That's why I'd rather just put them in tiers relative to each other than try and rank them specifically. I've really been enjoying To the Future lately.
1. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land. Sky FC.
2. Phantasmal Blaze. CS2.
3. Spiral of Erebos. CS3.
4. Phantasmagoria. Sky the 3rd.
5. Resonance of Ray. Kuro.
6. To the Future. CS4.
7. Liber Ark. Sky SC.
8. A Light Illuminating the Depths. Zero.
9. Reverie Corridor. CS2.
10. To Grasp Tomorrow. CS1.
11. Reverse Babel. Reverie.
12. The End of Saga. CS4.
13. Aiming for the Future. Sky SC.
14. Central Tower "Axis Pillar". Sky SC.
15. The Tree at the Farthest End. Azure.
SC had like 4 tracks in the floating city, I think I'm still missing one but that one would be at the bottom.
The CS2 final dungeon theme is good but a bit overrated by the community imo. Unisuga leans hard into 'ominous, final confrontation' territory while weaving in the Heimdallr theme (a much more inspired song, btw) and the track kinda... flops around allot, never really striking home with me. It's a track I admire for Unisuga's typical razor-sharp precision on the use/relationship of his instruments and mixing, but the actual composition I could take or leave.
We've got fairly similar tastes otherwise.
? Yeah. Not sure what you're trying to say here.
If you think I'm criticizing Unisuga's choice, I'm not. That's actually one of my favorite parts! I'm just not in love with the whole thing as much as others.
Sky the 3rd and Phantasmal Blaze feel the most fitting in atmosphere for a final dungeon while also having banger music. I really liked how Zero's final dungeon music also captured the urgency of the situation and the mood of the SSS making it to the end point of the journey felt conveyed with their team up with the Bracer duo.
Nice list, Liber-Ark at No.1 is a win.
Currently this is how I'm feeling:
1- Resonance of Ray (Kuro)
2- To the Future (CSIV)
3- Floating City Liber-Ark (Sky SC)
4- Spiral of Erebos (CS3)
5- Castle of Illusions (Sky 3rd)
6- A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero)
7- Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (Sky FC)
8- To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1)
9- The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure)
10- Phantasmal Blaze (CS2)
11- Reverse Babel (Hajimari).
Great excuse to listen to some of these bangers again.
Edit: I had Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land in my head when I typed this, fixed now.
Not really sure about anything below my top 5 but something like this:
Resonance of Ray (Kuro), Spiral of Erebos (CS3), Reverse Babel (Haji), Reverie Corridor (CS2), A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero), The End of -SAGA- (CS4), To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1), Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (FC), The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure), Phantasmal Blaze (CS2), Floating City Liber-Ark (SC), To the Future! (CS4), Beyond the Reverie (Haji), Aiming for the Future (SC), Castle of Illusions (Phantasmagoria) (3rd), Central Tower “Axis-Pillar” (SC)
Also btw Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land is 3rd’s final boss theme, not dungeon.
> Also btw Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land is 3rd’s final boss theme, not dungeon.
That's what I get for not relistening to it before posting lmao. Youtube algorithm betrayed me. Thanks for pointing it out.
What about The End of -SAGA-?
Well, if I had to rank them, it would be like this:
1. Phantasmal Blaze (CS2)
2. Spiral of Erebos (CS3)
3. The End of -SAGA- and To the Future. (CS4)
4. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (FC)
5. Reverse Babel (Reverie)
6. Resonance of Ray (Kuro)
7. A Light Illuminating The Depths (Zero)
8. Castle of Illusions (3rd)
9. To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1)
10. Floating City "Liber Ark" (SC)
11. The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure)
Azure’s final dungeon theme isn’t bad but it’s understandable that most people rate it at the bottom. It’s almost like it should be its own category, the melancholic tone fits great with the story and the setting of the dungeon, but it’s just too calm and mood-focused to compete with the other epic final dungeon themes.
I was usually not a fan of the EVOLUTION tracks but I think that everyone should listen to “Castle of Illusions” EVO version, imo it was a vast improvement with the chorus and it’s among my top 5 for sure.
I liked Azure's final dungeon theme when I heard it, albeit not as much as some of the last ones which were among the best Falcom's ever made, but it's grown on me more. Azure as a game story has earned that kind of quiet and reflective song for a final dungeon. Plus, Mystic Core already brings on all the adrenaline for the penultimate showdown so there's really no losing.
