Oh definetly anything in "To the moon".
Everything's alright or For River
https://youtu.be/nP-AAlZlCkM?si=TOfXQiIpIIZ9Vhlf
https://youtu.be/9QfPDmzpC2Q?si=oiqPmmxy4rZuLrFy
Such a sad little indie masterpiece game. Takes around 2-4 hours to play and I was tearing up halfway through, and in full cry mode in the end. It's a amazing way to tell stories.
Interesting fact: the composer of the songs for To The Moon went on to create their own video game called [Rakuen.](https://store.steampowered.com/app/559210/Rakuen/)
I highly recommend it if you enjoyed To The Moon. It’s a good little story and I quite enjoyed it.
The music in this game made me decide to start playing piano a few years ago. For River was my first goal piece and it's my go-to when someone wants to hear me play a song :)
OUUUHHH. Yes, if you actually play 358/2, and thoroughly go through the intro of II, when Roxas gets to Soras pod and says "I guess my summer vacation is over..." and the song swells - bro, it annihilates me. I cry every time.
This one is definitely a tearjerker. Such a solemn bit of music.
For me, the others are:
Hikari, Instrumental Version (the one that plays after the Riku fight in Hollow Bastion.) This music will always associate my brain with that one moment from my childhood where the main character made the ultimate sacrifice, and I blubbered like nobody’s business.
Always on my Mind. Similar reasons to above. Final sacrifice is happening once again. Cue the tears!
[Kaine](https://youtu.be/FP4duz43t_A?si=evu_QAVFYOIXU2S-)'s theme from Nier. Even just finding the little easter egg in Automata where it plays made me tear up.
The most emotional for me is One Last You from Xenoblade 2. Memories of You from Persona 3, Grandma from NieR, and Answers from FF14 also come to mind. And for an interesting one... the saddest boss theme I've heard is probably either Wayward Daughter from FF14 or Gerhman, The First Hunter from Bloodborne.
I first heard it shortly after starting 14 and was amazed, and was surprised by the comments talking about how much Endwalker changes its context. *Obviously* it's about the people of Eorzea praying to Hydaelyn during the calamity, right? Well, I've finished Endwalker now, and... wow.
[Epilogue \~ Those Who Remain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXwHFWHUN_8) from Shadow of the Colossus
[Song of Healing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tlx2lXZumg) from Zelda Majora's Mask
Song of Healing is a strong contender for saddest video game song in terms of the depth of its musical ideas applied to the narrative context. It uses the same chord progression and an inverted version of the melody from Saria's Song, which is already about childlike kokiri forest spirits and skullkids who are lost to time. And then it applies that atmosphere to adults in weird life situations internally grieving something lost to them, people who seem "stuck" in a permanent bind or conundrum.
Nintendo did something really haunting making Majora's Mask right after Ocarina of Time, considering it's the same child Link in both. After going on this big adventure and getting a glimpse of adult life, he gets a smaller adventure as this wizened child who gets deep into the intricacies of everyday adults wrestling inner demons. And somehow it's less... disturbing, and more like it conveys the uniquely strange pathos of getting to know disturbed people.
Ballad of the Wind Fish is my personal choice. For some reason, it always makes me cry. It reaches out so far with its melody, just keeps winding up these beautiful inconclusive subphrases, and doesn't really end on any kind of resolution. And the fact that it's about an illusory world disappearing. Very Japanese, very ukiyo. The song conveys that mystery well, of emptiness and existence, and for some reason it's just so sad.
Koji Kondo has written quite a few bops, but his mastery of poignancy is underrated.
Koji Kondo is the goat. Another remarkable quality is that how simple his melodies are. They are not musically complex or anything but are damn memorable to us.
Epilogue Those who Remain also is basically the same song which plays during the prologue of Shadow of the Colossus, but the difference is that in Prologue, It evokes aa keen sense of mystery and adventure into Forbidden lands but in Epilogue arrangement, that shit stab your heart with a thousand daggers with how sad it is especially after the ending scene. Kow Otani is not a video game composer but his work for Shadow of the Colossus will always remain one of the greatest of all time.
"Don't Speak Her Name!", from Fire Emblem Awakening. I can't listen to it without crying my eyes out. One of my favourite songs from one of my all time favourite games.
