My Favorite Video Game Music, #50: Ness's Bike

#50: Ness's Bike (EarthBound)



I would rate this song quite a lot higher if it were actually used in any significant part of EarthBound, but alas, it is resigned to a delightful little miscellaneous parts bin. But really, all you need to know to understand how different EarthBound is from every other RPG in existence is that this piece of music is in it. It's peppy. It's happy. It's carefree. It's everything RPG's aren't supposed to be. In fact, you don't see the kind of themes this music invokes in just about any video game that isn't aimed at young children.

EarthBound isn't aimed at young children by a sight, not even as much as Pokémon is. (A few other pieces of music that will appear later in this list will demonstrate that.) EarthBound is a deceptively mature game that pulls on remarkably mature emotions--but you have to be drawn in by its zany and semi-cartoony feel to understand it.

And what's really interesting is, you don't have to have ever heard of EarthBound to understand all of the above just by listening to this music.

I dare you to listen to it without whistling along. I double dare you.