The 20 Best Nintendo Songs from the 8-Bit Era
Remember the soundtrack to your childhood.
Image via Complex Original
It was the greatest day of your childhood - the day Santa got you a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas. From rescuing Princess Toadstool, to beating Ganon with the Silver Arrow, to shooting at the dog in Duck Hunt, to losing at Contra, the 8-Bit Era has a monopoly on our fondest childhood memories.
Although we tend to remember the visuals of these early games, the music was an equally important component. The right tune, playing at the right time, could heighten the suspense and stoke our excitement - it could give us the extra motivation to take down Dr. Wily or knock out King Hippo. The 8-Bit Era is famous for doing so much with so little, and the music is no exception.
Plug in your controllers and blow into your cartridges. Counting down, here are the 20 Greatest Nintendo Songs of the 8-Bit Era.
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20. Battletoads "Turbo Tunnel"
Composer: David Wise
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1991
The developers clearly didn't want anyone to beat this game. Even with a Game Genie, Battletoads was virtually impossible thanks to the Turbo Tunnel, which redefined frustration. You were on a jet bike, with mere frames of animation separating you from glory or certain death. A relentless rhythm scored this level – a thudding synth bass that never let up and shredded your nerves. The beat was timed perfectly, synching with every wall, every ramp jump, and every rat on a rocket. For most players, the Turbo Tunnel was the level they lost all their lives on, but what a way to go.
19. Nintendo World Cup "Versus Match"
Composer: Kazuo Sawa
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
In the old days, before sports games got realistic, Nintendo World Cup not only allowed fouling, but also encouraged it. A well-placed crotch kick could be the difference between victory and defeat. Versus mode was where the game truly took off, and the soaring, high-pitched melody was truly distinctive. Upbeat and multilayered, the music kept you motivated to cheat, win, and lose all your friends.
18. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game "Sewers"
Composer: Mutsuhiko Izumi, Miki Higashino
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
The first Ninja Turtles game was a bust, but the sequel was an instant classic. Adapted from the arcade game, it captured the spirit of the TV show, with goofy one-liners and pizza galore. After kicking Bebop's tusks in, you dive into a sewer that's crawling with mousers and foot soldiers. The music swirls melodically - appropriate for a surreal level that takes place entirely beneath the city streets. The level climaxes with a fight against Baxter Stockman, in his pre-housefly form. Cowabunga indeed.
17. Paperboy "Main Theme"
Composer: Hal Canon
System: Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System
Date: 1988
What a sick, twisted game. Between the breakdancers, skateboard freaks, tornadoes, and Death himself, Paperboy had challenge and a dark sense of humor. Hell, you got bonus points for breaking people's windows and knocking over gravestones. This repetitive ditty was a satirical send-up of middle class bliss. It's a bit mundane when compared to the other songs on this list, but that's the whole point. Pretty yet plain on the outside, but who knows what lurks beneath? That's suburbia – and Paperboy – in a nutshell.
16. Bubble Bobble "Main Theme"
Composer: Tadashi Kimijima
System: Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System
Date: 1986
Two chubby dinosaurs. Lots and lots of bubbles. Sure, Bubble Bobble looked childish, but it was brilliant in its simplicity. It was one hundred levels of elegant design, based on platforming fundamentals. The main theme was constant, looping over and over like a runaway merry-go-round. Somehow, however, the song never got irritating. It was addictive and sweet, like the fruit and candy that the dinosaurs munched by the dozens.
15. Super Dodgeball "All-Stars"
Composer: Kazuo Sawa
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1988
You could only win this game by killing your opponents with a dodgeball. Literally killing them – they rose up to heaven as little angels when they died. As Team USA, you took on the world, finishing with the Soviet Union – bizarre to think about in our post-Cold War present. First though, you had to beat the other American team in a qualifier. The music was brash, loud, and fast, a perfect backdrop for a patriotic duel to the death. America, baby!
14. Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers "Zone B"
Composer: Harumi Fujita
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
There was a time when tie-in games were not meaningless shovelware. Disney cared about the quality of their games, and it showed. Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers was a co-op adventure that portrayed the world from a chipmunk's perspective. In Zone B, you tackled a kitchen overrun with mechanized mice. Leaky faucets and stoves became giant obstacles. The music tinkled – you could almost visualize the silver and glassware clinking together. It was cute, creative, and plain old fun.
13. Dr. Mario "Fever"
Composer: Hirokazu Tanaka
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
It was the puzzle game that launched a thousand medical careers. Like all great games, the premise was simple, but the mastery was difficult. Pills dropped from the top of the screen onto viruses – match the colors, and the viruses disappeared. Much easier said, however, than done. The Fever theme was aptly named. It hummed and hissed along with a low, nervous bass beat. It was definitely counterproductive to a calm mindstate, and you would turn it off if it weren't so damn catchy.
12. Final Fantasy "Town"
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1987
Square Enix started here, with this tiny, 8-bit RPG. You were equipped with the best spells and weapons that gold could buy, and a menu interface that was primitive, but effective. When you needed a break from battling monsters, you ambled into Town, to rest in an Inn, buy Items, and upgrade your weapons. You had a sleepy, sweet melody to relax to as you prepared for the next battle. No one ever said that restoring Light Orbs was going to be easy.
11. StarTropics "Beach"
Composer: Yoshio Hirai
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
If Link and Zelda went on a Caribbean vacation, it would be something like this underrated gem. You played as Mike, searching through the tropical islands for your archeologist uncle. StarTropics had a warm, island spirit exemplified by its songs. The soundtrack could fill a list by itself, but the Beach theme was particularly sunny. It was a bright 'Aloha' to begin your adventures, armed with nothing but a Yo-Yo and your wits.
