I love this theme. It kicks in your door, storms into your room, grabs you by the shoulders and screams "Hey kid, you wanna go on a freakin' ADVENTURE?!"

So a fun fact: Nintendo originally wanted to use Maurice Ravel‘s Bolero as the main theme for the game. However shortly before the release they realized that the piece wasn’t public domain yet. So the composer worked an all nighter and arranged the field theme into the title theme. Such an iconic track!

As a child the 8 bit theme sounded like the orchestral version in my imagination. I get a little emotional hearing the music and watching my children playing Breath of the Wild, discovering the same magic I did all those years ago.

As a lifelong Zelda player, and retired double bassist, this theme never fails to bring tears to my eyes when I hear the 25th anniversary orchestral arrangement. It is the quintessential feeling of Zelda, and Koji Kondo knocked it out of the park. There are so many Zelda melodies that have become legendary in their own right, but they all stemmed from this one masterpiece. I hope everyone who watches/watched your Twitch stream suggests their favourites for you, because there is such a wide range of beauties and no way to suggest them all for you from one person. One thing I will say though, is that I hope you hear some of the melodies from Majora's Mask (one of the Zelda games) - the Song of Healing, Astral Observatory, and Final Hours are some of the most evocative pieces of music I've come across. Maybe it's from growing up with this generation of the games, but they really capture the more somber mood of that game in the series with aplomb. I hope they will be suggested to you, as I doubt this comment will be seen, because I hope you get to experience even a fraction of the love for these pieces that I've carried with me for so many years.

Koji Kondo was also the composer of Super Mario Bros. Probably the most recognizable theme of any videogame in history. He's indeed a legend.

Koji Kondo is often considered one of if not the most influential and recognizable video game composers in history. His work has an astounding attention to detail and ability to induce emotions. His music has buried itself forever deep in the minds and hearts of multiple generations, including my own, and has inspired so many new composers.

I'm a 50-year-old man and I've been playing Zelda since day 1. I'm tearing up as I'm listening to the orchestra playing one of the most beloved theme songs out there. It is one of the games that I still continue to play even though priorities have taken over my life. I can not wait for the new Zelda game to come out a few months from now. I'm so excited!

15:41 At this moment I burst into tears. This noise signifies you have uncovered a secret (usually a trap door or a hidden chest), and as an old school gamer this is a very wholesome noise to add into the beginning of such a magnificent rendition.

Even not having played Zelda, this is one of the most iconic and important tracks in the history of game OSTs.

I attended one of the three concerts Nintendo arranged for the 25th anniversary, it's one of my treasured memories. Zelda Williams (Robin Williams' daughter) hosted, and the original composer Koji Kondo played Grandma's Theme from Wind Waker on the piano. You could have heard a feather drop, the silence was reverent! Such an incredible body of work over so many years, and to have all those fans and some of the developers together in one room to appreciate it was so special. Edit: by the way, Zelda would be a great series to play through on Twitch! Breath of the Wild is very approachable, intuitive and widely beloved, and the score is very unique. I think you'd enjoy it!

Koji Kondo is an *_amazing_* composer. He's done some of the greatest and most memorable tracks in any video game, ever. He's right up there with Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda for just how prolific and talented he is. If you want a more modern one to listen to that will absolutely blow you away, check out _Gusty Garden Galaxy,_ from Super Mario Galaxy. It's something you'll be listening to for *_years._*

I will never forget how the 16-Bit version hit me when I played "A Link To The Past". It was my first Zelda and I was 13. I simply couldn't believe that a videogame could have such epic music. It screams ADVENTURE and yet there always seemed to be a second layer, a deeper one. Needless to say I am still a big fan of the franchise now that I am 42.

Just for your info: The concert is basically 2 themes, the first one is what the main theme plays during the game title screen, and the second is what you heard while you play in the world game field.

To confirm what you read before, for the original melody from 1986, it was on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). The hardware creating the music had 4 music channels: 2 square waves (usually carrying the melody), a triangle wave (an even pattern often used for low notes), and a "noise" channel (for atonals like percussion and collisions/explosions). That was all you had for both music and sound effects, and composers at the time had to be extremely creative with those tools. For some truly deft compositions in this format, I would look to the music from the original Mega Man games on the NES (Mega Man 1 through 6). It's a diverse mix, but most frequently falls in the Rock genre (the series is called Rock Man in its original Japanese, after all). If I can offer two tracks as a sampler, listen to Cut Man's stage theme, from Mega Man 1, and Wily's Castle - Stage 1, from Mega Man 2. The latter is monstrously famous (and well deserved of it). Love your work!

