Tag: Music
News Shovel Knight Is Getting Its First Ever Live Concert In 2025
Tickets available now
The smash hit indie franchise Shovel Knight is getting its very own official concert in early 2025 dubbed 'Shovel Knight Live: Steel Thy Concert!'. Tickets are available now for two upcoming shows in Los Angeles and New York on 19th January 2025 and 22nd February 2025, respectively. The shows will comprise a live orchestra and...
Here comes the boom
Lena Raine has so much to say, and she’s figured out a lot of different ways to say it all. Of course, avid game players have been listening to her musical scores for over a decade now, which includes music for Minecraft, as well as the soundtracks for Chicory: A Colorful Tale and the BAFTA-nominated Celeste score. She’s...
News Baten Kaitos Soundtracks Now Available On Various Music Platforms
Listen to 118 songs
The Baten Kaitos games made a return last September, and if you enjoy the music from this JRPG series by Monolith Soft, you might be interested in Bandai Namco's latest announcement. The soundtracks for Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean as well as Baten Kaitos: Origins are now available on "various music platforms"...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Soundtrack Now Available, But Only In Japan
You can import a copy, if you really want it
To mark the first anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom earlier this year, Nintendo lifted the lid on a new soundtrack featuring a whopping 344 tracks across 9 discs. The Limited Edition version also includes a Master Sword USB containing 15 high-resolution sound sources. As of this...
News Sonic X Shadow Generations Continues To Show Love For Sonic 06
Brand new music remix shared by Sega
Need to hear some excellent new music for the upcoming Sonic X Shadow Generations? Sega has you covered today, as the developer has shared a new remix from the upcoming game. The new track is a remix of Kingdom Valley, one of Shadow's levels from the much-maligned Sonic the Hedgehog (or Sonic 06 as it's often...
News Sonic 3 Movie Composer Junkie XL Excited After Early Screening
"I saw the film for the very first time yesterday"
The Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie is fast approaching, and unsurprisingly, people who worked on the film have already seen it following the end of production earlier this year. One of these individuals happens to be the composer Tom Holkenborg (who you might also know as JunkieXL). In a recent...
News Bō: Path Of The Teal Lotus Reveals Contributions From Xenoblade Chronicles Composer
Fox! Fox!
The beautiful hand-drawn Metroidvania Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is just days away from launch. And to help build up excitement, producer Robert Sephazon has unveiled a guest composer who has contributed music for the game. Sharing the news on Kickstarter, Sephazon announced that Xenoblade Chronicles composer Manami Kiyota has composed...
News Metroid, EarthBound & Tetris Composer Shares More Private Demo Tracks On New Album
Hear more than ever before
Back in 2021, the legendary composer behind the likes of Metroid, Mother and Tetris, Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, released the aptly-named 'Lost Tapes' album, providing a never-before-heard sample of his demo tapes from the '80s and '90s. Record label Super Fuji Discs has announced that a fresh bat
News Atlus Game Snowboard Kids Scores A New Vinyl Soundtrack
"There’s SNOW way you’ll want to miss this…"
Snowboard Kids might not have made a return on modern platforms (at least yet), but Fangamer has the next best thing. In an announcement on social media, Atlus revealed the soundtrack for this game, which originally debuted on the N64 in 1997/98, can now be purchased on vinyl. You can pick it up...
News Off The Hook And Deep Cut Face Off In Splatoon 3's New Splatfest Rap Battle
Tune-a fish
After last week's Splatoon 3 music shenanigans (in which Nintendo uploaded and removed one track only to quickly replace it with another), you might assume that there would be a short break before we heard any more tunes from the Splatlands. But you would be wrong! This is Splatoon that we're talking about, and new music waits for no...
News Fire Emblem Engage "Limited Edition" Soundtrack Out Now In Japan
Featuring a stunning replica ring
Calling all Fire Emblem fans! Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have just released the official Fire Emblem Engage "limited edition" soundtrack in Japan including a sizable collection of discs. The regular edition (priced at about $49.00 USD) comes with seven CD featuring the soundtrack from the main game and DLC,...
News Jam Out To The Penny's Big Breakaway OST, Now Available To Stream
Yo-yo!
We were treated to the surprise release of Penny's Big Breakaway last week during the February 2024 Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase and now Evening Star has dropped yet another way to keep us thinking about the 3D platformer at all costs. Tee Lopes' vibe-filed score for Penny's Big Breakaway is now available to stream on just about ever
News Lady Gaga Joins Fortnite Festival Season 2
"Get ready to go gaga"
Season 2 of Fortnite Festival is now underway and as part of this the "legendary superstar" Lady Gaga (known for smash hits such as 'Poker Face' and 'Just Dance') has joined in on the fun as the festival icon. From now until 22nd April 2024, you'll be able to participate in the new festival pass 'Unlock your talent', and...
