Your "feels" VGM

[Jakos]

FF9's

is one that's similar to Judgement Day for me; it's definitely one that makes me feel inspired and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

+1

Best of Times - World of Goo is one song that at the beginning it makes me feel a little bit afraid, but then, the song tells me that there's light in the dark and you can confront it, be ready for it. (At least is what I feel, I didn't played World of Goo)

Edited February 22, 2015 by Jakos

[kitty]

'Dream of the Shore Near Another World' (Chrono Cross) by Yasunori Mitsuda. Even to this day, this track knocks me senseless -- it brings me back to a simpler day, when videogames were my life. This transports me to another world. Still one of the most beautiful things I know of.

Didn't mean to skip this one. I love this track so much too as I get lost in its beauty.

What do the rest of you think/feel when you listen to this track?

[timaeus222]

Didn't mean to skip this one. I love this track so much too as I get lost in its beauty.

What do the rest of you think/feel when you listen to this track?

I hear it as an enthralling ballad. I think the bass is especially well-written. I did a short remix clip of this once before last year. The strange thing is that I didn't even listen to how the original bass was written, but it still turned out really similarly.

[kitty]

Thanks for the continued responses guys!

I'm now specifically looking for the following:

• tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
  
• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  
• angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)

edit: VGM still of course

Edited February 23, 2015 by kitty

[Bejack]

It's a shame you linked to some Metal Gear Solid cause that's what

Edited February 24, 2015 by Bejack

[kitty]

Ya my issue is that I can ONLY think of Metal Gear songs for that specific feeling I want.

[timaeus222]

Thanks for the continued responses guys!

I'm now specifically looking for the following:

• tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
  
• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  
• angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)
  

Maybe this?

http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/poke-the-goozim

or this?

http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/run-for-it

Edited February 23, 2015 by timaeus222

[Koriantor]

Skies of Arcadia might have a few the 2nd characteristic:

Nervous Crisis 1

Nervous Crisis 2

Tales of Symphonia:

- Perhaps the 2nd bullet.

- Does this fit your 3rd request?

They aren't exactly epic in the same way as Metal Gear or Deus Ex so I wouldn't be surprised if they're off-base from what you're looking for.

[Cecilff2]

Thanks for the continued responses guys!

I'm now specifically looking for the following:

• tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
  
• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  
• angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)
  

edit: VGM still of course

For your third, is something like

what you're looking for?

The

might have some stuff for the others. Good reason to listen through it anyways, if I notice anything noteworthy will append this post.

[kitty]

Maybe this?

http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/poke-the-goozim

or this?

http://zirconstudios.bandcamp.com/track/run-for-it

Both are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for!

Skies of Arcadia might have a few the 2nd characteristic:

Nervous Crisis 1

Nervous Crisis 2

Tales of Symphonia:

- Perhaps the 2nd bullet.

- Does this fit your 3rd request?

They aren't exactly epic in the same way as Metal Gear or Deus Ex so I wouldn't be surprised if they're off-base from what you're looking for.

No need to be epic! The songs (for bullet 2) I'm looking for just need to be able to convey that anxious, almost panicked feeling of having to run away.

Nervous #2 matches that pretty well.

Standing in the Pain is close, but not exact. It needs a build up in the dynamics and a more aggressive instrumentation for me to get that "lashing out" feeling. The melancholy sound of it though works as a good starting point for that, though.

For your third, is something like

what you're looking for?

The

might have some stuff for the others. Good reason to listen through it anyways, if I notice anything noteworthy will append this post.

I can see "Tooth Paste" working really well in an ragey remix. The melody would need to be played a bit more aggressively. Aside from that, I probably wouldn't even change the notes at all. This is probably the best fit for what I'm looking for that feeling that I've heard so far! Thanks!

I'd like to hear more examples, if you guys don't mind helping me out still! I really appreciate it.

[Kenogu Labz]

Thanks for the continued responses guys!

