{"id":104,"date":"2021-07-13T23:23:35","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T23:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.game.audio\/?p=104"},"modified":"2021-07-15T18:39:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T18:39:56","slug":"10-best-final-fantasy-scores-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.game.audio\/?p=104","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Best Final Fantasy Soundtracks of All Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We polled our staff at game.audio<\/a> to find an answer to one of the most contentious topics in Game Audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked everyone a simple question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the 10 absolute best Soundtracks for Final Fantasy games? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As expected, we received a variety of answers ranging from “I’ve only Played FFVII” to “Well, FFII only sounds the best on the original hardware, but in emulation, it falters a bit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we tallied up the votes, and now we present game.audio’s The 10 Best Final Fantasy Soundtracks of All Time:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Final Fantasy II<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Originally for the NES, this soundtrack really set the stage for all of the great Final Fantasy scores to come. Yes, it is the second in the series, but many people recognize the musical advancements as a moment when the Final Fantasy music really came into its own. We can compare the original\u00a0NES version<\/a>\u00a0to later\u00a0rearrangements\u00a0<\/a>to see how the music of the FF series has been advancing over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. Final Fantasy IV<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Final Fantasy IV score presents a fascinating example of a beautiful soundtrack that has been remade and reorchestrated in many\u00a0ways over the years<\/a>. Fans are very divided over what era represents the best version of the score. But most of us here prefer the original SNES score.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8. Final Fantasy IX<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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The Final Fantasy IX score is the most recent on the list up until this point. It is one of the most\u00a0cinematic scores of the series<\/a>. It feels like a “FANTASY” movie in a way that we can recognize from popular Hollywood films. A fantastic score through and through.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. Final Fantasy XV<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Fans were divided over Final Fantasy XV, with some feeling that it was too much of a departure from previous stories and settings. The music felt like a departure at times, with\u00a0western sounding moments<\/a>. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy game with wonderfully orchestrated\u00a0battle themes<\/a>. Here at game.audio, we feel that this game and score will stand the test of time as a true mark of progress in the series.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Final Fantasy VIII<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Hot off the heels of arguably the most popular game in the series, Final Fantasy VIII had a lot of expectations before its release. From a gameplay perspective, some fans struggled to see it as an improvement over Final Fantasy VII. Even though it was on the same hardware, we can musically hear a radical improvement in the\u00a0sonic fidelity<\/a>\u00a0compared to FFVII.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Final Fantasy VII Remake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Final Fantasy VII Remake is the newest Final Fantasy entry and, in terms of sonic fidelity, the current high-water mark of the series. Among our staff, we think that this might currently be the best-sounding video game of all time. The music updates traditional melodies and themes from Final Fantasy VI but also brings in new emotions and energy. It is ranked 5th on this list, primarily because it is a remake. How could we put this over the original?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Final Fantasy III\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Like many of the NES games of the series, this soundtrack has been remade in many ways over the years. The remakes have proven to be very faithful updating of wonderful melodies and themes. We love the original\u00a0NES soundtrack<\/a>, but we probably listen to the wonderful\u00a0remake versions<\/a>\u00a0a little bit more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Final Fantasy VI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Final Fantasy VI was released as Final Fantasy III in North America. This was one of the deepest entries of the series when it came out and set the stage for the groundbreaking Final Fantasy VII. Utilizing SNES’s wonderful sound engine, this game had one of the most\u00a0cinematic and epic soundtracks<\/a>\u00a0for games of its era.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Final Fantasy VII<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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While the Playstation 1 was capable of CD-quality audio, it still had an extremely limited storage capacity. This meant that the game had to share audio space with the game files themselves. The composers of FFVII utilized limited sample-based technology to extend their audio much farther than the storage would normally allow. From a modern context, we can hear how they are bridging full orchestral recording audio with a sample-based approach. It might sound old-fashioned to some ears, but to the rest of us,\u00a0this soundtrack<\/a>\u00a0is one of the most comforting and nostalgic musical experiences possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Final Fantasy X<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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The music of Final Fantasy X has stood the test of time and continues to grow in fans every year. This set the stage for much of the modern FF games that we see today. We can also hear influences on monumental game soundtracks such as\u00a0Breath of the Wild<\/a>. The overall musicality of this soundtrack is perfect. We love the melodies and orchestration from beginning to end.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We polled our staff at game.audio to find an answer to one of the most contentious topics in Game Audio. We asked everyone a simple question: What are the 10 absolute best Soundtracks for Final Fantasy games?  As expected, we received a variety of answers ranging from “I’ve only Played FFVII” to “Well, FFII only sounds the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bestof"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 10 Best Final Fantasy Soundtracks of All Time - game.audio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are the 10 absolute best Soundtracks for Final Fantasy games? 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