It was Christmastime, 1991, and there was only one thing I had on my wish list: a Super Nintendo. The franchise spawned three sequels including the aforementioned Back in the Groove, which launched in 2019. According to Ken Horowitz in his book Playing the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games, Sega sold roughly 350,000 copies of the game during its run. ToeJam & Earl was more of a cult classic than an in-the-moment success. Backers of the Kickstarter project asked if he could include the track in the new game as an Easter egg. It was, and he even had an old copy in his garage. The moment you depress the power button and the title screen loads, you’re greeted with a mesmerizing waterfall and an enchanting tune that rapidly changes to signal a serious adventure awaits. But it was the first title I remember playing with an enthralling soundtrack.
That honor, in all likelihood, went to Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda wasn’t the first game I ever played on NES. Here are 10 prime examples where composers did just that. Hamstrung by hardware limitations, composers of yesteryear often had to get creative in order to conquer shortcomings associated with the platforms of the time. Quality games almost unanimously also have great sound and music. But there are many other aspects including good controls, a solid storyline and memorable characters that factor into the creation of a well-rounded game. Game systems from the 8-bit and 16-bit era weren’t exactly the graphical powerhouses that modern consoles, PCs and even phones have evolved into.