On the Town

The Snowdin Town theme is almost certainly the simpleist song on this countdown. While some of the entries on this list were recorded by full orchestras, Toby Fox composed the Undertale soundtrack in a cave with a box of scraps FL Studio using free sound fonts. It’s not the most layered or complex theme, but it perfectly captures the town’s laidback nature. The residents of the cozy town welcome you with open arms, so it’s only fitting that Snowdin’s theme would make you feel like you belong. Even though the town is capped with snow, the villagers create a warm environment for anyone who’s passing through. The theme song captures this same dichotomy. The gentle tempo makes you feel like you’re walking through a winter wonderland, and it never seems hostile since the simple melody creates an inviting atmosphere. Living in cold climates can be a challenging experience, but it would be hard to imagine a place that’s more amiable than Snowdin. It’s a pleasant town with an equally pleasant theme song. It’s already been mentioned on our list of best Winter Themes, but it’s deserving of a spot on this countdown as well.

Most of the themes on this list are peaceful and relaxing, but Secret of Mana takes a different approach. In this game, the towns often feel more intense than the surrounding areas, despite the fact that they’re generally safer. The standard town theme is largely defined by a violent snare drum. This makes you feel like your gearing up for battle rather than taking a breather. That poor drum gets hit harder than a birthday piñata in Animal Crossing, and the beat is unrelenting. The Empire’s theme is a little more understated, although it still features a pronounced drum line. The track has a soothing quality, but there’s also an underlying sense of urgency beneath its upbeat melody. We first hear the theme when we visit the Empire’s Gold City, and the harmonies are just as golden as the city itself. It almost sounds like a vocal performance by the time all of the instruments are layered on top of each other. Hiroki Kikuta worked diligently to push the SNES sound capabilities as far as possible. It’s fair to say that his hard work paid off, and I think the Empire’s Gold City sounds better in the original than it does in the 2018 remake.

Nintendo’s version of SimCity improved upon the PC version in several meaningful ways. It introduced reward properties, ever-changing seasons, and a helpful mentor named Dr. Wright who would offer sage advice. One of the more overlooked aspects of the port was its remarkable soundtrack, and this is apparent from the onset. The title theme is incredible right out of the gate, and every piece of music occupies a permanent place in my memory. Each time your city’s population reaches a new milestone, the music changes to reflect your progress. The soundtrack is appropriately serene when you’re first starting out, but the sound design becomes increasingly more industrial as your city grows. The Village theme is calm and soothing, and it sets the stage for the entire game. SimCity lets you play at your own pace, so it’s important for the soundtrack to reflect this low-stakes paradigm. Even though the entire theme is only about 80 seconds long, it never seems repetitive despite being on a constant loop. Your village will likely evolve into a proper town before you have the chance to grow tired of the music, but it will always the first theme that plays whenever you decide to start a new game.

Although Super Mario RPG features plenty of familiar faces, the cast is mostly comprised of entirely new characters. While Geno is a perennial fan favorite, Mallow has a much bigger role in the story. He’s Mario’s first partner in the game, after all, and many of the major plot points revolve around him. After being separated from his parents, Mallow was raised by a community of frogs. When he learns the truth about his origins, he sets out on a quest to find his real family. It turns out that he was actually the prince of Nimbus Land! The floating kingdom is situated on top of a massive cloud, and the only way to reach it is by climbing a beanstalk. It’s like something you’d see in a fairy tale, and the entire scenario is intentionally preposterous. Rest assured, Nimbus Land’s theme song is just as whimsical as the kingdom itself. The melody sounds like it’s being played on a flute, and it evokes feelings of unbound optimism. To put it another way, the song makes you feel like you’ve been whisked away to a fanciful city in the clouds. It’s arguably the most cheerful theme song on this entire countdown, and there’s not a hint of melancholy. The song was composed by Yoko Shimomura, who actually wrote three of the songs on this list!

Colony 9 is a friendly settlement and the first area you get to explore in Xenoblade Chronicles. Many of the main characters call the colony their home, and the music always makes you feel like you’re visiting a familiar place. Like most tracks in the game, the Colony 9 theme has two separate arrangements. During the day, the theme paints the picture of a bustling town and a commercial hub. At night, it’s infinitely more relaxing and sounds more like a lullaby. The instruments change, the tempo slows down, and it almost sounds like a completely different song. (The daytime version is the second track on this list that was composed by Yoko Shimomura, while the night version was arranged by ACE+.) I’m rather fond of both arrangements, and I appreciate how they evoke different emotions. Whether the music is reflecting the vivacious energy of the colony or its understated tranquility, I always feel welcome when I’m visiting Colony 9. The music gives off serious hometown vibes, and it helps set the stage for the rest of the adventure. The song is memorable right off the bat, and I appreciate it more each time I hear it.

