There’s just something about Super Nintendo music. While the Sega Genesis has a distinctly menacing twang, the SNES’s soundscapes feel soothing, almost ethereal. And I’m not the only one to have noticed, as user SNES drunk on YouTube has created a playlist of three hours of relaxing music from games on the console.
More Like This:
- When Video Game Music Becomes Lullabies
- Why Do Animal Crossing’s Villagers Leave Such an Impact?
- How Games Are Taking Us Back to the Early Days of the Internet
The titles here of course include well-known classics like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario World, and A Link to the Past. But the sampling also represents games you almost certainly haven’t played, perhaps because they were Japan-only releases (Fire Emblem) or because they were panned at the time (Waterworld). The inclusion of the latter makes the playlist distinct from the usual SNES soundtrack highlights. You’ll hear “Aquatic Ambiance” from Donkey Kong Country, but you’re also going to get the ending track from Phalanx. Hell, there are a lot of games on the list that I don’t even recognize.
For me, the SNES was when music in games went from being good game music to being good music in its own right. I used to sit underwater in Breath of Fire and hang out in Brinstar in Super Metroid for the soundtracks. But even if you’ve never seen an SNES in your life, I think you’ll find this playlist is great for taking you through a lazy Sunday afternoon.
