My favourite songs in any given game tend to be the Final Boss themes. There’s just something about them that always hits a certain sweet spot for me; it’s the mixture of a tense battle and a song that captures a sense of finality, I reckon. It also helps that a lot of final boss songs tend to be, in addition to tense, rather sad sounding or sort of terrifying. So, today, I wanna talk about a couple of my personal favourites, be they beautifully tragic or downright nightmare inducing.
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Hell Chaos, by Katsuro Tajima. From Splatterhouse (Arcade version)
I’ve spoken about this one before when I did my Sound Breakdown Paradise entry on Splatterhouse’s soundtrack, but I couldn’t not include it in this list. Splatterhouse’s presentation is incredibly Grindhouse-y, and a lot of it’s horror is primarily- although not exclusively- drawn from intense violence and severe body horror. It gives off the impression that were it a film, Splatterhouse’d be the sort of thing you’d find at back of a video store at $2 for a weekend rental, and that inevitably gets riffed on by The Cinema Snob some 30 years later. The soundtrack is more then fitting of this vibe; it’s weird, synth driven in terms of design as well as application, and alternates between relatively quiet and moody pieces and sheer chaotic noise depending on the scenario. Then we get to the final boss, and the mood changes somewhat. The song is highly melodic and has a clear progression from start to finish, and the tone is less “balls to the wall horror” and more... haunting. Melancholic. At the breakdown 32 seconds in and especially during the final eight measures before the song loops, it almost feels emotionally devastated in a Gothic sort of way. Given the dark twist of Splatterhouse’s story, I daresay it’s only fitting that the final horror Rick Taylor faces is backed by a track with a bit more gravitas to it. Plus, it’s got chiptune pipe organs in it, and I’m a sucker for pipe organs be they real or synthesized.
My Heaven, by Akira Yamaoka. From Silent Hill
Mr. Yamaoka is one of the most celebrated and publicised musicians in the industry due to his work on the Silent Hill series, and not without merit; his choice to score most of the events of each game with ambient music that runs the gamut from airily sorrowful to harsh noise helped shape the very identity of the Silent Hill series itself, almost as much as industrial fans and the scientific principal of Rust have. The first game’s soundtrack still stands out to me as the most hard hitting of all of them in terms of atonality, and this song is about as abrasive as it gets. I mean, the song’s lead “melody” is comprised entirely of manipulated samples of drills for crying out loud, and by god does it work wonders for the tone and mood of the game’s final encounter; the pounding industrial beats rising and falling in intensity and volume throughout the song go a long way towards helping with that, naturally. Would it even be fair to count this as music, or is it more a sound collage? That’s a discussion for another time, but if I can sit here and honestly say I enjoy listening to this out of context for the pleasure of it, then Mr. Yamaoka is clearly doing something right.
Final Boss, by Taku Iwasaki. From Ai Cho Aniki
Say what you want about the Cho Aniki series; y’can’t deny the developers didn’t have fun or get creative with... basically every aspect of all the games in the series. Whilst I do slightly roll my eyes at the “LOL JAPAN U SO WACKY” prefix that usually precedes discussion about the series, it’s not entirely undeserved; they are some fucking weird games, I tell ya. The music generally reflected the silly, irreverant nature of the games in every regard, with campy melodies and ridiculous samples- I’m pretty sure it’s also one of the few game series’ to use Ska for one of it’s boss battles- but the final boss track from the series’ second title changes that up quite considerably. For starters, it wouldn’t sound out of place at a John Robinson set at Juliana’s Tokyo (and takes a fair few cues- and samples- from T99‘s rave beat hit Anasthasia), which is already at odds with the rest of the sound design across the score. Secondly, as cheesy as this kind of early 90s rave scene sound is- and it is- the somewhat dark-ish edge of those classic stab samples and the warping synth sounds do lend the song at least a small degree of intensity. Plus, come on, I’m allowed at least one Rave-y track per list. It’s in my non-existent contract.
Ruby Illusions (Final Boss), by Tee Lopes. From Sonic Mania
For a character who’s oftentimes portrayed as quite comical and silly, Eggman has frequently been paired up with some incredibly intense or evocative battle themes that speak to a far more menacing side of everyone's favourite Teddy Roosevelt look-alike (one of the most infamous being the theme for his boss encounters in the US version of Sonic CD). This one is probably my absolute favourite of the songs written for the good doctor, primarily because it strikes quite a nice balance that captures both sides of Eggman’s characterisation; there’s a bit of pomposity inherent in the song’s use of pipe organs and tubular bells that goes right at home with the equally pompous horns used throughout it, but the melody and chords formed with them still sound legitimately threatening in their own right. The incredibly atmospheric use of samples like the klaxon and a some pitch shifted chattering/laughter are nice touches, too- I really like the countdown that closes out the bridge between the intro and the first section of the song. Also hey, irregular time signatures! Those’re always neat to hear.
