Why Does Snow Level Music Sound COLD?

[@ryan_1314]

One of my favorite cold themes is Frozen Rito Village from Zelda TOTK, due to how it took the original and changed the vibe COMPLETELY. The original theme sounds warm and welcoming, but even though the totk version uses the original motifs and instruments, but it just sounds... hollow. It sounds like what you described in level 3, where the music is extremely minimal and instead of a warm rich accompaniment it's replaced with a deep windy atmosphere that only provides the bare minimum harmony, oftentimes omitting parts of the chord. The implied key of the melody provides the majority of information about the progression, with only a skeleton of an accompaniment providing the rest of the details. I didn't go into a really deep analysis but it uses pedal tones and chromatic movement to create a sense of unease and loneliness. During the phrase that plays the dragon roost theme, there's a G pedal and a lot of the harmonies move chromatically to flat 9ths & 13ths. Near the end the DR theme that originally had a Dbma7 C7 Bbmi7 Abma7 progression gets a Db pedal in the bass, and the progression becomes Dbma7 Gø7/Db Db°7 Dbma9, Dbma7 Gø7/Db Gb7#11/Db Dbma7. The use of windy pads and long reverb tails gives it a very desolate sound, and the higher pitched instruments and sparse low end gives it a very cold & icy feel.

[@ChristopherMoom]

By far some of my favorite snow level music would be "Freezing Temple" from Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and "Blue Blizzard Remix" from Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe (The latter of which is one of my favorite songs ever) Freezing Temple, composed by Jun Ishikawa, goes with the "isolating cold" approach through very satisfying usage of a theremin, building up a surprisingly alien-like feeling Blue Blizzard Remix, arranged by Hirokazu Ando, is a medley that features a very unique take on Freezing Temple; it has an insanely active bassline and some very fun comping with a guitar(?), both of which were done with the mindset of "disregarding human playability" (Paraphrased from the 2018 Forbes article "The Music Of Kirby: Still Tickling Gamers Pink".) This song's second half somehow manages to pick up in energy even more, though it's not an arrangement of a snow theme in specific (It arranges a water theme named "A Stroll on the Ocean Floor"), so I'll hold off on gushing over this song even more

[@CadenceHira]

the sound design on that intro theremin in freezing temple is so cool!! so howling also the remix is INSANE wtf

[@ChristopherMoom]

​@@CadenceHiraI know!!! Blue Blizzard Remix is so densely packed all the way throughout, it's impressive This kind of extravagantly packed style is pretty common for Modern Kirby music, I'd be happy to compile a selection of songs for you if you're interested

[@MoonlightMusic75]

@@ChristopherMoom YOU AGAIN!!! dude i see you everywhere

[@joshuahughes8336]

Sorry for the trouble but could you provide links to the songs?

[@ChristopherMoom]

@@joshuahughes8336 I'd love to, but YT is EXTREMELY picky with what I can say without my words being deleted If you look up the exact song titles, you should hopefully be able to find the songs easily If it helps, the exact uploads I use as a reference are uploaded by "Eternal" (for Freezing Temple) and "segafan13" (for Blue Blizzard Remix)

[@moosekababs]

i dont know jack shit about music theory but my brain is trying to gaslight me into thinking i understand any of this. you're like "this d major chord is tonicized" "then the next measure tonicizes a slightly warmer--" and im like wow! that sure sounds like music! when i hear the clip. love vids like this it feels like exploring a totally untouched land or something

[@woast5818]

as someone who knows a little, "it almost gives the feel of the phrygian scale"--yeah, it's quite phrygid after all.......

[@thepotatoportal69]

Tonicising basically means making a chord into the "tonic" chord, which is the chord where the music will sound most at rest. You do this (most of the time) by going to the dominant chord, which is 5 steps up from the tonic on the scale, and then resolving the tonic. I hope this helped and didn't just confuse you more lol.

[@SoftBreadSoft]

​@@thepotatoportal69so the rest point/tonic is somewhere in the middle of the scale of the melody?