Hey, Compsci professor with a professional music background here: I actually studied Koji Kondo's work in-depth at some point. Just to clarify, the "8-Bit" part was the processor that did all the calculations: 8-bit processors can only do numbers up to 255, without clever programming, but often worked with halves, quarters, or eigths of that so they could multitask things, like how colors often had only 16 possible values. These are "Chiptunes", and at that time, they were done with very small numbers (255 at most, to represent every possible sound, with often as low as 32 or even 16 possible values for the note), and the NES had only 4 channels: 2 sine wave, 1 square wave, and one "static" where wither the beat or "whooshy" sound effects were done. He has all 4 there, but has to only use 2 or 3 during gameplay, because of the sound effects. The second one you listened to was a reorchestration of Koji Kondo's later version of that song, the game that plays when you're running around the main part of the world in Zelda 3. It's actually based more closely on the main-gameplay song from the original, which was a faster version of the Title theme you were listening to. This was on the SNES, which had a FAR more powerful 16-bit processor. (to clarify, 16 bits can handle numbers up to about 65,000, 255 TIMES the numerical values of an 8-bit processor) I don't think that's one of Koji Kondo's versions, and if I'd reccomended one for the second, it'd be the version from the mid-90s: "Termina Field" from "Majora's Mask", which is using digitized instruments on the Nintendo64. The Third one incorporates elements from all 25 years of the franchise, which had like, 10 hit games, at that point. If you liked it, there's an album you can listen to for free which is Koji Kondo's personal reorchestrations of the N64 era games. I used to put that on at work a lot. Long-running same series like Zelda are really interesting to look at the soundtracks to, because they've reinvented themselves on several generations of hardware. Metroid, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Castlevania are really good for this too.

he ENJOYED that last one. Didn't pause to say anything, and the way his expression moved with the song says it all. it made me happy

Fun fact: Originally, Koji Kondo wanted to use Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" as the Zelda theme, but it wasn't yet in the public domain. So he composed this theme instead, and apparently pulled an all-nighter writing it, as the change was made last-minute.

Sidenote, I LOVE that you pointed out how good the sound was on the last one. Engineers are CRIMINALLY underappreciated, and they do so much to bring a performance together

I was crying at the orchestra. The Legend of Zelda has carried me thru so much

The 25th anniversary soundtrack will always bring a tear to my eye. It is so powerful for those of us who have lived with the series from the beginning.

Man, they didn't have to go that damn hard on the anniversary orchestration but they sure did. It brings tears to my eyes reliving the memories of those adventures.

The Legend of Zelda theme is indeed legendary. May this legendary videogame franchise last forever.

The second one sounded like a fan rendition in MIDI to me, the tempo was slightly too fast and the music wasn't nearly as full as even the N64 version release in 1998. The orchestra at the end was absolutely incredible.

This theme still gives me goosebumps at almost 40 years old. First played this back in '92 at the tender age of 9.

One of my favorite uses of music in Zelda is in the game Majora’s Mask. The main town has its own theme called Clock Town Theme. In the game, you play through the same 3 days on a loop and the moon crashes down onto the town on the third day. The theme changes each day and gets darker and more threatening while still creepily retaining an frantic cheerfulness. It’s a trip.

I am still here. Koji Kondo is one of Nintendo's legendary composers. His tenure is incredible. He's not only responsible for several Zelda compositions (across multiple decades) but he is responsible for the classic Super Mario Bros theme and many other Mario songs (again, throughout the decades). His music has left a prominent impact on pop culture and a lifetime of memories for the people who grew up with it. Thank you for doing this unique video that analyzes how one piece of music has grown and evolved over time. It was super interesting listening to your perspective. I hope you can listen to other Zelda songs in the future.

The amount of good music in the Zelda franchise is staggering. There hours upon hours upon hours of memorable, classic tunes

I don't think there is any other game theme that makes me so emotional. I can see everything Zelda has to offer through that sound.

As a diehard Zelda fan, it warms my heart to see you react to this theme. It is truly iconic and the fact that the arrangement has survived through the series almost entirely unchanged, and that Koji Kondo (who also did the Mario music, btw) is still working at Nintendo, makes me happy. And yes, Zelda is very very much about "You have to save the world." (I'm still here)

You should consider some of the Metroid (especially 'Super Metroid') sound track... Such atmospheric storytelling that is very supported by the music

Wow, I teared up during the orchestra performance. Was not expecting that. Amazing.

The 25th anniversary orchestra makes me tear up. It’s so good. I’d kill to see it live in person.

