Ys/Awesome Music

In the late '80s, the Ys I & II was one of the very first games to fully take advantage of PC-Engine's CD add-on to deliver Redbook-audio quality music, masterfully arranged by Ryo Yonemitsu, as opposed to the typical beeps and squawks of the time. And it was really good music. A lot of the music for Ys I & II also happens to have been composed by the legendary musician Yuzo Koshiro alongside Mieko Ishikawa, which will greatly influence the soundtracks of the sequels. Some notable examples:

• From Ys 1, we have the original boss music, Holders Of Power (in this instance set to footage from the Ys OVA).
  • The very first piece of Ys music - Feena (Original) and the Perfect Collection version, (which the guys who translated the Eternal games used as a replacement for the not-quite as good Eternal soundtrack version).
  • The field music from where the fine tradition of awesome music begun, The First Step Towards Wars.
  • The town theme Fountain Of Love, including the 1987 original and other versions (in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001, and 2009), is a nice piece of chill-out music to relax to.
  • The music for the Shrine of Solomon is fantastic, considering that it's pretty much an almost empty area before the first boss fight.
  • The Palace of Destruction, the music for the first dungeon crawl in the series, in both TG-16 CD and Perfect Collection versions.
  • Adol himself got a nice Theme.
  • For the Darm's Tower (and by scale, half of the game) we got Tower of The Shadow of Death.
  • In the tower we get a new boss music: Chase of Shadow.
  • Dreaming in the Mirror Maze room.
  • Feel the Tension as you are nearing the top of the tower.
  • Before the Final Boss fight we got the Last Moment of the Dark
  • The music for the Final Battle with Dark Fact is awesome.
• From Ys 1 and 2, we have the ending music from 1/the opening music to 2, To Make The End Of Battle(in this instance set to the animated between-games cutscene of Ys 1 and 2 Complete).
  • There's also the PC-Engine version of To Make the End of Battle for those among us who prefer that style.
  • Since Chronicles came out, it can be safely said: All of it.
• From Ys 2, we have the music from the first monster-populated area Ruins of Moondoria.
  • And the first monster-infested dungeon Noble District of Toal.
  • As per Ys standarts, the awesome boss music Protectors (Eternal). If you're one of those who hate the Eternal version, try the Perfect Collection version by Ryo Yonemitsu (used by the translators) and the Chronicles version by Yukihiro Jindo.
  • And then we go to the Ice Ridge of Noltia.
  • Then into complete oposite of below: Moat of Burnedbless.
  • Final battle against Darm: Termination.
  • And of course there's the nice chill-out track Stay With Me Forever, including the 1988 original and 1989 arrange, as well as the vocal version Adventure World (both the 1989 original and 2009 cover).
• From Ys 3 and it's vastly improved remake, Ys: Oath in Felghana, there's Valestein Castle, the area theme of... well, Valestein Castle.
  • For the field music we got a remix of Theme of Adol, The Boy Who Had Wings, better known as The Boy's Got Wings.
  • Be Careful when crawling through the Tigray Quarry.
  • It's a Ys tradition to have awesome boss music when you fight Dark Beasts Black as Night
  • When me meet Chester, we know that he is not be fucked with. Why? Just listen to his theme
  • The Illburns Ruins, or whatever it's called, got some nice music.
    • In the PC Engine Version it's called Alcaino Ruins
  • The Zone of Lava has appropriately named Searing Struggle.
  • For harder bosses we got the Shock of The Death God.
  • While it's more epic rather than awesome, Steeling the Will to Fight deserves to be here.
  • It's a shame that we won't be hearing much of Sealed Time, since we will clear the clock tower very fast.
  • Only to be Chopped by Chester.
  • The Final Dungeon's Beat of Destruction.
  • No Ys game is complete without the epic final boss music, in this case when fighting The Strongest Foe.
• From Ys 4: Dawn of Ys, we have The Great Forest of Celceta, probably the games most famous music judging from how some of it's elements are remixed later in the series.
  • Not to mention the intro music Dawn of Ys, which is just as famous.
  • For the field music we got Field. Yes, it's called just like that.
  • Ys = Awesome Boss = Awesome Boss music, and in Ys 4 it's Fight #58.
  • Next up we got a rocking Lava Field (Kiss for Eldeel).
  • It's A Great Ordeal to fight some of more serious bosses.
  • In the Valley of Lament we got approtiatly named Walking the Path of Legend.
  • In the Valley of Quicksand we have a nice-relaxing music of the same name.
  • While it's not of Rockin' Awesome type, it will be a diservice not to include Crimson Wings here.
  • IV's remix of Tower of The Shadow of Death is awesome in addition of making you recall memories of Ys I.
  • In the Ruins of No Return we got another remix: Theme of Adol 1993.
  • After chit-chatting with Lefance and teleporting out, we get this: Temple of Sun.
  • With Dogi covering your back passing through the Bronze District should be a breeze.
  • And finally the Final boss music: In The Fires of Ignition and The Final Decisive Battle.
• From Ys 6: Ark of Napishtim, there's the boss music, Mighty Obstacle, this troper's personal favorite.
  • And there's the penulatimate boss music when fighting against Ernst.
  • Also Defend and Escape when Adol Skewer his way throught the Romun army and the Last Boss music
  • Ruined City of Kishgal, a pounding trance-rave tune played in the dungeon of the same name.
  • Ultramarine Deep, the underground passage theme.
  • "Revival of the Ark of Napishtim", with its Carmina Burana-esque Ominous Latin Chanting.
• The opening song of Ys Origin, Genesis ~ Beyond the Beginning is, as so common in the series, awesome. And the title shouts back to the very start of the intro movie from the PC Engine Ys1, which said, simply, "In the Beginning". But of course, it takes it's crown from it's use ingame, before Toal Fact fights the last boss(es).
  • Let's not forget the boss theme, Scars of the Divine Wing.
  • Origin also had awesome stage music like Scarlet Tempset and Silent Desert
  • And of course, the final boss music Over Drive
  • The new version of Termination is easily one of the most amazing pieces of music to grace a videogame.
• There's also the OP theme of Ys Seven, Innocent Primeval Breaker and it's vocal cut, Rush Out.
  • Mother Earth Altago, the theme for the first overworld field, a very heroic tune accented with beautiful Spanish guitar riffs.
  • And also for kicks, the Desert of Despair.
  • The boss theme, Vacant Interference kicks hard as well.
  • The other, much less used, boss theme Crossing Rage is quite good too.
  • As if fighting a giant dragon isn't awesome enough, the battle theme Legend Of The Five Great Dragons makes it even more awesome.
  • To Reveal the Way to Go