[@metallsnubben]

@@SoftBreadSoft​​⁠The tonic is the 1st note of the key/scale, so actually the "bottom" (but you can always keep going up/down in further octaves) Any note in the tonic _chord_ would feel similarly restful though (...along with said chord being played) In a C major scale/key, the tonic (note) is C and the tonic chord is C major, made up of C-E-G

[@tortoiselover7215]

@@SoftBreadSoft As said, it is where the music feels most at rest, and so usually the "middle" of the scale would be the farthest away from the rest point if we're oversimplifying.

[@releasio9921]

Cozy Cabin from Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a super warm, Christmas-y song that still sticks with me despite not having played the game in years. As for more recent examples I’d say Snowfall from Undertale Yellow does an excellent job of remixing and recontextualizing Snowdin into something even more peaceful and beautiful than the original.

[@lesprit...]

Yes and Cool Cave! That whole soundtrack was top tier

[@EnheTook50Benadryl]

is that a mother fucking gd reference

[@MattEngarding]

Speaking of Kirby's Epic Yarn, Snowy Fields is the polar (hah) opposite of that, being bombastic and energetic but still incredibly Christmas-y and I love it.

[@razerbladegaming8983]

This entire comment is so based

[@ChristophJakob]

When I wrote the music "Arid Athenaeum", basically a frozen library, for the game Revita, I was trying to avoid leaning too heavily into stereotypes as well. The harmony focuses on upper chord extensions, especially the 9th and #11. Regarding the instrumentation, the main focus are hollow sounding synths, vibraphone, a high register piano (guess you got me there) and a warm and bouncy bass which is meant to symbolize the player. It definitely does give off icy vibes! :D Either way, great video as always! :)

[@tahutoa]

I really love "Ice Dungeon" from Skies of Arcadia. I have trouble telling the time of it, but the brush kit, whispers, acoustic bass, electric piano, and vibraphone ostinato are so good as a whole. I think it falls under category 2, but you'd have to judge that for yourself

[@NathanielBarlam]

Snowman from the Mother series is one of my favorites, especially the slower rendition in Earthbound

[@casaroli]

I think DKC has some pretty great ice themed music. Specially DKC2’s In a Snow-bound-land. But yeah, OOT’s ice cave is really great!

[@unexploringlife1534]

YES that’s one of my favorite ice themed tracks. It really embodies the warm feeling that can come along with winter. It sounds very Christmas-y to me as well

[@perseushuffman855]

this is a great video but in my mind any description of cold music (even though we're limited to games here) should mention the sibelius violin concerto, which contains all three of the non-christmas feelings (and a fourth one, which is more like the feeling of being warm and cozy inside while it's cold outside). other than that this is a great job thanks for the video (:

[@VikoTheBassist]

0:41 Yapdollar caught me so off guard

[@Helsionium]

"Ice Ruins" from Zelda A Link Between Worlds, while technically "just" another variation on the Lorule dungeon leitmotif, is probably my favourite snow/ice theme. It really makes you feel the isolation and how intensely cold these ruins must be. On the other end of the snow/ice theme "spectrum", I particularly like the very peaceful and serene song "Mt. Vinter" from Pokémon Shuffle.

[@BeeluwGaming]

I love the theme for Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga’s ice area: Joke’s End. The music sets the perfect setting for the giant ice castle the theme appears in. Also “Don’t Preheat your Oven Because if you do the Somg Won’t Play” one of the themes for Pizza tower’s ice level, Refrigerator-Refrigerator-Freezerator, sounds nice too; with the song sounding like your typical ice level song, while still having the sound and uniqueness of the Pizza Tower soundtrack.

[@arcturus0389]

final Fantasy 14 also has VERY good wintery music, Footsteps in the Snow, the Ishgard theme, the Garlemald theme.

