The most evil sounding VGM chiptunes

[alienjesus]

Something a bit different maybe?

Pokémon Gold - Dark Cave theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWsLm7mND1k

Pokemon Gold - Team Rocket Base: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9uLs8tz49I

And a classic:

Ecco the Dolphin - Welcome to the Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdRf-IVFeOs

[Xeogred]

Loved the playlist JT, I think the one I liked the most (and was new to me) was Cadash (TurboGrafx-16) - Suck the Lifeblood to Live Plants Scene.



I kind of laughed at Dracula X OST: Stage 2 Vampire Killer being in there, as it's a bit more upbeat... but there is no denying the sounds are very ghouly and Halloween.

[J T]

I'm glad you liked the mix Xeogred.

I learned about Cadash's OST from the Legacy Music Hour podcast. They played a few tracks from it on their experimental music episode, and my ears perked up. I sought it out online to listen to more. Then I got curious about the TG16 largely out of love for the music and downloaded an emulator and roms. Other than Bonk's Adventure, I hadn't really played anything on TG16, so now I'm tumbling down the rabbit hole of this new interest.

I intentionally threw the upbeat Vampire Killer into the mix to keep the whole thing from getting stale. I don't know if anyone will listen from start to finish, but I put consideration into my mixes' track orders. I tried to keep this one from becoming too oppressively bleak or from sounding too samey samey with evil ambience with no beat, so the creepers are counterbalanced with the upbeat tracks if you listen in sequence.

The mix is also meant to explore different tones of horror music so that some is fun and campy spookiness with lots of theremin sounds (Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Decap Attack, Quackshot), some is eerie and other worldly (Super Metroid, Shadow of the Beast), some is unsettling and creepy (Demon's Crest, Splatterhouse), some is darkly cinematic (Ghouls n' Ghosts, Super Castlevania IV), some sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack to a John Carpener film (Clock Tower, Bloodlines' Mysterious Curse, Flashback), and some sounds like it comes from an ancient cult's sacrifice to the elder gods of the underworld (Altered Beast, Secret of Mana)

[J T]

Cool thread.

Secret of Mana - Ceremony
Secret of Mana - The Oracle

If you guys like these Secret of Mana tracks, you might want to check out some Indonesian Gamelan music. It's a traditional spiritual kind of music from Java and Bala in Indonesia, though it admittedly sounds spooky to my Western ears. The music is played on a series of bells and gongs that were meant to summon the gods of their time, though now it used mostly for traditional ceremonies. I have a few CDs of this stuff. It's really cool music. You might have heard some of it in the Akira soundtrack too. It seems like the Japanese amp up the creepy factor when they use gamelan in a soundtrack.

Here's an example of the more traditional style:

[marurun]

Here's some spooky TurboGrafx and PC Engine fare to prep you for the Great Pumpkin.
*Note: You have to be very careful listening to TG16/PC Engine tracks on YouTube. Most of them are made from HES files played back on software using plug-ins that are anything but accurate. If it isn't original hardware you should probably dismiss it (there is one later Nezplug++ release that does a decent job, but the noise channel is just too loud [a common problem in most HES players], so any tracks that rely on the noise channel will sound off).

The entire soundtrack to Legendary Axe II / Ankoku Densetsu is very creepy, but this track (stage 2) is the creepiest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91AhMQqlHfE

The first Legendary Axe / Makyou Densetsu also has a creepy track on it, though it isn't as creepy-crawly as the one above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcn9F9lRgEY

Devil's Crush / Devil Crash is more upbeat during the game (though still dark, if more in a metal way), but the title music is nice and spooky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAaaZ6xwTLU

Alien Crush / Alien Crash's Demon Undulate track is super spooky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZTfGwOFpiE&t=1m38s

Blazing Lazers / Gunhed has some nice creepy tracks for the Egyptian and bubble levels (5 & . I think this person used HES files, as the audio's a little too clean and the noise channel is overly loud. Level 5, the first track, suffers less from this than level 8, the second track, does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uGWw0Xs7bY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FUgtq5aDU0

If there's interest in playing back HES files such that they sound as authentic as possible, let me know and I'll do a little post on it. I wouldn't want any of you to have misconceptions about what this great little system can do.

[Key-Glyph]

Okay, I totally forgot one of my absolute favorites. KeyGlyph, get your head in the game!

Sonic Spinball - Boss

This entire soundtrack qualifies, but:

X-Men 2: Clone Wars - Outside Avalon
X-Men 2: Clone Wars - Brainchild

And finally:

Phantasy Star III - Lashute

True story, I don't listen to Lashute much when I take in the PSIII soundtrack. It actually unnerves me.

I've come to the realization that Kirby's Adventure on the NES is kind of the only Kirby game I truly super LOVE a lot, so it doesn't pain me to say... I seriously wish the Kirby composer there did way less Kirby and way more epic serious stuff like Alcahest.

I love a lot of Kirby games and it doesn't pain me either. You can hear the darkness leaking out in their boss fight tunes sometimes!

[J T]

Thanks for all your TG-16 info marurun. Your multiple TG-16 articles on the main site are also super helpful.

[noiseredux]

Nightmare On Elm Street (NES) "Title Screen"


Metroid (NES) "Title Screen"

[arcadifvid]

ninja gaiden 4-3



it haunts me at night even when im not playing.. and oh gawd it comes along with that image of jacquio. seriously jacquio is the image of childhood nightmares...

[BoneSnapDeez]

Metroid (NES) "Title Screen"

That may be the best title screen theme of all time. It's so ominous.

Not sure how I missed this the first time around, and it's more "fun Halloween" than scary, but the Ghosts 'n Goblins C64 music is phenomenal. It's just one track that loops through the entire game, standard for old computer games.