Every Fire Emblem Soundtrack Ranked
Why'd I do this? I'm not really sure, it kinda took more effort to make then it ended up being worth.
See below for my TOP 10 BESTEST SONGS IN THE WHOLE SERIES
10. "You may call me Marth." (Awakening)
9. Sea Winds and Travelers (Echoes)
8. Apex of the World (Three Houses)
7. Between Heaven and Earth (Three Houses)
6. Id ~ Purpose (Awakening)
5. Enishi (Fates)
4. Life Returns (Path of Radiance)
3. The Heritors of Arcadia (Echoes)
2. Road Taken (Fates)
1. Conquest (Awakening)
See below for my TOP 10 BESTEST SONGS IN THE WHOLE SERIES
10. "You may call me Marth." (Awakening)
9. Sea Winds and Travelers (Echoes)
8. Apex of the World (Three Houses)
7. Between Heaven and Earth (Three Houses)
6. Id ~ Purpose (Awakening)
5. Enishi (Fates)
4. Life Returns (Path of Radiance)
3. The Heritors of Arcadia (Echoes)
2. Road Taken (Fates)
1. Conquest (Awakening)
21 Games
Simply through virtue of containing a lot of Birthright and Conquest's music in it plus a few exclusives for itself this game gets #1. Fates' music is just on a completely different level in my opinion. Lost in Thoughts All Alone still sucks though.
On a side note, there's a piece called Enishi that's part of the soundtrack that doesn't appear in the game, it's like a bonus track or something, and it's really good. It's supposed to be like Sakura and Elise's duet they talk about in their Revelation support conversation, which may or may not be true. I don't know, I've never seen their supports, and I hate everything about Revelation's writing so I'm not gonna look it up to find out for sure.
Stand-outs from Fates' OST for me are Pleasure Capital, Destiny by Blood, Final Elites, Desire Below, The Path to you, Past Light, Lost in the Waves (Used to listen to it all the time in High School, kinda over it now), Thorn in You, Dusk Falls, Alight (Again used to love it dearly in High School and probably just listened to it too much), Bubbles, and easily my favorite, Road Taken. Road Taken is like second only to Conquest when it comes to my favorite songs in the whole series. Even if it is just Fates' knock-off version of Conquest.
On a side note, there's a piece called Enishi that's part of the soundtrack that doesn't appear in the game, it's like a bonus track or something, and it's really good. It's supposed to be like Sakura and Elise's duet they talk about in their Revelation support conversation, which may or may not be true. I don't know, I've never seen their supports, and I hate everything about Revelation's writing so I'm not gonna look it up to find out for sure.
Stand-outs from Fates' OST for me are Pleasure Capital, Destiny by Blood, Final Elites, Desire Below, The Path to you, Past Light, Lost in the Waves (Used to listen to it all the time in High School, kinda over it now), Thorn in You, Dusk Falls, Alight (Again used to love it dearly in High School and probably just listened to it too much), Bubbles, and easily my favorite, Road Taken. Road Taken is like second only to Conquest when it comes to my favorite songs in the whole series. Even if it is just Fates' knock-off version of Conquest.
1
I'lI pick Birthright over Conquest not for any tracks in particular but simply the theme of it over all. While Conquest does the traditional medieval European fantasy soundtrack so wonderfully that is what most other games in this series are doing. The Japanese aesthetic is a nice break from what was a good few games that just had fairly generic fantasy soundtracks. And since it's Fates, the music is all top notch, it's not like Warriors where it tries something completely different and falls flat on its face.
2
Fates' OST is definitely the greatest disparity between game quality and OST quality. It's just so immaculately made, and Fates is such trash. Now, Conquest is actually a good Fates game, the only Fates game better than totally mediocre imo, but when it comes to its soundtrack its probably the weakest. It sounds amazing but it definitely suffers the most from "generic fantasy music" syndrome of the three Fates games.
