Greetings! This is the first time I host a walrus, and I am bringing a novel theme to it.
Videogame music appears from time to time in walrus submissions, and I'm a big submitter of them myself. Not everyone likes them, which is ok. But this time, instead of having the game songs be the underdogs, I'm making them the star of the show. The entire show, actually.
This walrus has the following core rules:
1- Every song that is submitted, and the version of that song that is submitted, must have first appeared in the soundtrack of a videogame.
2- If the version of the song that is being submitted is not the original version, then the original version must also have first appeared in a videogame.
So for example, no picking songs from Guitar Hero, unless it is a song that originated in Guitar Hero itself. It's fine if the song appeared in other media, as long as it was in a game first, and you are showing me a version from a game.
Now, for a few other rules:
Spoiler: show
Now, without further ado, blow your cartridge, grab your controller, tell your mother that you will be unavailable for the next 6 hours and allow me to present the categories:
1- Press Start to Play
Every videogame has that screen where the logo shows and a song fitting with the overall theme of the game plays. Usually an upbeat song, but not always. Some games take it further by having an entire sequence, full of cinematics, or a gameplay demonstration showing bits of the game's levels. This category is for songs that play before the player actually starts playing. Genre doesn't matter here, as long as this happens before the playthrough (though I'll open an exception if the big opening sequence/screen comes after a short playable prologue).
2- The Open World
You have left the cramped tutorial area at the start. Suddenly, the entire world opens to you. It is huge, and begging to be explored. This is a song that plays in large open areas, or overworld maps. It tends to feel optimistic or epic. Or sometimnes, filled with mystery or tension as you enter an area that seems dangerous. Give me a song that conveys the wonder and curiosity of a new place to explore.
3- Freezeezy Peak
There are many classic themes of game levels, and I'm not making categories for all of them, but for some reason, snow/ice levels tend to have songs that become favorites of mine. Maybe they are calm and soothing, and convey a sense of emptiness that is relaxing. Maybe they are fun and catchy christmas songs. Show me your best chilly songs.
4- Yoshi's Island
Another type of level that tends to produce great songs are tropical levels. Islands, jungles, beaches, indigenous tribes. They tend to have different instruments with lots of percussion and upbeat tunes. Some of them go the other way and make you feel like you are relaxing in a beautiful beach in the middle of summer. If the category above was for chill, this one is for warmth.
5- Escape from Planet Zebes
You are just minding your business, checking the loot you have collected, when suddenly a massive dragon appears and starts chasing you, and you have just a few seconds to start running or it will eat you. Or the building you are in is about to explode. Or all of your characters are at low health, and they will die next turn if you don't do anything. Your adrenaline spikes, and you desperately press the buttons on your controller to get to safety. The words for this category are dread, fear, adrenaline.
6- Free Category
There are many types of levels and moments in games that I did not portray here, because there are too many categories already. But you may have one of those that you want to submit. Or maybe you have two snow level songs and don't want to pick one. This is a free category. Anything is fine, as long as it's from a videogame.
7- The Puzzle Song
Sometimes in a game, you will spend a long time doing a monotone activity: solving a difficult puzzle, fiddling with menus to optimize your equipment, questioning characters to figure out which one of them is the murderer. The songs that play in these situations tend to be more "background-like", songs you won't pay much attention to because you are focused in the task at hand. They lean more on the relaxing side, but are energetic enough that they help you focus. A good non-videogame parallel are songs that you might listen to when studying, or working out. Sometimes, such songs are so good that you will stop doing the task for a few minutes just to pay attention to the music. Show me one of those.
8- The Bonus Room
You have just found a secret door leading to a room that has thousands of coins, and you have a few minutes to collect as many as you can. Or you collected all the coins, and now you get to be invincible for a whole minute. Or you are just playing silly minigames between the previous story sequence and the next. These songs tend to feel disconnected from the theme of the game, and tend to be childish and/or carefree. Give me a song that just wants to make you get a dopamine rush for no reason.
9- The Non-Instrumental Category
Sometimes, people may submit instrumental songs, and there might even be a category in the walrus for them. Well, this is a walrus where most songs are likely to be instrumental, so I'm making a category for songs that have voice. While not every game has those, especially old games, some games have a whole bunch, and some have one or two that are reserved for memorable parts of the game.
10- The Boss Fight
Now the situation has gotten serious. The enemy in front of you is a boss, not necessarily the final boss, but it's clearly much stronger those minions you have been killing on the way here. The door behind you locks, and you can't run away. It's do or die. The fight that is about to ensue will be difficult, but victory will be really worth it. Songs here can be fast, epic, or scary and tragic, or they may be remixes of the level or a character's theme. Those songs tend to be some of the best and most memorable of videogames, so give me your best shot.
11- The Credits Roll
We started with the opening, so we end with the ending. This song makes you remember all the trials you have gone through and the hours of fun you've had. It can be sad and poignant, or it can give a sense of triumph. Or it's a remix of other songs that played before, to add the feeling of nostalgia for the experience you have just have. Like category 1, any genre is welcome here, as long as it plays in the ending sequence of a game.
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