20

Xenoblade Chronicles (2010)

Composer(s): Manami Kiyota; ACE (Tomori Kudo, CHiCO & Kenji Hiramatsu); Kenji Hiramatsu; Yoko Shimomura; Yasunori Mitsuda

5 star tracks: 6

As someone who spent a year in Greece (random sidenote), I know that “Xenos” translates to both “the stranger” and “the guest”. Unfortunately, as a stranger to the series, this nugget of knowledge doesn't help me at all with the question of what the Xenoblade Chronicles-games are about. IMDb summarizes the story of the game as follows:

In a world of endless ocean, all life lives on the decaying corpses of two gigantic titans, the Bionis and Mechonis. When the army of Mechonis attacks his home, young scientist Shulk sets out for revenge.

Story-wise, this sounds like high fantasy and musically like a classic Japanese role-playing epic. Touching string pieces (Thoughts to a Friend) give way to dramatic battle tracks (One Who Gets in Our Way). None of this is new, but it's well done. Without having listened to the numerous successors, this is only good enough for the entry-level position on this list. But looking at the two successors and their expansions, there is certainly room for more in the future.

19

Baldur’s Gate

contains Baldur’s Gate (1999) | Baldur’s Gate II: Thron des Baal (2001) | Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)

Composer(s): Michael Hoenig; Howard Drossin; Inon Zur; Borislav Slavov
5 star tracks: 6

Unlike the Xenoblade-games, the fact that the Baldur’s Gate-series is not at the top has nothing to do with my lack of knowledge of the predecessors to the outstanding third part. Their music is just not that exciting as classic role-playing music at the turn of the millennium. Baldur’s Gate 3 on the other hand, has a few very good pieces with a nostalgia bonus, but with a total of four, unfortunately not enough of them. But maybe I need to listen to it again to adjust the music rating. For this list, the time-honored series therefore 'only' lands in 19th place, somewhere down, down, down by the river ...

17

Immortals Fenyx Rising (2020)

contains Myths of the Eastern Realm (2021) | The Lost Gods (2021)

Composer(s): Gareth Coker
5 star tracks: 7

One game that I actually wanted to play once, but was ultimately too generic and succumbed to too much competition with the latest Zelda games in the battle for my limited free time, was Immortals Fenyx Rising. As the mortal Fenyx, we try to save our brother and fight our way through Greek mythology against the giant Typhon. This heroic epic is accompanied by the music of Gareth Coker, who has already demonstrated his talent for gripping tracks in the Ori games, Halo Infinite or, most recently, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

For Ubisoft's open world action adventure game, Coker has created a fitting sound mix of Ithaca idyll and legendary battle. He even transports this to Asian mythology for the Myths of the Eastern Realm expansion. Fenyx Rising thus takes on a musical seriousness that you wouldn't initially expect from the comic look, but never seems over the top. Attribute: Very good!

16

God of War

contains God of War II (2007) | God of War III (2010) | God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010) | God of War: Ascension (2013)

Composer(s): Cris Velasco; Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL); Gerard Marino; Mike Reagan; Ron Fish; Jeff Rona; Tyler Bates
5 star tracks: 7

I couldn't have imagined the contrast any better, as God of War follows the child-friendly rescue story in the Greek pantheon with its complete deconstruction. It has to be said that this series almost slipped through the ChatGPT sorting, as the AI wanted to categorize it under 'Low Fantasy'. Me: “Why isn't God of War on the list if Fenyx Rising is?” ChatGPT: “Good point, I must have made a mistake.” Thanks for nothing.

Still, I couldn't escape the logic of the algorithm, which is why I'm only including the old GoW-games set in ancient Greece for this list. The 2018 God of War in the Norse universe of the gods, on the other hand, ends up in the aforementioned low-fantasy list, as this adventure is a little more grounded ... sounds strange, but it is. As a result, the series doesn't make the podium in either case, but it certainly deserves a mention or, as in this case, 16th place.

Hardly any other series stages epic destruction and the battle of David against Goliath as skillfully as the stories about the vengeful Kratos. Be it the grandiose backdrops (The Isle of Creation – God of War II), the dramatic battles (Warrior’s Truth – God of War: Ascension) or epic themes (Brothers of Blood – God of War III) - already in ancient times the series knew how to impress. And where Fenyx Rising musically resembles a boxing match, God of War is MMA in a ring of fire.