Revenge of Mr. X, by Yuzo Koshiro. From Streets of Rage 2
The final boss track from the first Streets of Rage is arguably more iconic thanks to it’s slight latin house flavour, but I always liked this slightly darker retake of the track from the second title. I mean, I’m obviously biased, because I like my final boss tracks to sound more evil and/or sorrowful, but I genuinely do think the song sits a little bit harder with the slight change up to it’s chords and melodies. I do like, though, that it doesn’t actually throw out any elements from the original wholesale per say- the latin house piano is still in there, for one, it’s just accentuated by an additional counter melody. The breakdown from the original track is also built upon in much the same way, to even greater effect- I daresay the breakdown is my favourite aspect of this track overall. Although, man, that intro; it’s not too long, but it’s just long enough for the tension to build before the song really kicks into high gear, and I absolutely love it for that. The only real complaint I have is that it’s arrangement is a tad shorter and quicker to loop then the original, and that does hurt the piece ever so slightly. Only slightly, though.
Catch-22 (Boss 8), by Shinji Hosoe. From iS: Internal Section
Just putting this out there; Square Soft’s best era was that sweet bit from the mid 90s to the early 2000s when all that Final Fantasy VII fame (and money) allowed them to get away with releasing a number of really interesting and unique games. All of which had banging soundtracks. Even the not-as-out-there non-FF games in this period had banging soundtracks actually, but that’s besides the point. iS: Internal Section is an extremely abstract tunnel shooter with very obviously polygonal graphics, that sits somewhere between “Tempest” and “Rez” both in terms of release and, to a degree, in style, with an eclectic electronica soundtrack backing the fairly intense action. Though most of the songs fall somewhere in “industrial techno” or “IDM” brackets, there’s a couple of drum & bass/jungle influence tracks, including this one, but I particularly like how sparse the arrangement is. The chopped breakbeat isn’t too busy, and whilst the song isn’t atonal there’s not really a clear, whistlable melody either; just slightly tuneful SFX, and a few buzzy or airy synths here or there to compliment the mood. And, of course, that wonderfully deep sub bass slicing through the mix like a knife through butter. It’s more low-key then a lot of final boss tracks in its way, but that’s precisely why I like it.
You Goddamned Bathead, arranged by Sota Fujimori (originally by Konami Kukeiha Club). From Castlevania Chronicles
Not to discredit Michiru Yamane’s work on Symphony of the Night, because it’s soundtrack is deservedly praised, but mate, real chat? I’m a much bigger fan of the music from Castlevania Chronicles. I daresay it’s my favourite soundtrack in the entire series, closely followed by Haunted Castle (because I’m so bloody contrarian). I get why a lot of people might not’ve vibed with it though- whilst it does have the series’ trademark Baroque Rock touch in a few tracks and some stunning orchestral pieces, a lot of it is distinctly electronica driven. When you think Epic Battle with Castlevania’s incarnation of Dracula, you generally think something like Illusionary Dance, not bangin’ Hard Trance. Writing this off as just “mindless dance music” does really undersell it, though; the tweaky acid basslines and driving four-on-the-floor beats are fused with some incredibly bombastic and very series-worthy pipe organ riffs and fittingly haunting synthesizer leads. And as much as I love it, I have to admit, it’s a lot punchier and more impactful then the original version of the track from the Sharp X68000 Akumajo Dracula game (although I admit, the cheesy record scratches are sorely missed in the Chronicles version).
Final Battle, by Ayako Saso. From Street Fighter EX 3
My love for the music from the Street Fighter EX series is pretty well documented by now- and if you listen to my own musical output, the influence is abundantly clear. And whilst I could pick a great many songs from her career to highlight this fact, this is one of my go-to examples when showing Ayako Saso’s supreme talent. The sheer meshing of genres alone is incredibly impressive; we’ve got a bit of orchestral, some breakbeat, a touch of synthpop, and a few dashes of rock to flavour. Then there’s the arrangement; the buildup from the slightly slower yet more grandiose intro to the almost Deep Purple-esque rock fusion is masterfully done, but it’s the sudden yet brief shift back into the elements of that intro section at 3:05 that really touches a particularly delicious sweet spot for me. It damn near borders on prog rock on a level that Rick Wakeman himself would truly appreciate, I reckon. It’s moody, it’s full of pomp and circumstance, and it absolutely rips when it wants to; it’s easily the best theme M. Bison’s ever had, period.