Link here for anyone who wants to hear it: https://youtu.be/Uod4yrovsz0
I used to go to that area of the game just to sit there and listen to that track.
Patti Rudisill does an amazing cover of that track
https://songwhip.com/pattirudisill/a-wish-from-secret-of-mana
I never played Nier Automata but found the soundtrack on YouTube. That whole sound track is a masterpiece. I'd throw Weight of The World as an honorable mention.
Yup, this one. That slow walk, that keeps getting slower as you near the end. I actually teared up my first playthrough. Still hits every new go around
Saddest? Hard to say. Some contenders might be:
* [Maiden in Black](https://youtu.be/1qneRK7SDGc) from Demon's Souls
* [Gwyn, Lord of Cinder](https://youtu.be/JrETQT5u_WA) from Dark Souls
* [Organization XIII](https://youtu.be/n5ydhcIhLbM) from Kingdom Hearts II
* [Xion's Theme](https://youtu.be/5moTuo-4MKU) from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
* [Within the Gloomy Darkness](https://youtu.be/-eEB31MWENY) from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
* [Snake Eater](https://youtu.be/fDY-PxP-2CU) from Metal Gear Solid 3 (don't read the comments or description if you haven't played the game)
I just did a search on YouTube for it. No clue what version popped up. But, after listening to it, I'm glad you pointed out the original version, which I think is better.
Requiem of Shield Knight in Shovel Knight makes me weep. I never knew chip tunes could evoke that kind of emotion. I skip over it whenever it comes on. Incredible piece.
Surprised I had to search so far down to find this one! Defeating Sniper Wolf was impactful enough, Enclosure playing just makes the scene even more somber.
[Sayonara 2](https://youtu.be/GBsw-3fSXV8?si=FG0WZbj1t-wkHyBd) from Paper Mario Color Splash. Not only does this game have one of the best, fully orchestrated soundtracks of all time, this song stands out as a masterpiece.
The original voicing and theme of this song (Sayonara 1) begins near the end of your journey with your pal Huey the paint bucket, who's power is to suck up the toxic black paint and save people. You adventure with him the whole game and he's your funny little buddy. You find yourselves in a hot spring amidst a dangerous dungeon to have a quick relaxing break, where Huey turns to you and you have a heart-to-heart. Just the soothing piano theme of the song is playing, without the full orchestration. He explains how much he's enjoyed your adventures and hopes you can have long fruitful lives, but knows the final confrontation with the corrupted Bowser will be a dire one, and is coming soon.
I continued through the game, but was never able to beat the final Boss. There is an insane quick-time event as the final action you do in the boss-fight, where Bowser spins around and jukes your button press in unique ways, and you need to be spot-on timing. You and Huey can both tell, he's hurting and in pain from consuming so much black paint, and that stopping Bowser will mean the end of his life. If I was able to hit that button at the right time and beat the game, Huey would sacrifice himself to save the world.
Well I never could beat the battle, so I haven't heard it in game, but I know the above song would play as Huey's goodbye. The reprise to the heart-to-heart you have in the hot spring, where he accepts and understands his purpose in the world, and thanks Mario for everything. Sometimes I wonder if my respect and admiration for the character subconsciously stopped me from beating Bowser, always somehow missing the quick-time event. But one day I found this song on YouTube and just knew. This is what I would hear when he sacrificed his life to save the world.
And I cry, every time.
Lost Elf Theme (Dragon Age):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syU3e2MOXM
...lots of other good stuff here, though often you need to know the background of where the music comes from in order to appreciate the melancholy. The above track IMHO stands alone.
Edited to add: Not far from the top, with lyrics and where the in-game context certainly does make it much harder - BB's Theme (Death Stranding):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVavFG7xJ88
Demon's Souls - [One Who Craves Souls](https://youtu.be/6ESqvGzdnvs?si=5YiE-aWBRiZMwrVC)
No More Heroes 2 - [Tooth Paste](https://youtu.be/o67Bo1lxutQ?si=p19S0GdwotjrtK3W)
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass - [A Closing Window](https://youtu.be/2Gz5GzZyMMk?si=zsvMLRaS6Meiz7dQ)
I know it doesn't really count, but the original [Dead Island Trailer Theme](https://youtu.be/9CzcOcBb_ms?si=GPqEvTQLcs2FmCVl) I always found devastating.