News Mario vs. Donkey Kong's OG Composers Talk Making The Jump From GBA To Switch
“This was the opportunity of a lifetime”
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is finally here on Switch. This remake gives the original GBA puzzle platformer a fresh lick of paint and throws in a handful of new features too — including a fully revamped score. The composers for the GBA original, DigiPen Music Department, were brought back on this time around...
News Nintendo's The Legend Of Zelda Orchestra Concert Is Now Available To Watch For Free
Da-da-da-DAAAAAAA
Ready for some Hylian tunes? Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda orchestral concert is now available to watch on YouTube for free! This broadcast follows the cancellation of Nintendo Live 2024, with both The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon concerts being rescheduled for today and tomorrow respectively. The eagle-eyed viewers out there...
Video We Chat To Eastward's Composer About How Game Music Is Actually Made
"'Perfect' is way overrated"
We love a good bit of video game music. Whether it is keeping us company throughout a gruelling boss battle or stuck on in the background while we make our dinner in the evening, there is something about these tunes that just hits different. Despite all of these hours getting familiar with the scores, however, very few...
News Legendary Nintendo Composer Koji Kondo To Be Inducted To AIAS Hall Of Fame
"I am extremely humbled"
Koji Kondo, Nintendo's in-house composer one of the most renowned names in the video game composers industry, is to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, the Academy has announced. Kondo will be honoured during the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony, which takes place on 15th...
News Nintendo To Broadcast The Legend Of Zelda Orchestra Concert For Free
Mark your calendars
You know the classic saying, "You wait ages for a bus, then two come at once"? Well, perhaps not, but the point is that less than a full day after ZREO: Second Quest released an orchestral recording of 'Midna' from 'Twilight Symphony', Nintendo itself has now announced that it will be broadcasting a special performance of The...
News ZREO Is Revisiting Zelda: Twilight Symphony With An 80-Piece Orchestra
Starting with 'Midna'
ZREO: Second Quest, the group behind the sublime Legend of Zelda-inspired Twilight Symphony, is back with 'Scoring Sessions', a new series recorded with a live studio orchestra. Each entry to the series will bring with it a full-performance video and high-quality audio recordings, with ZREO kickstarting proceedings with a...
Feature From Banjo To Mario - Grant Kirkhope Talks Big Huge Troubles And Composing For Massive IPs
Part Two: "How the f*** am I going to write music for a Mario game!?"
Last week, in celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, we published the first part of our career-spanning interview with Mr. Grant Kirkhope, composer extraordinaire and the man responsible for some of our favourite music ever, video game or otherwise. Part One covered his...
Feature From Bon Jovi To Banjo - Grant Kirkhope On The "Complete Fluke" Of His Rare Musical Journey
Part One: Mr. Banjongles
Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer's dream, and not just because he's responsible for some all-time great video game soundtracks. He’s great company — frank, funny, and loquacious. We spoke to him most recently for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest back in 2021 and only ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our...
Community Nintendo Life Staff's Non-Game Highlights Of 2023
Our favourite non-interactive media this year
It's been another tumultuous year — is there really any other kind? Although 2023 has been a landmark year for incredible video game releases across all platforms, the state of the gaming industry itself — with post-pandemic layoff announcements from big companies coming on a seemingly daily basis...
Feature The Real Songs That Inspired Iconic Nintendo Music
And a few non-Nintendo ones for good measure
Have you ever been listening to music, enjoying yourself, and then BAM, suddenly you hear the first four notes of a song from a video game — and then you have that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day? Well, that's not always a coincidence. Many musical composers take heavy inspiration from...
Feature 16 Best Nintendo Switch Soundtracks Of 2023
The Sounds of the Switch
2023 hasn't just been a banger year for quality video game releases — it's also been a bloomin' good year for video game music. We're living in a time where video game music is becoming more recognised and celebrated worldwide — earlier this year, the Grammy's gave out its first-ever award for 'Award for Best Score...
News Undertale Creator Toby Fox Remixed Ed Sheeran's Pokémon Song In The New Scarlet & Violet DLC
Fox also composed for the main game
Remember how the music superstar Ed Sheeran did a song for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet? Well, as highlighted by our friends at VGC, this same song 'Celestial' has now been remixed by the Undertale developer Toby Fox in the latest DLC. As noted by the source, Fox worked on some other music for Scarlet and...
