VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (40 - 31) - Article
by Taneli Palola , posted on 08 October 2016 / 16,222 Views
Before we continue the countdown ranking the top 50 Final Fantasy songs of all time according to VGChartz users, here are a few of the songs from the series' early years that narrowly missed out on making the list. These are essentially the honorable mentions from the NES and SNES eras:
Last Battle – Final Fantasy (Remakes only)
Eternal Wind – Final Fantasy III
Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV – Final Fantasy IV
Unknown Lands – Final Fantasy V
Forever Rachel – Final Fantasy VI
Next time I'll list the honorable mentions from the PS1 and PS2 eras. Finally, if you missed the first article you can view it here.
40. Maybe I'm a Lion – Final Fantasy VIII
We kick things off this time with the theme to the penultimate battle in Final Fantasy VIII – Maybe I'm a Lion. The song plays during the battle against Ultimecia's second form, which she assumes after the player defeats Griever. This is easily among the most memorable battle themes in the entire series and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of rising tension and dread during the game's final battle, which sees the main villain - Ultimecia - take on increasingly monstrous forms as the fight continues. Maybe I'm a Lion is a perfect prelude to Ultimecia's last stand, which may or may not come up again later on in this article series.
39. Sound of the Wind – Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Taking things in a very different direction is Sound of the Wind, which is found in the first game in the Crystal Chronicles spin-off series. Sound of the Wind is the game's opening theme song and the only song on this list composed by Kumi Tanioka. It has both English and Japanese versions, with Donna Burke and Yae, respectively, performing the vocals. It's a charming song and both versions feature strong vocal performances; it's also an excellent demonstration of Tanioka's talents as a composer.
38. Raffaello Battle – Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
This is a very interesting entry because it is an arrangement of another Final Fantasy song that will also be appearing on the list a bit later on. Raffaello Battle from Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is a rearranged version of Clash on the Big Bridge from Final Fantasy V. The soundtrack for Chocobo's Dungeon is quite unusual as far as this list is concerned, as only two songs on it were composed specifically for the game, and neither one made it onto the list. The rest of the soundtrack featured rearranged versions of songs from other Final Fantasy games.
37. Massive Explosion – Dissidia Final Fantasy (Arcade)
This is probably among the least well known songs on this list; it only appears in the arcade version of Dissidia Final Fantasy, which has never been released outside of Japan. The song was composed by Takeharu Ishimoto, who is gradually becoming one of the series' most prominent composers. In fact, with three of his songs making it onto this list he is the second most represented composer on it after Nobuo Uematsu. With songs like this and the other two you'll be hearing later on, it's easy to see why.
36. Unseen Abyss – Final Fantasy XIII-2
Unseen Abyss is the second final boss theme to appear on this list, and the only one not composed by Uematsu. The soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIII-2 was a collaboration between three different composers - Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, and Mitsuto Suzuki, which accounts for its great variety of styles. However, it also led to a somewhat uneven score, featuring a mix of excellent pieces of music like this one, but a few unfortunate misfires as well. Ultimately, the score features quite a huge contrast in styles, even lacking any sense of direction at times, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable listen, thanks in no small part to great tracks like Unseen Abyss.
35. Omnis Lacrima – Final Fantasy XV
Despite the game not even being out yet, Final Fantasy XV is already represented on this countdown, even if only with this one song. The game features the franchise debut of composer Yoko Shimomura, who is clearly bringing her absolute best to Final Fantasy XV, as exemplified by Omnic Lacrim, which is the game's boss theme. In some ways the song reminds me of her work on the Kingdom Hearts series, for which she is probably best known. Everything I have heard thus far from Final Fantasy XV's music has been great, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it featured prominently in countdowns like this in the future. After all, songs from the game have already been performed live to wide acclaim, months before the game's release.
34. Answers – Final Fantasy XIV
Answers is the main theme for the original release of Final Fantasy XIV, composed by Nobuo Uematsu and featuring a wonderful vocal performance by Susan Calloway. FFXIV was an almost complete disaster upon its original release, but Uematsu's score for the game is simply magnificent and there's perhaps no other song that better exemplifies this than Answers. The song played during the game's opening FMV as well as in the End of an Era cinematic that marked the game's relaunch. Uematsu himself has said that this is his favourite track from the game, and Calloway was his first and only choice as the singer. Simply put, it is a beautiful song that was fortunately retained for the game's relaunched version.
33. Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy XII
I find it quite peculiar that the only song on this list from Final Fantasy XII is the game's version of the main Final Fantasy theme that has appeared in almost every single title in the main series in some form or another. The game's soundtrack was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, and yet the one song from it that ended up making it into the top 50 is a rearranged version of a song composed by Uematsu for the very first game in the series. Still, there's no denying that this song does deserve a spot on the list, and Sakimoto's version of it is outstanding.
32. The Sunleth Waterscape – Final Fantasy XIII
The Sunleth Waterscape is one of many arrangements of the Final Fantasy XIII main theme called Promise, which plays at various different points in the game. This is also the highest rated song from the game on this list, and the highest composed solely by Hamauzu. As one of the two vocal arrangements of Promise, it features lyrics unique to it sung by Frances Maya, who also provided the vocals on Serah's Theme. This is definitely one of the more memorable tunes from the game, combining an upbeat rhythm with a soothing melody and serene vocals. It gives the Sunleth Waterscape area a very distinct atmosphere, different from most other places found in the game which are often much darker in theme and mood. Even so, there's an undercurrent of melancholy that runs through the song thanks to its piano melody.
31. Home, Sweet Home – Final Fantasy V
Home, Sweet Home is one of the few town themes to receive any points during voting, and the only one of them to make the top 50, although a few others did almost make it. The song plays when the player visits the town of Lix, Bartz's hometown and birthplace. While most other towns in the game share a variety of themes, this one is unique to Lix, which subtly accentuates the importance of the location to one of the game's main characters. It's a nice little touch that the player might not even realize during the game, but which helps flesh out the game's world in small ways.
That's the second part of the countdown finished. Next time we'll go past the halfway point of the list, with a few fairly surprising entries to look forward to. Until then, thanks for reading.
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FFXIV got the best Ost.
Normal, it keep getting more and more (awesome) musics with each patch.
Maybe I should have voted for Clash on the Big Bridge instead, but Raffaello Battle really stands out.
I'm particularly enjoying the selections from games I haven't played yet. I'll probably never play XIV, but I can appreciate its OST.
Aw yiss, Home, Sweet Home made it
Eternal Wind from FF3 is just awesome (especially the NES one), it woulld be in my top ten :) I played the game in Japanese as a child and it´s so nostalginc :,)
The hate for Final Fantasy XII in VGChartz is strong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x_6FNojyl8
This one deserves at least a honorable mention!
