Ranking Every Final Fantasy By Their Soundtrack

Final Fantasy XIII OST: Tracks - 85, Composer(s) - Masashi HamauzuFinal Fantasy XIII OST PLUS: Tracks - 16, Composer(s) - Masashi Hamauzu

The one and only game from the 'main series' made for the Playstation 3, Final Fantasy XIII arrived after a long wait (though nowhere near as long as the subsequent wait for XV or what will probably end up being at least a decade until the release of XVI) and was a disappointment to many, earning far less critical acclaim that its predecessors with its incredibly linear gameplay experience. Nevertheless, Masashi Hamauzu mostly hit the mark with his solo composition effort.

Whilst previous soundtracks had largely been vocal-free affairs, XIII's made use of the human voice to varying degrees of effect, with the likes of 'Dust To Dust' and 'The Sunleth Waterscape' enhancing their environments with melodic background noise.

Elsewhere 'The Promise' was a beautiful main theme, whilst 'Blinded By Light' is up there with the series' greatest battle themes. It is partly incorporated into 'Lightning's Theme', which is far greater than the somewhat bland protagonist that it serves. Other character's themes are a mixed bag and many would get much better accompaniments in the game's two sequels.

The majority of the game's tracks are melancholic affairs, though quite a few are wasted on storyline scenes that have no weight given the often hard to follow narrative. Regardless of this, the likes of 'Sustained By Hate' and 'Memories Of Happier Days' are enjoyable listens over and over again.