Video Game Soundtracks That Do World 1 Music RIGHT

While talking about amazing video game soundtracks, I've mentioned World 1 music multiple times, and a few of the games I've mentioned also nail the music in their first world. I use "World 1" as a general term since not every video game calls them "worlds." That's just the word that first comes to mind for the first area the player visits in a game. It's important that a game has good World 1 music to give the player a good first impression and properly introduce them to the world of the game. Here are five games (most I've mentioned before) that absolutely nail this task.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)-The World 1 themes for Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog are two of the most well-known video game themes out there, but I picked Sonic to be on this list because I feel like I've heard the Mario theme too many times to be wowed by it. The opening chords of Green Hill Zone are probably what come to mind when I think of Sonic music. The whole song is bright and catchy, giving the player a warm welcome to the game, and it makes perfect use of the game's sound font, which I think is very unique but could also just be what music sounds like on the Sega Genesis. I think that's what World 1 music is supposed to do, and I'll probably repeat this throughout the post: welcome the player to the game and show what it's all about.

2. Glover (1998)-I wouldn't call Glover's World 1 music bright and catchy, but it's still freaking amazing. As I mentioned in my "Five Video Games That Have No Business Having Such Amazing Soundtracks" post, the music in the Atlantis realm is really calming. So calming, in fact, that I would call it transcendental. I've only included the first level's theme (yes, every level has its own theme, which I applaud), but the whole world's like this. My personal favorite of the three is Level 2, but I linked Level 1 because it's the first song the player hears during gameplay. Vaporwave would make sense for an Atlantis-themed world since it's a water world, and water's supposed to be calming. This makes a great World 1 theme because it calms the player down and eases them into the game while they play its easiest levels. Yes, I did include a remastered version. That's just what I have on my video game music playlist.

3. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003)-For this section, I'd like to draw your attention to one specific track. Though there are three gameplay themes for Forest Village, the one that I enjoy most is "Tumbling Xylophone," one of the day themes, because it's instantly memorable, and it's a shame that it comes from such a little-known game. Those instruments at the beginning (I can't pinpoint what exactly they are) drew me in and got me instantly pumped up to play the game even though I wasn't actually playing, and that energy carries throughout the rest of the song, and I think that's what the song does: energize the player and make them want to keep playing the rest of the game. Judging from this and Sonic, I'd say Sega was doing something right.

4. Rayman Origins (2011)-Alright, the song I picked for "Rayman Origins" isn't the very first one you hear, but it's the song I like the best from Jibberish Jungle. I like the world's general sound, which is very goofy but also very funky with lots of drum beats, kazoos, and also Jew's harp in one of the themes, which is an instrument you don't hear very often but is played really well here. Back to the song I have linked! This plays when you play the first mosquito level, and the orchestral soundtrack never fails to blow me away. It sounds majestic as you fly on your mosquito from Jibberish Jungle to the second world, Desert of Dijiridoos. You can also hear the modern Rayman motif at 40 seconds that plays in Rayman Origins and beyond, and I am a sucker for motifs. The themes in Jibberish Jungle make great World 1 music because they reflect the game they're in and modern Rayman games as a whole: a little goofy but expertly made, and like I mentioned with Sonic, World 1 music is supposed to give the player a taste of what the game's all about. You'll notice this version says "No Kazoo." There's a version with kazoos, but I think they throw off the whole song.

5. Miitopia (2017)-I will never ever EVER stop singing the praises of the Miitopia soundtrack, and the music in Greenhorne is no exception. I've linked the Greenhorne battle theme, but I think these remarks can also apply for the Easin Hills music since that's the first region you see. This is why I have the Greenhorne battle theme memorized. Just like with Billy Hatcher, it's instantly catchy. It doesn't sound like any specific biome, just like Greenhorne doesn't have a specific theme. It's just a preliminary world where you get a taste of the gameplay and interactions, and the battle music, with its high energy, cheers the player on as they get used to the battle mechanics. The Easin Hills music is also very upbeat and march-y, perfectly fitting the theme of adventuring through a field with your friends as you fight monsters and make your way to the Dark Lord. As someone who's beaten the game, I'd say it also sounds very innocent because this game gets dark, and people just starting have no idea.

6. Friday Night Funkin' (2020)-This was going to be a five-item list, but I had to make a last-minute addition. The previous games consisted of four platformers and one RPG. I never considered a rhythm game where music is linked directly to the gameplay. Friday Night Funkin' is a game I've gotten into in the past week, and the whole soundtrack is bonkers. For this article, I'm focusing on the first song of Week 1, "Bopeebo." I've included a video of the song alongside the gameplay to show how they go hand-in-hand. The level seems to me like an extension of the tutorial; the dad sings a few notes, then you sing a few notes. This level 1 music is special because it is level 1. It's an easy song for an easy level that helps the player ease into the game. Of course, since this is the first level, the whole game won't be this easy. The second song, "Fresh," has a beatbox at the beginning that I can never seem to nail.