Nintendo always boasts phenomenal soundtracks with their series of games, from The Legend of Zelda to Fire Emblem. Among their best in terms of music is Pokemon, which has captured players' ears even with its GameBoy titles. Whether it's chip tune or full orchestral soundtracks, Pokemon has been home to some iconic gaming scores.
The more recent installments in the series have even boasted some of the franchise's best tracks to date. Alongside remakes of old games, players are granted the opportunity to re-listen to nostalgic tracks with fresh ears. From intense Pokemon battles to journeys through beautiful landscapes, these tracks are some of the best in the Pokemon series.
10 Plasma Boss Colress
Colress first appears in the sequel titles to Pokemon Black & White, Pokemon Black 2 & White 2. As the boss of Team Plasma, Colress is one of the game's main antagonists, with a team of Electric, Steel, and Psychic-types. As such, his battle music is quite intense and electronic compared to most natural-sounding tracks in the franchise.
The score utilizes various synths and break beat drums, but its main distinction is a deep male voice counting down from 5 throughout the song. It's hard to not feel your heart pound fast during this high-stakes battle, though it's likely a little over-dramatic for players who come prepared to battle with adequate type advantages against Colress.
9 Route 209
Many routes throughout the Pokemon series have the perfect music to underscore their pleasantness. This is especially true of Route 209, an early route encountered in the Sinnoh region in Diamond & Pearl, as well as its remakes Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. This easygoing music may be the score to some players' most important captures.
While the original version of this music is good enough on its own, it also boasts a remix for Super Smash Bros Brawl. This remix upgrades the marching band-style of the original version with more live instrumentation and pleasant piano and strings. It perhaps is one of the most easygoing tracks in the entire Smash Bros franchise.
8 Champion Steven Battle
Pokemon battles have their own level of intense music, even though they often incorporate the same melody. Some specific battles get their own variation on the traditional battle theme, particularly for Elite Four or Champion battles. In Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, for example, the battle music against the Champion, Steven, is quite thrilling.
Full of arpeggiated synths, pounding electronic drums, and horns, this music is the perfect soundtrack to the most climactic battle in the game. Fortunately, the battle will be quite easy for players who come prepared with Fire-type Pokemon to counter Steven's Steel-types, and Water-type Pokemon to counter his Rock-types.
7 Dendemille Town
The Kalos region, which appears in Pokemon X & Y, is mostly based on France, meaning its soundtrack is particularly influenced by French music. Many tracks from the 3DS games' soundtrack include instruments such as the accordion, giving it a certain Parisian feel. This even applies to some of the Kalos region's non-central towns, such as Dendemille Town.
This rural town appears late in X & Y's main story, not containing any Gyms or special story events. It's simply a bridge between snow-covered routes, with very folky music that embodies elements of Christmas music, such as sleigh bells and a glockenspiel. It's tracks like this that make the Kalos region one of the Pokemon franchise's most lovely locations.
6 Celestial Tower
This tower in the Unova region notably appears in Pokemon Black & White, where the player first meets the Unova Champion, Alder. Like Pokemon Tower in the first generation's Kanto region, the Celestial Tower is a Pokemon graveyard. It's also home to the Ghost-type Pokemon Litwick, as well as several Psychic-focused Pokemon trainers.
Its score also embodies the creepy and melancholy feel of the tower. The combination of hanging strings and rising piano melody stands in contrast to the percussion that comes in later in the song, giving it a sense of urgency and eeriness that likely makes players want to leave as quickly as possible. But first, it'd be wise to catch a Ghost-type Pokemon.
5 Circhester
Pokemon Sword & Shield features perhaps the most diverse soundtrack in the Pokemon franchise thus far. For example, a town like Circhester has little of the usual elements in Pokemon music, such as fast-paced drums or leisurely strings. Instead, this town's music features a Spanish-like finger picked guitar and ambient bell chiming.
As a mostly snow-covered town in the Galar region, this pretty music definitely captures the wintry vibe of the town. Songs like this that feel more lived-in than energetic are what makes Sword & Shield a step forward in the franchise. From hereon out, Pokemon music may focus more on establishing a region's tone rather than moving players along a path.
4 Ancient Poni Path
The Alola region, while based on Hawaii, features music that's more traditional in the Pokemon series. This probably works as a metaphor for Pokemon Sun & Moon themselves, being more a return to form for Pokemon rather than an improvement on what came before. Thankfully, the games' tracks have some standouts.
The music for Ancient Poni Path, as an example, features the series' standard orchestral flourishes, marching band drums, and piano accents. Poni Island in Alola is a significant island in the region, with Ancient Poni Path being en route to the altars where players encounter the games' mascot legendaries, Solgaleo and Lunala.
3 Lavender Town
The music for Lavender Town in the original Pokemon Red & Blue is infamous for its creepy, high-pitched chip tune. Its unsettling mundanity truly frightened many fans, and has become the subject of many creepypasta and online legends. When Lavender Town re-appeared in the Gen 2 remakes HeartGold & SoulSilver, its music received a revamp.
The new Lavender Town music still embodies the calmness and serenity of its previous iteration, albeit it's significantly less creepy and disturbing. This also follows the storyline of the Gen 2 games, as Lavender Town also has its Pokemon Tower replaced with a radio tower, making it a much more peaceful and cheery locale in the region.
2 Tower Of Mastery
The Tower of Mastery can be found in Shalour City in Pokemon X & Y. During this important section of the game, players visit this tower to learn about Mega Evolution, gaining the Mega Ring and their first Mega Stone after defeating Shalour City's Gym Leader, Korrina, as well as their rival of the opposite gender.
As a central hub where players learn about Mega Evolution, the music for the Tower of Mastery feels very scholarly and elegant. Its composed mostly of a gentle string arrangement, with a line of horn instruments playing the melody on top of it. It also carries a whiff of epicness, commemorating players' first Mega Evolution.
1 Slumbering Weald
This forest location near the starting town of Pokemon Sword & Shield has particularly unique music in the series. The main melody is played on an 80s synth keyboard, accented by fluttering strings, and later growing into an epic 80s ballad with drums and more synth instruments. If it wasn't in a Pokemon game, it would fit well on a Bruce Hornsby record.
This ancient location also ends up being the place where players encounter the mascot legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta, for the first time. Players later return to the location during the post game to battle Hop, and also meet the mischievous brothers Sordward and Shielbert. This epic, unique track is certainly one of the most enjoyable in the franchise.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are set to release on November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.