Favorite Tunes #108: The End is Nigh

While I was working on my The End of the World as We Know It feature, I had a lot of "the end is coming" music on min mind. That brings me to this particular Favorite Tunes. We've got a selection of mostly moody and foreboding music. Enjoy!

Dark Star - Secret of Mana (SNES)

The vibrant, joy-filled Flight into the Known that plays whenever you fly around on the world map gets replaced when the Mana Fortress, the final dungeon in the game takes flight. Dark Star, is a track that paints a very grim situation for the world as the very nature of the Mana Fortress is that of a super weapon. It starts out with a lovely piano riff before it explodes into the main course, which is filled with perfectly timed bell chimes and cymbal clashes. Dark Star may be a musical piece associated with some pretty bad events but it is still a beautiful song, nonetheless.

Last Day - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64, 3DS)

You've got three days to save the world in Majora's Mask. With the help of the Ocarina of Time, you really do have all the time in the world to do it. But since certain things can only be on on certain days, this means you ultimately have to experience the three day cycle and the pressure is really on when he last day rolls around. For extra added freak out, listen to this track as the Moon is about to come down.

Ruined World - Chrono Trigger (SNES, PS, DS)

The future is bright, right? Well not in Chrono Trigger. The year 1000 AD may not be perfect but it's a utopia compared to 2300 AD. By this time, Lavos has turned the world into a wasteland with the remaining humans using technology to survive but still starving to the lack of food. The hopelessness and despair of this time period is reflected through this dark piece.


Last Duel - Lufia & The Fortress of Doom (SNES)

The end is the beginning. Sound confusing? I certainly was when I first fired up this game years ago. See, when you start out Lufia & The Fortress of Doom, you're actually at the final dungeon of the game, heading into the last battle. Despite the title of this track, this is theme plays during your trip through the Fortress of Doom and not during the battle with the Sinistrals. Pretty interesting way to start the game. Much later in the game you return to the Fortress of Doom with an entirely new party, preparing to smack down the very same Sinistrals that plagued the world 100 years prior, with this very same track playing.

In Search of Light - Final Fantasy V (SFC, PS)

Viewed as more comical compared to other entries, given the series last few releases, I think taking the games less seriously couldn't hurt. The Void serves as the final area of Final Fantasy V. Rather than a bleak, hopeless musical theme, this track is triumphant with pounding drums and cymbals blasting throughout.

Go Forward Under Fire - Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)

Also known as No Man's Land or the Alien's Lair, this track plays during the first half of the final level of Contra III. This theme really does have  feel of finality to it. It also greatly contrasts, the follow up music that plays during the second half of the area. This piece feels you with an incredible sense of hope while the later music fills you with a sense of dread and considering all the mini bosses you face and the progressive difficulty they bring, that isn't too surprising.

Favorite Tunes Database