Well then, Christmas came and went this past Tuesday. Hopefully you got the gifts you wanted. And hopefully this article goes up in the supposed apocalypse. For 12 Days, we listened to music that was played on snow levels. Some of the games featured are Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man Legends 2, Xenoblade, Odin Sphere, Final Fantasy X, and more! So curl up next to your favorite gift! It’s time to look back at the 12 Days of Christmas Music!

If you want to see the music as it goes up (and not wait every Saturday for these wrap-ups), remember to go to our Tumblr page and follow it. Music for Night-Time Listenings goes up every weekday at 10PM.

Metroid Prime – Phendrana Drifts

Composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma

 

So let’s start things off with trip to Tallon IV, location of the Phendrana Drifts. 10 years ago we were put back into the shoes of Samus Aran, this time seeing things from her point of view. At first we had somewhat of an idea what to expect in terms of the stages. But we still didn’t know how exactly they would look. After braving the dreaded lava of Magmoor Caverns, we were treated to what would, at first, be uncharted territory to the Space Pirates. Everything was calm and peaceful, save for the few hostile species out there. It’s amazing too ‘cause there is no music when you first enter Phendrana. You instead start out on a pathway with view on where you’ll be going. But once you open that door and enter the first big room, it gets you. The atmosphere of it all.

Donkey Kong Country – Northern Hemisphere

Composed by David Wise

 

Not sure when we’ll get one, but we’ll be getting a blizzard eventually this season. While the rest of the country gets tornadoes, hurricanes (way more than us), and wildfires, we  in the northeast get Nor’ Easters, and with it massive amounts of snow. I still won’t forget how tall some of the snow walls were when I had to go to class a couple of years ago. So when the time comes, chances are some will probably be hearing Northern Hemisphere playing in their heads (or they’re playing it now as a blizzard is happening). It’s can be a bit unnerving, but calming as well to see a blizzard blow on by, especially at night, and especially in the city. Everything is so calm and empty, with the only thing breaking the silence is the plows scraping the pavement. I know what I’m describing is rather lighthearted compared to the music, but seriously man, I really like snow.

ArtStyle light trax – Whiteplan

Composed by Hiromichi Fujiwara

 

While this song is not necessarily “snowy” (especially considering the simplicity of Light Trax), its name seems to suggests it a bit. I could imagine a song like this playing in a sort of tranquil environment full of snow, probably during one of those calm snow days on the road. It’s about 9 in the evening, barely any cars in the road, the snow’s falling lightly (not enough for vision problems mind you), and all you see ahead is the occasional headlight whizzing by you on the opposite lane. Lamposts light your way to wherever you’re going. Welp, since I set it up, here’s the question: what are you coming home from?

Super Mario 64 – Snow Mountain

Composed by Koji Kondo

 

What’s a Mario game without a little bit of snow eh? Surprisingly I always confused this for the Slide theme since they both have almost the same instrumentation. And nothing says Christmas like those jingling bells before the song loops. This song played in two stages in Super Mario 64: The Snow Mountain and the Large Snowman stage. I tend to remember this song on the Snowman Stage, probably ‘cause I spent more time there than the Mountain. I was also kinda blown away that this stage was hidden behind a conspicuously empty wall in the mirror room. But what about you. Which of the two stages is your favorite?

Mega Man Legends 2 – Yosyonke

Composed by Makoto Tomozawa

 

Ah, this tends to get me in the ‘Talgia Bone. Heading into Yosyonke was like entering a mighty peaceful town way up north. The people were friendly and the locations slightly mysterious. It also set the mood rather well for the game. The first Megaman Legends was all set in Kattelox Island, so there wasn’t going to be much variety in the town music department. The second game though exchanges single-island navigation to full-on island hopping. It was also a sort of calm before the storm that would be the Forbidden Island. It would be pretty hectic in that place. On that note, would you want to live in a place like Yosyonke?

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow – Pitch Black Intrusion

Composed by Masahiko Kimura and Michiru Yamane

 

This might sound like one of the most un-snowy themes in this set, but hear me out. One of the first stages in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow takes place on the outside of the castle, and it’s snow at that moment. Also, the game released around the holiday season. So there is this weird association I have with this song and the holidays, albeit a very action packed holidays. Since this was my first Castlevania game since Symphony of the Night, I was ready to step back into the castle. And damn was this song catchy as hell! How long did it take you to get this song out of your head?