The Legend of Zelda – Main Theme

Music is one of the key elements of the video game experience but it often goes overlooked even by the gaming press. In a way it’s probably the most timeless aspect of the medium. Game design and graphics will gradually become dated but an excellent musical composition will always remain enjoyable, regardless of whether it’s generated by 8-bit sound chip or a real life symphony orchestra.

Welcome to the debut edition of Musical Showcase, Citizen Game’s humble nod to the countless composers and musicians going largely unsung for providing the essential auditory backing of the medium.

For me, there’s no better series to begin with than The Legend of Zelda. Having some of the most recognisable and best loved compositions in all of video games, Zelda has had dozens of soundtrack releases and countless fan remixes and tributes. Nintendo has even produced a worldwide symphonic concert tour based on the series’ 25 year history (you can hear us chat about the London leg of the tour on the November 7th edition of the Citizen GameCast). Even the Big N’s flagship Mario series has yet to receive that treatment.

If we’re talking famous game theme tunes there aren’t many more that are as widely recognised as Zelda’s main theme (often referred to as the Overworld theme). Created by legendary Ninty composer Koji Kondo, it debuted in the original The Legend of Zelda on the NES and has since resurfaced in almost every entry in the series. Though there have been numerous iterations of it over the years each maintains the sweeping majesty that perfectly sets the stage for Link’s epic quest.

The version that I’m highlighting today was performed for the 25th Anniversary Symphony Special CD, an official album containing arrangements performed at the recent concert tour.

Even if you’re not a fan of the series I dare you not to get just a little bit pumped up after listening to this bombastic rendition of the franchise’s signature theme. As a lifelong Zelda fan it makes me want to stand, salute and cry tears of nerdy joy.