3
I feel like Echoes was the proper break from generic fantasy that the series needed for its music. it's a lot less "fantasy video game" and a lot more just a video game OST, it feels like it could fit in a game that doesn't have knights and magicians in it.
Anyway, this soundtrack is absolutely amazing. Even though Fates is far more consistently great, Echoes has more higher highs (and lower lows). Lord of a Dead Empire and Twilight of the Gods are fantastic, but I'm sure you all already knew that. My personal favorites from the game are Sea Winds and Travelers, Ark of Dawn, What Lies at the End, Unity, The Sacrifice and the Saint, and The Heritors of Arcadia. The Heritors of Arcadia having the distinction of being a song from Fire Emblem that has lyrics and was localized into English and not being terrible. Something only it has. Genuinely the first time I heard this song when I was messing around in the secret sound test when I learned about it like two days into getting the game, and I started playing the song, I stopped really soon in because I really wanted to fully hear it for the first time at the end, which I assumed it played then because it was at the end of the sound test. And like this song mixed with what is probably the best iteration of the history book ending most Fire Emblem games have made me like full on burst into tears in the back of my Mom's minivan while we were on our way to my Grandmother's house. Good times.
Anyway, this soundtrack is absolutely amazing. Even though Fates is far more consistently great, Echoes has more higher highs (and lower lows). Lord of a Dead Empire and Twilight of the Gods are fantastic, but I'm sure you all already knew that. My personal favorites from the game are Sea Winds and Travelers, Ark of Dawn, What Lies at the End, Unity, The Sacrifice and the Saint, and The Heritors of Arcadia. The Heritors of Arcadia having the distinction of being a song from Fire Emblem that has lyrics and was localized into English and not being terrible. Something only it has. Genuinely the first time I heard this song when I was messing around in the secret sound test when I learned about it like two days into getting the game, and I started playing the song, I stopped really soon in because I really wanted to fully hear it for the first time at the end, which I assumed it played then because it was at the end of the sound test. And like this song mixed with what is probably the best iteration of the history book ending most Fire Emblem games have made me like full on burst into tears in the back of my Mom's minivan while we were on our way to my Grandmother's house. Good times.
4
While Three Hopes has this game beat in literally every other regard, even now as only a demo, Three Houses certainly has the better OST. Honestly the greatest offense this game's soundtrack commits is that the Big Final Latin Song is easily the weakest thus far. God-Shattering Star has been memed to death like Purpose and Twilight of the Gods were before it, but like it really just doesn't have the depth that the others have. Purpose especially is really a lot more than just a dramatic Latin operatic song, it has A LOT going on, and Twilight of the Gods was based of a song that sounded fantastic on an nes soundboard, so they really had a lot going for them. And not to sound like an old person who can't accept change, but all God-Shattering Star has going for it is that it's loud. And like that's fine, it serves its purpose, it just isn't something I ever listen to outside of playing the game itself like I do with a lot of the songs from this game's OST. Also it isn't something that I ever hear in general because I'd sooner replay Revelation five times before replaying Verdant Wind.
Anyways, now that I got that out of my system, my favs from this OST are Between Heaven and Earth (which I guess should also count as a Big Final Latin Song, but nobody really considers it one), Apex of the World (Which also is a Big Final Latin Song people don't talk about enough, which is probably only second to Purpose for me), Indomitable Will (Another Big Final Latin Song nobody really talks about), Paths That Will Never Cross, and The Land Beloved by the Goddess, which is the song that plays over the best part of the game, when Jeralt narrates what's happened in between each chapter.
A Guide for the Future is pretty cute and I actually find myself listening to it quite often even though I can get quite sick of it while I'm actually playing the game itself. As Fierce as Fire kicks fucking ass so hard and Chasing Daybreak fucking rules so much. Corridors of the Tempest has really grown on me recently too. Even Roar of Dominion which at first just sounds like something pretty boring and generic actually turns into something really grand and powerful.