[@polwigle]

Coincidentally, I just compiled my own winter-y game music playlist last night, so I have suggestions at the ready! Here's some I haven't already seen other people mention in the comments yet: - Crystal Ice from Kirby's Return to Dream Land - My Happy☆Sweet Time♪ from Kirby Planet Robobot (less winter and more giant ice cream factory, but still cold!) - Snowbelle City from Pokémon X and Y - Freezington from Pokémon Sword and Shield - Alabaster Icelands 2 from Pokémon Legends: Arceus

[@redtomato4903]

POKÉMON LEGENDS ARCEUS OST MENTIONED RAGGGGHHH

[@MesmerisingGlow]

I feel the best example of this style of season-based music in video games is almost definitely Stardew Valley. Every seasonal song in the game absolutely captures the essence of the experience of the season. Winter feels cold, spring feels like an energetic new beginning, summer feels upbeat and joyous and autumn (fall) feels slower and more relaxed, easing the player into slowing down for the winter. Its such a perfect soundtrack for the relaxing farm somulator. I'd love to see a video on it at some point!

[@Maplefoxx-vl2ew]

watch this video: "How I wrote 200+ songs for my game" by youtuber Once Upon A Synth.

[@feltcute_mightdelete]

I thought the same thing! That's why I wrote my master's thesis on it! I have a whole chapter on seasonal music in cozy games. I also have a video on my channel of a conference presentation where I talked about seasons in Stardew valley

[@CadenceHira]

i love the soundtrack of stardew valley and that is a great idea, i'll add it to my list. thanks!

[@musimathematician]

The best part is the glitchy gameplay while the ice theme is playing 15:41. Really takes me back to my childhood!

[@zs4760]

Two of my favourite tracks from FFXIV are "Black and White" and "Against the Wind" which are night/day themes for a frosted war-torn field of ruins and it feels so fitting for the abstract winter concept. You can get a sense of trying to stay warm in the snowstorms but also that feeling of clarity when the sun does show up now and again.

[@mechajaraxxus3510]

15:07 You're tongue'll get stuck if you do that!

[@fishguylmfao]

*your

[@moonl1314]

I went to the comments as fast as I could when I heard the lick

[@CheRockle]

@@moonl1314frrrr

[@asteroidvgm545]

15:07 🤨 My personal favorite winter theme is Snowman from the Mother series. Earthbound takes a darker approach to the melody, closer to level 2 (though still with sleigh bells,) that pushes the feeling of sneaking out of school. Mother 3, however, ups the tempo a little bit and brightens the instrumentation to bring it to Level 1. Since you have your whole party with you by that point in 3, the isolated feel of Earthbound’s rendition isn’t necessary, and is thus replaced by a theme that is the embodiment of cozying up to the fire on a snowy day.

[@guyug6940]

Mother 4's snowman is peake

[@Monkeymario.]

Yeah EPIC

[@NathanielBarlam]

You should check out composer Keiichi Suzuki's recording of Snowman from 2021 Mother Revisited album. He brings it a slow, meditative air that's really incredible

[@joelcarrillo9802]

I love the Northeast Frost Street theme from Kirby TFL. The strings in that theme are just perfect

[@woast5818]

i love that song.... also, the metro on ice!

[@Velvit_Rhed]

When I think of ice music, I’m always reminded of the Eternia City theme from Bravely Default. Sure it’s got sleigh bells throughout, but it gets so much more powerful with its minor scale melody to remind you that you’re deep in enemy territory. I love it so much! On a similar note: I’d love to see an analysis video on why desert levels in video games “sound” hot.

[@CadenceHira]

I'll check it out! also look for the hot music video in like 6 months lol

[@lookatmyfeetDBD]

vouch, i love this theme

[@PancakesTheDragoncat]

This is the first video of yours I've seen, and its really well researched! I was starting on a video game project with a winter theme, and this is really helpful One ice theme I think of is Arcterra #1 from Metroid Prime Hunters. I think its the best I've ever heard at capturing the sound of isolation in an unbelievably cold alien landscape, it feels like that kind of cold that's too cold even for snow, the cold that gets through all your layers and hurts your bare skin.

