S-Tier: The Untouchable Legends
Let me start with the most controversial take: Chrono Trigger sits alone at the top of S-tier, and yes, that means above Ocarina of Time. Yasunori Mitsuda’s masterpiece doesn’t just complement the gameplay, it becomes the emotional foundation of the entire experience. “Corridors of Time” alone carries more weight than most entire soundtracks. The way it blends medieval and futuristic elements while maintaining perfect melodic coherence is something we’ve never seen replicated at this level.
Ocarina of Time earns its S-tier placement not just for nostalgia, but for revolutionizing how music integrates with gameplay mechanics. Koji Kondo didn’t just write great songs, he created a musical language that players could speak. When “Zelda’s Lullaby” plays during those quiet moments with Sheik, it hits with the force of a childhood memory you forgot you had.
The third S-tier slot goes to Final Fantasy VI, and before you @ me about VII, hear me out. Nobuo Uematsu peaked here. “Dancing Mad” is the most ambitious final boss theme ever composed, and “Terra’s Theme” carries emotional weight that modern orchestral scores struggle to match. The opera scene alone justifies this placement. It’s interactive musical theater that shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
A-Tier: The Genre Definers
Final Fantasy VII lands squarely in A-tier, and I know that’s fighting words for some of you. “One-Winged Angel” is iconic, “Aerith’s Theme” will make grown adults cry, but the overall consistency doesn’t quite reach S-tier heights. There are tracks that feel like filler, something you’d never say about the S-tier entries. Still, its cultural impact and the sheer number of memorable themes make it essential listening.
Super Metroid deserves more recognition in these conversations. Kenji Yamamoto created the template for atmospheric gaming music. The way silence and ambient sound blend with melodic elements in “Lower Norfair” creates tension that pure orchestration never could. This soundtrack taught an entire generation of developers that less can be more.
Nier: Automata represents the modern pinnacle of game music. Keiichi Okabe’s dynamic arrangements that shift with gameplay states pushed the medium forward. “Weight of the World” in its various forms creates one of gaming’s most emotionally devastating conclusions. It’s A-tier because it’s still too recent to fully judge its long-term impact, but it’s climbing.
Secret of Mana rounds out A-tier with Hiroki Kikuta’s otherworldly compositions. “Fear of the Heavens” and “Meridian Dance” transport you to a fantasy realm that feels both ancient and timeless. The way this soundtrack balances whimsical exploration with epic adventure themes is unmatched in the action-RPG space.
B-Tier: The Solid Gold Standards
Super Mario Bros. 3 lives in B-tier not because it’s lacking, but because it’s doing something fundamentally different. Koji Kondo’s work here prioritizes functionality over emotional storytelling, and it succeeds brilliantly. Every track serves its purpose perfectly without overstaying its welcome. “Athletic Theme” is pure joy in musical form, but the overall experience doesn’t aim for the emotional heights of higher tiers.
Mega Man 2 belongs here for giving us the blueprint of memorable boss themes. “Dr. Wily Stage 1” is a masterclass in building tension through repetition and variation. The entire soundtrack proves that hardware limitations breed creativity. Each track is instantly recognizable and perfectly suited to its stage, but the emotional range is narrower than A-tier competitors.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask earns B-tier placement for its experimental approach to familiar melodies. The way songs become warped and unsettling mirrors the game’s themes perfectly. “Song of Healing” hits harder than most A-tier tracks, but the overall soundtrack serves atmosphere over memorable melody in ways that keep it from the top tier.
Hollow Knight represents modern indie excellence. Christopher Larkin’s atmospheric compositions create perfect mood pieces that enhance exploration without overwhelming it. “City of Tears” and “Sealed Vessel” demonstrate that contemporary indie developers understand what makes game music special. It’s B-tier because individual tracks rarely transcend their contextual purpose, but the overall experience is cohesive and brilliant.
The Controversial Placements
Here’s where I lose some of you: Halo sits in B-tier, not A. Martin O’Donnell’s work is undeniably iconic, and “Mjolnir Mix” deserves recognition as one of the best main themes ever composed. But outside of a handful of standout tracks, the overall soundtrack prioritizes atmosphere over melodic memorability. It’s excellent at what it does, but what it does is more limited in scope than the A-tier competition.
Sonic the Hedgehog gets B-tier placement for similar reasons. “Green Hill Zone” is pure nostalgia distilled into audio form, and the entire soundtrack bubbles with personality and energy. But Masato Nakamura’s compositions, while perfect for their context, don’t carry the emotional range or compositional complexity of higher tiers. Sometimes being perfectly suited to purpose is enough.
The most controversial placement might be putting Undertale in B-tier. Toby Fox created something special with tracks like “Megalovania” and “His Theme,” and the way melodies evolve and callback throughout the experience shows sophisticated understanding of musical storytelling. But the soundtrack works primarily within its specific context. Strip away the narrative associations, and individual tracks don’t always stand alone as effectively as A-tier compositions.
Why These Rankings Matter Beyond Nostalgia
This tier system isn’t about dismissing your personal favorites or claiming objective truth about subjective art. It’s about recognizing that some soundtracks fundamentally changed how we think about music in interactive media. S-tier entries didn’t just create great songs, they proved that game music could be emotionally complex, technically sophisticated, and culturally significant.
The real magic happens when we move beyond “I like this song” to understanding why certain compositions work so effectively within their medium. Chrono Trigger’s S-tier placement isn’t just about melody quality, it’s about how Mitsuda created musical time travel that makes players feel the weight of changing history. That’s a level of integration between music and interactive storytelling that few have achieved since.
What soundtracks would you place differently? I know I’ve probably committed some cardinal sins in your personal pantheon, and honestly, that’s the point. These conversations matter because they help us articulate what makes game music special and why it deserves serious critical attention alongside film scores and concert hall compositions.