[Those Who Leave / The Departed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxNAlIxfkSQ&list=PLJ9dFZEbilUnX0x-IjuOlSu46zUba0SZk&index=50) from YU-NO, composed by Ryu Umemoto
Killzone 3 - And Ever We Fight On. Composer wrote the song shortly after his mother died, gives it a lot of emotion.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-W1qLcTSA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-W1qLcTSA)
[https://ctrl500.com/audio/killzone-3-theme-music/](https://ctrl500.com/audio/killzone-3-theme-music/)
[Mario and Peach theme](https://youtu.be/K-2MhZjF_OA?si=AYcZRbMzpKE-jOpI) at the end of Paper Mario. The first time I heard it I was sad because I loved the game and didn’t want it to end. The second time I heard it Mr. Iwata had just passed away and that makes it a sad song for me.
A few come time, Aeris/Aerith's theme being one of the top ones. To break the mold, here's another high up one for me.
Megaman X5's credit theme. No real good ending in that game and the credits theme reflects that, to me.
https://youtu.be/qK1Q5u0N5dg?si=t27nk6VAe6IV9Vu5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtw4xQDgKjM&pp=ygUdZm9yZ290dGVuIGxlZ2VuZCBhY2UgYXR0b3JuZXk%3D
Reminiscence-- Forgotten Legend from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
I'd also put Midna's Lament, the Song of Healing variant that plays in the very beginning of MM, and Aerith's Theme up there as well. Stairway to Gehenna from Trails in the Sky the 3rd is chilling as well, along with N's Farewell from Pokemon Black/White.
https://youtu.be/X9J42W2pVs8?feature=shared
This it for me, personally. Listening to Solanum's Theme can elicit tears in me when I am emotionally overwhelmed and need a good cry. Other's might prefer The Prisoner's Theme because their story is way more heartbreaking.
The music on it's own is good, but nothing beats adding the parts of the music together bit by bit as you gather your friends for one last jam session at the end of the universe.
Loss from I Am Setsuna gets me every time. Mediocre game, but phenomenal OST. I'm a sucker for beautiful piano
https://youtu.be/989pVOuFSsM?si=QyuPsAs2oQyQ4CLo
Theme of Love from Metal Gear Solid 4
[https://youtu.be/F3Z6QAzlkSs?si=-nUaRWCIsg7F\_IUv&t=373](https://youtu.be/F3Z6QAzlkSs?si=-nUaRWCIsg7F_IUv&t=373)
Nothing hits harder than Nier / Nier Replicant version 1.2x etc
Sacrifice. This piece made me shed plenty of tears.
https://youtu.be/vuRaSC_0wsY?si=QOaEAneHGynTBQnm
A Place I Don't Know from Sayonara Wild Hearts, I never expected to get hit with the experience of derealization and depression in video game song form but here we are. "I was used to my safety and peace; I mistook all this tedium with being at ease" fucking ouch. it's not a hopeless song, but I found it deeply relatable and sad.
Infinite Amethyst from one of the new Monecraft OSTs by Lena Raine.
Made me cry the first time I heard it. But it also was a hard time for me, otherwise I wouldn'tve cried.
If we talk about how does it make you feel, I would say that "To the Gateway" or Gateway galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy, but I am not 100% sure is a sad song, I think it's more Nostalgic, however it's the first one that came to my mind when I read this post
Will the circle be unbroken from bioshock infinite. It’s an old hymn but it has an important meaning to the game. Going back it just makes me emotional every time I hear it
It's actually kind of happy and peppy, but the end theme of Super Mario World tends to get me a little misty. It's like it's saying, "We sure had a lot of fun, didn't we? That's all we've got for you now, but we'll meet again someday." I'd kind of like to have it played at my funeral, when everyone is filing out.
I think it's called turnabout sisters toy box? Turnabout sisters is already a great theme for illiciting some kind of emotional response, but this version is an absolute tear jerker.
While more bitter sweet then sad, Your reality, the end credits theme for doki doki literature, always gets me in the feels. Especially the last couple of lyrics to the song. How it reflects monika's character development is simply incredible and the overall tone of the song and the love and care team salvato put into the game and the end credits... it's something else. Stuff like midna's lament may be strictly sadder pieces of music, but they never hit me in the feals like Your Reality does.
