Every Final Fantasy game has one thing in common: Incredible music. Whether through composers like Nobuo Uematsu or Masayoshi Soken, the franchise has never lacked inspiring motifs and surprising complexity in song. However, as with all things, a time must come to rank. Let’s discuss the three games with the best soundtracks of all the series’ titles. Unlike ranking individual songs, these games have soundtracks that in their totality provide something special. They are the kinds of soundtracks you purchase on their own so you can listen to them repeatedly, front to back.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
It would be unfair to list the entirety of Final Fantasy XIV in one of these lists, as it has had more years of development than a standalone title. Each patch introduces music, with each expansion ultimately serving as a collection of its sounds. In this case, the fourth expansion Endwalker stands head and shoulders above its peers. Brought into the game with the opening theme Footfalls, you are regaled with its motifs in various forms as you travel throughout the expansion’s settings. Tracks range from dulcet and peaceful to dramatic and epic. If we were only talking about the incidental background music, the soundtrack would be a strong contender.
What makes Endwalker stand out amongst other Final Fantasy soundtracks though are the vocal pieces. The aforementioned theme Footfalls was performed by The Primals, composer Masayoshi Soken’s band. The character Venat is given an incredible theme Flow sung by Amanda Aachen. The final zone features the incredible piece Close in the Distance sung by Jason Charles Miller. Again and again, the lyrics touch and inspire. It is rare for a player to engage in “the walk,” a dramatic sequence in the game’s finale, and not be brought to strong emotion by the singers’ words. Endwalker must be on this list for all of this.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Remaking a beloved classic is always dangerous. When it came to Final Fantasy VII, the Remake trilogy was always going to be under strict scrutiny. This for sure included the soundtrack as fans waited for the initial game’s release. Developers teased what they were planning, moving away from the MIDI sounds of the original that so often brought rock or techno vibes. Instead, a promise was made of full orchestration. Different variations of the battle theme and main boss theme would occur throughout, creating variety where the original was perhaps stagnant. New pieces like Collapsed Expressway brought life and energy to once-forgettable areas.
Fans of the guitar and the synths were being played with, however. Songs like The Airbuster rearranged the boss theme into the metal anthem it was always meant to be. J-E-N-O-V-A Quickening begins with epic orchestrations before eventually giving way to the original fast-paced synths that made the PS1 version iconic. Time and again, instead of giving us what we expected, the composers doubled down on surprise and excitement. Concluding the game with an entirely new rendition of One-Winged Angel was not what fans were expecting, but it went down as one of the more iconic versions of Sephiroth’s legendary boss theme.
Final Fantasy VI
Sometimes, you have to give it to the composer to pick the best. Nobuo Uematsu has gone on record in a few places that he believes Final Fantasy VI may have been his best soundtrack. The game had a famously smooth development, so much so that its original story was expanded partway through development when the staff was ahead of schedule. Uematsu states that “Final Fantasy VI was actually the moment I could start experimenting for the first time.” Given the awesomeness of tracks from prior games, that’s quite a large statement. Still, epic tracks like Dancing Mad perhaps give credence to this idea.
The game also features the legendary opera sequence, with nearly an entire miniature opera written for the game. Revolutionary for its time, the MIDI sounds replicated singing and showed the characters performing on a stage. Locales like Doma and Figaro also have iconic themes. The game features a tremendous soundtrack for its time, spanning the two different world maps the game features. Nowadays, with the Pixel Remaster, we have what is perhaps the definitive arrangement of this OST and can put proof to the power of Uematsu’s compositions. As his most treasured work, it perhaps deserves the top spot the most.
Final Thoughts
It is always going to be hard to pick favorites. Even with the popularity of these three soundtracks, there are surely others that could be placed alongside here. From the iconic sounds of Final Fantasy X to the grand fantasy of Final Fantasy IV, there are so many songs and soundtracks left out here. However, each of the three mentioned is special and important for a reason. They represent both the past and the present, with many excited for what comes in the franchise’s future. It seems that no matter who helms the soundtracks, the series’ legacy ensures it will produce songs that stand the test of time.
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