SG Choice: The Best Ready-Made Remixes for the Next Super Smash Bros.

It’s time for another musical SG Choice, folks! In our last installment, we talked about songs of Nintendo’s that we think should be added to Super Smash Bros., but specifically through remixes. Of course, there’s a rub in that: for a number of games, Nintendo and its various Smash Bros. collaborators have already done the work for us! This time, we’re looking at the songs we’d like the fighting game crossover to add that specifically cover and rearrange other songs. And while that might seem a bit limited for a premise, I think you’ll find that between sequels, remakes, and spinoffs, there is a wealth of opportunity here.

Wolfman Jew: There are a few truly classic pieces of Nintendo music that for some reason or another haven’t graced Super Smash Bros. Fortunately, one of the most outrageous omissions already has an excellent, orchestral remix ‘s all ready to go: A Link Between Worlds’ arrangement of the beloved “Hyrule Castle” theme. First appearing in A Link to the Past, it’s been covered again and again by games, fans, and official concerts. Smash does have the (also excellent) Hyrule Castle music from Breath of the Wild, but this is a somewhat glaring loss after three versions of My Music. And while it could certainly go with an original remix, adding more of A Link Between Worlds’ stunning music is a win just on its own.

While Super Smash Bros. 7: Seventh Inning Fetch may not give the people what they want with a playable Sami / Eagle / a significantly less fun character, Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp should hopefully at least give that series more of a presence. Unfortunately, while the remakes’ remixes from the first two Advance Wars games are great, they’re all quite short. Smash songs should try to be no less than at least two minutes so as to not loop too much in a standard five minute match. Then again, a lot of the ARMS songs run short… Anyway, of the ones that are in the game, one makes up the most for its short runtime: “Sensei’s Power,” the alternate theme for Gold Comet’s Sensei (every character’s theme gets a second arrangement for when they unleash their special power). This one is fantastic, and it’s musically interesting enough to forgive that short time. I don’t think it’ll make it at all, largely because Smash prefers the default versions of songs with multiple in-game arrangements, but it’s fun to hope for one with a million to one chance. Maybe we get the original songs in, and the “power” variants play when players are down to one stock? That would be pretty cool.

Now, one potential side effect of this would be to potentially compliment a remix that’s already in Smash Bros. To wit: “Tal Tal Heights” from the Nintendo Switch remix of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Smash already has a remix—Smash Bros. Brawl made a point to cover it early—but it’s honestly pretty forgettable on its own and one of the crossover’s few unambiguous musical duds. This one is so much better, especially given how famous the original “Tal Tal Heights” is. It’d be excellent for Pirate Ship, Skyloft, Great Bay, but it’d also be giving one of the Zelda series’ most famous pieces of music its due.

But that kind of compliment doesn’t have to be to “correct” or replace a weak song! Brawl also has an incredible remix of Yoshi’s Island’s “Obstacle Course,” and there’s no reason why it can’t also stand alongside the excellent arrangement Mario Kart 8 Deluxe made for the new Yoshi’s Island stage. It’s a bit shorter, which isn’t as good, but its big orchestral energy is completely different.

But for one last one, I’m thinking of a song that lives rent-free in my brain and the brain of anyone who’s played Super Mario Sunshine: “Secret Course.” Yep, it’s the a cappella version of the most famous video game song ever composed, and while it’s a bit short and a bit quiet for Smash’s raucous energy, I think it’d be a dynamite choice. It’s iconic, it’s peppy, and it would be amazing for a darker, more closed-in stage like Mario Bros. or Luigi’s Mansion.

AShadowLink: My colleague Wolfman already wrote about “Tal Tal Heights” from the fantastic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake for the Nintendo Switch. What he did not mention is the fantastic “Tal Tal Heights (Second Half Version)” which plays after you complete the game’s final dungeon. I adore the bombastic percussion and heroic sounding horns. Unfortunately, unlike its contemporary, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds which featured Second Half Versions of each of its overworld themes, this song only plays on Tal Tal Heights itself, leading to it not being heard very much if you’ve already taken care of the game’s side content before the final dungeon. Which is a shame, because this rendition is two and half minutes long and seldom heard in full! It could finally get its due in Super Smash Bros.

And let’s continue on with Zelda to the next game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! One of the most monumental moments from that game and all of video games in general is when you step into Hyrule Field for the very first time, with the absolutely electric iconic “Hyrule Field” theme playing over it. It gives the quaint Hyrule Field a sense of grandiosity, and even though the content of its overworld is often maligned in today’s landscape, the music still holds its own as one of the best in the franchise. While the original version of the theme is thankfully in Smash untouched, the only remix it’s received so far leaves a lot to be desired. So, why don’t we take one out of “One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy’s book and take a rendition of it from outside of a video game? The version on the The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert album is ripe for the picking and would be great.

“Twilight of the Gods” is the final boss theme of Fire Emblem Gaiden, later remade as Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Not only is it one of the best pieces of video game music ever composed, but Shadows of Valentia elevated it further by making it the game’s central theme, placing leitmotifs of it everywhere in the original score. The fact that this version of the theme wasn’t added into Smash with Ultimate is actually a crime. It needs no other rendition, this version of it is perfection incarnate.

Hamada: I’ve sung the praises of Fire Emblem Engage before, but I haven’t mentioned how great its soundtrack is. Shoutout to the themes that accompany the Emblems’ trials, phenomenal rearrangements of tracks both familiar and unfamiliar to your average Smash fan. For this entry, we’re going with “Trial of the Geneology (Free Us),” associated with the prince of Leonster, Leif. I’ve heard his home game, Thracia 776, is hard, and you can hear that in this song. It sounds so much more intense than its inspiration, “In Search of the Victory,” and I love that about it. I’m also a big fan of Micaiah’s theme, “Trial of Dawn,” but Leif’s is the obvious standout if we’re looking for something that could fit a fighting game. Of course, Engage is full of fantastic melodies that deserve a place in Smash, but when it comes to pre-existing remixes, look no further than those of the Emblems.

