crossing:
New Leaf)
Why does Animal Crossing always land at #1 on my holiday themed Top 10
lists?
Anyways, maybe it’s just nostalgia
talking, but for me this is the ultimate snowy video game song. This plays only
on Christmas Eve at night in your town, as Jingle the holiday reindeer visits
to deliver presents to your villager. How you interact with Jingle changes from
game to game, but New Leaf is my
favourite as you get to participate in a month-long run up to the event by
talking to your villagers and learning what they want for Toy Day.
And this song plays throughout the
event. While Toy Day has gone through a few changes over the franchise, this
song has been the one constant in every game it’s in. While I definitely prefer
the version from New Leaf (as well as
the nearly if not completely identical one from City Folk), the original take on the song from the GameCube Animal Crossing is well worth a listen
to hear how it matches up with the more funky style of music used in that game.
Are there any I missed? Let me know,
and enjoy your Christmas!
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