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RPG town music is underrated. Post your favorites. (Traverse Town the GOAT tho)

L

Look! The Pie!

Member
Pleased that Crysta, Itory Village, Fisherman's Horizon, Phantom and a Rose, Frontier Village and Imprisoned Town have already been mentioned.

I tried to restrict my list to a select few, but...well, I like a lot of town music, and these deserve to be heard.

Peaceful People - Suikoden

This shouldn't work, but just does. The jaunty melody, varied instrumentation, and weird synthethised warbling combine to create a wonderful theme that I consider one of the standouts of an already amazing soundtrack.

If You Listen Carefully - Suikoden II

A town theme that's somehow soothing, dreary, and melancholy all at once. It's a perfect fit for the few places it's played in (sleepy port towns and rural trade outposts), and the first time the player hears it is right after one of the most dramatic, intense sequences in the game, making it almost a comedown track for the events that preceded it.

Wind and Ground - Suikoden III

This one is only heard very briefly, and early in the game, which is a shame as I love the melody and tribal instrumentation. The sequence starting at 1:10 hints at the epic and turbulent times ahead for certain inhabitants of this village.

The Godwin Family Castle - Suikoden V

Though the title suggests otherwise, this particular version is played in a town. It's a perfect mix of pomp, bombast and pride, so fitting for the Godwins.

Dance with the Balamb Fish - Final Fantasy VIII

I consider VIII one of Uematsu's strongest soundtracks, partly because of how well each track is matched to its corresponding area(s). This theme has a refined, European air, rendering it a perfect fit for the Paris-inspired Dollet.

The Royal Capital of Rabanastre - Final Fantasy XII

Sakimoto really couldn't have come up with a better theme for a huge, bustling hub of activity like Rabanastre.

The Streets of Whiterun - Skyrim

I just can't find words to describe what this piece inspires in me. Just a beautiful melody.

Yet the Merchants Will Go - Breath of Fire IV

Lively, energetic and Eastern-inspired. It makes me think of children running through a crowded marketplace (which is fitting, if you've played the game).

Scenery Called 'Everyday' - Wild Arms 3

Whenever I hear this one, it gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Love the Western flair.

Bowerstone Market - Fable 2

Ugh, the hours I spent in this town, just watching the interactions of the insanely fickle NPCs and digging up condoms and rotting meat pies. This theme adds to the ambience and the hustle and bustle of the town square, as well as being the perfect soundtrack for the game's goofier moments.
 
Z

Zolbrod

Member
SolVanderlyn said:
Star Ocean 3: Rust Color

For a change of pace, we have a theme that is less upbeat and more on the sad and melancholy side. The title of the song describes it very well - it brings to mind images of a rustic, homely, possibly poverty-stricken town, and also brings to mind the colors of brown and red, which, incidentally and fittingly, describes the town that it plays in.
Click to expand...

Rust Color is meh.

The Desolate Smell of Earth is where it's at!
 
R

rbenchley

Member
Tuffty said:
I've seen Tales of Vesperia mentioned a few times but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this one yet

Dahngrest - Tales of Vesperia

I stayed longer in this town because of the music.
Click to expand...

chuck-taylor-thumbs-up.gif
 
T

Theanine3D

Member
Came in to post the Mushroom Kingdom from SMRPG, but OP beat me to it.
Another great one from the same game: Rose Town Very upbeat and happy.

Pokemon has tons of great ones. Some of my favorites:
Jubilife City from Pokemon DPP
Sootopolis City from Pokemon ORAS (Original GBA version is great too)
Lilycove City from Pokemon ORAS
Littleroot Town from Pokemon ORAS
Goldenrod City from Pokemon GSC (I used to leave my GameBoy on just to listen to this one...)

Dragon Quest VIII's town theme is really mellow and relaxing.

spekkeh said:
Four pages in, not a single mention of Kakariko Village.

Bunch of hipsters.
Click to expand...

If we're counting Zelda as an RPG I'd say ALBW's version of Kakariko is the best one. Though they're all great really.
 
B

BlazeBreak

Member
With FFIX, FFV, FFVIII, SMRPG, CT, and Wind Waker all seeming really well represented, I'll go with;

Breath of Fire IV - Thousand Wings

Oddly, I feel like...

Look! The Pie! said:
Yet the Merchants Will Go - Breath of Fire IV

Lively, energetic and Eastern-inspired. It makes me think of children running through a crowded marketplace (which is fitting, if you've played the game).
Click to expand...

...Is definitely more representative of the game and OST in general, especially also since BoF4's fairly unique desert and various Eastern-inspired locales are part of the reason why the game stands out as something beloved to me. Wyndia is probably one of the most normal/"bland" locations in the game, but I've just always loved its theme.
 
M

mfiuza

Member
Can't post links to the songs right now, but every single city from Bravely Default. Really. It's that good.All of them.

Specially Florem, Eternia and Eisenberg
 
H

Hubbl3

Unconfirmed Member
SolVanderlyn said:
Motoi Sakuraba and Yoko Shimomura are the reigning king and queen of town music, I think.