[@willowthesumner]

the ice caves music from terraria is an indescribable vibe that i absolutely love

[@aymanac]

great analysis as always, i love your distinction between "christmassy" "wintery" and "COLD". it's really helpful as a composer because i never really thought about the difference between them and when writing music it now has me thinking about what exactly im trying to emulate and make the audience feel. GREAT STUFF AS ALWAYS, huge fan keep up the great work :D

[@Ferrer-oy1id]

A bunch of skyrim's OST could apply, specially the night themes but i think the track "Kyne's Peace" evokes the most a feeling of being alone in a quiet, snowed forest at night, barely any movement or sign of life

[@retsam6264]

She thought she could get away with 15:07

[@joshuahughes8336]

I thought I was going insane

[@Monkeymario.]

It sounds EPIC!

[@retsam6264]

It sounds like the lick, but I’m not too sure…

[@starflavored]

@@retsam6264 IT IS!!! I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD SAY SOMETHING

[@NickHoad]

Route 216 and Snowpoint City from Pokemon are great, and for a WAY more obscure one, check out Arctic and The Berg’s Royal Rumble from Lego Racers 2

[@tsunderecat413]

some of my favorite wintery themes include "happy holidays!" from kingdom hearts ii final mix, "frozen wonderland" from kingdom hearts iii, "freezing temple" from kirby's return to dream land, and of course, the ever-iconic "snowman" from mother

[@jordentacoztm]

I personally really enjoy the stardew valley winter songs (The wind can be still, nocturne of Ice, ancient) for their strong nostalgic winter feeling. Glade from omori is also cool as it gives of the feeling of being lost in the snowy wilderness

[@bradoliver9324]

Love your videos, as always! I like your categories of winter themed music a lot! One of my favourites is the winter theme "The Wind Can Be Still" from Stardew Valley. The first time you hear it, it's quite sad and sleepy and almost depressing (maybe I'm projecting some things I need to work out on my own lol). It communicates a bit of the spacious desolate feeling like the Ice Cavern and Phendrana themes do, and it's definitely minor like many of those themes, but there's a bittersweetness that juuuust peeks through as if saying "welcome to the fallow season, rest (mine), go visit your friends, and stay warm; Spring will return soon enough". It's exactly what the homesteading experience would be like, especially "back in the day". Feed the fire, eat what you've stored up, make sure the livestock are warm enough to survive, and hope you don't get buried inside your home. The fact that a piece of music can actually get across all those senses is pretty magical.

[@tracer4b]

The way you put "vibes" into words is incredible, this was a great video

[@zandernewton4452]

Literally yelled “YES!” when you used the Ice Caverns theme from Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’m playing it right now and it’s my first Zelda game! Some other ice themes I like: Snow Forest- A Single Flower Blossoms from OMORI SNOWFLAKES from Persona 4 Golden So Happy World- Persona 5 Royal Everwinter from Blinx the Timesweeper

[@CyanWatercress4]

I think my favorite one of the fourth type is Cold! from OMORI. It uses the theme that appears in a more comforting area of the game, but slows it down and has wind howling in the background

[@RookRolled]

The Wilderness theme from LittleBigPlanet is cool because it’s in C Major but it uses the iv chord instead of IV. The instrumentation uses a celesta, bells, electric guitar, etc and some Russian instrument that I forgot the name of.

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

Haven (Winter) from Spiral Knights by Harry Mack is one of the best winter video game pieces ever. It makes great use of iv - I for a wintery nostalgia sound.

[@logiju1]

Bells, chimes, anything that sounds like you're hitting ice to make music is my favorite way to make it sound cold. Crash Bandicoot The Wrath Of Cortex (mouthful) has great ice music with synthesised tonal winds.

[@Blackadder125]

It's an easy answer, but the three winter themes in Stardew Valley perfectly fit their season as all the Stardew season themes do. Nocturne of Ice and Ancient fall very much in category 2, while The Wind Can Be Still has a much lonelier and inhuman sound to it that really makes it an exemplar of category 3 I think.