Koji Kondo is incredible. A personal favorite thing he's done is the Ballad of the Goddess, which when played backwards is Zelda's Lullaby, a theme used in nearly every Zelda games since A Link To the Past. Check out Midna's Lament, Sidon's theme, Dragon Roost Island, or Gerudo Valley

I was born in 1985, and this melody has been with me all my childhood and still today, this song does make me feel a lot of things (specially the orchestra one), nostalgia, admiration, chills in my body skin, Zelda is great and not just his main theme, theres a lot of good tracks!! :)

I love the natural reactive smiles which break across his face when the music hits unexpectedly. It's like a shared feeling in the joy of the music.

Speaking of composers limited with their hardware, Nobuo Uematsu's work in FF6 which was done on the SNES, was fondly described as the Sistine Chapel created out of crayons. A work of impeccable beauty.

Almost 40, just sitting here with my 4 year old daughter listening and watching your reaction videos. I have so many fond memories of music throughout the history of videogames from NES to current. Thank you for doing these, they're actually very informative.

17:20 iconic melody, played when you started A link to the past. was a crazy time when they were able to add orchestra sound after they jumped to 16bit consoles. the 8 bit version was really great for its time but AlttP established this melody as one of the greatest pieces of video game music history

The entire theme just screams "Hero's Journey". So epic.

I'm still here and I cried during the last performance of that song. The legend of Zelda has been apart of my life for 22 years now and it brings forth so much emotion when I listen to this song and how I've heard it transform over the years. Thanks for covering this song. Keep up the good work!

There's very few songs that you can actually hear in your head and is applicable to the content of the game or movie. Most of them are the likes of John William's works such as Jurassic Park Theme, Indiana Jones, Star Wars... but you can always hear The Legend of Zelda theme in your head, and it always brings you back to your first Zelda game. It's attachment and nostalgia is very rare in it's association of work.

Zelda has a insane amount of amazing themes and songs. My favorite one is Zelda's Lullaby and Fairy Fountain. As well as windwakers great sea and title theme

I can't listen to orchestral versions of Zelda songs without tears welling up. This is exactly how it felt inside my heart in every version of this game from NES to Switch. I love that this series that started with one game has transcended games, grown across various media, and become such a beloved staple for millions. I'm thankful I've been able to share in this epic adventure my whole life.

That orchestra with the choir was mind blowing. Can’t help but get choked up by this. And you took the words right out of my mouth. I can’t help but wonder how that feels as a composer to not only hear it at this level but to know that fans get emotional to hear it.

Koji Kondo is an absolute legend! The 25th Anniversary Orchestral version makes me want to tear up. So many goosebumps lol Also, the 37th anniversary of this series was on this last Tuesday :)

OML WHY WAS I SO EMOTIONAL AT THE END!? Nostalgia is amazing. After years and years of the same theme just in different renditions from the 8-bit to the orchestra really gives Koji Kondo's composition justice!

I cried so hard during the orchestral version. This is probably one of the most meaningful themes of my life, going back to when I played the old Zelda games as a child. These games impacted me more than most things and are still an important part of my life today. They are probably a huge reason why I went into art and made me want to create worlds as epic as Hyrule. I'm so glad I was recommended this video! I really hope you do more Zelda related videos because there are so many wonderful pieces of music that have been written for these games throughout the years. Instant subscriber right here. ❤

Honestly just hearing you say you did the homework, instead of what so many others would do and shrug it off like "well I don't know zelda, Im too busy for this, I'll just click this one" gives me so much respect for you

This theme is iconic to say the least. Always brings nostalgia when I hear it.

Would love this same approach with "Dancing Mad" from FF6. The original SNES version and then the arrangement by Soken for FFXIV.

wow dude first 5 minutes in and you've already nailed the fan perspective. Was so happy when you addressed the 8-bit constraint right away because its a huge point that could be easily overlooked without the console restricting context. Also your understanding of how the beautiful hook would be imbedded in the fans brain who still follow the franchise. Done your research! 🤘 edit: finishing watching and hand a lump in the throat listening to the anniversary edition, so epic. Great Vid 👍

Man you have me crying. So emotional listening to the progression of such an important theme in my own life. From watching my dad play the games until I could play Zelda Link to the Past myself on the snes which was that second one. This music has got me through a lot of hard times. Just bought the Zelda Breath of the Wild OST and love sharing the music with my boys. Thank you for making this content.

The orchestra version was amazing! It’s just such an epic theme. It makes you feel like the hero about to start the journey of a lifetime.

I really like how you started with 8 bit and moved all the way up to a live orchestra. Nostalgia is a funny thing, because when I think back to playing the Zelda games as a kid, that final orchestral version is how I always remember it sounding.