The Kingdom Hearts soundtrack features some of the best tunes from Final Fantasy, and it also includes a number of Disney classics. Surprisingly, the original songs make just as much of an impact even though they lack the built-in familiarity. Composer Yoko Shimomura went out of her way to write songs that would make people feel good. This is certainly true of the Traverse Town theme. The soothing melody never fails to lull me into a state of security, and the song feels like a warm embrace. Traverse Town serves as the main hub in Kingdom Hearts, so you can expect to spend a lot of time there. Fortunately, the theme never seems to get old regardless of how often it loops. Traverse Town is said to be a world that appears whenever a person is in need of refuge. For people who grew up playing Kingdom Hearts, the town theme will always be there when you’re in need of some comfort. If you check out the song on YouTube, you’ll see countless people talking about their childhood memories. The franchise was largely built on nostalgia, so it’s fitting that the soundtrack makes people feel so nostalgic decades after its release.

For the purpose of this list, I’m going to be extra strict with the “one entry per franchise” rule. This entire countdown would otherwise be dominated by Final Fantasy tracks composed by the great Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy II has the most slept-on track in the entire franchise, but I’m going with the more obvious choice. The town theme from Final Fantasy VI is a peaceful song that makes you feel like you can leave your troubles in the past. The characters are put through the wringer and the entire world is on the brink of collapse, so its nice to have a comforting melody that can give you a reprieve from all of your adventuring. The track is formally known as Kids Run Through the City, and even the title has an air of optimism surrounding it! There’s something about it that hearkens back to a simpler time, and I’m at peace whenever I hear the song. It should be noted that the theme is technically used in five different towns, but that only speaks to its versatility and resilience. We’ve been treated to multiple versions of the song over the years, but the original SNES arrangement is still my favorite.

Kakariko Village is a recurring location in the Zelda franchise. It was first seen in A Link to the Past, and it was the only proper settlement in the game. Kakariko is a safe haven where the villagers continue to live carefree lives even though the land of Hyrule has been thrust into a state of turmoil. The gentle music that plays when you enter the village sharply contrasts with the bombastic overworld theme, and it immediately lets you know that its okay to let your guard down. Most of the villagers are friendly and outgoing, and the threat level will remain low unless you decide to pick a fight with a bunch of chickens. Fittingly, the peaceful village theme stops playing after the town is overrun by soldiers in the game’s second act. We’ve seen many iterations of Kakariko in subsequent Zelda games, and we’ve heard just as many variations of its theme song. Although I’m partial to the original version from A Link to the Past, I also enjoy the remixes from Ocarina of Time and A Link Between Worlds. Every iteration calms my soul and makes me feel like I’m being wrapped up in a comfy blanket.

One of my favorite things about this website is that it gives me an opportunity to highlight lesser-known games. Opoona was a niche JRPG that was released exclusively for the Wii in 2007. It didn’t make much of an splash from a critical or commercial standpoint, and that means most people have no idea how amazing Noriyuki Kamikura’s soundtrack is. The Village Without Memories deserves recognition as one of gaming’s most overlooked themes. It’s a beautiful and relaxing composition that never stops surprising me. I’m taken aback each time an new instrument is introduced, and I can’t believe how smooth the arrangement is. Everything from the Spanish guitar to the violins sounds immaculate, and I love how it all flows together. The track is somewhat reminiscent to Just the Two of Us, and I love how it incorporates elements from jazz, smooth soul, and quiet storm R&B. In an ironic twist, The Village Without Memories is unforgettable. It’s an amazing vibe, and I always look forward to hearing the song. It’s the number one reason to visit Fonthene as far as I’m concerned, and I imagine that the theme bolsters tourism in the quaint village.

The Twoson theme – also known as Boy Meets Girl – was the first song that came to mind when I started this countdown, and it’s the only one that was in contention for the number one position. With its slow tempo and simple harmonies, the song initially sounds like something you’d expect to hear in a schoolroom. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, however, and the chord bass melody is surprisingly complex. That’s EarthBound in a nutshell, and the game as a whole has more emotional depth than its simple art style implies. The peaceful Twoson theme never fails to elicit feelings of positivity, and it’s the kind of tune that inspires you to press onward. EarthBound is effectively a coming-of-age story at its core, and Boy Meets Girl fits perfectly with this underlying premise. Although Twoson is the second town you visit in the game, it’s the first place where you make a new friend. As soon as the theme kicks into gear, you can sense that big changes are on the horizon. The song has an unmistakable nostalgic quality to it, but it also makes me feel optimistic about the future.