15

Castle Crashers (2008)

Composer(s): Matthew Harwood
5 star tracks: 8

And again we turn in a completely different direction, which has settled in at number 15: Castle Crashers. This brightly colored co-op extravaganza has about as much in common with heroic antics as this list has with validity in general, but it has nevertheless secured its place on the list thanks to its fantasy setting as well as its outstanding music. It's not for nothing that it made it onto my 2021 list of the Top 10 Indie scores.

Then as now, eight of the 45 tracks particularly excite me. With their mix of electro, techno and fast beats, the fan compositions don't sound like the usual fantasy spectacle, but that's only partly what this list is about. If the music fits, then it fits, and I couldn't have wished for anything else for the wacky humor of the chivalrous knight-errantry.

14

World of Warcraft (2004)

contains Wrath of the Lich King (2008) | Cataclysm (2010) | Mists of Pandaria (2012) | Warlords of Dreanor (2014) | Legion (2016) | Battle for Azeroth (2018)

Composer(s): Jason Hayes; Russell Brower; Derek Duke; Edo Guidotti; Neal Acree; David Arkenstone; Glen Stafford; Sam Cardon; Jeremy Soule; Tracy W. Bush
5 star tracks: 10

The fact that Blizzard's long-running genre classic 'only' made it to 14th place is actually a shame. Conversely, the music of the MMORPG top dog is primarily convincing in the cutscenes and outside of the actual game - with the exception of classics such as the Legends of Azeroth opening theme. Due to their narrative focus, songs from cutscenes are rarely in the 5-star sector for me, which makes the good result all the more surprising. For fans, more tracks from the main game and the various expansions are likely to make them jump for joy, but for me as an MMO hater, it's only the objective (aka subjective) top tracks that I have taken to my heart.

Trotzdem gelingt den zahlreichen Alben immer wieder zu überraschen und Titel zu präsentieren, die einfach richtig, richtig gut klingen und Spaß machen. Und mit Invincible from the Wrath of the Lich King-Erweiterung liefern die Komponisten einen der besten und berührendsten Videospieltitel aller Zeiten, der es (wie ich finde zu Recht) auch in meine Top 15 Saddest tracks as Epilogue.

13

Gothic 3 (2006)

Composer(s): Kai Rosenkranz
5 star tracks: 11

I can answer the question “Where's Gothic?” in good conscience with “Here!”. Gothic is coming now ... though technically it's really more Gothic 3, because even though the themes build on each other, it's the music of the third installment (due to my nostalgia) that catches me.

What Kai Rosenkranz conjures up here in orchestral strength is pure fantasy: picturesque forests, sand-covered dunes, icy caves. Add to this peaceful, gentle sounds or martial war compositions - Gothic (3) has it all. Well, much of this may be due to the rose-tinted glasses with which I look back on this polarizing video game. And the score doesn't create all that much that is new. Nevertheless, it is sometimes the expected that appeals. Or to put it in the words of one of my first reviews of 2019:

Admittedly, Gothic 3 is hardly any different musically from comparable fantasy games, but the overall package is certainly convincing. And because I'm a fantasy fan anyway, this soundtrack offers a nice facet that enriches the genre and my everyday life.

12

Child of Light

Composer(s): Béatrice Martin (Cœur de Pirate)
5 star tracks: 13

With 12th place, we are provided with a fitting example of how the quantitative approach for this ranking reflects my opinion on the one hand, but doesn't reflect it on the other. After all, Child of Light has one of the best soundtracks ... and still only comes in 12th place?

Now I've raved about it often enough and argued at length why the score deserves this rating - be it in the Child of Light-review, in my Top 10 Indie scores or my Top 15 Saddest tracks. I hate to quote myself (again), but I hate repeating myself even more. To keep it short, I'll give you the following, along with a big recommendation: “[The soundtrack is] A direct hit that puts the fable in ‘fabulous’ and masterfully balances on the fine line between kitsch and art.”

11

Guild Wars

contains Guild Wars 2 (2012) | Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (2015) | Guild Wars 2: Icebrood Saga (2021) | Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons (2022) | Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure (2023) | Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds (2024)

Composer(s): Jeremy Soule; Maclaine Diemer; Lena Raine; Stan LePard; Brendon Williams; Bryan Atkinson; Garry Schyman; Jarryd Elias; Paul Cartwright; Joel Santos
5 star tracks: 16

The name Jeremy Soule provoked contradictory reactions, and not only on this site: On the one hand, wistful glances back and pricked ears for the sounds of past video game historical milestones; on the other, horror at the allegations of sexual abuse made against the American composer (more on this in About Cancel Culture).