Shimomura:

Super Mario RPG: Hello, Happy Kingdom


This is such an upbeat and happy theme. It fits very well as an introduction to the bright, colorful, and slightly weird world of Mario.
Click to expand...

Came here to post that one, but was pleasantly surprised to see it as the first town theme listed!

That song is burned into my brain and I find myself humming it at least once a week.
 
SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Look! The Pie! said:
Pleased that Crysta, Itory Village, Fisherman's Horizon, Phantom and a Rose, Frontier Village and Imprisoned Town have already been mentioned.

I tried to restrict my list to a select few, but...well, I like a lot of town music, and these deserve to be heard.

Peaceful People - Suikoden

This shouldn't work, but just does. The jaunty melody, varied instrumentation, and weird synthethised warbling combine to create a wonderful theme that I consider one of the standouts of an already amazing soundtrack.

If You Listen Carefully - Suikoden II

A town theme that's somehow soothing, dreary, and melancholy all at once. It's a perfect fit for the few places it's played in (sleepy port towns and rural trade outposts), and the first time the player hears it is right after one of the most dramatic, intense sequences in the game, making it almost a comedown track for the events that preceded it.

Wind and Ground - Suikoden III

This one is only heard very briefly, and early in the game, which is a shame as I love the melody and tribal instrumentation. The sequence starting at 1:10 hints at the epic and turbulent times ahead for certain inhabitants of this village.

The Godwin Family Castle - Suikoden V

Though the title suggests otherwise, this particular version is played in a town. It's a perfect mix of pomp, bombast and pride, so fitting for the Godwins.

Dance with the Balamb Fish - Final Fantasy VIII

I consider VIII one of Uematsu's strongest soundtracks, partly because of how well each track is matched to its corresponding area(s). This theme has a refined, European air, rendering it a perfect fit for the Paris-inspired Dollet.

The Royal Capital of Rabanastre - Final Fantasy XII

Sakimoto really couldn't have come up with a better theme for a huge, bustling hub of activity like Rabanastre.

The Streets of Whiterun - Skyrim

I just can't find words to describe what this piece inspires in me. Just a beautiful melody.

Yet the Merchants Will Go - Breath of Fire IV

Lively, energetic and Eastern-inspired. It makes me think of children running through a crowded marketplace (which is fitting, if you've played the game).

Scenery Called 'Everyday' - Wild Arms 3

Whenever I hear this one, it gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Love the Western flair.

Bowerstone Market - Fable 2

Ugh, the hours I spent in this town, just watching the interactions of the insanely fickle NPCs and digging up condoms and rotting meat pies. This theme adds to the ambience and the hustle and bustle of the town square, as well as being the perfect soundtrack for the game's goofier moments.
Click to expand...
Great post! The Suikoden series is so unique among RPGs with its Oriental, Chinese-inspired motifs, and its uniqueness extends to the soundtrack as well. Its town themes are even its strong suit in this regard, I'd say (although Distant Mountain is my favorite track in the series.) Breath of Fire IV is another Oriental style soundtrack and is equally appealing in that regard.

DarknessTear said:
Seeing Pure a Stream on the first post makes me happy because that's the first song I thought of.

Nightless City Guara Bobelo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EsfiX6ypBQ
Click to expand...
This is another track that wins simply for standing out. There's really no other town music that has this jazzy cabaret club vibe to it.

And yeah, Pure a Stream is magical.
 
B

Bousf

Member
Pokemon X & Y - Snowbelle City

This track is so fitting for the location, everything comes together pretty nicely. A highlight of the Pokemon X/Y OST for me.

Rogue Galaxy - The Misty Town

Another favorite of mine, encaptures the feeling of exploring the city perfectly.

Final Fantasy XII - The Royal City of Rabanastre

This one is a compulsory mention, PERFECTION!! Can't wait to listen to it in the HD remaster (no confirmed, I'm just convinced it'll happen), even if it isn't touched up it'll be great.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - Folsense

Another track that fits its role. When you find a freaking city coming out of nowhere that feels so damn ominous, you'd expect it to sound pretty much like this.

Bravely Default - Land of Beginnings

Perfect song for the first city in the game, it feels like the dawn of a new journey indeed!

MY GOAT: Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria - Under the All Powerful Divine Protection

This song is a perfect match for the city of Dipan. When you venture in, at night, everybody is at their homes and you are walking down the lonely streets......this sound encaptures that and makes it much much better. Again, this game's grace is staggering, same goes for the soundtrack, very elegant piece.
 
Airola

Airola

Member
BigWeather said:
Ultima IV. Actually, all of the music from that game is superb (especially for the time).
Click to expand...

I haven't played much that game myself, but back in late 90's when I learned I could listen to C64 SIDs on my computer, I downloaded tons of them and I fell in love with that exact tune.

I guess the version you posted is a bit easier to the ears, but this version still has a soft spot in my heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHO6V2s_6s
 
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