Interestingly enough, there are a few types of video game music that don’t often pop up in MMORPGs for various reasons. One of these are victory fanfares or mission completion tunes, for obvious reasons. While your standard game might congratulate you for completing a level or winning a single battle, MMOs tend to give you a brief pat on the back for a job well done and send you on to the next task.
Yet this isn’t to say that MMORPGs are completely devoid of victory themes. Every so often I come across one, usually from non-standard titles. I kind of wish we’d get more victory fanfares, to be honest, perhaps after downing a boss or winning a battle by the skin of our teeth.
Prepare to get pumped up and celebrate your mighty accomplishments as we herald them with these themes!
Spiral Knights: “Mission Complete”
I’ve been a long-time fan of this rather out-of-the-way game’s soundtrack, mostly for its quirky synth and retro feel. The mission complete tune sounds exactly like something I’d hear from, say, a SNES or Genesis game, albeit with higher production values. After the exuberant intro, this track treads water, biding time while players bask in their accomplishment.
Final Fantasy XIV: “A Victory Fanfare Reborn”
Now this is the kind of music that you should be treated to when you finish a dungeon! FFXIV delivers an updated twist on one of its staple tunes with this victory fanfare. The first few notes hit you like a crashing wave, thanks to the powerful chorus, and then the track settles in for a euphoric ride through strings and nostalgic music.
The Realm Online: “Victory”
Can’t get more old school than this track! I could spill thousands of words on its intricacies, but I think it’s best to let it wash over you and soak in so that you can get its full effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzUtESr0r1w
Firefall: “Victory”
Like much of the Firefall OST, this track is unexpectedly pretty and moving. It could have been a lot more simple, but instead this theme packs in an awful lot into its one-minute runtime. The percussion is catchy and the tune itself is so bubbly and optimistic that it’s hard not to be charmed by its virtues.
Guild Wars 2: “Super Adventure Box Victory”
Now talk about appealing to the old days! The Super Adventure Box soundtrack isn’t just ironic, it’s well-made and would have had a place of honor in any console game of yesteryear. The victory fanfare works in a few notes of the Guild Wars 2 theme with a chiptune slant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFvRvfRN3x8
Ultima Online: “Victory”
Oh, I could give you the updated and much improved victory theme, but why not torture/treat ourselves to a little MIDI fun? Maybe I’m completely alone here, but I always found the weird flat quality of MIDI and the interesting substitutions for instruments to have an enduring appeal.
MMOs are meant to be heard as well as seen, and chances are that music ties your memories to these games more than you might realize. Every two weeks Jukebox Heroes listens through a game soundtrack and picks out the highlights to share and discuss. And if you like this column, then don’t miss the author’s MMO music podcast, Battle Bards!