In addition to many classics, he also wrote for the Guild Wars-series and enriched my only point of contact with it, Guild Wars 2, with a few outstanding pieces. Although the lantern was held high in the addons by albums that were sometimes on a par, none of them reached the hit density of the ten top tracks in the main game. Should you listen to it anyway - or perhaps because of it? Absolutely!

10

Trine

contains Trine (2009) | Trine 2 (2011) | Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (2023) |

Composer(s): Ari Pulkkinen
5 star tracks: 16

Well, there is no hurt in Trine, right. With five offshoots of fluctuating quality to date, the cute puzzle series in fantasy guise is now in 10th place on this list. Under composer Ari Pulkkinen (Angry Birds), numerous child-friendly adventure songs were created, transforming the expected background noise into moving experiences.

With this series, the Finn succeeds in conjuring up light-footed fairy tale music that sounds a little cheesy to some, but for others like me, it evokes a balmy calm. At the same time, it also likes to bang from time to time, which is no less fun. The Trine-games are simply beautiful and have more than earned their place on this list.

9

The Lord of the Rings

contains The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (2004) | The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II (2006) | The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (2007) | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014)

Composer(s): Bill Brown; Jamie Christopherson; Chance Thomas; Garry Schyman; Nathan Grigg
5 star tracks: 16

The fact that one of the biggest franchises can only narrowly triumph over an indie game is actually a scandal. But is it me and my hard-to-satisfy demands? Looking at my diet, which consists of 50 % Nutella and 50 % blood sugar lowering agents, I have reasonable doubts about this assumption.

In fact, one reason is that there aren't as many Lord of the Rings games as there should be (looking at you, Battle for Middle-earth). And then there used to be a lot of Howard Shore's movie scores, which are great, but for me belong more to the events and the respective albums from The Fellowship, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

Nevertheless, a few of the video game adaptations have managed to successfully capture the spirit and conjure up original creations worthy of Tolkien's fantasy world (looking at you again, Battle for Middle-earth). Nevertheless, we can only hope that the number of top titles will increase in the future, because if the original book serves as a blueprint for an entire genre, then I should be able to place no less high demands on its music.

8

Neverwinter Nights

contains Neverwinter Nights (2002) | Neverwinter Nights: Horden der Unterreichs (2003) | Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006) | Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (2007) | Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir (2008)

Composer(s): Jeremy Soule; Dave G. Fraser; Neil Goldberg; Alexander Brandon; Rik Schaffer; Paul Romero; Rob King
5 star tracks: 17

The fantasy genre naturally includes the world of Dungeons & Dragons. And before Baldur’s Gate 3 dragged the franchise back into the center of pop culture, it was the Neverwinter Nights-games that transported pen & paper fans' hobby to the PC. There was music to match, which may sound a little 'generic' compared to other contemporaries on this list, but the composers succeed remarkably well in blending powerful action and devotional tranquillity.

7

The Legend of Zelda

contains The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000) | The Legend of Zelda: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2018) | The Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

Composer(s): Kōji Kondō; Kenta Nagata; Hajime Wakai; Toru Minegishi; Asuka Ohta; Shiho Fujii; Mahito Yokota; Takeshi Hama; Manaka Kataoka; Maasa Miyoshi; Masato Ohashi; Tsukasa Usui
5 star tracks: 18

Technically, The Legend of Zelda should be higher up the list; and it probably would be if the following factors were true:

• I would have played more series derivatives.
• The pieces would be more nuanced.

Good Grief, criticism of Kōji Kondō and his ilk, who have written some of the most famous pop culture music? No, of course not, I'm not insane. After all, in the end it's the recurring melodies that create a wonderful sense of togetherness within the games and their scores. However, detached from this, in their album form, they diffuse too much into each other for my taste.

What do I mean by that? Well, many of the pieces we hear in one game we already know from other albums. As there is very little variation here, for example, five great but very similar tracks become one track for me that gets the top rating. So out of the eight Zelda-games that I listened to and two of which I even played, 'only' 18 songs end up in the top score range.

Is that a Mattis problem? Definitely. And do you care enough about my opinion on the great Zelda-music to let the 7th place ranking ruin your day? Hopefully not. After all, the soundtrack featuring Link, Zelda and Ganondorf is rightly a multi-award-winning flagship of the video game landscape in general and the fantasy genre in particular. Finally, do you need a recommendation from me? Nope, but there is one anyway: listen and enjoy!

