History Main / SongsInTheKeyOfPanic

* For ''VideoGame/CounterStrike: [[GameRemake Global Offensive]]'', a music cue was added to the beginning of a round, and a second was added that starts if the Terrorist team plants their bomb or the Counter-Terrorist team starts carrying a hostage, to let their opponents know shit has gotten real.

** In ''Bejeweled Twist'', if one of the bomb gems count down to 5, the music will change into a more panicked variant in response. Once all the bomb gem counters are higher than 6 again, the music will go back to normal.

* In all ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' games starting with ''Star Rush'', the board's music changes to a frantic remix in the last few turns of the game (or, in the case of ''Star Rush''[='=]s Toad Scramble, when the last boss appears).

* Panic music is common in pinball games, usually after failing to collect a jackpot during multiball modes. Most commonly, this involves giving the player a very brief time limit to restart the current multiball round (including ''Pinball/FunHouse1990'' and ''Pinball/TheTwilightZone''). Other examples play panic music signifies that a jackpot shot is still available, but has to be collected as soon as possible (such as ''[[Pinball/BlackKnight Black Knight 2000]]'').

* In the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series, when you get to the final lap, the music speeds up (the music sting that transitions between the normal and increased tempo is similar). From ''[[VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash Double Dash!!]]'' onwards, the music pitches up a notch in addition. In ''Mario Kart 8'''s DLC course, Baby Park, it does this ''after every lap'', which is notable because the course has seven due to its short length. ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' also has the music switch to "Now or Never!" (see below) in the last minute of battle mode if you're playing on the ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' track.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}''
** When one minute remains on the timer in a Turf War match, the song changes from the usual random track to "Now Or Never!", a different, faster-paced song that lasts an exact minute, finishing right when time's up. Depending on the situation, this can be either interpreted as a NearVictoryFanfare, or a warning to hurry up and make that comeback ASAP.
** In single player the music [[TruckDriversGearChange jumps up a pitch]] when reaching the final checkpoint of a mission. For bosses, the music builds up after each phase is defeated for all of them except the final boss, where the final checkpoint changes the music to a completely different track for a ThemeMusicPowerUp.

* Panic music is common in pinball games, usually after failing to collect a jackpot during multiball modes. Most commonly, this involves giving the player a very brief time limit to restart the current multiball round (including ''Pinball/FunHouse'' and ''Pinball/TheTwilightZone''). Other examples play panic music signifies that a jackpot shot is still available, but has to be collected as soon as possible (such as ''[[Pinball/BlackKnight Black Knight 2000]]'').

* A ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' game isn't complete without at least one of these during the final EscapeSequence, clearly indicating to the player that they need to either haul ass or risk seizing defeat from the jaws of victory.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'': Near the end of the game, when Samus discovers a new batch of Metroids have just hatched (shooting the counter up from 1 to 9), the already tense song playing raises an octave for the whole final level.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has the theme appropriately named [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZStUZWg7k "Hurry! Hurry!"]] that most memorably plays during the timed escape from the burning Karnak Castle... and when you're starting to run out of time, the already frantic theme ''[[UpToEleven speeds up even further]]'', thus also making this an example of Song in a Key of Warning.

** ''Tetris 99'' turns it UpToEleven with a remix of Flight of the Bumblebee when only [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06e235YM4YI&t=499s 10 players remain.]] Later updates would add more themes (some original, some from Nintendo's various first-party games) that played their own music when only 10 players remained.

* In many puzzle games, such as ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' in the NES version, ''VideoGame/{{Columns}}'' and both the ''Blastris'' games packaged with the Super Scope, music speeds up when the stacked blocks are nearing the top of the screen. Some versions of ''Tetris'' instead change the song when you're near the top. If the threshold for the warning music and the threshold to switch back are the same (or too close to each other), the song can switch back-and-forth a little too much. ''Tetris DX'''s music has three levels of speed. the type B track has an entirely different second part which can only be heard on the second level of speed.

* The ''Desert Island Escape'' game (calling it a {{Minigame}} would do it a disservice) you can play within ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf'' has an alternate, faster BackgroundMusic that plays if you're still on the island with only one day, or one day's worth of food, to spare. In the latter case, the music will immediately go back to the calmer regular track if you're able to increase your rations.

* VideoGame/{{Zuma}} and many [[FollowTheLeader knockoffs]] do this.

** Other games like ''Pirate Poppers'' and VideoGame/{{Luxor}} change the music when the marbles get too close.

* ''Videogame/HardspaceShipbreaker:'' The game's music changes to a more intense mix when something hazardous is happening. It can be brief moments when something is on fire, sparking or flying at high speeds too close for comfort, but it's most commonly seen when you inevitably have to disconnect the ship's reactor and dunk it ''quickly'' into the salvaging barge before it melts down and takes half the ship with it.

* The ThinkMusic on the Japanese game show ''TimeShock'' (hear it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6V5whgQF-Y here]]) starts becoming increasingly tense starting at 30 seconds left. Also qualifies as the Hurry Music variant, as the same music is used in the "12 Answers" rounds, where a single contestant has only one question with multiple answers and 60 seconds to rattle off as many of them as they can (up to a maximum of 12).

