2023 hasn't just been a banger year for quality video game releases — it's also been a bloomin' good year for video game music.
We're living in a time where video game music is becoming more recognised and celebrated worldwide — earlier this year, the Grammy's gave out its first-ever award for 'Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media' (which went to Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok). And in 2022, Kirby won a Grammy (sort of).
At Nintendo Life, we usually give video game soundtracks a little shout-out in our overall lists, but this year, we want to do things a bit differently, because frankly, there's just too much good music out there to squeeze it into one section of another list, right?
We've chosen 16 — or 14, with two special selections — of the finest musical medleys on Nintendo Switch. From RPGs to classic 2D platformers, and heavy rock to sweeping orchestras, there's something for everyone. And even if you don't love the game, you might just love the music. We've largely stayed away from ports for this list, with one exception, but we'll give some others a special mention at the end.
Have a look at our picks below, and then make sure you choose your favourite soundtrack of 2023 in our poll at the end.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is 2D Mario back on top form — and that includes its wonderfully eclectic soundtrack. From the very first trailer and the acoustic guitar cheerfully strumming away, we knew the music would capture the charm and weirdness of Wonder perfectly. Each "World" has its own theme or selection of instruments that feels quite different from previous 2D Mario music while also evoking that nostalgic "fun" that we all felt growing up and playing Mario.
Recommended tracks: 'Athletic Theme', 'Piranha Plants on Parade', 'Petal Isles', 'Shining Falls'
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Switch eShop)
It's only right that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, which was heavily inspired by Jet Set Radio, is on this list. A handful of independent musicians joined with Jet Set composer Hideki Naganuma to curate a fresh and funky sound for this skating adventure game that oozes style and charisma. Notable names include 2 Mello, GRRL, Knxwledge, and KiloWatts, creating a soundtrack that is going to be on our summer playlist for years to come.
Recommended tracks: 'I Wanna Kno', 'Condensed Milk', 'Feel The Funk (Computer Love)', 'GET ENUF'
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Sea of Stars (Switch eShop)
If you've played The Messenger, then you shouldn't be surprised to see Sea of Stars sail onto this list. Eric Brown has established himself as a retro-style master, but while Sea of Stars' music certainly evokes the classics with its epic boss music, catching overworld themes, and chirpy town themes. Music embodies so much of Sea of Stars — to the point that there's an entire CD's worth of cover songs by the in-game pirate musicians. Even without Yasunori Mitsuda's wonderful contributions, Sea of Stars would sit comfortably as one of the best soundtracks of 2023.
Recommended tracks: 'Trials in the Mist', 'Encounter Elite!', 'Serenade of Respite (Night)', 'Volcanic Pursit'
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Switch eShop)
What a novel concept for a role-playing visual novel — a musical! — and it works tremendously. We shouldn't be shocked because Austin Wintory (composer of Journey) stands at the conductor's podium, and Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is proof that the musical style can absolutely work as a video game. While the highlights of this Greek God-starring, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer-inspired musical are indeed the vocal tracks, there are plenty of beautiful, calming, and heartfelt instrumental songs to help tie the whole thing together in a cohesive way.
Recommended tracks: 'Adrift', 'Pan's Garden', 'Look into Me', 'I Can Teach You'
Blasphemous 2 (Switch eShop)
Carlos Viola has once again taken our breath away with gorgeous flamenco-style guitars and sombre strings with Blasphemous 2's stunning soundtrack. And while Carlos builds on the style that made Blasphemous' soundtrack a hit, there's a lot more variety this time around — more piano, more organ, more electric guitar, etc. The Game Kitchen's in-house composer deserves more recognition for his stunning work on these two games (and The Last Door).
Recommended tracks: 'Sobre Sus Costales', 'Corona de Siete Azahares', 'Clavada', 'Lamentos de Arena'
Cassette Beasts (Switch eShop)
Cassette Beasts is another game on this "best of" list where the game is firmly rooted in music — you transform into creatures by using a cassette, after all! Joel Baylis decided to embrace this in the game's music, particularly the battle themes. Each battle song comes in two variations — one instrumental version, which plays in regular fights, and a vocal version, which kicks in when you and your companion's Cassette Beasts fuse together. Some of the game's most poignant moments go hand-in-hand with these lyrical moments, creating a British pop-punk soundtrack that will resonate with a whole generation of adults.
Recommended tracks: 'Wherever We Are Now', 'New Wirral (Night)', 'Same Old Story', 'Like Chimeras'
Octopath Traveler II (Switch)
In this humble author's opinion, Octopath Traveler II might just have the best soundtrack of the year. Yasunori Nishiki already blew us away in 2018 with his score for the first game, but somehow, he exceeded himself in Octopath Traveler II. The OST boasts a staggering 131 songs over six discs. While there are day and night themes for each area, and different variations of boss themes interwoven with character motifs, that help bolster that number, what's truly amazing is the amount of variation on offer here. From jazz to rock opera to beautiful piano pieces, Octopath Traveler II's music simply does not miss.
Recommended tracks: 'Critical Clash II', 'Partitio, the Merchant', 'Ku, Land of the Scarlet Sunset', 'Octopath Traveler II (Main Theme)'
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Yes, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom uses a lot of Breath of the Wild's music — which has proved controversial to some Zelda fans over the years. At the same time, Tears of the Kingdom listened to some of those criticisms and exploring Hyrule a second time around, you'll notice there's a lot more music to delight your ears. Zelda has always been a master at musical callbacks, and particular dungeon and boss themes play to that strength immensely. There's also the beautifully weightless piano as you dive to the surface, the catchy theme of your base town, and all of those eerie sounds as you explore the Depths. Put it on a disc, Nintendo — now!