News Fortnite's New 'Big Bang' Event Features A Crossover With Eminem
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
Fortnite has reportedly had a resurgence thanks to its community-created content but it's also been in the headlines for certain other announcements, like the controversial age ratings update which restricts cosmetics. Now, to add to all of this, it's announced a new live "Big Bang" event featuring a...
Random Sonic & Chill Is The Ultimate Chillout Music Album For Sonic Fans
Ah, so relaxing
GameChops and music artist Funk Fiction have released Sonic & Chill, a relaxing new addition to the '& Chill' album series featuring multiple tunes from classic Sonic games. Comprised of 14 tracks in total, you've got the likes of Chemical Plant Zone, Welcome to Station Square, and Hydrocity Zone to accompany you while you...
Random Dragonforce's Latest Single Is A Perfect Tribute To The Legend of Zelda
'All for the glory of the Master Sword'
For many gamers, Dragonforce is probably most well-known for the absurdly difficult 'Through the Fire and the Flames' song on 2007's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The band, however, also happens to be pretty darn good in its own right, even if its music isn't quite to everybody's taste. Ahead of the...
News Stardew Valley "Festival Of Seasons" Concert Tour Announced
Tickets go on sale later this week
Stardew Valley creator Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone is currently hard at work on the next major update for the farming and lifestyle sim, but if that wasn't already enough, he's now announced a whole concert tour taking place in 2024. The "Festival of Seasons" concert tour will feature a selection of music from the...
News Super Mario RPG For Switch Showcases Newly-Arranged And Original Soundtracks
Go on, have a listen
The Super Nintendo classic Super Mario RPG will land on the Switch in November with updated graphics and cinematics that give the game a fresh look. That's not all, either. As highlighted by Nintendo Europe's social media account, there'll be the option to swap between the "original" 1996 Super Nintendo soundtrack and the...
Video Live Orchestra Sinks Its Teeth Into Vampire Survivors' Brilliant Soundtrack
From bullet hell to rhythm heaven
If you're anything like us, then Poncle's brilliantly addictive Vampire Survivors has probably taken up a fair amount of your time since it was released last month. Many of the tension-rising tunes from the game's soundtrack are probably firmly stuck in your head by this point (we know that they are for us), so we...
News Baten Kaitos Soundtracks Available On Streaming Services Ahead Of Remaster's Launch
Star quality
Bandai Namco has uploaded the music to both halves of the Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster, ahead of its launch this Thursday and Friday. From today, you can stream the music from Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean and Baten Kaitos Origins on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and a variety of other...
Gallery Here's A Look At The Gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles Original Soundtrack Trinity Box
A musical tri-umph
If you love the Xenoblade Chronicles series, regardless of what your favourite game in the franchise is, there's something everyone can agree on — the music is phenomenal. Earlier this year, not only did we get a long-awaited release date for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 soundtrack, but we also got the reveal stunning new...
Random Jack Black Sings Mario Movie Song, 'Peaches', Live At The Game Awards Concert
Annnd, it's stuck in our heads again
We had just about managed to get Bowser's Mario Movie love ballad, 'Peaches', out of our heads after singing it on repeat for the past three months. Now the voice of Bowser himself Jack Black has ensured that we're humming it all over again after he performed the song live at last night's The Game Awards 10-Year...
News Grant Kirkhope Appears To Have Completed His Work On Mario + Rabbids
"8 years writing music for Mario is at an end"
Legendary video game composer Grant Kirkhope, known for hits like GoldenEye 007 and Donkey Kong 64, appears to have completed his work on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. In a brief message on social media at the start of this month, Kirkhope mentioned how he thought his time writing music for Mario was...
News Jam Out To Splatoon 3's Jazzy New Battle Song Before Sizzle Season Kicks Off
Yoko's back
We are nearing the release of Splatoon 3's Sizzle Season 2023 later on this week, and to get us all in the mood Nintendo has released one of the fresh new tracks that will be backing up our splatting from 1st June. Titled 'Rockagilly Blues', this jazzy little number sees the former front-woman of in-game band Ink Theory teaming up with...
News Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Wins Award For Best Original Video Game Score At The Ivors
BWAAAH!
We had a good time with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope when it was released on the Switch in late 2022, and the game has just been recognised for its excellent soundtrack at this year's Ivor Novello Awards, where it took home the prize for Best Original Video Game Score. The award was presented to Gareth Coker, Grant Kirkhope and Yoko...
