Ranking Every Final Fantasy By Their Soundtrack

Final Fantasy II OST: Tracks - 29, Composer(s) - Nobuo Uematsu

If the original Final Fantasy was a huge gamble (hence the name), then Final Fantasy II was even more so, being a sequel that was in no way related to its predecessor outside of certain gameplay elements. Originally deemed too complicated for Western audiences (who wouldn't see a release until 2003), its soundtrack isn't quite up to the same standard as its dark and bleak story, which was a huge step up from its forebear.

Said bleakness is well served by the 'Main Theme' that makes world map exploration a somewhat downbeat experience. This is countered by the uplifting 'Rebel Army Theme' that is a perfect backing tune for the game's band of heroes. Elsewhere, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is creatively used in a bizzare seduction scene ('The Princess' Seduction') and 'Ancient Castle' gives off a good mystique.

With just 29 tracks (the lowest in any main series' game), pickings are quite slim though, particularly when a good bulk of the tracks are under a minute in length, giving them little time to develop into anything memorable. The 'Chocobo Theme' made its first appearance, however, and would be remixed in some form in every subsequent game in the main series.

The game's worst offender is perhaps 'Battle Theme B', which sounds like stock music from a bad b-movie, though 'Tower Of The Magi' also makes excessive use of poor quality instrumentation. Both are actually worse in their remastered form then they were in 8-bit.