I'm now specifically looking for the following:

• tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
  
• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  
• angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)

edit: VGM still of course

Lesse... the angry category is gonna be tough to hit, so I'll just throw in examples that I think fit; perhaps you can use those to narrow the search?

• (A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda) - This may match the tense and danger aspects, but might also be a bit too aggressive in that second half.
  
• ,
  (The Banner Saga) - Not really matching the more precise tension of the Deus Ex linked above; despite that, these tracks from the Banner Saga build tension excellently.
  
• , Burning Orphanage (Chrono Cross) - Isle of the Dead is a bit mechanically tense, while Burning Orphanage might fit within your danger specs quite nicely.
  
• (Crimsonshroud) - Classic Hitoshi Sakimoto; a lot of his slower tracks have latent tension strung throughout, and this is a prime example.
  
• ,
  ,
  ,
  ,
  ,
  (Dark Void) - Okay, this whole soundtrack is 100% fantastic, but these tracks are likely the most relevant. All lean on the danger side; 'The Collector' miiiight fit with the angry motif, though I can't really say it's not malicious; while 'The Watcher Airship' definitely leans towards tense. But seriously, check out the whole soundtrack; there's several other that probably fit here, too.
  
• (Final Fantasy Tactics) - I think this may fit the danger without combat theme.
  
• ,
  (Final Fantasy XIII) - 'The Hanging Edge' is masterful tension-wise. 'No Way to Live' might actually be the first one here that really fits 'lashing out without malice'.
  
• ,
  ,
  (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn) - 'One Blood' and 'Thunderer' can probably channel danger quite well. 'From Fear to Fortitude' might fit for anger.
  
• (Gods Will be Watching) - An interesting tension piece. Like much of the soundtrack, it's got HEAVY bitcrushing and compression, so may not suit everyone's tastes.
  
• ,
  ,
  (HydoraH) - 'Warcore' has some degree of tension; 'Red Eden' is mildly dangerous; and 'No Mercy' likely fits the anger category.
  
• Lycanthropy (Killer Instinct 2014) - This fits beautifully into the 'gotta run away' category.
  
• ,
  ,
  ,
  (The Last Remnant) - 'Flamedrop' and 'Turn the Tide' could be in your 'lashing out' category; 'Unrelenting Advance' is quite dangerous (except for that last bit), and 'Everflow' is high-tension. Tsuyoshi Sekito is really, REALLY good at writing combat tracks (most of which are pretty aggressive), but he also does quite well with technical-sounding dungeon themes. The Last Remnant is chock-full of 'em, so may be worth looking at for more examples.
  
• ,
  ,
  (Magnetic by Nature) - This soundtrack ooozes tension and anxiety.
  
• ,
  (The Spirit Engine 2) - Two more high-anxiety tracks.
  
• Anxiety, Panic, Escape (Xenosaga Episode I) - These track names speak for themselves, haha.
  

[YoshiBlade]

Thanks for the continued responses guys!

I'm now specifically looking for the following:

• tense/anxious songs similar in feeling to this song but doesn't have to have the same "sound."
  
• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  
• angry/lashing out songs that aren't malicious (no example for this womp womp)

edit: VGM still of course

Common! Really? Nothing from RE2? okay well here I go...

I feel like the RE series, up until recently (looking at you Revelations) avoiding a fight or running away was your best option

[kitty]

Lesse... the angry category is gonna be tough to hit, so I'll just throw in examples that I think fit; perhaps you can use those to narrow the search?

• (A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda) - This may match the tense and danger aspects, but might also be a bit too aggressive in that second half.
  
• ,
  (The Banner Saga) - Not really matching the more precise tension of the Deus Ex linked above; despite that, these tracks from the Banner Saga build tension excellently.
  
• , Burning Orphanage (Chrono Cross) - Isle of the Dead is a bit mechanically tense, while Burning Orphanage might fit within your danger specs quite nicely.
  
• (Crimsonshroud) - Classic Hitoshi Sakimoto; a lot of his slower tracks have latent tension strung throughout, and this is a prime example.
  