Final Battle, by Naoki Kodaka. From Batman (Mega Drive version)
I’ve long been of the opinion that Mr. Kodaka’s work on the NES Batman game by Sunsoft is good, but his work on the Mega Drive Batman game by the same company (which he did solo) is legendary. Perhaps I oughta give it the Sound Breakdown Paradise treatment sometime. The regular boss theme is pretty solid in it’s way- enough so I put in this year’s Halloween mix- but it’s a tad short and repetitive once you get passed the intro. There’s a bit more going on in the arrangement of the final boss track that makes it a slightly more enjoyable listen in the long term, and as you’ve by now no doubt started to notice, I sure do have a bias for Triplet-based time signatures (they certainly do have a driving feel to them that ramps up the tension). I won’t lie to you though, folks; a big part of why this is here is because of the incredibly well-programmed Tubular Bell-like synth that kicks in during the songs final eight measures. That’s some absolute mastery of the YM2612 right there.
Erupter [m1dy Remix], originally by Manabu Namiki. From Battle Garegga Rev. 2016
More video games need Gabber/Speedcore songs for final boss tracks, I think. Certainly I can’t think of many people in the industry providing them half as often as Manabu Namiki does, and to be frank, god bless him for it. This redone version from the PS4 re-release of Eighting/Raizing’s mid-90s shooter was remixed by doujin scene darling m1dy, who has considerable experience with music of this kind, as this song of his clearly shows. It sticks to the original track fairly closely in terms of arrangement, preferring instead to beef the track up with modern production techniques. This is a pretty good thing, as the melody of the song already had a fairly menacing feel to it that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror-themed game, in my opinion. I went with the remixed version primarily because the advantage of CD-quality recording allowed m1dy to spice the song up with much meatier gabber kicks and some delightfully harsh and raw synths during those breakdowns.
Guitar, Omega, and Rugal (Arranged Version), by Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan. From The King of Fighters ‘95
Fun fact; I heard this song long before I ever heard Concept of Love, so I associated that vocal clip in the intro with King of Fighters over Jet Set Radio for the longest time. It helped tremendously that it’s such a banger of a track, though; Rugal always did have some of the best Final Foe tracks to come from SNK’s in house band, and this one is probably my absolute favourite. What’s interesting about it to me is that, for scoring a fight with a driven-crazy-with-demonic-power psychopath, the song’s actually got a fairly modest tempo and the melody isn’t all that complicated for the most part. The shuffled snare rushes mixed into the beat and the chaotic sci-fi computer bleeps lend a little bit of craziness, but it’s largely when the synth lead goes ham during the breakdown and the solo section that closes out the track- as well as the rippin’ guitar shreddage itself- where the insanity really starts to show. I kinda like the more menacing approach most of the track has, though; somehow a more straightforward and arguably somewhat sedate track matched with the brutal madness of Omega Rugal creates a more unnerving feel then something more chaotic and freeform would’ve.
Adam, by Hisayoshi Ogura. From G Darius
I plan to still cover this soundtrack in full detail this countdown if I get the chance, but I wanted to highlight it’s final encounter theme anyway because it captures so many moods at once. The first portion of the track is deliciously nightmarish, with an incredibly powerful synth string bass, that incredibly creepy vocal-like synth, and some wonderful industrial strikes- but then, at 58 seconds, the vibe changes entirely to one that’s a lot more mournful, with a melancholic piano line, and some genuinely quite wordless choral harmonizing (which, I think, is possibly a sample rather then a synthesizer patch, but I’m not 100% sure on that one). There’s still some creepy elements in there though- the piano motif is also rendered using another vocal-ish synth chord that clashes slightly with itself as it goes up and down the scale, and shit, I still get chills when I hear that “I am...” sample kick in. The stuttered, shuffled beat that starts each measure relatively simple before seemingly stumbling over itself at the end (but staying in time with the rhythm) and occasional sample of heavy machinery tie everything together with a neat little bow. The shift in tone is totally natural, too, without feeling too jarring or sudden. Very fitting with the game itself, too; despite not being a horror game, G Darius has an atmosphere thick with both dread and sorrow that’s incredibly palpable when played.
Deep Core (Allegro), by Tomoya Ohtani. From Sonic Rush Adventure
And to close out the article, we return to the Sonic franchise to show off another of my Top 3 end-game battle tracks from the series. Technically, this is cheating a little bit, as it’s the version of the song that kicks in when the last boss is down to it’s last couple of hits: the version you hear throughout most of the battle is this one. I greatly prefer the Allegro version, though, for a couple of reasons. For one, I feel the arrangement flows a little bit better going from that really beautiful, extremely melancholy little melodic sequence into the hardcore drum & bass section rather then the other way around. For another, well, it’s a speedier tempo, and if you know anything of me you know I love bullshit-fast music. The switch up from a half-time hip hop beat into looped-and-chopped Amen Break action is also something that tickles my fancy something fierce. Really, though, that opening section is what cinches the deal for me; there’s something really haunting and desperate about not just the synth melody, but the synth stab panned to the right speaker and even the bassline go a long way to help that section feel really hopeless, and something about it just really hits me in the gullet every time I hear it.
~ Decon Theed (17/10/17)