SG Choice: These Games Gave Plenty of Songs to Smash Bros… And We Want More

We here at Source Gaming love ourselves some Nintendo music. The songs of Super Smash Bros. have delighted us for decades, and we like to use these SG Choices to highlight pieces we’d like to see join the setlist.

Generally speaking, we often try to highlight songs from games that haven’t gotten a lot of attention. Promote the second and third tier stuff, you know? Well, not this time! Instead, we’re going to drive fully off course and instead suggest songs from games that have already contributed not just some music to Smash, but a lot—at least five individual tracks. Games like Super Mario Bros., Kirby Super Star, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Pokémon Red & Blue are all important, and they’ve rightfully given us a lot of great music, whether through remixes or just a metric ton of originals. And it wouldn’t be a bad thing if future composers ignored them in favor of less recognized games. But today, let’s see if we can’t squeeze even more blood from these stones.

Of course, let’s start off by listing every game with five or more songs in Smash Bros. Ultimate. This way we know what we’re working with:

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Odyssey
Mario Kart 8
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (if the trailer music is counted)
Metroid
Kirby’s Dream Land
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Air Ride
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
Star Fox 64
Pokémon Red & Blue
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl
Pokémon X & Y
Pokémon Sun & Moon
F-Zero
EarthBound Beginnings
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (if Codename S.T.E.A.M. remixes are counted)
Fire Emblem: Gaiden (if the remix from Shadows of Valentia is counted)
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Kid Icarus: Uprising
WarioWare: Touched!
Pikmin
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Wii Fit
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Splatoon
Splatoon 2
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Street Fighter II
Final Fantasy VII
Bayonetta
Castlevania
Persona 5
Banjo-Kazooie
Fatal Fury 2
The King of Fighters XIII
Arms
Tekken 7
Kingdom Hearts (if remixes from Kingdom Hearts remasters and sequels are counted)

Wolfman Jew: I’m gonna start things off with a personal favorite, Super Mario Galaxy 2’s “Fluffy Buff Galaxy” (or “Cloudy Court Galaxy”). Galaxy 2 already has a lot of music, even more than Galaxy 1. And I was so excited to find out that “The Starship Sails,” one of the exciting early game tunes, was included in Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was one of those pie in the sky hopes I never thought would realistically make it in, like “Zinnia’s Theme.” But I’d love for this to join the selection as well. It’s essentially SMG2 doing its take on the first game’s single most beloved song, “Gusty Garden Galaxy,” and while it’s not as good as that one, it’s still great. So consider this a typical answer for this prompt: yeah, there’s already a lot, and yet, it’s not really needed, but it’d be so nice for it to be in.

And let’s go further with some Mario: “Mount Wario!” The best course in Mario Kart 8 is exciting and dramatic, and part of that comes from how its music changes as you dynamically drive from section to section. Smash realistically can’t incorporate that without an entirely new stage, but it doesn’t need to, as Nintendo has an official version of the theme that includes each separate track anyway. So stick that in! I have a feeling that, if future Smash games continue to use both My Music and the songs it’s already used, we’ll get more from Mario Kart 8. It’s the best selling game, it’s huge, and all of it can be ported in pretty much as-is to work in a Mario Kart stage (hell, even its title screen music could work). So… c’mon, let’s get this one in, as well. Everyone loves this course and this song.

When you look at the amount of music from the first wave of Ultimate’s DLC to the second, it’s clear that the team got a lot more bold with asking for tracks. Maybe getting fifty songs for Terry was the clincher. But it does make me wonder if they could’ve been bold earlier on. Take “Life Will Change,” my favorite track from Persona 5. It’s famous, it’s iconic, it’s one of the most important songs in the soundtrack, and it’s already Smash adjacent thanks to being in the first Joker trailer. But it ain’t here, and that’s a shame. I imagine that if Joker returns and if My Music stays a feature I imagine we’ll be grabbing mostly from Persona 5 Royal’s good if lesser stable of new tracks. But I’d like this one to make it in. It’s super cool, and unlike many of the songs on this list, it does feel missed in the finale score.