There are 2 things I love about what you do. 1) Seeing you enjoy music that's new (and surprising) to you that I know very well, and 2) Your comments teach me things I never knew about music I know very well.

I was very lucky to attend the anniversary concert here in Australia and share the moment with my young son. What really surprised me was how strong my emotional reactions to the music were! I had to constantly fight back tears as it took me through a journey of my teenage years to now sharing the love of this game with my family. Especially with The Ocarina of Time, the music is iconic and wonderful, especially as an orchestral set.

top 3 fav zelda tracks: dark world theme from link to the past, hyrule castle from link to the past, and gerudo valley from ocarina of time. fun fact: the skyward sword main theme is the fairy fountain theme reversed.

Speaking of the conductor: She is Eímear Noone - Irish conductor. Very well known composer for video games such as (World of warcraft)... You can see her conducting the Danish orchestra here on KZfaq, at their channel.

The limitations of the bit technology of retro games gave birth to such an iconic sound. They had to be so creative in order to make stuff that sounded good. It still impresses me to this day. Also, I love hot hot the brass are in the orchestral recording of that. The low horns, bones, and tuba really give a serious bottom to that ensemble and make the overture just sound so huge and grand. And does anything beat the timpani beating V - I - V - I in the last few bars? It's like a big warm hug.

WOOOOW, hearing that live orchestra I had the biggest grin and tears rolling town my cheeks. It's so, SO amazing that such a simple little beep-'n-boopin' tune in an old video game could've had such a timelessly lasting impact on the world in such a way that it's being played by orchestras nearly forty years later. Hearing the movements, the swells, the emotion, the passion in the piece as played by that orchestra was absolutely stunning.

This theme has never given me chills before, but that 25th anniversary rendition just had to go and do that.

The Legendary Hero and Staff Credits from The Wind Waker are my favorite Zelda themes. I got to see the Buffalo Philharmonic play the Zelda Symphony Orchestra at Kleinhan's Music hall. I cried a few times, it was one of the best live music experiences I've ever had.

Came across your channel for the first time today - went back and watch a few of your other videos as well. Love watching knowledgeable people break down music that means very much to so many people. Video games especially are such a Diverse collection of Genres. Hoping to catch one of your Twitch streams. Love the content and looking forward to more.

First game I ever played as a child was Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES with my dad. I can't help but get emotional everytime I hear the 25th year anniversary play. Back then this theme used to make my mind fly in this amazing fantasy world. And it still does today.

Zelda is my FAVORITE game series of all time. So happy you made this video!! :)

The tech restrictions the composers had to work with on the NES yielded some amazing harmonic choices and chord progressions. Some of it is truly brilliant. “Dancing Mad” from Final Fantasy 6, while of a slightly different era, is a highly recommended listen. The Tetris version of “Dance of the sugar plumb fairies” is another with some awesome note choices.

Amazing breakdown, thank you for putting this together. It was like a trip through my childhood and literally brought tears to my eyes of better times.

I'm still here. Thanks for doing this. Really put the spotlight for me on how fundamental/formative this track was for me - one of the first video games I ever played as a wee one, ha ha. You hit the nail on the head about how ingrained it is. Looking at other music I listen to, it's also really informed the evolution of my musical tastes, and still determines what I am drawn to today, to a certain extent.

The last orchestral version made my heart swell with joy! What a performance of a timeless piece of music! Thanks Geebz!

Hey Geebz, I know that this is over 2 months late but I would just like to thank you for doing this video, and I’m still here!! This music piece and game series are a huge part of my life, and I still love the Zelda series at 25 years old as much as I did when I was a little kid. Thank you for making my day, man!!! 🤘🤘🧡

Do you know why I love watching your video game reactions so much? I adore your raw and honest perspective to these pieces without any gameplay context. It really shines a light on how effective some of these compositions are at evoking emotions and telling a story. Too often I see video game music scoffed at, and your reactions help validate my love of said music. Keep up the good work, I'm happy I discovered your channel.

I love this! thank you for doing this. I look forward to more :D

Final Fantasy 6 would be a treat. It's got everything from some great rock and fusion stuff to opera. And Aria de Mezzo Carattere (Celes' opera piece) and Dancing Mad are amazing imo.

The orchestral version have much much much and really much power. You really feel like "this is your adventure, you are the last hope, this is your destiny, go and save everything, save everyone, you are the HERO!"

I'm still here! I love your videos. I'd love to see you play through the series and enjoy them as many of us have. I grew up playing the series from the very beginning, and I think you'll learn to love and appreciate them too.

