Xenoblade Chronicles contains music composed by Yoko Shimomura, ACE+, Manami Kiyota, and Yasunori Mitsuda (for the ending theme). It works. We could easily list the entire soundtrack here. But if we get specific:
- The Main Theme
. It's used in-game during the Wham Episode on Prison Island when Fiora is revealed to be alive as a Face Mechon. The music is perfectly timed to what is happening on screen, reaching its crescendo just as Fiora turns to leave a confused and heartbroken Shulk behind. And to top it off? The main theme is a remix of Shulk and Fiora's shared leitmotif. It was made for that scene. This theme became an instant classic, and it's considered one of, if not THE absolute best tracks of Yoko Shimomura's in her entire career. - "Time to Fight!" deserves a special mention. Yoko Shimomura keeps showing what she's made of.
- "Hostile Gazes" and "Enemies Closing In" carry a fearful aura that is screaming Oh, Crap! If you're underleveled, run like hell.
- The first prologue theme sets the mood quite nicely, but the second gets special credit by taking the Main Theme mentioned above and making a fast-paced battle remix out of it. It gets played again when Shulk gets revived when Colony 6 gets attacked by Dickson and the Telethia near the climax of the game, and it fits perfectly.
- "Gaur Plain". Good luck getting it out of your head after playing through the game. When the 3DS version was released, this track became the Background Music for the Nintendo eShop.
- "Visions of the Future", which plays after Shulk alters the events of a vision he has in battle. An excellent theme to Screw Destiny to!
- "You Will Know Our Names"/"Those Who Bear Their Name". It starts up whenever you fight a Unique Monster, so when you hear it, asses will be kicked. Just hope that it's your party doing the kicking. It's even more awesome when it plays against two storyline bosses who have been built up to be such assholes that you will feel such a rush kicking their asses: Mumkhar and Dickson, the latter being the penultimate boss of the game.
- Now available as an eight-bit remix. Somehow it sounds even more awesome.
- "You Will Know Our Slams".
- Now available
- The track for the Central Factory deserves mention, for the rhythmic beat and the bass! It suits the look of the area perfectly.
- "Satorl Marsh (Night)" sounds just plain gorgeous when it's playing as you meander through the Scenery Porn of Satorl Marsh after 19:00. Satorl's Day Theme isn't too bad either, but it just doesn't quite have the same impact.
- "Unfinished Business". Once again, Yoko Shimomura showing off. One of the best battle themes of the game, which you only hear once, and it doesn't even loop. And if you fail that battle, it goes back to the regular boss music. Despite that, everyone remembers that track, for good reason. It is THAT GOOD! It finally gets played again in Future Connected bonus. Tyrea says a rather fitting quote right before the track plays:Tyrea: You kept us waiting...you big jerk!
- "Mechanical Rhythm", the battle theme you get for the Mechonis Arm and Mechonis itself, appears to be made up, appropriately, of snippets from other songs, including the boss theme and Gaur Plains, all melded seamlessly together.
- "Beyond the Sky". Yasunori Mitsuda, of Chrono Trigger fame, came to work on just this one song. The Japanese version from the SARAH album is just as beautiful.
- "An Obstacle in our Path" is the most epic. Boss. Battle Theme. EVER!! Expect to hear this in the more action-packed and serious scenes too. The Definitive Edition version is more hopeful and intense, being on par with the original.
- "Everyday Life" is aptly named, and a fitting interlude piece for the game's lighter, softer moments.
- "Zanza The Divine", for its incredibly epic Ominous Latin Chanting, which some have even harkened to the song "Godsibb" from the Xenosaga series.
- "Mechonis Field" is a driving electronic beat which is as energetic and in motion as the Eternal Engine the party is climbing, hyping the player up for the next encounter.
- "Agniratha, Mechonis Capital" is beautifully somber and perfectly suits the ambiance of the once great capital, which has long since been abandoned. The rendition that plays at night makes it even more so.
- "A Tragic Decision". Melancholy and grandiose, it plays during fights against the main bosses in the game: two of the fights against Egil, the duel between Zanza and Meyneth, and the fight against Bana the Betrayer.
- "Towering Shadow", often used in moments where the party learns a disturbing truth.
- "Valak Mountain - Night" and Day both really nail the whole "Lonely Mountaintop" tone, and it also comes between the death of the Emperor and the Sword Valley sequence, so it feels like a somber Breather Episode.
- "Engage the Enemy" or "Confrontation with the Enemy", the closest thing this game has to a victory theme. It plays pretty much whenever something badass is happening during a cutscene, from Shulk learning a new Monado power to the party delivering the coup de grace on the boss they were just fighting. The remastered version is also pretty epic.
- Both themes for Bionis' Interior, while not usually considered the best songs in the game, are appropriately unsettling. The first version, "Carcass", plays on your first visit (and you may only hear it once since you are only required to go through the interior once early on), and in combination with the scenery, reminds the player that one of the game worlds is the corpse of an organic giant and provides one of the very first hints that despite being the home of some good people, the Bionis itself is not really a benevolent entity. The second version, "Pulse", plays once the Bionis wakes up and replaces "Carcass" from then on. Appropriately, it has the same melody, but is now sped up, going along with the Bionis being alive again.
- "The End Lies Ahead", the last dungeon's theme depicting in traditional "Xeno" fashion a band of heroes storming a God's backyard, swords drawn and guns blazing, which manages to be both bombastic and somewhat melancholic.
- "Thoughts Enshrined", a very somber track that plays for a few of either the most Heartwarming or tear-jerking moments in the game.
- "Frontier Village (Day)" and "Frontier Village (Night)". A pair of the most welcoming themes for the home of the Nopon.
- "Rage, Darkness of the Heart" is able to sound both epic and tragic, fitting moments it plays in like Shulk attempting to kill Metal Face after he kills Fiora, the death of Xord, Shulk relenting on killing Egil, and the death of the penultimate boss, Dickson.
- "Regret" sounds similar to the initial portion of "Rage, Darkness of the Heart", but both it and the cutscenes it plays in are considerably quieter. The song adds to their solemn atmosphere magnificently, going perfectly with moments like the party finding out the dark history behind the Monado.
- "A Friend On My Mind" is easily one of the most heartwarming tracks in the game. You can almost hear the friendship the song is meant to punctuate.
- "Riki The Legendary Heropon" fits Riki's goofy personality perfectly, while also providing an unexpectedly amazing theme with unique usage of instruments in the midpoint.
- The ever-funky battle theme, "Time to Fight! (Bionis' Shoulder)" from Future Connected, which builds on the battle theme from the sequel's expansion Torna ~ The Golden Country.
- If "Time to Fight!" didn't have enough jazz for your needs, then "Fogbeasts" has you covered. The piano, guitar, and violin go well together for a high-energy piece fit for fighting Fogbeasts. It's so good that it returns in Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed.
- ''Beyond the Sky (Acoustic Arrange)'' is Melia's character development in song form, going from unfocused and anxious about the future to triumphant as she becomes the queen of Bionis.Tyrea: They're waiting for you, Melia.