Honestly the really epic, grand, and melodramatic songs in this game are so good. They're really effective at making those moments feel super heightened. Even this game's early battle song, Fodlan Skies, is pretty intense. This game's soundtrack really elevates it past the trainwreck Three Houses really is.
One of the few non-epic songs I like from the OST is Golden Deer and Crescent Moon, it sounds really nice and I like it a lot, it sounds very different from the rest of the songs, but I don't remember when it plays at all. I mean, I'm never replaying Verdant Wind to find out, so whatever I guess.
Edge of Dawn is awful though. Like really bad. Nintendo should never localize songs with lyrics, it never ends well.
Anyways, now that I got that out of my system, my favs from this OST are Between Heaven and Earth (which I guess should also count as a Big Final Latin Song, but nobody really considers it one), Apex of the World (Which also is a Big Final Latin Song people don't talk about enough, which is probably only second to Purpose for me), Indomitable Will (Another Big Final Latin Song nobody really talks about), Paths That Will Never Cross, and The Land Beloved by the Goddess, which is the song that plays over the best part of the game, when Jeralt narrates what's happened in between each chapter.
A Guide for the Future is pretty cute and I actually find myself listening to it quite often even though I can get quite sick of it while I'm actually playing the game itself. As Fierce as Fire kicks fucking ass so hard and Chasing Daybreak fucking rules so much. Corridors of the Tempest has really grown on me recently too. Even Roar of Dominion which at first just sounds like something pretty boring and generic actually turns into something really grand and powerful.
Honestly the really epic, grand, and melodramatic songs in this game are so good. They're really effective at making those moments feel super heightened. Even this game's early battle song, Fodlan Skies, is pretty intense. This game's soundtrack really elevates it past the trainwreck Three Houses really is.
One of the few non-epic songs I like from the OST is Golden Deer and Crescent Moon, it sounds really nice and I like it a lot, it sounds very different from the rest of the songs, but I don't remember when it plays at all. I mean, I'm never replaying Verdant Wind to find out, so whatever I guess.
Edge of Dawn is awful though. Like really bad. Nintendo should never localize songs with lyrics, it never ends well.
5
Goddamn that accordion is so iconic to me. Like that's genuinely such an inspired choice for your main instrument in a medieval fantasy game. It really ends up giving Awakening's ost a huge identity, and like the rest of the game, the songs are clean as hell. They've got an air of sophistication about them that, while they aren't my favorite songs, perfectly fit the game they're in. Awakening was still definitely in the "generic fantasy" era of Fire Emblem osts, but it also was the start of Fire Emblem games having amazing osts too. It's both generic and amazing. Maybe classical is a more generous description, but despite that I still listen to this game's ost constantly. Conquest used to be my favorite song of all time and it still ranks in like the top 15 or 10, You May Call Me Marth is really great too, and Don't Speak Her Name is such a strong potent song that it is like 50% of the reason people love Chapter 10 so much. (The other 50% being Mustafa, of course. The actual level design of Chapter 10 is pretty bad honestly.)
Id is a really strong theme, and all its iterations within the soundtrack are all really great. Purpose is easily the best of the Latin final boss songs. there's only three of them thus far, four if you count Lord of a Dead Empire, which some do, but still. Twilight of the Gods is very stiff competition.
*there's like six of them but nobody talks about the 3H ones that aren't God-Shattering Star
This game and the games ranked above it are noticeably much higher quality than all the others when it comes to OSTs, by the way. Like Fe4 is a good soundtrack, but it isn't something I listen to regularly. This game and those that come above it are soundtracks I listen to constantly.
Id is a really strong theme, and all its iterations within the soundtrack are all really great. Purpose is easily the best of the Latin final boss songs. there's only three of them thus far, four if you count Lord of a Dead Empire, which some do, but still. Twilight of the Gods is very stiff competition.
