The 20 Best Nintendo Songs from the 8-Bit Era

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.