Nintendo Music Adds The Legend of Zelda NES and Famicom Disk System OSTs

Two more soundtracks have been added to Nintendo Music: The Legend of Zelda on NES and the Famicom Disk System version of the game. It’s not the first time Nintendo has opted to included multiple versions of a single game’s soundtrack, with Tetris and Dr. Mario on NES and Game Boy being a recent example. And hey, it makes sense—the music differs, so it’s good to offer it all whenever possible.

And with a game like The Legend of Zelda? One of the most influential titles ever released? That’s a soundtrack absolutely getting every iteration of. Here are the included tracks:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)
  • Title Theme
  • Overworld Theme
  • Puzzle Solved
  • Important Item Acquired
  • Underworld Theme
  • Got a Triforce Fragment
  • Recorder Melody
  • Game Over
  • Death Mountain Theme
  • Ganon is Defeated
  • Zelda is Saved
  • Ending Theme

• The Legend of Zelda (Famicom Disk System)
  • Title Theme
  • Overworld Theme
  • Puzzle Solved
  • Important Item Acquired
  • Underworld Theme
  • Got a Triforce Fragment
  • Recorder Melody
  • Game Over
  • Death Mountain Theme
  • Ganon is Defeated
  • Zelda is Saved
  • Ending Theme

What’s that? The lists are identical? Indeed they are, dear reader, but the music itself is not. The Famicom Disk System allowed for crisper and more complex sound than NES, so naturally Nintendo opted to take advantage of this for the Japan-only version of Zelda. While the tunes are overall the same, you can hear the differences pretty clearly when tracks are played in comparison. Indeed, Clyde Mandelin digs into these audio difference (in a very clever way) in his book Legends of Localization Book 1: The Legend of Zelda.

If you’d like to listen to all this glorious music, feel free to give the Nintendo Music app a download on your Android or iOS device. It comes at no extra charge for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers; so long as your membership is active, you can use the app. Let us know what you think of this latest update down in the comments and on social media!