Pokémon Red & Blue are an interesting case study for Smash. Their chiptune themes are very iconic, but thanks to the Pokémon anime (whose music is probably not legally available for Smash, though I imagine the remixes from later games would be) we have very good examples of how amazing they’d sound with big arrangements. And for my money, none of those arrangements ever sounded better than the theme for “Route 11” and it’d rule to see a Smash composer take a crack at it. It’s a song that isn’t another battle theme, it theoretically fits every current Pokémon stage, and it’s simply at a level of iconography that’s worth including in its own right.

Banjo-Kazooie’s in an odd place for me. As great as it’d be to get more Grant Kirkhope pieces, the first game’s stuff is already well-represented, and the other, much worse games in the series could stand to get a bit more love. And to be totally honest, the song I’d really like most is a remix of “Freezeezy Peak,” a delightful song that’s already in the game as-is, because I think a remix written for Smash would’ve been better suited for the stage. But… actually, you know what would also be fun? “Rusty Bucket Bay.” It’s not really “fitting” for Spiral Mountain, but it sounds so good. It’s got the more intriguing, darker side of the series without going so far as the second game’s boss fights, and it also has this air of mystery and danger. And I think it fits the hectic Smash tone even without a cover, something that more famous songs like “Click Clock Wood” may not have. So I think that’d be great as a curve ball.

Finally, I’d like to put forth a cutscene song. Smash naturally prioritizes action music, but I think “Meta Knight Defeated”—the ending theme from Kirby Super Star‘s “Revenge of Meta Knight” campaign—could do amazingly with a modern day remix (and we know this because one is in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, though I think that version is even less suitable). Imagine a more intense and propulsive version of this on Halberd or even Fountain of Dreams. You could add western movie flair and a different sense of dramatic heft, evoking the image of Kirby and Meta Knight himself in a quickdraw duel. Kirby Super Star is a high point of the 16-bit era, and two of its greatest qualities are its incredible score and its surprisingly effective use of narrative for one of Nintendo’s most anodyne mascots. This song, which played as the Halberd slowly crashed into the ocean, epitomizes both features.

Plus, if they bring back spirits, it could play for fights against cowboy characters. That alone is worth the price of inclusion.

NantenJex: This time we have a surprisingly hard SG Choice. I originally looked at F-Zero because the tracks from those songs are amazing, but it turns out basically every track from F-Zero is already in Super Smash Bros! In the end though, I did find a few choices for songs that I think would work and have somehow, yet to be picked up for a Super Smash Bros. appearance.

For Pikmin, the two stages depict serene grass-like planets and so most of the music is very environmental, or some play on the main theme. I wanted to pick a song that went in a different direction to that and so I chose the “Challenge Mode” theme. This funky beat is so surreal when compared to the rest of the soundtrack, so I understand why it hasn’t been chosen, but it’s very upbeat and I can easily see players fighting to it. I mean, it is a song for a challenge mode after all.

Now for the complete opposite. If that last song fits Super Smash Bros. but is so different that it was never chosen, then this next one doesn’t really fit but is so iconic I am surprised it’s not been in the game in some form. “Aquatic Ambience” is one of THE most popular Donkey Kong Country songs of all time but it’s more toned down nature and a lack of water stages for Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. has kept it out of the game. But I think they could remix it and make it a bit more suitable, while still keeping the mesmerizing ambience of the track. They did it for Stickerbush Symphony in Brawl after all, a song that is pretty much the spiritual successor to Aquatic Ambience.

Lastly, while Banjo-Kazooie saw a lot of its level tracks make it into the game, many through remixes, there are still some outliers that would fit really well into Super Smash Bros. My two picks for this would be “Bubblegloop Swamp” and “Click Clock Woods”. Both fit all on their own although I would like to see the former get a remix as I think it could be very good. For Click Clock Woods, a medley of all four seasonal variants would be quite nice. The reason I went for these two and not Clanker’s Cavern or Rusty Bucket Bay is due to their heavy association with water. I just don’t think it fits Spiral Mountain as a stage in the same way these other two levels could. But why not listen and decide for yourself.

