Boss Battle Themes – Personal Favorites
While the sight of a fierce and intimidating opponent can often instill fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned adventurers, nothing can simultaneously shake that doubt and get the blood pumping once again quite like a good boss battle theme. Our very own Firestream shared a few of his personal favorite boss battle themes last year, and today I’ll be sharing a few of my own with you. Be sure to share some of your own favorite boss battle themes as well!
Ys VIII – Deadly Temptation
Starting off the list is a heck of a boss battle theme from the Ys series. While not my most favorite piece of the entire soundtrack, it serves its purpose well with the heavy metal beats throughout the entirety of the song. It could easily double as a track in a Castlevania game too, which is a compliment in itself.
Chrono Trigger – Decisive Battle with Magus
The confrontation between Crono’s party and Magus after trekking through the Fiendlord’s Keep remains one of my favorite gaming moments of all time. Magus himself rocked the “all-powerful being with long, white hair” look well before the debut of Sephiroth. The beginning of this track starts out in a way that evokes an “oh crap, we’re about to face something really strong” moment that is often not conveyed properly in other musical pieces.
Final Fantasy VII – Jenova
What I love most about the Jenova theme is that it is appropriate to its source material. The main loop in the track gives off a vibe that what you are about to face is something of otherworldly origin. It is a fast-paced tune that may not be as popular as the standard boss theme or One Winged Angel, but does a great job matching up with its environment.
SaGa II / Final Fantasy Legend II – Boss Battle
You might think that there is only “so much you can do” with a soundtrack on Gameboy before its hardware limitations set in, but that was never an issue when it came to the SaGa games. The second game in the SaGa series, Final Fantasy Legend II set the bar extraordinarily high for what could be done within the framework of Gameboy hardware, and I cannot think of a better example of the feat than this excellent boss battle theme. Best listened to with headphones – you’ll thank me later.
Shadows of Adam – Fightin’ For Your Life!
Easily one of my most anticipated releases on Switch for 2019, Shadows of Adam is a fantastic throwback to traditional SNES-era JRPGs with moments of NES-era difficulty thrown in for good measure. This track features heavy drum and guitar beats alongside a chiptune-ish melody – a pair that might sound weird on paper but actually works really well in execution.
