History AwesomeMusic / IllusionOfGaia

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_UIdgbzjME Memory Melody]] used in the game's early stages is expertly transformed into the opening hook of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgOFbn9WCqM the pulsating theme]] for the Cambodian temple complex of [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Ankor]] Wat, an ideal accompaniment for exploring the vast maze of the temple itself.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9maWskwvkds "The Guardian"]] (normal boss theme) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOa8ZofphOw "Clash of Darkness and Light"]] (the final boss theme) are certainly awesome. What's particularly great about "Clash of Darkness and Light" is how ''long'' it is by the standards of SNES music; while it's definitely no [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI "Dancing Mad"]], it goes for almost 3 minutes before it starts to loop, and if you don't miss a single opportunity to hit the final boss the musical transitions will synch flawlessly to the boss' stage transition and death.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbA98pYh244 To the New World]], showcasing Will and Kara's last moments together before they return to the reborn Earth, starting off a bit melancholy and somber to showcase a BittersweetEnding, but turning triumphant to let everyone know that they'll be fine.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9maWskwvkds 'The Guardian']] (normal boss theme) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOa8ZofphOw 'Clash of Darkness and Light']] (the final boss theme) are certainly awesome. What's particularly great about Clash of Darkness and Light is how ''long'' it is by the standards of SNES music; while it's definitely no [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI 'Dancing Mad']], it goes for almost 3 minutes before it starts to loop, and if you don't miss a single opportunity to hit the final boss the musical transitions will synch flawlessly to the boss's stage transition and death.
* The game's town themes are as contrasting as the towns themselves, from the peaceful [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erKDJjWqjvs Itory Village]] to the proud [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyCo3DuZMBY Freya City]] (and its seagull sound effect-laden version heard in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCPK_xS1x6c South Cape]]).
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R3A0GmOfrc In the Earthen Womb]], probably the only track that could truly convey the majesty of outer space.

** The Ocean Palace of Mu, based on the Atlantis myth, is backed by a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZaETFhjto dramatic theme]] that perfectly complements the higher stakes of the dungeons in the game's middle act.

* The staff roll, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRJXv9Ygt5k Around The World]]", starts as a TriumphantReprise of "The Age Of Exploration" before settling into an appropriate backdrop for a pantomime-style recap of the game's events as contextually appropriate images of each chapter iris in behind the characters. And then it wraps up with a straight reprise of "The Age Of Exploration" as Will and Kara run by extra sprites for characters who had no reason to use those sprites in-game (such as King Edward and Queen Edwina standing up when they're sitting the one time they are seen, and that's just one example) before stopping and turning to the camera. Kara even hides behind Will a bit as the developers [[ThankingTheViewer thank the player for playing the game]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9maWskwvkds 'The Guardian']] (normal boss theme) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOa8ZofphOw 'Clash of Darkness and Light']] (the final boss theme) are certainly awesome. What's particularly great about Clash of Darkness and Light is how ''long'' it is by the standards of SNES music; while it's definitely no [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI 'Dancing Mad']], it goes for almost 3 minutes before it starts to loop.

* The staff roll: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRJXv9Ygt5k Around The World]]" It starts as a TriumphantReprise of "The Age Of Exploration" before settling into an appropriate backdrop for a pantomime-style recap of the game's events as contextually appropriate images of each chapter irises in behind the characters. And then it wraps up with a straight reprise of "The Age Of Exploration" as Will and Kara run by extra sprites for characters who had no reason to use those sprites in-game (such as King Edward and Queen Edwina standing up when they're sitting the one time they are seen, and that's just one example) before stopping and turning to the camera. Kara even hides behind Will a bit as the developers [[ThankingTheViewer thank the player for playing the game]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbA98pYh244 To the New World]], showcasing Will and Kara's last moments together before they return to the reborn Earth, starting off a bit melancholy and somber to showcase a BittersweetEnding, but turning triumphant to let everyone know that they'll be fine.

** Finally, the Great Pyramid gets an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GWB8N4md_w epic theme]] befitting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, conveying a real sense of just how much rests on Will's quest this late in the game.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9maWskwvkds 'The Guardian']] (normal boss theme) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOa8ZofphOw 'Clash of Darkness and Light']] (the final boss theme) are certainly awesome.

* The game's six main dungeons are based on real-life sites of archaeological significance (with one exception), and are given musical accompaniment to match their grandeur:

* The game hooks the player in immediately, with the heroic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYh7XTxnZE "Age of Exploration",]] which is every bit as rousing as the title screen for a globetrotting adventure should be.

* The game hooks the player in immediately with the heroic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYh7XTxnZE "Age of Exploration",]] which is every bit as rousing as the title screen for a globetrotting adventure should be.

** The game's town themes are as contrasting as the towns themselves, from the peaceful [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erKDJjWqjvs Itory Village]] to the proud [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyCo3DuZMBY Freya City]] (and its seagull sound effect-laden version heard in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCPK_xS1x6c South Cape]]).

* The game's six main dungeons are based on real life sites of archaeological significance (with one exception), and are given musical accompaniment to match their grandeur:
* Larai Cliffs, based on the Incan complex of Machu Picchu, takes the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXEGYjKVFK0 Melody of the Wind]] as the starting point for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX6XtaHz-Po a track that is by turns intense and mysterious]], much like the ruins themselves, the game's first major dungeon.
* The Sky Garden, triggered by a visit to the Nazca Lines, gets an appropriately [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyyJNqFV3Ww soaring theme]] that gives the exploration of the double-sided garden a real feeling of adventure.
* The Ocean Palace of Mu, based on the Atlantis myth, is backed by a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZaETFhjto dramatic theme]] that perfectly complements the higher stakes of the dungeons in the game's middle act.
* The Great Wall of China has a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eftur1sfZA mock East Asian theme]] in which both the melody and the accompaniment are doubled up by parallel fourths to create a suitably enigmatic track for one of the real world's most breathtaking historical sites.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_UIdgbzjME Memory Melody]] used in the game's early stages is expertly transformed into the opening hook of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgOFbn9WCqM the pulsating theme]] for the Cambodian temple complex of [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Ankor]] Wat, an ideal accompaniment for exploring the vast maze of the temple itself.
* Finally, the Great Pyramid gets an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GWB8N4md_w epic theme]] befitting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, conveying a real sense of just how much rests on Will's quest this late in the game.