Recommended tracks: 'Sky Islands', 'Colgera Battle', 'Water Temple', 'Flux Construct'
Comments 23
Do Super Mario Bros. Wonder has any songs? Like the ones featured in Super Mario Odyssey, for example.
Very nice to see Trails music get some appreciation even if Azure technically came out over a decade ago. Super Mario RPG had my favorite soundtrack for how much it elevates the original tracks, but props also need to go to Gravity Circuit's blood-pumping eurobeat-inspired score that captures a lot of the same vibes as the Mega Man X soundtracks.
Yoko scores again with the Mario RPG remake, literally and figuratively. Mario Wonder's soundtrack surprisingly doesn't stand out to me outside of the athletic and flying battleship themes.
Not mentioning Future Redeemed's final boss music is a crime. It was an amazing callback to the final boss of Xenoblade 1 and a great set of tracks in its own right. Listening to Memory's End->Zanza the Divine
->Redeem the Future->Redeem the Future - Finale
->The God-Slaying Sword is a near-religious experience, and not just because of all the unintelligible chanting.
Colgera might have the best theme in all of Zelda. That part with the Rito village theme is just perfect.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have their issues in terms of performance, but the soundtrack consistently fired on all cylinders. I’m aware the base game came out last year, but the DLC was a 2023 release and that part of the game in particular had some great tracks, especially the Indigo Disk. The remastered tracks from Gen 5 were particularly amazing.
@Croctopus Did they bring her back?! Or did someone else transcribe?
@Poodlestargenerica No, not actual songs. The music levels come the closest. Those are standouts too but once again I was surprised at how average Wonder's soundtrack is. At least there's no more "bah bah" but that alone isn't enough to score highly for me.
@Vyacheslav333 I thought it was made clear Yoko was back to re-arrange?
@thesilverbrick I would personally disagree, I felt that much of the music from both the base game and the DLC was annoyingly repetitive. Although I think that the Gen V battle themes were remade decently, I feel that the various BW tracks shoehorned into the Terrarium BGM were mixed in poorly - it feels forced and really unnatural, like yes, I get it, this is in Unova. Legends Arceus was a much better example of subtly remixing Gen IV tracks (granted, I’m sure development of that game had a much higher budget and definitely had a longer time cycle than Indigo Disk). I’m actually unsure if Toby Fox was responsible for the Terrarium’s music, but I’ve felt ever since the Battle Tower theme he composed for Sword and Shield that his compositions for Pokémon do not fit, and I am really not a fan. His Undertale and Deltarune OSTs are fantastic, but I personally wish Game Freak would drop him. I understand I’m in the minority with that opinion, though.
With that said, the Academy music is also a rare banger in Scarlet & Violet. If that’s a Fox track, then that’s a redeeming quality.
Great to see videogame soundtracks get more attention.
I bought the Octopath Traveler 2 soundtrack today on cdjapan. Loved the first one. Might even get the game eventually.
glad to see some Cassette Beasts appreciation! definitely my favorite VGM soundtrack of the year!
Persona 5 Tactica OST is amazing!!
Standout tracks include "Got Your Tail", "Fall Out" and "Truth Or Dare".
Little Goody Two Shoes was my favorite by far, all of its tracks are extremely hummable and boast a lot of variety. Truly an under appreciated gem.
The remastered Ghost Trick soundtrack and Gravity Circuit are sorely missing from this list
@Croctopus Well, that sucks. Japanese versions of songs from Super Mario Odyssey are awesome. Seems like Nintendo don't like two things in their video games – voice acting and songs.
Sonic Frontiers has been criminally overlooked in the discussion for best soundtrack of the year! I didn't even play the game before I stumbled over this lush and extremely varied OST - and am hooked ever since.
There's some nu metal tracks that are not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure (I love even those), but the epic level and boss tracks are just great. And so are the more electro dance tracks of the challenge stages. Check it out, can't recommend it enough!
Edit: Just realised the game was released in 2022 already. 🙈 Well okay, it was robbed last year then!
@Privatkatze what is Sonic Frontiers
Lots of good ones here. For me, the most notable are Persona 3 Portable, 4 Golden, and 5 Tactica, We Love Katamari, Ghost Trick, and Mario RPG.
@Revolution_Falls A video game with an outstanding soundtrack, that's all I know.
In the realm of Yoko Shimomura’s RPG remasters, I picked up Live a Live and the music is so good. Do yourself a favor and listen to the soundtrack, or better yet buy the game, it’ll change your life.
@JakedaArbok Megalomania, the Live-A-Live boss track, RULES
Didn't need to think too much about this one before voting. Has to be Octopath Traveler II.
Would like to give a shout out to the soundtrack for “born of bread”. Some good stuff in there!
Some highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEQs89QY8IU&list=PLJEpbVuy7WkNLsXaawfg8iovL-85AflOJ&index=53
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAREo7dBvvk&list=PLJEpbVuy7WkNLsXaawfg8iovL-85AflOJ&index=11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Gw4C3sKE4&list=PLJEpbVuy7WkNLsXaawfg8iovL-85AflOJ&index=75
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