[@wellurban]

Really loved the last one in particular: quartal voicings work beautifully for that sort of icy chill. What stood out to me was that while some of the “wintriness” could be seen as universal, programmatic invocations of nature, a lot of it is more culturally determined. For example, outside of the US, Christmas music doesn’t have the same strong association with 40s/50s jazz harmonies. I’ve always associated it more with either traditional carols or with cheesy novelty songs. And if you live in a place where Christmas isn’t in winter and winter is more wet and windy than crisp and snowy, then a lot of the other associations are weaker as well! But this is probably changing over time as things like “winter levels” develop their own musical language which comes to stand on its own,

[@AriZonia]

Some of my favorite "Winter"/Snowy themes in video games is the Valak Mountain themes in Xenoblade Chronicles 1. There's a day and night version, and it's very interesting how they evoke VERY different emotions despite being the same place. The daytime theme has a heavy usage of oboe and woodwind instruments, while the night focuses basically entirely on the piano. Daytime's theme feels more hostile and... well "chilling", while nighttime is generally more "lively"

[@battlecatsbonanza8190]

i think the main thing is high frequencies, its always high notes in wintery songs. and stuff like pianos or bells or high pitched singing

[@TheEmbrandt]

A couple of my favorite underrated ice themes are Frozen Wasteland from World's End Club and Ice Vellumental Mountain from Paper Mario: The Origami King! Ice Vellumental Mountain is especially interesting because it uses a sitar, which is the most stereotypically "hot climate soundtrack" instrument you could pick!

[@oskr_p]

My addition to the list is "Bird Is Float" from Baba Is You and "Heart of the Mountain" from Celeste

[@georgelacatus1495]

Phendrana Drifts is such a beautiful tune, it's such perfect music to fall asleep to ❤

[@TheThirteenthMan]

I always loved the Distant Tundra themes from Pikmin 3. The feeling of desolation from both the environment and the lack of squadmates is almost physical. All the while it kept the same interstellar theme, only adding to the feeling of cold.

[@mintmangos]

As an ice eater, I wanna eat the music

[@nujuat]

The world 6 theme from mario 3 does a great job of setting up the atmosphere. Actually, it's probably the only 2D mario game I can think of, which uses that darker ice atmosphere. World 6 is also where the game starts to get tricky. So the uninviting theme makes sense.

[@FreshTillDeath56]

One of my favorite "Winter" tunes is Ripple Field 2 - the water level from Kirby's Dream Land 3. Weird, right? How does an underwater song work so well in blizzard level?! I guess what I'm saying is, I'd love to see a part 2 to this. 😂🎉

[@cjkenney]

amazing video, another song that makes me feel cold but cozy that im inside is the snowpoint theme from d&p! i remember as a kid being so cozy travelling up to snowpoint city for the first time!

[@erinic04]

The Snowpeak theme from Twilight Princess makes me want to put on a jacket lmao So lonely and cold...

[@GentlemanJolt]

While I haven't played the game itself, I have listened to the soundtrack of I am Setsuna, and a lot of what I remember would fit under section 2. The game's world is pretty much all wintery if I'm not mistaken, and to reflect this, the soundtrack primarily features piano. The one I remember most is A Winter Journey's Tale, especially the first 30 seconds. On the contrary, songs like Tender Glow and Sense of Safety give off this sense of warmth, like sitting in front of a fireplace.

[@FytAlex-gm8lc]

Here are 2 another examples of Warmer Snow in game music: One is from Octopath Traveler 1 and the other is from White Album 2, where the title music uses IV -> I over and over again but put more emphasis on the chime timbre to illustrate snow falling

[@Raphe9000]

When I was playing Echoes of Wisdom, I fell in love with the theme of the Lanayru Temple, which felt to me like it took a lot of what you would find in a typical Christmas-esque winter song but turned it almost ominous and inquisitive, really nailing that feeling of being at a holy site forgotten to time in a frozen wasteland. To me at least, it was reminiscent of both Twilight Princess's Snowpeak theme and Spirit Tracks' Tower of Spirits stairway and dungeon themes, some amazing tracks from games with some of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

[@Jamesrgwright]

Incredible video! OoT’s Ice Cavern’s shimmering sound comes from a sample CD (“Fantasia” from Best Service Gigapack) so my guess is the whole tone structure comes from simply writing the initial quartal and transposing the rest through a sampling keyboard.

