TOP TENFEY – Relax, don’t do it, when you wanna go to it.

As you may have noticed from viewing my many YouTube videos (which I’m sure you have), I tend to play video games in a somewhat frantic manner.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with this style of play, sometimes it’s nice to just slow down in a game for a bit and chillax.  In keeping with that theme, here are my top 10 picks for Most Relaxing Game Music.

10 – Temple of Light (Fable – XBOX)

The original Fable is a great game, albeit one that disappointed me greatly.  But I’m not here to discuss games that get over-hyped to god-like expectations, I’m here to discuss relaxing music.  This particular theme is actually included in both Fable 2 and 3, and for good reason.  It has an almost unearthly ethereal quality that almost puts me into a coma every time I hear it.

9 – Save Room (Resident Evil 2 – PS1)

Resident Evil 2 was the first game in the series I ever played, and it remains my favorite.  While no longer scary by today’s standards, playing it for the first time in 1998 I found the general atmosphere to be dread-inducing.  This was accomplished mainly by the unnerving musical themes that filled the Raccoon City PD, much like the zombies themselves.  One thing that always brought a sigh of relief was the inviting sound of a safe room.  You knew that here no zombies would get you, and you could take a minute to regain your composure.  Unless you’re playing The 4th Survivor starring HUNK.  Then you are well and truly fucked.

8. Out of Phase (Parasite Eve – PS1)

Parasite Eve has two very distinct ‘settings’.  The first is you running around buildings full of viscous mutants, fending them off in a strange hybrid of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy.  The second is when you report back to the Police Precinct the next day, so you can tell your fellow officers about all the fucked up shit you just encountered.  It’s during these second, less intense sections that this upbeat yet calming tune chimes in.  Of course later in the game the precinct get’s attacked by mutants too.  Well shit. . .

7. Prelude (Final Fantasy VII – PS1)

Final Fantasy VII is a good game.  I’ll give you a few minutes to finish spewing obscenities at the audacity I displayed with that phrase.

You done?  Ok.

Anyway, the prelude theme is present in pretty much every Final Fantasy installment, but this one stands out in particular due to the fact that it was the first entry on a (at the time) ‘next gen’ system.  So even though it’s very midi like, I still find it very sweeping and calming.

6. Lon Lon Ranch (Ocarina of Time – N64)

Overall, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a pretty relaxing game.  Sure, you sometimes are inside a dungeon fighting giant spiders and shit with a sword, but even then the music stays nice and peaceful.  No tune is more coma-inducing than the dulcet theme of Lon Lon Ranch.  No wonder Talon is always passed out with the chickens.

5. Stickerbrush Symphony (Donkey Kong Country 2 – SNES)

The Donkey Kong Country games have phenomenal soundtracks.  Some tunes get you pumped to run forwards and beat the shit out of banana stealing crocodiles.  Some themes, such as this one, inspire you instead to fly through a maze of thorns with a parrot who spews coconuts.  Despite that premise, the theme itself is still smooth as butter, and twice as delicious.

4. Opening (Final Fantasy VI – SNES)

Despite the many times I have replayed the SNES gem that is Final Fantasy VI, I have never once skipped the intro sequence.  This theme, combined with the constant march of Magitek armor through a snowstorm towards the epic tale to come, is spellbinding.  If you were the kind of person to just press START and skip past it, then you’re a heathen and I’m Dancing Mad.

3. Ending (Super Mario World – SNES)

An epic Mario game deserves and equally relaxing ending theme, and Super Mario World delivers just that.  Watching Mario, Yoshi, The Princess, and all them eggs (where’s Weegee?) walking past all the environments you adventured through is a nice way to wind down.  Also getting to see the names of every enemy in the game while the song goes into double-time was ballin’ as hell.

2. File Select (Link to the Past – SNES)

Now this is what I’m talking about.  Just listening to this song while writing this post is making my entire body go numb.  This song is so sweeping and dreamlike that a choir-fied version featured in the Scott Pilgrim movie.  Now that is 100% certified ballin’ out of control.

1. Corridors of Time (Chrono Trigger – SNES)

Zeal is a magical floating kingdom where everyone relaxes and dreams all day, every day.  And I can see why.  If I lived in a place where this music played all the time, I’d probably just never stop sleeping.  Or maybe I’d wake up dead?

Not relaxed enough?  Here, have a remix.