Still here! Appreciate the reaction and I thought it was such a cool idea to show off the track starting at the roots. It's always a joy seeing people who may or may not be familiar with the source material giving their thoughts on what these tracks convey. I look forward to seeing what other content you may be exposed to through the channel!

The live version brings a tear to my eye. The latest version of the game is possibly my favorite game of all time. And I grew up with the original.

I loved the format of this video: the evolution from the 8 bit beginisngs to the more modern renditions. I'd love to see you do more of these evoltion journeys. The 8 bit era is a source of some great melodies. As you noted, the severe limittions emposed by the technology, compelled the composers to make the most of what limited resources they had. Every note really mattered. They created some really beautiful, compelling and memorable music.

I have never done this exercise, listening to several versions in a row and I notice the evolution of the theme, it made me cry, so nostalgic for me, thank you

I'm still here, love to see your take on this score. I grew up with the Legend of Zelda and I remember listening to the anniversary concert and got overwhelmed with emotions, teared.

God this song is timeless and I love hearing modern arrangements of it. It’s crazy that a song I heard on my NES as a young kid can sound so incredible. The original music from Pokémon Red and Blue played orchestrally gives me the same nostalgia heart warm.

There's nothing like watching someone's first time experience of something you love :)

I’m still here! 😂. Thanks for doing this, I grew up with all these iterations over time and it was neat seeing them all together.

I'm still here. Thanks as always for the awesome coverage!

I cried happy nostalgia tears, especially with the first and the third melodies. It's just beyond beautiful 🥰

Thanks for the joy, Geebz! If you listen to anything from Final Fantasy 7 I suggest listening to the original versions from 1997 prior to the new arrangements from 2020. It's truly astounding how video game music evolves with their respective series'. Older tracks had to be built with so much intention. Seeing these old composers' original vision realized with live instruments and modern technology is a treat.

It's really awesome you listened to the orchestra playing the song, I'm sure the fans would enjoy seeing your reaction to more live orchestral versions of the songs

Man that slow start and swell from the orchestra gave me chills...tbh it made me tear up too, hearing such nostalgia that has inspired this from beeps and boops to complete orchestras it's just amazing

Koji Kondo is honestly one of the most legendary and successful composers in all of history. In fact, he's probably the ONE composer, aside from maybe John Williams, that the MOST people know a significant chunk of his work. He's responsible for an absolute AVALANCHE of legendary Nintendo pieces. Like people have HEARD OF Beethoven and Bach, etc, but how many pieces of their music will the average person actually recognize? A handful. I'd say 90% of gamers can probably recognize a dozen if not dozens of Koji Kondo's pieces, even if they've never heard his name before.

I love that there’s over 100 thousand people listening, feeling the same nostalgia as me

I’m still here~ This was a very enjoyable experience. Thank you.

The little 6-note thing that was clearly added in that you smiled at in the beginning of the orchestral piece was the flourish that plays whenever you find a secret, like bombing a wall and finding a chest or finding a secret cave behind a waterfall and has been a mainstay of the series since the beginning! I love that doing these reviews has made you curious about the games they're for, another musician doing video game music reactions has picked up Final Fantasy the same way and has loved it so far ☺️

I learned to read playing Legend of Zelda Link to the past. It still remains one of, if not my favorite game ever. There are a few songs that will reduce me, a 30 year old man, to tears but the opening theme of this series brings me back to that same feeling of wonder as a child. Koji Kondo has well earned his legendary status.

The main theme is classic. There is also a track called Tal Tal Heights from one specific Zelda game that is kind of a twist on the main theme. And Gerudo Valley is great as well.

I'm still here! Fantastic analysis and reaction to one of the greatest compositions of all time!!

Doing something like this seems like an excellent way to teach someone about the idea of music as language. What the song is trying to tell you or set up in your mind. Especially since in those stripped down early versions they have to be so efficient with it. You can get the themes there, then as you up the complexity of the music you can see how it sits within and how it manifests.

The entire Zelda soundtrack spanning almost 40 years is top notch. The theme has seen slight tweaks over the years to match technological advances in game capabilities as well as acting as a story element to set and enhance the tone the game tries to convey.

Geebz, I found you through your heavy music reviews, but video game music is a huge part of my compositional inspiration. LOVE this route. Also, please check out Journey from the Destiny 2 OST. So much better than Sepiks and features the Kronos Quartet.

I just found you man and I already love your channel. Keep going!!!

I'm still here. I loved that you took time to focus on the recording and other technical aspects for that last version. Not something a lot of people talk about.