I think there’s something beautiful about a game that is able to conjure emotions through its music. In fact, without a game’s score, we wouldn’t have nearly as many emotionally damaging games as we do. It’s one thing to write a beautiful and compelling narrative, it’s another thing entirely to create music that completes said narrative.
So, let’s take a look at some of the most devastating music in games. These are songs that, removed from the context, instantly bring me back to where I was when I played. Without further ado … let’s get sad.
Top 15 Saddest Video Game Songs
15. Love Theme (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
War. War has changed. These are the words spoken by Solid Snake as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots begins. As this snake’s final stand, and the beginning of the end for this franchise, begins. It needs not said that this entire game has an aura of melancholy about it. It’s almost like the game is asking us: even if you can free the world from the Patriots’ grasp, will that truly make things better? I believe this track fully embodies the hopeless nature of conflict and the world of Metal Gear.
14. Our Light (Persona 5: Royal)
I might be the only person who’d say this, but this was a toss-up between Memories of You, Never More, and Our Light. I ultimately decided to go with Our Light because it is the more melancholic of the three in my opinion, and perfectly summarizes how it feels to finish Persona 5: Royal. It wields a hopeful sadness, like you’re saying goodbye to a group of friends, not knowing when the next time you’ll see them is. Plus, taking into account the final act of Royal, knowing what you sacrificed to achieve that end … kinda hurts.
13. Final Hours (The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask)
If you’ve ever played The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, chances are this song is the stuff of nightmares for you. In my case, I rarely wouldn’t instantly panic as soon as I heard the bells chime. I believe this track has a growing sense of unease, despite being eloquent and beautiful. It brings me back to my exploration of Termina, seeing the townsfolk evacuate … and the ones who didn’t … realize their situation is hopeless.
12. Setting Sail, Coming Home (Bastion)
If you’ve made it to this point in the list, you can probably tell that I tend to favor the implicit sadness over explicit sadness. And boy-oh-boy, this one is dripping in implicit sadness. In this case, I believe the harsh, heavy percussive beats paired with the light, acoustic guitar and slow, steady pacing makes this an anthem of life not going the way you’d like. Plus, I’m a sucker for counterpoint in songs like this.
11. Sayo-Nara (Doki Doki Literature Club)
Don’t let the steady piano and music box melody fool you. This tune, like the game it belongs to, is intentionally misleading. Removed from the context, it’s almost an ethereal, haunting, almost happy melody. But then, with context … let’s just say there’s nothing happy about it. In fact, this is the song that plays when you’ve just seen something you were never meant to see. And that’s where I’ll move on.
10. Painful Memories (Heavy Rain)
I know, I know. Heavy Rain has become quite the meme fodder these last few years. But, you can’t deny the works of the late Normand Corbeil. This track in particular perfectly captures Ethan Mars’ seemingly pointless and hopeless struggle to find his son, who’s been kidnapped.
9. The Other Promise (Kingdom Hearts II)
I don’t know what’s up with Yoko Shimomura, but she has attained a mastery at wielding an emotional battering ram and beating down the walls of our hearts. In this one song alone, we can feel the pain of knowing that nothing we can do will improve our situation, yet fighting for a better future regardless. I think the score is part of the reason I will keep playing Kingdom Hearts until I have left this mortal coil, because I still can’t make heads or tails of the story.
8. Carl’s Theme (.Hack / Dot Hack)
I adore the .Hack / Dot Hack franchise. But, I never would’ve expected to be writing about a song that only shows up incidentally, and is a direct reference to a discontinued novel series that doesn’t even seem to be available in the west. Carl’s Theme (or Karl’s Theme) is a song that was thrown into .Hack//G.U. vol. 3 as a background track and never explained. But it — like most of LieN’s music for the franchise — comes packed with so much melancholy and loss that it doesn’t even matter that I don’t know what the lyrics are.
7. Future Days (The Last of Us Part II)
I know this pick is particularly relevant, with The Last of Us currently airing on HBO. I am also aware of The Last of Us Part II’s diminished reputation among capital-G-gamers. Regardless of any of that, hearing Joel’s emotionally stunning performance of Pearl Jam’s “Future Days” is the culmination of his story arc. It’s a real shame that, thanks to the show’s change to outbreak day — it takes place in 2003 rather than 2013 — this song may not show up in the same way it does in the game. But, I hope it still shows up.
6. Will The Circle Be Unbroken? (Bioshock Infinite)
I remember the way I felt in the aftermath of Bioshock Infinite. It was an emotionally devastating narrative that left me to fend for myself in a way that not many games have accomplished since. This tune, which is a cover of the classic hymnal by Ada R. Habershon and Charles H. Gabriel, perfectly captures the feeling that Bioshock Infinite seeks to evoke. This song, which perfectly encapsulates the hopeful mourning that comes with loss, is used to cap off its own tragic tale of loss.
5. OMORI (OMORI)
I was shocked, when playing OMORI, and I reached the one and only segment where this track plays. It’s quite clear to anyone who’s experiencing this compelling narrative that OMORI isn’t for light consumption, but its title track assaults the senses once the truth behind the main story is dragged into the light of day. I won’t spoil anything for anyone who might be interested, but just know that for those who haven’t played, this track might just sound like an emotional strings tune, but for those of us who know … it’s the deconstruction of everything we knew. It’s the facing of our truest, ugliest, selves.
4. Why (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII)
I don’t think this list would be complete without a track that single-handedly ruined me as a child. I feel like the ending of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was already sad, but it’s made that much worse by the vocal stylings of Ayaka, whose soulful and melancholic vocals with a tinge of hope left me wondering … why? I was a very angsty kid, and this song did me absolutely zero favors.
3. Safe And Sound (The Walking Dead: The Final Season)
This entry is somewhat similar to number seven in that it felt like the culmination of a story arc — both in-game and in the real world. In addition to it being the last season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, it was also an ending that almost didn’t happen. To make a long story short, the Telltale Games majority studio closure in 2018 happened in the midst of this final season. So, the fact that the (now former) Telltale team, going by the name “Still Not Bitten Team” was able to pull this monumental task off is wholly inspiring.
2. Undertale (Undertale)
UNDERTALE is a work of art. I have made it no secret that it’s one of my absolute favorite games of all time, but its soundtrack is also one of my favorites. In this nearly seven minute song, we are made to experience the gamut of emotions: sadness, happiness, melancholy, hope, pain, and sadness again. It’s also a track that I return to if I need a reminder that I can do most anything I set my mind to.
1. Weight of the World / The End of YoRHa (NieR: Automata)
NieR: Automata is, to this day, the only game to make me cry real, actual tears. Incidentally, this is the song that, partially, inspired said tears. This tune, paired with the depressingly realistic and simultaneously hopeful world and story of NieR makes it so that I cannot not put this one at the top of our list. If you have not listened to the NieR Automata soundtrack — especially this track, though — do so. Now.
We hope you enjoyed this list of the top 15 saddest songs in gaming. It’s possible — nay, likely — that you’ll disagree with our picks, but we’re hoping that you can at least see our reasoning. To weigh in on tracks that are not included but should be, head on over to the Gamer Journalist page on Facebook! And, in the meantime, check out some of our other pieces, like Top 15 Best Open-World Games on Nintendo Switch and Top 15 Video Games For ’90s Kids Reliving Their Childhood!
Published: Feb 20, 2023 10:26 am