[@ihaetschool3361]

my favourite is definitely ttyd's fahr outpost (the old, 2004 soundtrack, the new one sucks). sound design definitely has a huge impact there. high FM synths, and that bass sound where a filter moves up and down and the resonance is cranked up... acsolutely chilling

[@kodaofthelunari9165]

I think almost all of the non-combat tracks that play in Genshin Impact's snow zone, Dragonspine, fall in these category and I love that I can now finally pinpoint what it is about them! Since you mentioned loneliness and stillness, I'd put forward to check out the tracks that play in two other zones of the game, Enkanomiya and Tsurumi Island, all of which are so completely filled with a cold, melanchic loneliness that I'd love to see a music theory dive on how that comes to be.

[@tuipaopao]

I think Ice Storm from Bejeweled 3 is also pretty cold song. It has some short warmth section (with major chord) but end up being cold in the end.

[@Raffy209]

Lovely and informative video! I think there's a fifth type you could add to the list: intense, fast-paced music evocative of escaping from an avalanche or charging through a blizzard. You hear this a lot in action-oriented platformers and racing games - think something like Ice Ice Outpost from Mario Kart 8, Cool Edge Day from Sonic Unleashed, or Blizzard Man from Mega Man 6. Very synthy, very percussive, and often accompanied by an electric guitar for some of that glacial grittiness.

[@ShockMicro]

Giving some examples for a few different levels: - Ice Floes from Subnautica: Below Zero really encapsulates the feeling of the whole game- this frigid sector of a planet almost entirely made of ocean, where a lot of the land you'll find is simply chunks of ice floating around. I can't think of any other way to describe it. - Cassette Beasts has a really nice theme for the area Mt. Wirral, using the game's main motif as its melody, but taking away that layer when you reach the summit to let you take in the feeling of being on top of it all. - Pokémon has a lot of great ice themes, one of my favorites being Snowbelle City from X & Y. A great track from start to finish, bringing in all the nice winter-y instruments without resorting to sleigh bell spam. - Stardew Valley's winter music is very well-suited for the season. The Wind Can Be Still and Nocturne of Ice are my favorites, for different reasons. They both embody the different sides of winter so well, simultaneously serene and melancholic, and I love that. Edit: - How could I forget the buildup to the Wind Temple from Tears of the Kingdom? It's such a perfect evolution of the cold theme, and the theme for the temple itself is wonderful too. - Snowfall from Undertale Yellow recontextualizes the theme of Snowy in such a wonderful way, it brings so much new to the table with just the right amount of old, perfect for the theme of a different part of a familiar location. - Special shoutouts to how the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door makes the main battle theme snowy/icy for just one small section of Chapter 7. It's my favorite mix of the theme!

[@PhantomThiefXI]

for me the coldest ice level will always be criminal girls' illusion labyrinth (i think to find it on youtube you have to use the japanese name, 幻惑の迷宮) not only its cold, but it also really carries the feeling of walking into a fairy ring and being tricked every turn, unforgettable dungeon for me

[@RedBloxStudios]

Wow you transcribed all the sheet music in this video that's really impressive

[@elebonhamstarr]

Pls keep this making this kind of videos to express sensations at videogames, i love it

[@kenzieprice6745]

This was a great discussion. I would like to see what other parts others could add to this topic.

[@FlakManiak]

Shiver Star, from Kirby 64! Probably, you'd put it into category 1.

[@NathanielBarlam]

Then Factory inspection feels like a deep freeze

[@AVJHalonen]

Octopath Traveler's "Frostlands" and "Flamesgrace, Guiding Light" came to mind as also good examples that include elements of the categories you mentioned.

