Musical Videogames?

[Inspector Valin]

Okay, just discovered the amazing Chorus, which you should all be supporting! But it's gotten me thinking, are there any other games that use out and out musical numbers like this? I know of Conker's Bad Fur Day of course, and I think Karmaflow did something similar... any other games that really put lyrical music to good use?

[danzibr]

Lyrical music, eh? I can’t speak to that, but Crypt of the Necrodancer is a super fun roguelike involving moving to the beat.

[Cygnia]

I'm assuming games like Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution don't count here?

[Inspector Valin]

Lyrical music, eh? I can’t speak to that, but Crypt of the Necrodancer is a super fun roguelike involving moving to the beat.

I am biased against it by virtue of sucking at it ^^. Enough people love it that I'm fully aware it's just me, FWIW

I'm assuming games like Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution don't count here?

Hmm... That's a good point. They used to feel a lot more ubiquitous when I was younger but haven't been around for a while.

I was more angling at other genres that used songs within the game though, either as prominent inserts or part of the story. Silent Hill and Arkham Knight both are examples. Whereas in GTA or Saints Row, the songs on the radio aren't that prominent? (AFAIK, last game I played of this sort was SR2)

[Cygnia]

Well, there was the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI...

[Inspector Valin]

Well, there was the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI...

^^ old school!

Always meant to check it out. PC port on Steam... *hums*

[Lord Raziere]

I mean, do you count "do re me fa so la" as lyrics? Wandersong is a musical videogame. about a happy little bard trying to save the world through his voice alone. starts out silly and happy but has a surprising emotional range

[GloatingSwine]

For musical games on the more singing end check out Transistor and Sayonara Wild Hearts.

[Magic_Hat]

How has no one mention PaRappa the Rapper yet?

[TaRix]

Well, Nippon Ichi's firstish foray stateside was branded a musical: Rhapsody.
It's for PS1 and got a remake for the Nintendo DS (the version I played). It had at least five cut-scene songs with Japanese lyrics and translated subtitles, and you could probably find YouTube clips of them.

[DeTess]

Okay, just discovered the amazing Chorus, which you should all be supporting! But it's gotten me thinking, are there any other games that use out and out musical numbers like this? I know of Conker's Bad Fur Day of course, and I think Karmaflow did something similar... any other games that really put lyrical music to good use?

I'd personally say the persona series has some really nice music, but the games themselves aren't about that music, it just really helps setting the tone.

[Hunter Noventa]

Well, Nippon Ichi's firstish foray stateside was branded a musical: Rhapsody.
It's for PS1 and got a remake for the Nintendo DS (the version I played). It had at least five cut-scene songs with Japanese lyrics and translated subtitles, and you could probably find YouTube clips of them.

Rhapsody is a fun little game, but you owe it to yourself to play on PS1, and get the full force of the musical scenes.

[Gray Mage]

Would Brütal Legend count? It's certaintly very musically inspired, but I don't remember them actually breaking into song.

[Zevox]

I'd personally say the persona series has some really nice music, but the games themselves aren't about that music, it just really helps setting the tone.

For the main series, yes. But there are also the dancing/rhythm spin-off games that are about the music - Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.

[Brother Oni]

How has no one mention PaRappa the Rapper yet?

Um Jammer Lammy too.

Gitaroo Man is another classic.

The various Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan games and their Western version, Elite Beat Agents.

Beat Sabre might count, but it can cross genres into a dancing game depending on how you play.


For games with key musical motifs, there's Zelda Ocarina of Time where the songs you picked up were critical to game advancement.

Final Fantasy 10 kinda has one, with the Song of the Fayth being a constant motif throughout the whole game.

[Magic_Hat]

What about Mega Man? Feature characters named:

Bass, Treble, Rock and/'n' Roll

[LibraryOgre]

Has no one mentioned Loom, yet? Where your primary interaction with the world (aside from walking around looking at things) is playing your musical staff?

[Durkoala]

I'd like to nominate Tadpole Treble, a really good game where you control a tadpole swimming through the musical score of the background music. The art is great, the music is great, the gameplay is (mostly) great and even the simple story is really brought to life by the score.


...Pirhana Plunge can fall in a hole though.

[Man_Over_Game]

Patapon.

It's...well, it's really weird. It's a game where you regularly chant specific songs/rhythms to command an ever-pressing army into taking specific actions against an opposing force.

For example, you might want to use the Retreat chant in order to dodge an incoming fireball, or the Defend chant in order to execute a massive counter attack.

It has several games in the series, where the later ones get more and more RPG elements that focus more on an individual hero and their unique talents than developing an entire army. Still, probably the best musical game I've ever played.

[Amechra]

I'm assuming games like Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution don't count here?

Or the free version, good ol' Frets on Fire. Also known as "you'd better have a standalone keyboard, because that's your guitar".

There's also Rez/Child of Eden, which are in a "musical shooter" genre on their own.

[Reversefigure4]

The Kingdom Hearts series usually has at least one Disney song. KH2 has an entire world (Little Mermaid) where every part of it is done in song.

[Destro_Yersul]

There's a lot of games with a scene or two that use music heavily. The most recent Prey has a great sequence in a lounge, and a lot of the Remedy games have music sections - Alan Wake and Control spring to mind.