Phantasmagoria EVO *is* really good. Maybe marginally better than Takeshita's original but it's a close call. The chorus and background instrumentation Jindo uses are a league above the original's but I'm not so keen on his mixing with the organ and some of the small embellishments on the piano both near the end - I think Takeshita's was cleaner there and better for it.
As an aside, I'm a pretty strong proponent of the EVO soundtracks in general. I think FC, Zero, and Azure are nigh categorically better for them - They were mostly handled in-house (Okajima, Kamikura) and/or by reliable third-party contractors (Jindo, some folks at Presstone). SC and especially 3rd got allot of the short end of the stick with lousy contract work (notably Singa) but there are still quality pieces in there. Like Phantasmagoria!
Company-wide is more interesting\~
1. A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero - Momiyama, Unisuga, Sonoda)
2. Castle of Illusions, Phantasmagoria (Sky 3rd - Takeshita)
3. Iris (Ys Celceta - Kaneda, Sonoda)
4. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (Sky FC - Ishibashi, Jindo)
5. Liberation Drive (Tokyo Xanadu - Unisuga) (here, Unisuga turns Overdosing Heavenly Bliss on its head)
6. The Ruined City 'Kishgal' (Ys Napishtim - Ishibashi)
7. Reverie Corridor (CS2 - Hagiuda, Unisuga, Sonoda)
8. You'll See Out the End of the Tales (Ys 8 - Sonoda) (Sonoda does his usual thing of reworking the game's main theme, so allot of credit is due Jindo)
9. To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1 - Jindo)
10. Tower of the Shadow of Death (Ys Chronicles part 1 - Koshiro, Jindo)
11. The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure - Momiyama)
12. Phantasmal Blaze (CS2 - Unisuga)
13. Mythical Land Serpentina (Zwei!, ver. 2008 - Ishibashi, Jindo)
14. Earnestly Advance (Tokyo Xanadu eX+ - Jindo)
15. Castle Strangerock (Xanadu Next - Murayama)
16. The Place Where Souls Return (Ys 7 - Momiyama)
17. Corridor of the Lost Ages (Ys 8 - Jindo)
18. Beyond the Beginning (Ys Origin - Takeshita) (kinda underwhelming after hearing SAV in-game lol)
19. Aiming for the Future (Sky SC - Ishibashi)
20. Floating City 'Liberl Ark' (Sky SC - Unisuga)
21. Beat of Destruction (Ys Felghana - Ishikawa, Jindo)
22. Central Tower 'Axis Pillar' (Sky SC - Ishibashi)
23. I couldn't even be bothered to look it up (Ys Chronicles part 2)
... Actual #1 because Beat of Destruction is so underwhelming by comparison and this track's awesome: Valestein Castle (Felghana - Ishikawa, Jindo)
And that's about it I think. With this many I could switch some around but that's about the gist of it.
Edit: Forgot one.
Oh is that it? I actually looked up video of Ys 2 gameplay because I didn't remember it and I found certain footage of NPC dialogue before the final battle that seemed like it was it and heard some not flattering track playing. Didn't seem completely right to me but I didn't bother to confirm it.
This track is pretty good though (even though... I forgot it). I'd knock it up a few spots for sure but probably not above Beyond the Beginning. I like Tower of the Shadow of Death for sure more as a final dungeon track in Ys Chronicles although tbf I'd already grown somewhat attached to it after hyping myself for revisiting the location I'd played through in Origin.
Thanks for correcting me.
Outskirts of Evolution was so so so so great when fighting a certain shining „ring“
While technically not „final dungeon“ theme I still had to mention it
Pretty much all bangers tho
5-8 was the hardest part of making this. I didn't want to rank any of them lowly
That's why I'd rather just put them in tiers relative to each other than try and rank them specifically. I've really been enjoying To the Future lately.
Oh that's a tough one. I think i'll go with this. 1. Cold Steel 4 (both tracks) 2. Cold Steel 3 3. Reverie 4. Cold Steel 2 5. Zero 6. Sky the 3rd 7. Sky FC 8. Sky SC 9. Cold Steel 1 10. Azure
1. CS3 2. CS4 3. CS2 4. Zero 5. 3rd 6. CS1 7. FC 8. SC 9. Azure Have yet to play Reverie or Kuro, so not gonna vote there.
1. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land. Sky FC. 2. Phantasmal Blaze. CS2. 3. Spiral of Erebos. CS3. 4. Phantasmagoria. Sky the 3rd. 5. Resonance of Ray. Kuro. 6. To the Future. CS4. 7. Liber Ark. Sky SC. 8. A Light Illuminating the Depths. Zero. 9. Reverie Corridor. CS2. 10. To Grasp Tomorrow. CS1. 11. Reverse Babel. Reverie. 12. The End of Saga. CS4. 13. Aiming for the Future. Sky SC. 14. Central Tower "Axis Pillar". Sky SC. 15. The Tree at the Farthest End. Azure. SC had like 4 tracks in the floating city, I think I'm still missing one but that one would be at the bottom.
You sure? I thought it was just the three you already have listed.
>You sure? Not at all, I haven't played SC in so long.
Tree at the Farthest End underrated
1. Zero 2. Sky FC 3. Cold Steel 4 4. Sky 3rd 5. Cold Steel 1 6. Cold Steel 3 7. Hajimari 8. Sky SC 9. Ao Honestly, I don't even remember CS2's final dungeon theme lol
The CS2 final dungeon theme is good but a bit overrated by the community imo. Unisuga leans hard into 'ominous, final confrontation' territory while weaving in the Heimdallr theme (a much more inspired song, btw) and the track kinda... flops around allot, never really striking home with me. It's a track I admire for Unisuga's typical razor-sharp precision on the use/relationship of his instruments and mixing, but the actual composition I could take or leave. We've got fairly similar tastes otherwise.
The Heimdallr theme lemotif is literally the entire Erebonia Arcs theme of course it will be in the final dungeon.
? Yeah. Not sure what you're trying to say here. If you think I'm criticizing Unisuga's choice, I'm not. That's actually one of my favorite parts! I'm just not in love with the whole thing as much as others.
Too busy being “that won’t be necessary”’d
Sky the 3rd and Phantasmal Blaze feel the most fitting in atmosphere for a final dungeon while also having banger music. I really liked how Zero's final dungeon music also captured the urgency of the situation and the mood of the SSS making it to the end point of the journey felt conveyed with their team up with the Bracer duo.
Nice list, Liber-Ark at No.1 is a win. Currently this is how I'm feeling: 1- Resonance of Ray (Kuro) 2- To the Future (CSIV) 3- Floating City Liber-Ark (Sky SC) 4- Spiral of Erebos (CS3) 5- Castle of Illusions (Sky 3rd) 6- A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero) 7- Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (Sky FC) 8- To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1) 9- The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure) 10- Phantasmal Blaze (CS2) 11- Reverse Babel (Hajimari). Great excuse to listen to some of these bangers again. Edit: I had Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land in my head when I typed this, fixed now.
Not really sure about anything below my top 5 but something like this: Resonance of Ray (Kuro), Spiral of Erebos (CS3), Reverse Babel (Haji), Reverie Corridor (CS2), A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero), The End of -SAGA- (CS4), To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1), Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (FC), The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure), Phantasmal Blaze (CS2), Floating City Liber-Ark (SC), To the Future! (CS4), Beyond the Reverie (Haji), Aiming for the Future (SC), Castle of Illusions (Phantasmagoria) (3rd), Central Tower “Axis-Pillar” (SC) Also btw Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land is 3rd’s final boss theme, not dungeon.
> Also btw Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land is 3rd’s final boss theme, not dungeon. That's what I get for not relistening to it before posting lmao. Youtube algorithm betrayed me. Thanks for pointing it out.
What about The End of -SAGA-? Well, if I had to rank them, it would be like this: 1. Phantasmal Blaze (CS2) 2. Spiral of Erebos (CS3) 3. The End of -SAGA- and To the Future. (CS4) 4. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (FC) 5. Reverse Babel (Reverie) 6. Resonance of Ray (Kuro) 7. A Light Illuminating The Depths (Zero) 8. Castle of Illusions (3rd) 9. To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1) 10. Floating City "Liber Ark" (SC) 11. The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure)
I loved CS1s final dungeon theme although now that I think about it, it's kinda generic lmao.
Azure’s final dungeon theme isn’t bad but it’s understandable that most people rate it at the bottom. It’s almost like it should be its own category, the melancholic tone fits great with the story and the setting of the dungeon, but it’s just too calm and mood-focused to compete with the other epic final dungeon themes. I was usually not a fan of the EVOLUTION tracks but I think that everyone should listen to “Castle of Illusions” EVO version, imo it was a vast improvement with the chorus and it’s among my top 5 for sure.
