The Top 10 Nintendo DS Soundtracks
Highlighting the best soundtracks on the Nintendo DS might just be my favourite entry in our month-long series of DS-related articles. Not because it’s easy to write about soundtracks after dropping music class in high school, but because it turned me on to all the best music on the console. Shout-outs are in order to whoever put down the DS game adaptation of the animated movie Robots, which is the only thing more forgettable than the movie itself. The soundtrack, however, happens to be this amazing synth pop score, which turned out to be composed by the developer of Escape Goat! Well anyway, Robots didn’t come remotely close to making the list, but here are the DS soundtracks that did:
#10 – Professor Layton & The Unwound Future
All of the Layton games feature great soundtracks, but you guys picked The Unwound Future as the series representative, presumably because of the endearingly cheesy soprano saxophone in its ending theme (listen to it above). Layton’s distinctive mix of strings, pianos and accordions is a perfect fit for exploring the streets of London, adding a constant air of mystery to the adventure. All up, it’s a nice soundtrack by Tomohito Nishiura that’s as refined as the gentlemanly professor himself.
#9 – The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Like the game’s art style and setting, the soundtrack to Phantom Hourglass draws quite liberally from The Wind Waker, but hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. From the bombastic sailing music to quirky woodwind pieces for poking around tiny islands, there’s a lot to like about Phantom Hourglass’ soundtrack. Sure, it’s a little inconsistent, but how can you not enjoy Linebeck’s theme?
#8 – Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Come on guys, this is totally cheating! The first two Kingdom Hearts games feature amazing soundtracks, so it’s only natural that most of the music in this DS entry is drawn straight from those PS2 games. It’s hard to complain Yoko Shimomura’s compositions still sound decent coming out of the console’s speakers, plus the new pieces like Xion’s Theme and Neverland Battle are excellent. If you want to listen to another Yoko Shimomura DS soundtrack that’s way more interesting to write about, go check out Radiant Historia as well.
#7 – Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Pokémon Gold and Silver featured some of the best music on the Game Boy, so it’s only natural that their remakes ended up on the list. As the series’ soundtracks moved towards techno and pop stylings, it was refreshing to revisit the more classical influences of these older pieces. Some of the old tunes are arranged in interesting ways, like the crazy new version of Ho-Oh’s battle music featuring a bunch of traditional Japanese instruments (probably), and I think these fit the game better. Viridian Forest now has the perfect tune for a leisurely late-game stroll crushing Weedles underfoot and the somber tone of Cinnabar Island suits the recently destroyed and abandoned location. There are even approximations of the original Game Boy versions of the songs also in the game, although you have to jump through all kinds of hoops to actually hear them. Since I’m posting Youtube links to all the music, I should probably also point out that it’s also available on iTunes, as are the other Pokemon soundtracks that may or may not be on the list.
#6 – Elite Beat Agents
You know our love was meant to be the kind of love to last forever. And I want you here with me from tonight until the end of time. You should know that everywhere I go, you’re always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul baby. You’re the meaning in my life; you’re the inspiration. You bring feeling to my life; you’re the inspiration. I want to have you near me, I want to have you hear me saying “no-one needs you more than I need you.”
Great game, pretty decent covers. Better than Donkey Konga, at any rate.
#5 – Pokémon Platinum
Diamond, Pearl and Platinum remain the other series of mainline Pokémon games I never touched, so I hadn’t really heard the soundtrack before putting together this feature. Turns out it’s actually pretty dang good. Mostly composed by Go Ichinose and Hitomi Sato, the soundtrack tends to have a bit of a jazzier feel to it, though there is the occasional oddball piece like the haunting Distortion World music. The battle music is a little more inconsistent than other entries (though there are some great tracks like the fantastic Team Galactic battle tune), but the game makes up for it with an excellent array of route and town themes; there are distinct compositions for different times of day, which is a nice touch. Though I personally would’ve picked the Black and White games to take this spot instead, Platinum still has a solid soundtrack with a welcome lack of trumpets.
#4 – The World Ends With You
This work by Takeharu Ishimoto brings together a bunch of artists for an eclectic soundtrack that’s quite different from your typical RPG. Like the setting of Shibuya and the diverse subcultures the characters come across there are a heap of different musical flavours represented in the game – techno, hip hop, j-rock, Girugamesh… It’s all well put together and still sounds great on the DS itself, despite being crazy compressed. In game, the tracks are effectively “shuffled” around and played seemingly at random, which keeps the sometimes-repetitive tunes from becoming boring.
#3 – Animal Crossing: Wild World
I was honestly surprised to see Animal Crossing place so highly – it’s not a series I frequently hear mentioned for its music unless it involves a singing dog with a guitar. But then that’s probably because the music is so understated. While other tracks I’ve posted attempt to grab your attention from the get-go, Wild World’s score makes for excellent background music. The hourly tunes are the perfect accompaniment for wandering around town, adding to the rustic feel of the setting. And hey, the K.K. Slider songs are pretty great too.
#2 – The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Zelda games usually go for an epic feel with their soundtracks, but Spirit Tracks’ score is oddly subdued. The game ditches the synth orchestras other entries in favour of softer acoustic guitars and lots of flutes, presumably because Link can actually play one in game (though based on everything I’ve heard about Spirit Tracks he probably shouldn’t). Nowhere is this new approach more apparent than in the game’s overworld theme, which fits the game’s more laid-back method of traveling, at least until the demonic trains show up. Overall it’s a massive improvement on Phantom Hourglass’ soundtrack with a style that’s quite unique amongst the other Zelda titles.
#1 – Rhythm Heaven
Masami Yone and Tsunku? and Masami Yone really earned their top spot on the list with this truly heavenly soundtrack. Many of the songs draw from Tsunku’s experience as a pop music composer and producer (including various songs by Japanese idols, which don’t translate particularly well), but there’s quite a diverse range of musical stylings on display; everything from ska to doo-wop to cheesy rock & roll songs by frogs are present. The English dubbed songs are incredibly lame, but I suppose not everyone even played it in that language. For what it’s worth, I quite like the French versions, and it’s impressive that Nintendo went to such lengths in localizing the game. Though I think the compositions stand on their own with simple, memorable melodies, the player involvement is what makes the tracks really shine. No other game on the list integrates the soundtrack into the actual gameplay quite as well as Rhythm Heaven.
Stayed tuned for a look at what you voted as the most under-rated and disappointing games on the console, before we get into the real stuff – the best first and third party games for the DS. Get your votes in while you still can! You can find the previous listicles with the “best of DS” tag.