*there's like six of them but nobody talks about the 3H ones that aren't God-Shattering Star
This game and the games ranked above it are noticeably much higher quality than all the others when it comes to OSTs, by the way. Like Fe4 is a good soundtrack, but it isn't something I listen to regularly. This game and those that come above it are soundtracks I listen to constantly.
6
I always used to remember this soundtrack having a lot more gospel keyboard. Really it's only the recruitment theme that has it. But the soundtrack is really good. The tracks will have to play for very very long periods of time so its good that they all are fantastic. Special shout-outs to Girl of the Spirit Forest and Inheritor of Light for being my favorites.
7
I hated Warriors' OST, but Three Hopes is just in general fantastic so the soundtrack has to be too. It's mostly just remixes of 3H songs but they aren't that bad. They aren't as good as the originals, but they're pretty good. (It's still just a demo as of writing this so I've only heard a small portion of the soundtrack.)
8
This game's soundtrack feels really nice, which is really the only way to describe it. It makes me want to think through all of my strategies, and roll with my losses. It makes Fe3 feel very classic and elegant, like it's a classic piece of art from two-thousand years ago. Like this game was made in 74 AD, and it isn't just the OST that gives it this legitimate air, but the game as a whole.
While this game may have gotten rid of Wrys, and that's a crime I'll never forgive, It does win a lot of points back with its songs.
While this game may have gotten rid of Wrys, and that's a crime I'll never forgive, It does win a lot of points back with its songs.
9
Radiant Dawn is a very interesting game to say the least, least of all in how uninteresting it can be at times. Really the same applies when you're just talking about the music specifically too. It's mostly just Path of radiance, but louder. But there's a lot more interesting tracks then there were in Path of Radiance. The heron's songs are pretty cool and The Devoted? Awesome track. Beauty is a Mad Mistress is also pretty fun, and March of the Lion King is oddly probably my favorite track in the game, as weird as that sounds. It just has a uniquely funky beat to it. Also the string instrument in it sounds cool as shit.
It's a very grandiose soundtrack fit for a game about three different armies fighting each other and then coming together in the end to kill god to end racism. Yeah, after part one Radiant Dawn kinda shits itself, but hey, the music's still pretty good after part one, even if I still think we are firmly in the "generic fantasy" music era.
It's a very grandiose soundtrack fit for a game about three different armies fighting each other and then coming together in the end to kill god to end racism. Yeah, after part one Radiant Dawn kinda shits itself, but hey, the music's still pretty good after part one, even if I still think we are firmly in the "generic fantasy" music era.
10
I used to be a big hater on this game's soundtrack because it always sounded way TOO generic for me, but I've come to appreciate it over the years. Life Returns is easily the best song on this soundtrack. I listen to it a lot. It is like leagues above the rest of this game's OST. It makes for a great ending song. Eternal Glory is pretty good too. Although I don't listen to that song really ever.
A lot of songs in this game were just made better (or just had like a 250% increase in the amount of instruments present in them) in Radiant Dawn, which is the problem for this game's OST.
Like if you need a soundtrack to score your DnD campaign, this is absolutely the perfect choice no matter what.
A lot of songs in this game were just made better (or just had like a 250% increase in the amount of instruments present in them) in Radiant Dawn, which is the problem for this game's OST.
Like if you need a soundtrack to score your DnD campaign, this is absolutely the perfect choice no matter what.
11
Thraccia is a great game with a pretty serviceable soundtrack. I didn't realize, however, that there's like two pop songs associated with this game? They were in the OSTs of it on youtube, and they do kinda go but like I was not aware of this. (I prefer Wind to Blowin' in the Wind by the way.)
Non pop songs on this OST I like enough to talk about them are pretty sparse. I like August Talks A and Victory Minor, but really this game was the beginning of generic fantasy game OSTs for this series.
Non pop songs on this OST I like enough to talk about them are pretty sparse. I like August Talks A and Victory Minor, but really this game was the beginning of generic fantasy game OSTs for this series.