6

Prince of Persia

contains Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) | Prince of Persia: The Two Throne (2005) | Prince of Persia [2008] (2008) | Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (2010) | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024) | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – Mask of Darkness (2024) | The Rogue Prince of Persia (2024)

Composer(s): Stuart Chatwood; Inon Zur; Steve Jablonsky; Samar Rad (Mentrix); Gareth Coker; Danny Asadi (ASADI)
5 star tracks: 20

In contrast to the quality of the games, the music in the Prince of Persia,series is of a high standard. It's here where the fantasy of 1001 Nights blossoms and brings us closer to the Orient in its most corny and captivating form. While the first installments focused on fast-paced brawls - or maybe it was just the songs that caught my attention - the spin-off Prince of Persia from 2008 brought out the tender, emotional side.

Most recently, Gareth Coker (Immortals Fenyx Rising) and Danny Asadi pushed back with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and The Rogue Prince of Persia into the tempo realms of the first parts in order to focus on the Persian prince's agility. Together with a few modern influences such as synthesizers, this is a fitting refresher course. The journey can continue like this!

5

SpellForce

contains SpellForce: The Order of Dawn (2003) | SpellForce: The Breath of Winter (2004) | SpellForce: Shadow of the Phoenix (2005) | SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars (2006) | SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm (2007) | SpellForce 3 (2017)

Composer(s): Tilman Sillescu; Pierre Langer; Dynamedion; Bastian Kieslinger
5 star tracks: 36

With a huge difference of 17 tracks, SpellForce the time-honored strategy-role-playing hybrid from Germany, lands in 5th place. Those familiar with this website should not be surprised by its appearance, and those who have never heard of it should urgently catch up - in the truest sense of the word!

SpellForce is the realization of what The Lord of the Rings is for the film and what its licensed games don't often achieve: epic fantasy. Dynamedion, under the direction of Tilman Sillescu and Pierre Langer, deliver a musical master class for parts 1 and 2 that need not shy away from comparison with other genre greats. Even part 3, which was composed by Bastian Kieslinger, delivers some real gems.

Now, of course, you could accuse me of having played all the (good) SpellForce-games and being biased to the maximum. In case you haven't noticed yet: I don't care! Personally, I love the music, this over-the-top epic, this touching kitsch. I can immerse myself in the score to SpellForce 2 for hours without getting bored. Firstly because it reminds me of my childhood, but also because it does what a good fantasy score should do: it stimulates my imagination. It doesn't just create a world for me, but worlds in the plural - fantastic worlds. If you've never heard a score from the series before and like just a spark of fantasy, you should definitely give this one a listen.

4

The Elder Scrolls

contains The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996) | The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002) | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) | The Elder Scrolls Online (2014) | The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood (2021) | The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle (2022) | The Elder Scrolls: Blades (2018)

Composer(s): Eric Heberling, Jeremy Soule; Brad Derrick; Inon Zur
5 star tracks: 7

A list without the scrolls of the elderly? Inconceivable! Consequently, Bethesda's role-playing game series is comfortably preparing a bed at the foot of the throne and can look back on a remarkable list of Mattis-certified bangers with almost 40 top titles. The fact that The Elder Scrolls Online, in addition to cult classics such as Oblivion, Morrowind or Skyrim is another MMO that significantly increases the amount of content is not the reason for the ranking though.

Anyone who knows video games knows that the music in Elder Scrolls-games is simply great. It completes the fantasy world of Tamriel with its many facets and is wonderfully versatile, not only between the games but also within the individual albums.

Be it the ambient pieces that invite you to linger or accompany the hustle and bustle of the settlements so beautifully; or the battle tracks that sometimes heroically, sometimes frantically, fire up our sword-swinging and magic-working: The Elder Scrolls rocks. It's not for nothing that Jeremy Soule's work and that of his successors has won several awards. However, 3rd place and higher belong to others. Firstly...

Number 3-1

3

Final Fantasy

contains Final Fantasy (1987) | Final Fantasy II (1988) | Final Fantasy IV (1991) | Final Fantasy V (1992) | Final Fantasy VI (1994) | Final Fantasy VII (1997) | Final Fantasy IX (2000) | Final Fantasy X (2001) | Final Fantasy XI (2002) | Final Fantasy XII (2006) | Final Fantasy XIII (2009) | Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2011) | Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013) | Final Fantasy XV (2016) | A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV (2016) | Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) | Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (2024) | Final Fantasy XVI (2023)

Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu; Tsuyoshi Sekito; Mitsuto Suzuki; Masashi Hamauzu; Junya Nakano; Hitoshi Sakimoto; Naoshi Mizuta; Yoshitaka Suzuki; Masayoshi Soken; Yōko Shimomura; Bill Kiley
5 star tracks: 7

… Final Fantasy. Anyone surprised by that? I mean, the series already has “Fantasy” in its name! And with 16 main games and numerous spin-offs and expansions, the amount of musical content is almost overwhelming. However, the Japanese role-playing game series also demonstrates class in abundance, so that even for non-enthusiasts like me, there is hardly an album that doesn't contain at least one showpiece.

