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5. Dragon Roost Island
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Yep, you knew it would be here somewhere! One of the most iconic Zelda tunes of recent years, this track has rightly earned its place in video game music history. From that first initial guitar strum to the crisp click of the castanets, Dragon Roost Island marks your first foray into the wild exoticism of the Great Sea, and after a disappointing rescue mission through the dingy, candlelit corridors of the Forsaken Fortress, there’s no greater song to put the wind back in your sails than this one.
The Rito are also one of the more fascinating Zelda races, and I think the panpipes, mandolin and guitar really help bring both their culture and their home to life– and when there’s so little life elsewhere on the Great Sea, this also makes somewhere like Dragon Roost Island immediately stand out too.
If you want to listen a really great version of Dragon Roost Island, though, you should really check out the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live performance that Nintendo did in 2003. You may think that switching out the panpipes for a violin would be a disastrous move, but trust me on this– you’ll thank me later.
Great list! I don’t think I could pick 10, there’s just been so much great music in the Zelda series. Zelda 2’s warbly “instrumentation” (if you can call it that) bugged me when I was young, but I’ve come to appreciate it and it made me smile to see its main palace music on the list.
I’d love to hear a modern take on the original Zelda’s Level 9 music. Many previous dungeon themes have resurfaced in one way or another but unless I’m forgetting something, I can’t say I’ve heard that particular melody of dread and danger come up again.
Thanks! Ah, yes, Level 9. Man, that music’s creepy. It did, in fact, reappear in Four Swords Adventures in the Tower of Flames, but I know what you mean – it would be great to hear it used more often! :)
My 10 favorites in no particular order.
1. Main Hyrule field theme
2. Gerudo valley
3. Temple of time
4. Fairy fountain
5. 4 gods from majoras mask
6. Bolero of fire
7. Ballad of the goddesses.
8. Song of healing
9. Ganondorf thheme from Twilight Princess
10. Serenade of water.
All great tunes, Lukas! I was actually this close to including Queen Rutela’s Theme from Twilight Princess in the honourable mentions (a re-working of the Serenade of Water), but if I decided that if I included any more then I’d have a never-ending list!
I’m also a very big fan of Ganondorf’s Theme, especially the Twilight Princess version (that final battle music is just epic!), but it’s a close tie between that one and The Last Battle from Ocarina of Time when it comes to my top Ganon music!
Woah, I completely forgot about the Four Swords Adventures rendition! I think I played through that level exactly once… Thanks for the tip! :^)