• ,
  ,
  ,
  ,
  ,
  (Dark Void) - Okay, this whole soundtrack is 100% fantastic, but these tracks are likely the most relevant. All lean on the danger side; 'The Collector' miiiight fit with the angry motif, though I can't really say it's not malicious; while 'The Watcher Airship' definitely leans towards tense. But seriously, check out the whole soundtrack; there's several other that probably fit here, too.
  
• (Final Fantasy Tactics) - I think this may fit the danger without combat theme.
  
• ,
  (Final Fantasy XIII) - 'The Hanging Edge' is masterful tension-wise. 'No Way to Live' might actually be the first one here that really fits 'lashing out without malice'.
  
• ,
  ,
  (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn) - 'One Blood' and 'Thunderer' can probably channel danger quite well. 'From Fear to Fortitude' might fit for anger.
  
• (Gods Will be Watching) - An interesting tension piece. Like much of the soundtrack, it's got HEAVY bitcrushing and compression, so may not suit everyone's tastes.
  
• ,
  ,
  (HydoraH) - 'Warcore' has some degree of tension; 'Red Eden' is mildly dangerous; and 'No Mercy' likely fits the anger category.
  
• Lycanthropy (Killer Instinct 2014) - This fits beautifully into the 'gotta run away' category.
  
• ,
  ,
  ,
  (The Last Remnant) - 'Flamedrop' and 'Turn the Tide' could be in your 'lashing out' category; 'Unrelenting Advance' is quite dangerous (except for that last bit), and 'Everflow' is high-tension. Tsuyoshi Sekito is really, REALLY good at writing combat tracks (most of which are pretty aggressive), but he also does quite well with technical-sounding dungeon themes. The Last Remnant is chock-full of 'em, so may be worth looking at for more examples.
  
• ,
  ,
  (Magnetic by Nature) - This soundtrack ooozes tension and anxiety.
  
• ,
  (The Spirit Engine 2) - Two more high-anxiety tracks.
  
• Anxiety, Panic, Escape (Xenosaga Episode I) - These track names speak for themselves, haha.
  

Thanks so much (AGAIN!) Nathan! Several of these work with what I need. Thanks for putting so much effort into your posts!

And I'm only 1/4 of the way done listening.

[Jakos]

• danger/"gotta run away" songs that do NOT give off a feeling of battle (example:
  )
  

Hurry! (Final Fantasy VII) was the first song that came to my mind. This song gives me the sense of danger, and also the sensation that I should think and act faster.

Hope it's useful

[kitty]

Common! Really? Nothing from RE2? okay well here I go...

I feel like the RE series, up until recently (looking at you Revelations) avoiding a fight or running away was your best option

This one is good, though I'd need to hear it without the alarm klaxon.

Hurry! (Final Fantasy VII) was the first song that came to my mind. This song gives me the sense of danger, and also the sensation that I should think and act faster.

Hope it's useful

I saw this in my library and I gave it a listen. It definitely conveys a sense of urgency, but for some reason I never associated it with danger. There's something about it that has the opposite effect on me. Or maybe it's my memory of the game and never actually feeling rushed when this music played.

[kitty]

Hey guys, thanks for helping me out with finding stuff. I'm having trouble finding one particular "feels" song that may be a bit too specific.

I'm looking for songs that convey the idea that emotional wounds are healing and that the hurt person is slowly moving on. Alternatively, I'm looking for songs that sound "supportive." To put a picture to these feelings, I would say the scene from FF7's Advent Children where Cloud has the vision of Aerith and she says "it's okay" and walks away is spot on for what I'm looking for.

I'm not sure if this is too specific but I'd like to find an example of music that might be able to convey this on its own or with minimal background story.

Any help is appreciated!

[timaeus222]

How about this?

It's basically a "now we part ways" feel. It plays when the main character (who saved the world 6 times in grade school) has to move away and all his friends gather to say goodbye to him.