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'':
** In ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'', once you got to the last phase of the Final Boss fight, a tenser remix of the Final Boss theme would play. It's [[MickeyMousing timed]] to hit a climactic guitar solo as the attack times out and explodes around you.
** In both the normal FinalBoss and TrueFinalBoss fights of ''Imperishable Night'', the music changes to "Voyage 1970", a remix of the final stage theme "Voyage 1969", during the boss's [[HoldTheLine Last Spell]] [[LastDitchMove attack]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Star Wars Episode I Racer}}'', "[[ThemeMusicPowerUp Duel of the Fates]]" plays on the final lap of each race.

* The music in Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vvDsRJz5yg&list=PL9E9YCJUkWatUO_f_YW8l09mpjWg5nbrG&index=13 becomes more serious at the 6th question.]] Every question afterward until after the second threshold increases the pitch of the music.

* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' has a dire "GET UP!" music play if you're knocked down. You only have 10 seconds to get up from the mat or you will be considered KO'd and lose.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' uses a frantic recurring theme whenever your screen of Puyos is filling too close to the top. The edited ''Kirby's Avalanche'' variant borrows this tune for same gameplay scenario, while ''Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'' uses another, even more hectic theme (which is in fact a remix of the original ''Puyo Puyo's'' final boss theme). Less advanced gamers were most likely completely screwed at this point in gameplay, so usually hearing this music basically informs "YOU LOST"!

* ''VideoGame/Bejeweled'':

* ''VideoGame/{{Bejeweled}}'':

* ''VideoGame/{{Bejeweled}}:

*** Ice Storm mode: As a secondary ice column approaches the top of the board (which will result in a GameOver if reaches the top and not pushed down/destroyed for a few seconds), additional instrumentation is added (along with a warning sound, the background darkening, snow starting to fall, etc.) to intensify the situation.

*** Ice Storm mode: As a secondary ice column approaches the top of the board (which will result in a GameOver if left be for too long), additional instrumentation is added (along with a warning sound, the background darkening, snow starting to fall, etc.) to intensify the situation.

*** Ice Storm mode: As a secondary ice column approaches the top of the board (which will result in a GameOver if left for too long), additional instrumentation is added (along with a warning sound, the background darkening, snow starting to fall, etc.) to intensify the situation.

* In ''Bejeweled Twist'', if one of the bomb gems count down to 5, the music will change into a more panicked variant in response. Once all the bomb gem counters are higher than 6 again, the music will go back to normal.

* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' plays a TriumphantReprise of the game's theme music in Siege Mode if both teams are tied at three points, indicating that one side just needs to capture the central control point to win.

%%* A ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' game isn't complete without at least one of these.

* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Trozei'', as the screen fills up, dramatic music starts to play.

** ''Tetris 99'' turns it UpToEleven with a remix of Flight of the Bumblebee when only [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06e235YM4YI&t=499s 10 players remain.]] Later updates would add more themes (some original, some from Nintendo's various first-party games) that played their own themes when only 10 players remained.

* The normally calm background music of ''VideoGame/KeepTalkingAndNobodyExplodes'' picks up on the intensity once the bomb timer hits one minute and gets outright ''ominous'' once it hits 30 seconds.

* ''VideoGame/TheNewZealandStory'' replaces the usual background music with a frantic song when [[StalkedByTheBell an invisible timer on the current level hits a certain point]]. When you ''really'' need to hurry up, it speeds up even more and shifts into a sinister minor key.

** In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'', after the SelfDestructMechanism for Rockfort Island is activated, aside from all background music being overridden by "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19OEpmr2yM A State of Emergency]]", a HeartbeatSoundtrack (which is faster and more desperate than the one that plays during "suspenseful" transitions) pops up at every door transition. That's the only game in the series where that effect is used.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSolvers: Gizmos & Gadgets'', the background music for the race will turn into a darker theme if [[BigBad Morty's]] vehicle is ahead of the player's. The [[NearVictoryFanfare opposite]] occurs if the player is ahead.

* The ''Desert Island Escape'' game (calling it a {{Minigame}} would do it a disservice) you can play within ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf'' has an alternate, faster background music that plays if you're still on the island with only one day, or one day's worth of food, to spare. In the latter case, the music will immediately go back to the calmer regular track if you're able to increase your rations.

* During the final lap in races in ''VideoGame/SplitSecond2010'', the background music will swell and become more tense. The effect is handled nicely as its crescendos happen after a bullet-time show-off of a wreck, which are usually triggered by the player.

* On the game show ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', everything but the drumbeat in the background music would almost drop out entirely on the million-dollar question, leaving only a tense, heartbeat-like "[[AC:BOOM]]...[[AC:BOOM-BOOM]]..." on a loop.

* The ''VideoGame/GameAndWatchGallery'' series typically has its background music speed up along with the action as the player's score increases.

* The player has ten minutes to defeat the final boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. The first five minutes are silent, after which the instrumental of the Snake Eater theme kicks in, and with three minutes to go, the full bombastic song racing you to the end.

* In ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' and ''[[{{Franchise/Kirby}} Kirby's Dream Collection]]'', there are special Challenge Stages that must be completed within a time limit. If less than thirty seconds are left, in most cases the music simply speeds up. However, in the last few challenges of Kirby's Dream Collection, this situation causes the music to change to a remix of Heavy Lobster's theme from ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Ultra''.