[@thomasrosebrough9062]

1:32 2:29 wtf that sound could not sound more like a christmas-ified version of Outset Island Theme from Zelda Windwaker.

[@aymanac]

YEAHHAH THE WINTER HOLIDAY EPISODE !!!!!!!!1!!1!

[@RyanStapleford]

Im so glad that you referenced Ice Cavern from Zelda OOT, it was the first song/world I thought of and it rules. Great analysis homegirl! Also thought of snow land in super mario 64 for the first category

[@blackhoven]

15:08 subtle but had no business to make me smile. Keep Up the good Work, I Love it!

[@GoGoForIt]

My favorite ice theme has got to be Tantal from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I wonder which category you'd fit that one into?

[@felixmarques]

I knew you'd mention Phendrana. The Phendrana Valley theme is the most memorable, in my mind. Those fast runs!

[@Tosett]

definitely listen to the soundtrack to i am setsuna, the entire game takes place in snowy areas

[@SilverSylveon1]

Slippenglide Island from Mario and Luigi Brothership is an amazing ice level theme!

[@jonahstern9530]

Your content is amazing. Who knew there were other lovers of music theory in video games. Binging all ur videos now. Thank you

[@massimovinogradov2146]

Very interesting! I immediately recalled the Queen Vanessa's Manor theme from A Hat In Time. If I'm correct, it should be a quite good example of the coldest cold tone

[@t3hgr8gabbo]

Can't hear the Ice Cavern theme without my brain filling in the Freezard breath and 'Link getting frozen and then breaking back out of ice' noises.

[@metamusic64]

i love Pokemon Unbound's ice/snow music. The whole intro segment of the game takes place in a snowy mountain range on the north end of the Borrius region, and there's plenty of music in this area. Frozen Heights, the protagonist's hometown, has oddly warm music. The instrumentation is light and icy as expected, but it still pulls off such a nostalgic hometown feeling utterly wonderfully. The night version of the theme includes sleigh bells, and it's weirdly more triumphant and upbeat than the day version. Route 1 connects Frozen Heights to Bellin Town, and its music is just really peaceful. The percussion crunched up in the GBA's sound chip almost sounds like footsteps in fresh snow. Bellin Town's music is SUPER waltzy; it's a bit of a dead-end town, and you never need to visit it except for the intro segment and a postgame quest for Regigigas. It feels exactly like elegant ice skating music, which makes perfect sense with the frozen ice moat around Articuno's statue right in the middle of town. Icicle Cave is a branch off of Route 1, and it's the first "real" segment of the game, with actual trainers and danger. It leads down the mountain to the first town with a gym. Its music starts out really heavy-handed with the bright glockenspiel and other high-register instruments, but then the whole B section is just a low-octave piano(?) solo! There's a sweeping long-attack chorus in the back of it all guiding the F7 Dmin7 chord progression which runs through the whole song; I'm always a huge fan of the back-and-forth minor third chord progressions like that, it has such a fluttery feeling to me. There's also another frozen mountain on the west side of Borrius that you visit midway through the game, AND the Pokemon League is situated in another snowy area! Frost Mountain is simultaneously more desolate than the Frozen Heights area, and yet more energetic (drum kit percussion with some serious slap bass). Blizzard City, which is at Frost Mt's peak, is a calm respite from the mountain you just climbed (especially the night theme). The Pokemon League doesn't really have any ice music tho; the exterior area is super emotional because you're reflecting on your journey, and the interior is focused on taking down the Elite 4 and claiming your title as Champion.

[@nomannic1]

I just listened to Pokemon Unbound's ice theme, and its super interesting! I love how it uses lots of stacked 3rds and lydian harmony. I love how the melody keeps arpeggiating Fmaj#11, super spacey and wintery feeling.

[@kabemccallister6859]

Great video! Sector 5 (ARC) from Metroid Fusion captures the danger and anxiety of being trapped in an extremely cold environment.

[@razerbladegaming8983]

I have a few, but one song I don’t think was mentioned yet is “Snow, lots of snow” from A Short Hike. Probably around a level 3 on this scale

[@Stark-m2c]

My favorite winter theme in a nintendo game has and always will be Frozen Solid and Chilled from Yoshi's Woolly World.