Needless to say, the soundtracks of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom aren’t as loud and bombastic as their predecessors’. However, they’ve got plenty of memorable songs that the games simply wouldn’t be the same without. Personally, I’ve always adored “Sidon’s Theme,” a recurring track that accompanies one of the best characters this take on Hyrule has to offer. Thus, I was overjoyed upon playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and hearing “Worlds Converge: Sidon & Yunobo,” a more triumphant version of the Zora royal’s melody. It was so great, I was even willing to look past the time-travel twist that infuriated so many others. With how influential Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have been, I’m sure we’ll continue to see attempts from Smash to sneak their music in, and if you ask me, this amazing theme should definitely be on the table.

In an earlier “SG Choice,” I brought up Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and “Kaleidoscopic Core,” the fantastic music that accompanies bouts featuring Queen Nia. It’s perfect for Smash, but since I’ve already brought it up twice now, let’s nominate its counterpart instead. When battling alongside Queen Melia, players are treated to “Brilliant Wings,” a recreation of “Time to Fight (Bionis’ Shoulder),” the battle theme from Future Connected (a Melia-centered epilogue from the first Xenoblade). People have compared our jazzy remix of interest to Mario Kart 8, and while we’d probably never see it available on one of Smash’s Mario Kart stages, with this being a crossover, it’d be cool for these sorts of things to somehow overlap for real. Look, I think Melia’s great enough to deserve consideration as an actual fighter, but for now, her outstanding tune more than earns a spot among its franchise’s offerings in Smash.

Now, I pitch Pokémon songs all the time, but this next one’s too interesting to not talk about. The mainline RPGs’ iconic, original final boss theme, backing your title match with rival Blue, is shockingly absent from Smash. Why not bring in one of its recreations? But then it hit me: there’s a loud and action-packed variant of it, but it only appeared during the final matches of the yearly Pokémon World Championships. “Battle! (World Champion)” (probably not its official name, but it’s as good a title as any) is just sitting in the 3DS entries’ files, only ever played on the most elite players’ hardware, and doomed to never properly be heard from again! By the way, there’s an earlier take on it in Black & White and their sequels, but since Smash is oddly allergic to lifts from these games’ older installments, we’ll stick with the newer incarnation. I know something this atypical isn’t all that likely to appear in Smash, but it’d be the perfect way to revive such an exciting version of one of Pokémon’s most prolific tracks.

Creaks: I may already be operating on a bit of a cop-out answer for my first choice. See, when Nintendo put out Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, they included new arrangements of the game’s entire original soundtrack. While I generally prefer the original versions, the new arrangements of the Xenoblade music are still Xenoblade music, and Xenoblade music, at the end of the day… is fantastic. The Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack includes a number of incredible battle tracks that are mysteriously absent from Smash Bros., and I see this as a perfect opportunity to shout them out. In particular, the game’s final boss theme: Zanza the Divine. This track is a gorgeous piano and guitar piece with ominous and indecipherable choral chanting that does an excellent job of selling the grandiose setting and consequences of your battle. It may be a bit on the spoiler-y side, but that certainly hasn’t stopped the Smash team before.

My second pick is another somewhat unconventional choice, made in the interest of expanding Smash’s music selection in places where I feel it is currently lacking. The Street Fighter series already feels like a Smash mainstay, despite being a guest, and only being in two games thus far. It’s got two fighters (with a third, Chun-Li, being a modestly popular request), and a healthy selection of spirits. However, in the music department, it only has songs and remixes from Street Fighter II. Now, I love a good Yoko Shimomura track, don’t get me wrong. But considering the series’ history of incredible and varied music, it seems almost like a shame to leave it in this state. That’s why I’d like to offer up Alex’s Theme from Street Fighter V. This track is a fun, upbeat remix of the iconic and beloved ”Jazzy NYC ‘99”, the theme of Alex and Ken’s shared stage from Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Arguably the most iconic track from the beloved Third Strike, heralded by fighting game fans as one of the greatest games the genre has to offer, the original version of this track played during the fabled “Evo Moment #37”, a fighting game moment so iconic that it was referenced in Ken’s own trailer. I know several other folks who were surprised to see that no version of the track made the cut.

And for my final track, another Street Fighter favorite. The Final Fight series is currently represented in Smash through a spirit of Cody, but as the series has effectively been completely absorbed into Street Fighter, there’s plenty of opportunities to introduce some remixes of classic Final Fight tracks. I’m of course referring to Street Fighter IV’s rendition of the Theme of Guy, a jazzy remix of his debut game’s first stage track.

NantenJex: Unsurprisingly, to anyone who has been following me recently you would know that I have the works of Cing on my brain, thanks to the new Another Code Recollection game that just dropped on Nintendo Switch. The music of this series is fantastic and with a remake comes remixes of the original tracks that take full advantage of modern instruments. Now, a lot of songs from Another Code match the slower-pace of that game and so may not work very well in Super Smash Bros. but there is one that I think is bumpy enough that it could work. That song is Happy Holidays, originally from Another Code: R on the Wii.

…And there you have it! Nintendo’s got plenty of remixes of its old material (and it’s only going to have more with upcoming remakes like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door), and we think plenty of it would be great standing alongside new remixes or their original versions. But what about you? Throw in a comment about a preexisting remix you’d like to see in the next Smash Bros. entry, whenever that comes out.