Memorable Melodies: Lucca's Theme from Chrono Trigger

Song: Lucca's Theme

Game: Chrono Trigger

Composers: Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu

Chrono Trigger is my favorite video game of all time. Most people who know me are keenly aware of this fact. I could go on and on about how much I love Chrono Trigger and why it's so near to my heart, but I won't. For this feature we're here to talk about music, so that's what we're going to do.

Nobuo Uematsu is arguably one of the most well knows and lauded Japanese composers in the video game industry. Yasunori Mitsuda is similarly well known, but to a lesser degree. I personally think that the both of them do marvelous work, so it's no surprise that when they came together for the Chrono Trigger soundtrack something magical happened. One of the many reasons I love Chrono Trigger is because all of the music is so memorable. Most video game soundtracks are released once, but the Chrono Trigger soundtrack has been remixed and re-released several times over the years. It's a well loved soundtrack.

I want to try to go as long as I can before repeating games in this feature, which is why I've waited to long to bring Chrono Trigger into the picture. I remember every song from this game and still listen to them almost weekly. After much deliberation I decided that I had to go with Lucca's theme. She's the best friend of the game's protagonist. She's way into science and has purple hair. 

The reason I chose Lucca's theme is because it also acts as the fanfare when you win a battle. It's something that you'll hear a ton over the course of the game. It's almost impossible not to remember. 

Whenever I hear this song I immediately get pumped up. It's very up tempo and has a killer underlying drum beat. It sends a message to the player. It wants you to feel good and get pumped up for whatever is to come next. It's motivational in a way that most video game tracks simply aren't.

Memorable Melodies: Seaside Town from Super Mario RPG

Song: Seaside Town

Game: Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars

Composer: Yoko Shimomura

Last night after streaming Inazuma Eleven I hunkered down to play Metal Gear Solid V. I kept getting the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something, and I was! The fact that I hadn't posted Memorable Melodies came to me earlier today at work when I started whistling a delightful video game tune. I have now snapped out of my Metal Gear Solid induced haze to deliver you the newest edition of Memorable Melodies.

As you may have imagined Seaside Town from Super Mario RPG is the song I was whistling all day at work. I don't know why, but I have a rotation of video game songs I like to whistle. Seaside Town in particular is fun, because it's a jaunty sea shanty. There's no real rhyme or reason to it either. I just feel the need to whistle and something comes out!

There are numerous songs from Super Mario RPG that I adore, but I figured I'd start with this one. Seaside town is a coastal resort village, which is inhabited by weirdos when you first get there. The villain Yardovich took all the villagers and stuffed them in a shed while he and his minions pretended to be them in order to trick anyone who visited. Obviously Mario figures it out and beats him to a pulp, and the town returns to normal. There's a bit more story in between, but that's unimportant to this feature.

I know I'll never forget Seaside town, even if the only two sea related things in it are a wooden anchor at the entrance and this enchanting sea shanty. I just can't help but think of this song playing through some saloon doors down by the docks in a pirate infested world. Obviously Mario RPG isn't totally infested by pirates, but you do fight a pirate shark, so that's close enough I guess.

I hope that listening to the song has given you the urge to whistle! If you do make sure you do it loudly and proudly! Look forward to more dope tracks from Super Mario RPG in the future.

Memorable Melodies: Klomp's Romp from Donkey Kong Country 2

Song: Klomp's Romp

Game: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Composer: Dave Wise

Welcome to the first in a new weekly series called Memorable Melodies. As you may have surmised from the title I will be sharing my most favorite and memorable video game jams with you. People like to get caught up in the gameplay and plot when playing a video game, but sometimes it's just as fun to sit back and enjoy the music.

Man, let me tell you, I enjoy me some Klomp's Romp from Donkey Kong Country 2. There's always been something about pirates that has grabbed my interest. I can't tell you if it's their lust for treasure, free roaming spirit, or their sick pirate shanties. All I know is that when I think about pirates I tend to get pumped up. DKC 2 is all about pirates! That's the main reason I like the song so much, and it's certainly a tune I will always remember.

The song plays in the very first level of the game, and it perfectly sets the stage for what is to come. It starts off with just the sound of an old pirate ship creaking as the waves carry it along. Then, after a few moments a delightful little sea shanty comes in to accompany the sound of the waves. I like to whistle, and still often find myself whistling to this every so often. In fact, I'm whistling the song right now as I type this. It's just too catchy not to! It perfectly captures the games signature essence, which contains pirates, adventure, and conquest. Dave Wise is a top notch composer, so expect to see more of his work here in the future.

SUPER PRESS START

I saw this earlier today and decided that it had to be shared. Youtube user NickSplosionFX has put together every single Super Nintendo start screen and it's an amazing 9 hours and 3 minutes long.

It's amazing how much nostalgia I can feel for a 3-5 second start screen in a video game. When ActRaisers music came on I got a warm fuzzy feeling inside. The second it started playing I knew it was ActRaiser. I didn't even need to see the title card.

Perhaps if you have 9 hours of free time you should check out this amazing video, or you know, just check it out for a bit.