Let’s be honest, you all perfectly know the next three entries were going to be part of this ranking, so we’ll immediately kick them out; not without paying the deserved respect these Nintendo songs must-have. We’ll then go with some that might actually surprise you didn’t know before.
10. “Big Boo’s Haunt”
Game: Super Mario 64
Composed by: Koji Kondo
This track from the iconic 3D platformer can make you feel like you’re in constant danger and someone or something (probably a Boo if not your undiagnosed anxiety disorder) is following you. An essential part of a lot of people’s childhood that thankfully (or not so much) is available to play with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack paid membership.
9. “Lavender Town”
Games: Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue
Composed by: Junichi Masuda
The good ol’ creepypastas this tune brought to the early 2010s internet were nothing but an event that should be kept buried but fondly remembered, especially if we listen to the original chiptune versions that were part of the first releases of the Pokémon franchise: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. Children were not hypnotized to commit suicide during the writing of this article.
8. Earthbound’s Giygas Set: “Giygas’ Intro”, “Giygas Stirs”, “Giygas Intimidation”, “Prayer for Safety”, “Giygas is Wounded!”, “Giygas is Fatally Wounded!” & “Giygas Disintegrates”
Game: Earthbound (Mother 2)
Composed by: Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka
I could’ve easily left Earthbound’s final battle as the most cursed song in this Top 10. Its ambiance and unsettling sounds make it a creepy track and even a terrorizing one if you consider yourself to be a sensitive person; even without the anxiety-inducing visuals and actions, the characters have to do to defeat the representation of all evil, the 7 songs that make part of this classic Mother moment are a must-listen in Nintendo’s catalog of music.
Now that we’ve gone through the most well-known and obvious options in this ranking, it’s time to either dive deeper or remember some underrated disconcerting gems.
7. “Threed, Zombie Central”
Game: Earthbound (Mother 2)
Composed by: Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka
It was a pretty tough competition between this track and the one we can hear on Moonside; either way and given the situations and enemies we have to face (I’m talking to you Boogie Tent and Master Belch) in Threed, I thought that this was a deserved spot.
6. “Last End”
Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Composed by: Koji Kondo
Gosh, there have been only a couple of situations in which I can say I felt doomed while playing a Zelda game. The uncanny look of the moon, the clock reminding you that the world is going to end soon, and this track that plays during a very important part of the game makes it perfect to stay in spot number 6.
5. “Phazon Mines”
Game: Metroid Prime
Composed by: Kenji Yamamoto, Kouichi Kyuma
Metroid Prime ain’t a game for kids; that’s a statement I make not to a general audience but to all of those who love to keep saying that Nintendo only develops and publishes games for kids. The gameplay, the atmosphere… Phazon Mines. Let’s hope the remake rumors are true and this game is being brought to a whole new generation of gamers.
4. “K.K. Dirge”
Game: Animal Crossing (Available in all entries)
Composed by: Toru Minegishi
Animal Crossing is most of the time a wholesome and heartwarming experience in which you can customize your house, make friends and get trendy with the clothes that you can buy at the Tailor’s Shop; but as you can see, I wrote most of the time. K.K. Dirge is not difficult to get or listen to, but it definitely is rare for the franchise to hear such a sad and unsettling track in a game where you can mainly find happiness and joy. Haven’t ever listened to it? I would highly recommend you to ask for this specific song next time K.K. Slider is visiting your island.
3. “Formidable Oak (Outside)” & “Formidable Oak (Inside)”
Game: Pikmin 3
Composed by: Hajime Wakai, Asuka Hayazaki
Pikmin is one of the most underappreciated Nintendo IPs out there; fortunately, the Wii U entry was re-released in the Nintendo Switch family of systems and more than 2 million people (according to the last time Nintendo gave numbers on this game) got the chance to listen and play through one of the oddest stages on a Nintendo game.
2. “The Place”
Game: Earthbound (Mother 2)
Composed by: Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka
Just think about it. You’ve been traveling all over the world, you’ve encountered monsters, you’ve met dozens of new people both friendly and threatening to kill you; you’ve decided to quit your body and life to let your best friend’s scientist father put your brain and mind inside of a robot just to travel to the past and fight the biggest evil the universe has ever had the misfortune to have. This is the song that plays when you enter that place… The Place. A place in which you’ll face some of the toughest enemies during your adventure and the one where you’ll find Giygas, the representation of all evil.
1. “River Twigz Bed”
Game: Super Paper Mario
Composed by: Naoko Mitome, Chika Sekigawa, Yasuhisa Baba
I have immense respect for the composers of the Super Paper Mario soundtrack, this one being part of my favorite games of all time. But let’s be honest and not give it a lot of thought, what the hell was going on when the River Twigz Bed track was made. The mix of sounds and unrecognizable dialogue from those devilish invisible voices is not only creepy because of its sound, but given the game’s story and place where you’re at, a bunch of skeleton hands that chase damage you as soon as you make physical contact with them isn’t a recomforting thing at all. I must be honest, though, I listened to this hellish track while writing this ranking; if I’ll have nightmares tonight from a Mario game, you’ll do as well.
