Video game franchises like Mario, Sonic The Hedgehog, and The Legend of Zelda all have distinctive soundtracks that have stood the test of time and remain memorable today, but that doesn’t mean they don’t fall victim to certain video game music tropes. Those games aren’t directly the targets of the latest video from Swedish musician and gamer Seth Everman, but his run through classic video game music clichés certainly reminds us of those titles at times.
Everman goes through most of the different types of music you’d find in a typical ’90s video game. His jaunty menu theme definitely reminds us of something from the Playstation 1, like Spyro The Dragon, or even a Mario game if those songs weren’t so stuck in our mind as their own distinct thing. His “YOU PRESSED START” transition into “UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENE” is unmistakably line up-pausing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and meeting Ganondorf outside of the castle in the storm.There really isn’t anything Everman doesn’t nail in this clip, from the jaunty tutorial music (“TUTORIAL THAT YOU’RE FORCED TO COMPLETE”) to the menacing “THE EVIL BOSS APPEARS” to the mystical “WATER LEVEL (that everyone hates),” and it really shows how much we may take for granted the connection between the feelings certain portions of games give us and the music that’s critical in making that happen.
There are more video game music tropes in store, so check out the video above and try not to let Everman’s absolutely piercing eyes dominate your soul too much.
Featured image: Seth Everman