12
When I relistened to every Fire Emblem soundtrack for this list this game was the one that surprised me the most. I genuinely do not remember most of these game's songs, but they're all pretty great. Together We Ride, Blessing of the Eight generals, and Rise to the Challenge are bangers. A Knight's Oath is also cool as shit, although it would be remade in Path of Radiance as Vow which I definitely prefer. This game definately feels like the proper transition to the "generic fantasy" era for Fire Emblem osts, though. Which will be a plague on the series until Awakening.
13
While not as good as FE7's soundtrack, Sacred Stones does well enough for itself. it has one of the better renditions of the Fire Emblem theme, and The Prince's Despair is kinda clunky and generic, but sticks out in my mind for some reason. Comrades is a great recruitment theme and should definitely return in a new game some day. But, that's about all I can say. We are now squarely in the "generic fantasy" era of Fire Emblem osts. Perfect songs to use for your DnD campaign, but nothing spectacular enough to talk about or listen to outside of the game.
14
While I don't love the gba games or their soundtracks that much, FE6 is definitely the only one I like most as a whole but not as a soundtrack. There's definitely some good songs on it. Eternal Wind and Beneath a New Light come to mind. Also this game's ost is definitely trying to be Genealogy of the Holy War 2 and it isn't succeeding in my opinion. It does have Genealogy's recruitment theme though, which slaps just as hard as it did back then. It just doesn't fully embrace the techno chip-tune aesthetic like Genealogy did.
15
This game just has a bunch of remakes of the series' songs, plus like that one screamo song everyone made fun of. It's hard to recommend this game's soundtrack to anyone because it's basically a jack of all trades and a master of none. Sure, it has March to Deliverance and With Mila's Divine protection but there's more to Echoes' soundtrack that I'd want to listen to, so why not just go listen to Echoes' soundtrack at that point, you know? Also none of the remixes really sand out more than the originals do in my opinion.
16
Legit best NES ost. Like Castlevania 1 is pretty close but I think Gaiden beats it out. This soundtrack has depth. It isn't all just bops and bangers like most other NES osts I've listened to. there's some contemplation in there I think. Some more somber aspects and introspection. Of course, those do sort of get lost a bit because of the NES's 3 available sound channels and the sometimes ear-destroying notes they can produce. That fucking village theme is horrid though. It's like the second song you hear from booting up the game and it sounds like music they'd have in a Sonic game for when you're drowning.
17
If the remake of this game which could have more than 3 sound channels didn't have a good OST there isn't really much hope for this one. Although do like it better simply because the NES soundboard gives it a lot more style and personality than the sound font the remake uses.
18
Oh god. That's just embarrassing.
Whoever thought that electric guitar was a good idea really shouldn't have been making music for this game. The remixes of songs in this game are usually pretty ok to actually great, but they all get ruined by that awful electric guitar that's in way too many songs. It really flattens out every song it's in, which is like 90% of them.
Their version of Alight does fuck a little, though. Even with the stupid electric guitar.
Whoever thought that electric guitar was a good idea really shouldn't have been making music for this game. The remixes of songs in this game are usually pretty ok to actually great, but they all get ruined by that awful electric guitar that's in way too many songs. It really flattens out every song it's in, which is like 90% of them.
Their version of Alight does fuck a little, though. Even with the stupid electric guitar.
19
Absolutely nothing in this game's soundtrack is above passable besides the preparations theme, which is one of my favorites in the series, Pieces of Hope, and Trouble! The last being easily the best song in this whole game.
20
I'll be honest, I listened to this game's OST and then completely forgot all of it right after. It's not like I've ever really been able to get past the prolouge of this game before though so I don't have the memories and previous connections to this game's songs that I do for the rest of this series.
I've tried getting past the prolouge like 3 times but I keep stopping because it's so boring.
I've tried getting past the prolouge like 3 times but I keep stopping because it's so boring.
21