[@polwigle]

Seconding this! Yoshi's Woolly World has an amazing OST ♥A Little Light Snowfall from the same game is also a good example of the Christmas-y type of cold music.

[@elijahgardner8213]

I usually don't subscribe after watching one video, but this was amazing

[@shawnakervin]

this feels like an early christmas present

[@henrique88t]

I'm thankful for the mention of the Ice Cavern. I've been practicing ear training and using Ice Cavern as my main reference for harmonic fourths. I love how cold that interval can feel sometimes.

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

What I love about the Winter theme is that there are a lot of seemingly dichotomous sounds to choose from. Ice sounds like other hard and solid materials when hit and tends to have a lot of immediate reverb, snow dampens reverberations easily leading to a sense of loneliness/peacefulness that I think the Undertale theme captured beautifully, and snow itself also has different textures depending on specific type; crunchy, squeaky, powder (r.i.p in Arcane (I'm not crying; you're crying)), and then Christmas sounds like partying with the whole family and how lovely and warm it is inside.

[@sharpphilip]

I wear out the VA-11 HALL-A soundtrack every winter. My first “wintery” game tunes were those from the levels of Ainu sisters Nakoruru and Rimururu in the Samurai Spirits / Samurai Shodown games, though.

[@octoberonvox]

I was hoping SO HARD Phendrana Drifts would come up - spectacular!

[@marlowowe]

great video!!! two of my favorite snowy themes are "Castle Lockstone" from Death's Door and "Bird is Float" from Baba is You they're two very different types of snowy music but both great!

[@greeneyedcat10110]

luv this kinda analysis

[@mattdog1000000]

Northern Hemispheres from Donkey Kong Country captures the approaching blizzard and full on storm EXCELLENTLY with its music.

[@dragonomicon1788]

Here's some more examples of each type, at least in my opinion: Type 1 (Christmas): 'Winter Festival' from Stardew Valley Type 2 (Happy Snow): 'Ice' from Terraria and 'Winter Village' from Spiritfarer Type 3 (Less Happy Snow): The first parts of 'Prologue' and 'Golden' from Celeste Type 4 (Very Icy): 'Home of the Gumon' from Ori and the Blind Forest (this isn't a perfect fit, it could be 3)

[@OFFP88]

great vid thank you, i love the megamanx ice music

[@JoeyKastelic777]

8:06 even cooler 🤣❄️🥶 Crash Bandicoot 2 has a pretty cool theme for the snow levels, using the obligatory sleigh bells but also opting for electric guitars and marimba, it's very unique I feel.

[@superbunnycam]

Personally for me the most obviously winter themed song is Antarctic Reinforcement by DM DOKURO, it gives major winter vibes.

[@officersoulknight6321]

Artistry is all about taking Zeitgeists and using them to your advantage

[@Dan-zz1lm]

This was great. An ice theme that I think about a lot that's actually pretty bouncy but still icy is the Ice Cap Zone theme from Sonic 3, one of the ones Michael Jackson worked on.

[@nevercanyoucant]

this channel is amazing love this topic... music for portraying setting

[@poodrofartman2802]

Another great "cold" music is "Bird is Float"/mountain theme from the Baba is You Ost

[@rommelrivera6131]

I'm gonna start advocating for an analysis of the Risk of Rain soundtrack (specifically Risk of Rain 2), Chris' songs are fucking bangers

[@CadenceHira]

a few people have mentioned risk of rain and I have now added it to my list!

[@t4y_go]

If you ever get the chance, please consider listening to "Remember to be patient" from the omori ost. It really gives off that icey wintery feeling and imo one of the best winter themed osts

[@Lil_Squink]

My favorite "unapologetically Christmas" level theme is definitely Freezeezy Peak from Banjo-Kazooie

[@netherite9051]

0:41 jiao Hong shuuuuuuuu

[@ukulelepichu4484]

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