ystael, 9 months ago

This is all going to be “great gameplay” rather than “great story”.

If you have a way to play 3DS games and a tolerance for punishment in your JRPG dungeon crawlers, the Etrian Odyssey series has some of Yuzo Koshiro’s best work.

• This is the first random battle theme in Etrian Odyssey IV. Your first battle of the game, against a couple of grasshoppers, to
• When you hit something more serious for the first time, you get this instead.
• Now you’re in trouble.
• And, uh, there’s this memorable remix of the wandering-boss theme from the

You already have Persona games in your list, but let’s add some more Shin Megami Tensei:

• Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne random battle theme
• Shin Megami Tensei V random battle theme
• Digital Devil Saga I last boss, first phase (the second phase is sadly less original)

Finally … Monster Hunter is an incredibly fun and addictive game series, and though it doesn’t center the music quite as much as a typical JRPG does, it’s got some great stuff. I particularly like the soundtrack of MH: World – although the newer game MH: Rise tried something new with its mostly choral arrangements, I think they are not quite as memorable overall.

• Desert zone battle from Monster Hunter: World
• Arena battle from Monster Hunter: World (it’s particularly impressive the way this theme, the small-monsters arena battle theme, and several of the town themes reuse the same melodies in different arrangements)
• Ice zone battle from Iceborne expansion
• Zinogre, everybody’s favorite thunder puppy, World version