Although some great video games can have rocky starts, first impressions are still important. If a game doesn’t hook the player within the first 30 minutes, they’ll likely never pick it up again, especially since the gaming industry is now humongous with hundreds of new titles releasing each year.
Because of this, games have to have impactful opening themes that draw the player in and make them interested in the experience. Even if a title is more on the mediocre side, a great intro cinematic and melody can still inspire people to buy the game and play through it.
Reach for the Stars – Sonic Colors
Often considered one of the best Sonic titles ever made and a classic Wii game, Sonic Colors is a 2010 platformer that has recently been remastered in 2021 as Sonic Colors: Ultimate. After Doctor Eggman creates an amusement park in space, Sonic and Tails investigate and discover that he is using the place as a cover-up for his real plan to use the power of aliens called Wisps to create a mind-control laser. With the help of the Wisps and his friends, Sonic must free all the Wisps and stop Eggman.
Created by the well-known electronic band Cash Cash, Sonic Colors’ opening theme is the electronic rock song “Reach for the Stars,” whose lyrics come from Sonic’s perspective and reference the plot of the game. Similarly to other Sonic titles, the rock music is meant to emulate Sonic’s rebellious attitude, but the added electronic melodies point toward the game’s space setting.
All the World’s Stage – Project X Zone 2
While many large crossover franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Marvel vs. Capcom are well-known, one crossover series that is typically forgotten is the tactical RPG Project X Zone series. Created as a spiritual successor to Namco X Capcom, Project X Zone follows two agents from the secret agency Shinra, Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu, as they join forces with characters from Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Sega.
Released in 2015 for the 3DS, Project X Zone 2 has 58 playable characters from franchises such as Resident Evil, Tales of Vesperia, Mega Man X, Yakuza, Ace Attorney, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, and more. During the opening, the adrenaline-pumping song “All the World’s Stage” plays as all these amazing characters join forces, which is an incredible sight for any fan.
Stairs of Time – .hack//Link
Joining the ever-growing list of Japanese games that have never had an international release, .hack//Link is a 2010 action RPG for the PSP that is part of the .hack franchise. Like other mainline entries in the series, this game takes place in a version of the in-universe virtual reality MMORPG “The World.” After getting transported into the game world by the mysterious transfer student named Saika Amagi, the main protagonist, Tokio Kuryuu, must go on a journey to save both the virtual and real worlds.
At the start of the game, the player is treated to a stylized opening animated by the award-winning company Studio 4°C. With the epic track “Stairs of Time,” the unique art style, and the cameos of characters from past entries in the series, this opening is a perfect representation of the best aspects of this underrated franchise.
Berserk Machine – Mind Zero
Originally released for the PS Vita in 2013, Mind Zero is a dungeon-crawler RPG that is similar to the Persona series. The game follows a male high school student named Kei Takanashi whose life completely changes after he forms a contract with a “MIND.” Along with his friends Leo Asahina and Sana Chikage, Kei now has to uncover the secrets behind “MIND” and why various powerful groups are after them.
Although the game itself received mixed reviews, most players could agree that the opening theme was possibly the best part of the entire experience. Performed by “yucat,” which is a solo-project created by J-pop singer Yukari Kato, the opening theme “Berserk Machine” has a gothic synth style that goes perfectly with the game’s dark artwork.
Danger – Digital Devil Saga
One of the lesser-known and under-appreciated games in the Megami Tensei franchise is the spin-off PS2 RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. Released in 2004 as the first part of a duology, the game centers around Serph and other members of a tribe called the Embryon that live in a perpetually raining world called the Junkyard. During a fight with a rival tribe, a strange object causes everyone to gain the ability to feel emotions and turn into demons.
In the North American version, the single “Danger” by New York City electronic band Etro Anime was used for the opening cinematic. This liquid funk melancholic track was meant to emulate the game’s dreary setting.
Chrono Cross ~ Scars of Time ~ – Chrono Cross
With the remaster Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition releasing on April 7, now is the perfect time to revisit the 1999 PS1 RPG classic Chrono Cross. Taking place in the same continuity as Chrono Trigger but with an entirely new plot and characters, the game follows a blue-haired 17-year-old boy named Serge who suddenly finds himself in an alternate universe where he drowned 10 years ago. With the help of a thief girl named Kid, he sets off on a journey to uncover what happened.
To this day, the Chrono Cross score is often considered one of the best RPG soundtracks ever made. One of the best examples of this is the powerful and emotional opening theme “Chrono Cross ~ Scars of Time ~,” which is a folk-like song filled with many influences from around the world and plenty of unique instruments.
Mass Effect Theme – Mass Effect
Released in 2007, Mass Effect is an award-winning action RPG and the first entry of the original Mass Effect trilogy. Taking place in the future where interstellar travel is possible through the use of devices called Mass Relays, the game follows an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard who must stop a machine race called Reapers that plan to harvest all organic life.
Since the Mass Effect soundtrack was inspired by classic science fiction films, the opening tune “Mass Effect Theme” combines orchestral arrangements with 80’s electronic music. From the very beginning, players know they are about to embark on an epic journey simply from the film-like music alone.
DANGANRONPA – Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Originally released in 2010 for the PSP, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a mystery visual novel adventure game and the first installment in the influential Danganronpa visual novel franchise. Players control high school student Makoto Naegi as he and his peers are forced to participate in a death game by a strange talking bear called Monokuma.
Composed by Masafumi Takada, who also worked on several of Goichi Suda’s games, Danganronpa’s soundtrack feels both mysterious and tension-inducing. The opening song “DANGANRONPA,” or “Trigger Happy Havoc” in English, conveys this by having strong beats along with haunting melodies.
Face My Fears – Kingdom Hearts III
After many years of waiting, the action RPG Kingdom Hearts III was finally released in 2019. As the latest mainline installment in the popular crossover series between Square Enix and Disney, the game once again follows Sora and his friends as they travel to different worlds in order to find the seven guardians of light and stop Xehanort.
Every game in the series has a theme song sung by famous Japanese-American songwriter Hikaru Utada. To exceed the excellence of the previous tracks “Simple and Clean,” or “Hikari” in Japanese, and “Sanctuary,” or “Passion” in Japanese, Utada teamed up with Skrillex and Poo Bear to create this game’s theme “Face My Fears.”
Shadowbringers – FFXIV: Shadowbringers
Released in 2019, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the third expansion of the popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. Taking place in an apocalyptic parallel dimension called the First, the player and their companions attempt to restore the ruined world while also traveling with Emet-Selch who plans to trigger a similar apocalypse in the original dimension.
While each expansion has had an incredibly beautiful and powerful opening sequence, Shadowbringer‘s opening theme and cinematic is arguably the best. Besides being an intense track, “Shadowbringers” stands out for having a bridge based on the track “Eternal Wind” from Final Fantasy III.