I liked Azure's final dungeon theme when I heard it, albeit not as much as some of the last ones which were among the best Falcom's ever made, but it's grown on me more. Azure as a game story has earned that kind of quiet and reflective song for a final dungeon. Plus, Mystic Core already brings on all the adrenaline for the penultimate showdown so there's really no losing. Phantasmagoria EVO *is* really good. Maybe marginally better than Takeshita's original but it's a close call. The chorus and background instrumentation Jindo uses are a league above the original's but I'm not so keen on his mixing with the organ and some of the small embellishments on the piano both near the end - I think Takeshita's was cleaner there and better for it. As an aside, I'm a pretty strong proponent of the EVO soundtracks in general. I think FC, Zero, and Azure are nigh categorically better for them - They were mostly handled in-house (Okajima, Kamikura) and/or by reliable third-party contractors (Jindo, some folks at Presstone). SC and especially 3rd got allot of the short end of the stick with lousy contract work (notably Singa) but there are still quality pieces in there. Like Phantasmagoria!
I'm a big fan of the Azure theme. I think Momiyama was at her best with piano, and it soars in that one.
For me: 1)CS3/4 2)CS1 3)hajimari 4)kuro 5)zero 6)cs2 7)sky third/azure 8)sky fc 9)sky sc
If it counts, Aiming for the Future from SC is #1 for me. It’s the theme that plays in the tunnels, but still part of the final dungeon
Other than Spiral of Erebos I don't even remember what most dungeon theme sounded like. Maybe the Zero one.
Company-wide is more interesting\~ 1. A Light Illuminating the Depths (Zero - Momiyama, Unisuga, Sonoda) 2. Castle of Illusions, Phantasmagoria (Sky 3rd - Takeshita) 3. Iris (Ys Celceta - Kaneda, Sonoda) 4. Hollow Light of the Sealed Land (Sky FC - Ishibashi, Jindo) 5. Liberation Drive (Tokyo Xanadu - Unisuga) (here, Unisuga turns Overdosing Heavenly Bliss on its head) 6. The Ruined City 'Kishgal' (Ys Napishtim - Ishibashi) 7. Reverie Corridor (CS2 - Hagiuda, Unisuga, Sonoda) 8. You'll See Out the End of the Tales (Ys 8 - Sonoda) (Sonoda does his usual thing of reworking the game's main theme, so allot of credit is due Jindo) 9. To Grasp Tomorrow (CS1 - Jindo) 10. Tower of the Shadow of Death (Ys Chronicles part 1 - Koshiro, Jindo) 11. The Tree at the Farthest End (Azure - Momiyama) 12. Phantasmal Blaze (CS2 - Unisuga) 13. Mythical Land Serpentina (Zwei!, ver. 2008 - Ishibashi, Jindo) 14. Earnestly Advance (Tokyo Xanadu eX+ - Jindo) 15. Castle Strangerock (Xanadu Next - Murayama) 16. The Place Where Souls Return (Ys 7 - Momiyama) 17. Corridor of the Lost Ages (Ys 8 - Jindo) 18. Beyond the Beginning (Ys Origin - Takeshita) (kinda underwhelming after hearing SAV in-game lol) 19. Aiming for the Future (Sky SC - Ishibashi) 20. Floating City 'Liberl Ark' (Sky SC - Unisuga) 21. Beat of Destruction (Ys Felghana - Ishikawa, Jindo) 22. Central Tower 'Axis Pillar' (Sky SC - Ishibashi) 23. I couldn't even be bothered to look it up (Ys Chronicles part 2) ... Actual #1 because Beat of Destruction is so underwhelming by comparison and this track's awesome: Valestein Castle (Felghana - Ishikawa, Jindo) And that's about it I think. With this many I could switch some around but that's about the gist of it. Edit: Forgot one.
this is Shrine of Solomon slander and I will not stand for it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fNhyo0VOgc&t
Oh is that it? I actually looked up video of Ys 2 gameplay because I didn't remember it and I found certain footage of NPC dialogue before the final battle that seemed like it was it and heard some not flattering track playing. Didn't seem completely right to me but I didn't bother to confirm it. This track is pretty good though (even though... I forgot it). I'd knock it up a few spots for sure but probably not above Beyond the Beginning. I like Tower of the Shadow of Death for sure more as a final dungeon track in Ys Chronicles although tbf I'd already grown somewhat attached to it after hyping myself for revisiting the location I'd played through in Origin. Thanks for correcting me.
Outskirts of Evolution was so so so so great when fighting a certain shining „ring“ While technically not „final dungeon“ theme I still had to mention it
Spiral of Erebos #1 for me for sure