Hamada: When Sephiroth joined Ultimate, Final Fantasy VII got one of the biggest glow-ups Smash has ever seen. We went from the bare minimum to two fighters, two stages, an assortment of Spirits, and a playlist worthy of one of the all-time best RPGs. Though, it’s surprising how much that playlist leans into non-battle themes, so let’s fix that. I almost went with “Jenova Complete,” but it’s not essential since the alien’s repped just fine with her other song. Instead, I’ll choose “Birth of a God,” a great track that’s tragically overshadowed by a more iconic piece of Sephiroth’s. Regardless, it’s exciting and evokes classic Final Fantasy, something fans are always hoping to see more of in the crossover.

From one RPG I’m obsessed with to another, Xenoblade 2’s basically become my favorite game of all time. Its Smash music might already be stacked, but there are still plenty of bangers left in this phenomenal soundtrack. Honorable mentions go to “Song of Giga Rosa” and “Over Despair and Animus,” both of which missed out since they wouldn’t fill any major gaps. If we’re looking for something both significant and distinct, my vote goes to “Our Paths May Never Cross.” It’s only right that a version of “The Power of Jin” appears in the crossover, especially since this one also reps the Torna campaign. And it’d definitely be one of the most dramatic songs ever hosted by Smash, so let’s add it and hope the appalling boss it accompanies doesn’t follow…

Since a lot of RPGs qualify for this, let’s do one more. Sure, Persona 5’s already in this article, but I had another theme in mind, so I’ll nominate it anyway. I’m currently just a Palace or two through my introduction to the series, so I wanna give it a shoutout. And to distinguish my choice from all the vocal songs already in Smash, let’s go with “Will Power,” the bombastic instrumental that accompanies Ryuji’s—and others’—debut fights. I’m already a fan of his, so the song stands out to me, but really, it’s just one of this game’s many great choices (if you wanted an alternative, I wouldn’t mind getting “Blooming Villain” instead).

Finally, I’m capping off by shaming Sakurai for his neglect of modern Kirby. Although Return to Dream Land has enough songs to qualify for this article, most of them are boring and none of them are remixes. And yeah, all is not lost as long as “C-R-O-W-N-E-D” is here, but we can expect more from a series with such an incredible discography. For example, Galacta Knight’s theme is important enough to get a mention in his Smash 4 trophy, but it’s still absent from the actual game? And Ultimate didn’t fix this?! Yeah, we’re definitely nominating RtDL’s “Otherworldly Warrior,” a modern take on the Knight’s intense song. The timing’s not too bad either, what with the game’s Switch remake having reminded people why it reinvigorated the pink puff all those years ago.

AShadowLink: One of my favorite songs from the entire Zelda series is “Middle Boss Battle” from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Scoring iconic moments like the harrowing fight against Dead Hand and the climactic fight against Dark Link, it’s a very versatile piece of music. While it already exists in Super Smash Bros. as a 1:1 cover as part of the ‘Saria’s Song/Middle Boss Battle’ medley, I’d love to see what could happen if a composer takes their shot at it and builds on the existing song with their own personal style.

Last but not least, in fact the greatest, here’s your annual reminder that Twilight of the Gods, one of the best final boss themes ever composed for Fire Emblem Gaiden and then re-arranged in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, was not added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Do not remix it. Do not change it. Just include it. The Shadows of Valentia version. I’ve got your number. Do it.

And that’s the tracks from us! But the thing with this kind of prompt is that it shakes up how we go about these recommendations. Normally we want to recommend songs from games that have been overlooked, or songs that provide something really new to the soundtrack. These, mostly, don’t do that. They’re often not as fun to suggest and go against the listicle style of coming up with crazy ideas. But they also show that the games that have gotten the most love have gotten it for a reason. They’re important, usually, and many of them have a large pool from which to draw. So I think they could stand to get even more attention without it being detrimental to other games and other songs, at least so long as those other games get some love. So why not pour over that list of games and tell us which songs you’d like them to add to the next Super Smash Bros.?