[2026] Many classic tracks! A compilation of nostalgic Japanese video game music

JuliaUematsu Nobuo

[Video Soundtrack] Julia [FINAL FANTASY VIII]

An arrangement of the song “Eyes On Me,” synonymous with Final Fantasy VIII.

It’s a piece tied to a woman named Julia who also appears in the main game.

The gentle, warm melody makes you listen in a blissful daze—so soothing that it almost lulls you to sleep, a track that pleasantly sinks into your ears.

Staff RollUematsu Nobuo

FFVII REMAKE: Staff Roll

Along with the Prelude, this is one of Final Fantasy’s signature pieces, used throughout the entire series.

On the URL, the well-known melody starts around 3 minutes 30 seconds, and it was even used in a recent TV commercial.

I feel like I’ve been hearing it more often than before.

Since it plays over the staff roll, you used to only hear it at the ending, so it seemed less well-known than the Prelude.

But lately it’s become a quintessential FF track, and its high level of polish really stands out.

Aerith’s ThemeUematsu Nobuo

Aerith's Theme

Among the Final Fantasy series, this is a particularly popular piece.

It’s from VII.

It’s the theme song for the heroine, Aerith, and the music beautifully conveys her harsh, tragic life while also capturing her steadfast spirit that never loses hope.

Since it’s rare for composer Nobuo Uematsu to create character-specific theme songs, the track is also regarded as a rare piece.

EternalChiharu Sugiyama, Shingo Yasumoto

Mizzurna Falls BGM [Masterpiece] ETERNAL / Mizzurna Falls ETERNAL

Mizzurna Falls is a real-time adventure game in which you search for your missing lover while the townspeople move around and live their lives in real time across various locations.

This is its main theme, and alongside Resident Evil, it was a game that felt like a movie.

Title ScreenAkabori Masanao

[SFC] Heavy Armored Trooper VALKEN (VALKEN) BGM Collection

It’s essentially the theme song of the SNES version of “Where’s Wally? The Great Picture Hunt.” Even though it doesn’t have any lyrics, it strangely feels like a song that’s actually singing about Where’s Wally—a mysterious yet catchy tune.

There are moments in the main game where the full version plays, and I found it quite moving.

The game itself is a classic, but one of this title’s charms is that, led by this track, it’s packed with wonderful, fun music.

Donkey KongKaneoka Yukio

Donkey Kong (Famicom version) Title BGM

Donkey Kong was one of the earliest titles Nintendo released when it entered the video game industry, after having been a manufacturer of playing cards and other game equipment like hanafuda.

It featured beautiful graphics, and Mario had already appeared as a character.

At that time, however, game music still faced numerous limitations, such as the number of simultaneous sounds that could be played.

Warriors of ArgosMasuko Tsukasa

[BGM] [AC] Rygar: The Legendary Warrior

Because game music always plays alongside the game, depending on the content, it can be important not to be too intrusive.

The background music for Rygar, which was a free-scrolling action game, managed to be memorable without being overbearing.