10. Punch-Out!! "Training"
Composer: Kenji Yamamoto
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1987
You're Little Mac, fighting ethnic stereotypes three times your height on a wing and a prayer. From an Indian magician to a cowardly Frenchman to Mike Tyson, Punch Out!! was a trial in muscle memory and reflexes. The training scenes between Circuits are iconic – Little Mac in his pink sweatsuit and Doc on his bike, racing past the Statue of Liberty. The music – a Rocky meets MIDI concoction – is inseparable from the visuals. Hearing the Training theme meant receiving that all important password before taking down the next Circuit.
9. Super Mario Bros. "Underwater"
Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1985
It sounded insane on paper – two Italian plumbers, transported to a kingdom of mushroom people, rescue a princess from a fire-breathing lizard. And yet, nearly three decades since their breakout video game, Mario and Luigi are still going strong. The influence of Super Mario Bros. cannot be overstated – every game developer working today owes a debt to the benchmark that this game set. There were only two underwater levels, and thank God for that. The music, a 1-2-3 waltz, was deceptively soothing, as randomly moving Bloopers and schools of Cheep-Cheeps conspired to make your life hell.
8. Ninja Gaiden II "Act 2-2"
Composer: Ryuichi Nitta, Mayuko Okamura
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
Ninja Gaiden II was groundbreaking, with complex plot twists, cinematic cut scenes, and hard ass game play to boot. Armed with a deadly katana, fireballs, and red doppelgangers that mimicked your every move, ninjitsu was just as cool as you hoped. Everything in this game was out to kill you, and in Act 2-2, the elements themselves became your enemy. Wind, which changed direction every few seconds, created some truly evil platforming, and the music was its jaunty counterpoint. With such an ironically cheerful melody, falling into a pit never sounded so good.
7. Final Fantasy III "Eternal Wind"
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1990
By now, Square Enix knew they had a franchise on their hands, and the third time was the charm. Part III combined the best of Parts I and II, while adding its own flair to the mix. The story was deeper, and the finely-tuned combat, combined with the new character class system, made this game truly great. The main theme, Eternal Wind, conveyed longing and wistfulness. The background rhythm gave way to a lone, high note that simply cried out. There's a reason for all the YouTube remixes – even two decades later, it's still considered one of the best songs of the Final Fantasy series.
6. Super Mario Bros. 2 "Overworld"
Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1988
Originally released as Doki Doki Panic in Japan, this game has always been the black sheep of the Mario series. It was just bizarre, with potion operated doors, masked creatures, and no Bowser in sight. Most Mario songs were slow to mid-tempo tunes, but the Overworld theme was manic, and its cheerful, fast-paced energy excited your expectations. As it turned out, the World of Dreams was no Mushroom Kingdom, but it sure sounded fantastic.
5. Castlevania II "Bloody Tears"
Composer: Kenichi Matsubara
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1988
Of the three games that comprise the NES Castlevania trilogy, the second one is arguably the weakest. Who had time for backtracking and RPG grinding when you just wanted to slay vampires? The soundtrack, however, was beyond reproach, and Bloody Tears was the brightest highlight. Minor, dissonant chords created a spooky atmosphere, made impressive by the technical limitations of 8-bit compositions. How, exactly, do you create horror music out of bleeps and bloops? Look no further.
4. Metroid "Brinstar"
Composer: Hirokazu Tanaka
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1986
All hail the Queen. Strong, silent, and sexy, Samus Aran was an ass kicker with an agenda – to vaporize every space pirate in range. Metroid was the first in a long line of non-linear, masterpiece games (we'll forget that Other M ever happened). The Brinstar theme, with its military march percussion, marked the beginning of a bold journey. You needed courage to take down Kraid, Ridley, and the Mother Brain, and this music made bounty hunters of us all.
3. The Legend of Zelda "Opening"
Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1986
'Legend' doesn't even begin to describe it. Nintendo attained gaming nirvana with Link's first adventure. The world of Hyrule was sprawling – there were hidden secrets behind every rock and bush. You could spend your whole summer searching for the Power Bracelet (it was behind the fifth Armos from the left) and still not find it. This was the first song you heard, played over the title screen. From the melodious high notes to the percussive triplets, this song had the air of royalty about it. You would hear variations on it throughout the game, but this was the best, prettiest incarnation.
2. DuckTales "The Moon"
Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1989
In Ducktales, you stepped into the webbed shoes of Uncle Scrooge. You greedy son of a duck. Apparently, swimming in a pool of your own money wasn't enough, so you set out on a quest for five lost treasures. You traveled to the extremes of the earth, but for the last, most difficult level, you traveled to the Moon. The Moon song started with robotic, techno sounds before segueing into a Star Trek-esque refrain. Ambitious and futuristic, the song was a beautiful piece of work. When DuckTales gets remastered for HD later this year, the remix of this song will be the most anticipated.
1. Mega Man II "Dr. Wily Stage: Level 1"
Composer: Takashi Tateishi
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Date: 1988
Mega Man II had it all. Incredible level design, hairpin controls, badass weapons (the Metal Blade is still the most broken item ever designed) – it all combined to make this the best installment of the Mega Man series. After fighting through eight, evil robot bosses, you finally stormed Dr. Wily's castle, armed to the teeth and ready for war. The accompanying song was something special – it repeated the core melody multiple times, but added layers to it with every refrain – a countermelody here, a call and response there. It was anxious, heroic, and 'carpe diem' – an epic conclusion to an epic game.