“I love video game soundtracks.” Back when I said this as a teenager, people chuckled and gave me pitying, mocking smiles. When I say it now… well, I sometimes still get the same reaction. But nowadays, I’m far from alone! Video game concerts at the Royal Albert Hall have been known to sell out within minutes, while Classic FM devotes regular time and attention to video game music.

“I love singing in a choir” is also a true statement for me. Good thing, then, that choral singing and video games often come hand-in-hand. Here are a few of my favourite examples.

Final Fantasy series

The Final Fantasy series is famous for introducing choral elements to its soundtracks as early as 1994, with the Super Nintendo’s Final Fantasy VI. Sure, the retro console didn’t allow for actual audio recording, but infamous composer Nobuo Uematsu still did an excellent job of producing an incredible 16-bit opera. A few years later the PlayStation’s audio capabilities far surpassed the Super Nintendo, and Uematsu took full advantage with Final Fantasy VII’s “One-Winged Angel”. Decades later, the Final Fantasy OSTs include full-scale choral and orchestral pieces, which are regularly performed to sold-out concerts across the globe.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Anyone who’s played The Witcher 3 knows it changed the gaming landscape. The gritty, compelling story of Geralt the Witcher continues, accompanied by a huge explorable world, complex storylines and morally-loaded decisions which change the course of the story – and absolutely spellbinding music (or should that be Witcher Sign-binding?). The soundtrack has to encompass all manner of emotions from the contemplative to the perilous. The Witcher 3’s trailer music is a great example of how composer and music director Marcin Przybyłowicz harnessed the power of a choir to convey resonant range and depth.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 was easily one of the standout games of 2023, winning award after award, including for its music. Anyone playing the game is instantly entranced by Borislav Slavov’s soundtrack, which effortlessly transports the listener to another realm. Slavov is adept at using different voices to convey different moods – ethereal female voices for a mournful character theme, or fierce male voices for a tense battle. Baldur’s Gate is part of the wider Dungeons and Dragons universe, which frequently sees sold-out concerts at acclaimed venues worldwide.

The Legend of Zelda series

Music has been an important aspect of Zelda games for decades, from playing the flute in 1991’s A Link to the Past through to gathering members of a music troupe back together in 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom. Playing as protagonist Link, you often have to learn songs and melodies to progress in the games. Legendary composer Koji Kondo created the most familiar Zelda themes (as well as the most familiar Super Mario themes), and his timeless motifs have been captured by choirs and orchestras in many acclaimed live performances.

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If you enjoy choral singing but aren’t so sure about video game soundtracks, my suggestion is: don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. Maybe you’ll fall in love, and we can all head to a video game concert together sometime! But if you want to be more cautious, maybe say hello at a Vivamus concert first.

Post written by Swéta Rana.