[Koriantor]

- It's a little more solemn than the Advent Children example, but I think it still fits (and even more so if you know the background behind it).

- Side note: with the FF13 PC release, I've finally been able to play it and its been really disappointing for me. Based on what others have said, I'm not surprised about it either. Not relevant to the conversation, I'm just sad about it. ...At least the music's great!

- If there's any song that fits it's this one. To the Moon's narrative deals with the same types of themes your looking for in the music. Great game.

This is a fun exercise; keep the requests coming . Hope the answers are helpful for you!

[kitty]

Sure thing!

To further complicate these themes, I want to throw in a feeling of redemption/healing/recovery from a trauma. Again the image in my head is similar to the ending scene in Advent Children. It's arguable that Cloud lives because of Aerith and he overcomes Bahamut because of his friends' support for him. I guess another way to put it is that he was "saved from himself." Cloud's trauma is very real, but he also ruminates on it for quite a long time. To overcome this, what he gets goes beyond just regular "support" and he is SAVED by the intervention of his loved ones.

Again this is similar to the idea I have. My idea focuses more on the subject overcoming his own flaws but only through the realization that those flaws are a part of him or that they were not even flaws to begin with. Another way to put it is to regain hope (with some help from a close friend) after one has lost all faith and that they feel they can't go on anymore and have fallen into despair.

I want to actively avoid the cliche "you can do it" feeling. It's here where I think the distinction could prove too difficult to define in music without lyrics. "Fear Not This Night" from Guild Wars 2 does a great job (with the help of lyrics) to get pretty close to the idea I have in my head. Although it is a tad bit too "epic", it handles the complexity of what I want really well when it moves back and forth from a tense feeling to a supportive feeling.

[fredrikd]

I just attended a VGM concert called "Score" in Norway, and this piece just completely blew me away:

I had never heard it before, didn't know anything about the story or characters in the game, and still I was all goosebumps and tears by the end of it. Imagine what I would have been like if I had built up a connection with the game and the story.

That's what I love about video game music. How it can stand alone as great pieces of music, and at the same time forge incredibly powerful connections with the gamers who spend hours listening to them while experiencing all kinds of memorable in-game moments.

Might not be quite what you're after, but I thought I'd share my latest "feels"-moment with you

[FenixDown]

Not sure if this quite fits what you have in mind, but the first piece that comes to mind for me is

. It's been years since I've last played the game, but if I recall correctly, this music plays at the end of the game as the aftermath of the final battle dawns on the heroes. Even if it doesn't quite match the criteria, it's still a very nice piece.

[ShrackAttack]

People Seized with Life from Chrono Cross, a hundred times over. I even did a remix of it here for the sake of feels!

This. Mitsuda is the master of the feels.

[kitty]

Finally got some time to sit down and type a response.

I just attended a VGM concert called "Score" in Norway, and this piece just completely blew me away:

I had never heard it before, didn't know anything about the story or characters in the game, and still I was all goosebumps and tears by the end of it. Imagine what I would have been like if I had built up a connection with the game and the story.

That's what I love about video game music. How it can stand alone as great pieces of music, and at the same time forge incredibly powerful connections with the gamers who spend hours listening to them while experiencing all kinds of memorable in-game moments.

Might not be quite what you're after, but I thought I'd share my latest "feels"-moment with you

This track does have a lot of emotion to it, but not what I'm looking for. Still quite enjoyable though.

Not sure if this quite fits what you have in mind, but the first piece that comes to mind for me is

. It's been years since I've last played the game, but if I recall correctly, this music plays at the end of the game as the aftermath of the final battle dawns on the heroes. Even if it doesn't quite match the criteria, it's still a very nice piece.

This matches up somewhat closely to what I am looking for. The beginning definitely gives off a sense that an ordeal was just overcome. It really helps the song develop a more uplifting sound later on.

[psychowolf]

Too many to count. The medley that plays during the fight with liquid ocelot in mgs4 is one that stands out.

[LuketheXjesse]

chrono cross in general