Random Fan's Minor-Key Nintendo Covers Put A Strange Twist On Classic Gaming Themes
Tuning in
We love a good gaming tune. Our Nintendo playlists consist of hours of upbeat tunes from our favourite games, each one capturing the carefree, joyous feeling of the level from which it originates (bar some exceptions, of course — we're looking at you 'Forest Temple'). But what if these tunes weren't quite so upbeat? What if the happy...
Random Japanese Orchestra Performs Two-Hour Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Concert
With a little TOTK to finish
The Breath of the Wild soundtrack might have been something of a departure for the Zelda series with its grand themes and sweeping scores replaced by something a little more subtle, but there are still some top-notch tunes to be heard in there. Many of us have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat in the run-up to...
News Splatoon And Link's Awakening Remake Composer Leaves Nintendo After 17 Years
Ryo Nagamatsu joined in 2006
Long-time composer at Nintendo Ryo Nagamatsu has left the company after 17 years to "work a little wider". Announcing the news on Twitter earlier today, the composer and arranger — whose most well-known works include The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, Splatoon 3, and the Link's...
Exclusive Metroid's Kraid Theme Gets Chill Jazz Cover On Upcoming 'Game Music Lullabies' Album
Joins tracks from Zelda, Mega Man, NieR and more
What do you get when you combine the Kraid theme from Metroid will the chilled-out jazz orchestration of Gentle Love — the musical duo behind the Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies albums? Well, you end up with something a little like the track that you can hear above, exclusively revealed...
Random Here's How The Salmon Run Music Is Recorded For Splatoon 3
Cello choons
We love a bit of Salmon Run here at Nintendo Life. The Splatoon 3 game mode takes the usual 'ink, swim, repeat' format of your standard Turf War Battle (not to cast any shade, we love a good Turf War too) and throws in the added distractions of a never-ending onslaught of enemies, bosses, and eggs. What's more, it has a cracking...
Random Game Boy Version Of The Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Theme Is Spectacular
Doo doo doo doo dooooooo! ♫
We know what you're thinking, and yes, we only recently highlighted a wonderful animation for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the style of the Game Boy Color. But we're back with another find and this time it's a beautiful Game Boy interpretation of the main theme from the upcoming game. Posted on YouTube...
News Mario Movie Jack Black Song 'Peaches' Debuts On Billboard's Hot 100 Chart
Peaches, peaches, peaches...
One of the highlights of the Mario Movie was when Bowser...spoiler alert...performed the song 'Peaches' about the Mushroom Kingdom's princess. The song, performed in real life by Jack Black, has been charting ever since, and now it's made it into the 'Billboard Hot 100' in the US, debuting at 83 on the list. As noted in...
Feature Music Review: Fair Winds & Following Seas - An Ambitious Rendition Of A Zelda Masterpiece
The Wind Waker revisited by ZREO: Second Quest
The music of The Legend of Zelda is as much a part of the series’ identity as any of its characters, locations, and items. Though the specific arrangements change throughout the series, there are always familiar tracks and themes for fans to hear. This unique but similar philosophy to Zelda music...
News Nintendo Uploads Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom 'Main Theme' Song
Have a listen
Marketing for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is well and truly underway, and as part of this, Nintendo has now launched the Switch title's official website in Japan. Perhaps the highlight is the fact you can now listen to the main theme song in full. Many have already extracted the audio file: There are also a handful of...
Random Fan Recreates Bowser's Mario Movie Song, 'Peaches', In WarioWare DIY
Koopa creativity
If there's one thing that we have seen everywhere since the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's Bowser's musical statement of love in the song 'Peaches'. This track has received a full music video, a real-world performance by Jack Black (dressed in a superb Bowser-themed suit, of course) and it's now even
News Square Enix Adds 'SaGa' Series Music Update To Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
Available now
Following an update to Theatrhythm Final Bar Line last week, the game has now received some new DLC. This second pack adds music based on the long-running SaGa series. Digital Deluxe and Season Pass 1 owners can download a total of eight "incredible tracks" from across the SaGa games. The lineup includes the following songs:...
News Super Mario Bros. Theme Is The First Video Game Track Added To The Library Of Congress
Let's-a go to the National Recording Registry!
The US Library of Congress has today announced the 25 tracks that will be added to its National Recording Registry as “defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture”. For the first time ever, one of these tracks comes from a video game, and it is none other than Koji Kondo's iconic theme...
News Mario Movie's Jack Black Song 'Peaches' Now Eligible For Oscar Nomination
The music clips have already received millions of views
Nintendo and Illumination's Mario Movie is absolutely dominating at the box office, but it's not the only success. The Mario Movie song 'Peaches' performed by Jack Black as Bowser has also been charting. Not long after the real-life version of the song was released it made it into the top 100...