Castle Pandemonium (FF2), Dear Friends (FF5), Terra’s Theme (FF6), Court Jesters (FF9), To Zanarkand (FF10) ... the list could go on and on and still not include all of the highlights. The series also takes 3rd place as a representative of all the other Japanese role-playing games that didn't make it onto this list. As a European who only had a PC and Gameboy, many milestones in this genre have passed me by and are therefore not included in this list.

In the future, of course, I hope that the selection for my reviews and top lists will become even broader, but for the time being, the best fantasy series in terms of music will probably remain the one with the end at the beginning.

2

Might and Magic

contains Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000) | Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars (1996) | Heroes of Might and Magic III (1999) | Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon’s Blade (1999) | Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002) | Heroes of Might and Magic V (2006) | Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate (2006) | Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East (2007) | Might and Magic: Heroes VI (2011) | Might and Magic: Heroes VI – Shades of Darkness (2006) |

Composer(s): Rob King; Paul Romero; Steve Baca
5 star tracks: 53

Yes, I admit that for many, the Might and Magic-series would probably not make it into second place, as it consists largely of old dungeon crawlers with equally old musical accompaniment. In fact, however, the majority of the music relevant to this top list comes from the strategy spin-off series of Heroes of Might and Magic-games. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is excluded here, as I classify it in the dark fantasy genre according to the definitions above.

Due to the fact that I have already reviewed most of the associated games, my euphoria and, I have to say, my love for the soundtracks of these works of entertainment, can probably best be read in those reviews. But for anyone too lazy reading all of them, I would like to explain once again why the work of Paul Romero and Rob King, complemented by Steve Baca, is absolutely top class.

Each of the scores has a different musical focus: Heroes of Heroes of Might and Magic II with its city screens accompanied by operas and arias. Part 3, which is more in the direction of classical (video game) music, or Part 4, which is more folkloric. Or HoMM V, which combines everything we have learned and delivers one of, if not the best (high) fantasy soundtrack. A series on an impeccable top-tier level that only has to admit defeat to one game, or shall we say franchise?

1

League of Legends

contains League of Legends (2009) | Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (2021) | Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story (2023) | The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story (2023)

Composer(s): Michael Barry; Christian Linke; Sebastien Najand; Dan Negovan; Alexander Temple; Daniel Vulcano; Duncan Watt; Jason Willey; Crystal Method (Ken Jordan & Scott Kirkland); Ninja Tracks; Samuel Ferrari; Felipe Junqueira; Pentakill; Edouard Brenneisen; Takahiro Eguchi; Kole Hicks; Richard Thomson; Michael Pitman; TJ Brown; Michael Patti; Tee Lopes; Alex Seaver; Brian D’Oliveira; K/DA; Gareth Coker; Vibe Avenue; Cris Velasco
5 star tracks: 102

The fuck? League of Legends? That online game that everyone always hates because of its toxic community, but noone the less play themself, cultivating a toxic relationship of self-flagellation and hubris? Yes, exactly that. LoL is many things and as multifaceted as it is controversial. And even though the game and its effects on my free time and social environment have shaped me for a few years, this is not about the actual game, but its music.

Because as much as you can argue about the MOBA, you can't complain about the quality of its soundtrack. Right from the start, the champion selection themes (Blind Pick, Ranked Pick) were absolute cult classics that today's players have unfortunately never experienced. But over the years, Riot's team of composers continued to work hard and gave champions, events and cinematics themes of almost consistently brilliant quality.

As if the output for the actual game with just over 600 tracks (as of mid-2024) wasn't enough to secure the top spot on the list, the A League of Legends Story-spin-offs provide even more fodder for game and soundtrack fans. For the stories of Nunu, Echo and co, external composers were bought in, resulting in over 100 top tracks - and counting.

Now, one could argue about whether a MOBA even qualifies as high fantasy, and before the lore-based content offensive, there would have been room for discussion here. However, with the spin-offs and its own series (whose score is of course not included in this rating), enough fertile ground has been sown to dispel any doubts. The League of Legends-cosmos thus climbs to first place in my personal top list and will hopefully continue to supply us with more masterpieces for many years to come. In the meantime, I will continue with my search for the nuggets and hope that you share my assessment in this ranking. If not, no problem, it's only music after all.