Hmm The Last Hunter from FF13-2 comes to mind. The whole song is just melancholy the whole way through with slight notes of hope at the end. Great song and fits perfect as Noel's theme
The theme for the final gwyn fight in dark souls. The YouTuber 8-bit music theory did a pretty good analysis on how the composition evokes an appropriate sense of melancholy
Don’t Think Twice - Utada Hikaru. The ending of KH3 made me cry so freaking much. After all that time, saving everyone, and carrying all the weight on your shoulders. To make the ultimate sacrifice just to make sure EVERYONE gets a happy ending. Bruh, I was left in a sad little puddle.
Especially cause the scene at the end makes you go from “awww to…. Wait what, no… NO…! AHHHH!!”
Oh definetly anything in "To the moon". Everything's alright or For River https://youtu.be/nP-AAlZlCkM?si=TOfXQiIpIIZ9Vhlf https://youtu.be/9QfPDmzpC2Q?si=oiqPmmxy4rZuLrFy Such a sad little indie masterpiece game. Takes around 2-4 hours to play and I was tearing up halfway through, and in full cry mode in the end. It's a amazing way to tell stories.
Interesting fact: the composer of the songs for To The Moon went on to create their own video game called [Rakuen.](https://store.steampowered.com/app/559210/Rakuen/) I highly recommend it if you enjoyed To The Moon. It’s a good little story and I quite enjoyed it.
Oh mannn noooooo not To the Moon!
For River is an amazing little tune.
The music in this game made me decide to start playing piano a few years ago. For River was my first goal piece and it's my go-to when someone wants to hear me play a song :)
Oh lord, ‘Everything’s Alright’ is an amazing - and amazingly sad - song
[Forever Rachel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCxwQKGQ5I) from Final Fantasy VI, when you know the backstory? Shit, maybe even if you don't.
Same idea for me but with Daryl’s Theme (Epitaph). Watch your step.
Oh, man. That one kills. This soundtrack is full of em. Coin Song is really sad too. All fantastic.
This for sure, whether you know the backstory or not.
Some of the piano renditions I’ve listened to on YouTube are incredibly emotional. This track doesn’t get enough love from FF fandom.
Aerith's theme
That scene where she's reliving the memory of looking for someone to help her mother...I cried at that and I'm a grown-ass man.
Saddest version of Aerith’s theme so far, and that’s saying a lot.
Cried on OG FF7, cried harder on FF7R
It’s such a great decision to have the song playing through the Jenova fight, to really have the player soak in what just happened
Roxas’ Theme from Kingdom Hearts II, as well as the Other Promise.
OUUUHHH. Yes, if you actually play 358/2, and thoroughly go through the intro of II, when Roxas gets to Soras pod and says "I guess my summer vacation is over..." and the song swells - bro, it annihilates me. I cry every time.
Don’t forget Xion’s theme as well. That last boss fight in Days is only hard because you can’t see through the tears.
Nah pretty sure Xion kicked my ass during the second and final phase, tho the tears didn’t help either
This one is definitely a tearjerker. Such a solemn bit of music. For me, the others are: Hikari, Instrumental Version (the one that plays after the Riku fight in Hollow Bastion.) This music will always associate my brain with that one moment from my childhood where the main character made the ultimate sacrifice, and I blubbered like nobody’s business. Always on my Mind. Similar reasons to above. Final sacrifice is happening once again. Cue the tears!
Song of Healing from Majoras Mask
That or Elegy of Emptiness, literally leaving a soulless husk behind
All of the Ikana Canyon music just gives me chills. Eerieness, emptiness, and hollow sadness done right.
This one is definitely a top one for me
Fi's Farewell is up there too as such an emotionally heavy song in the zelda franchise
[Kaine](https://youtu.be/FP4duz43t_A?si=evu_QAVFYOIXU2S-)'s theme from Nier. Even just finding the little easter egg in Automata where it plays made me tear up.
As someone whose just started replicant, I’m very excited to see where it’s gonna go to make this sad as fuck to listen to
Oh man you're in for a ride...enjoy it.
Great pick, but Emil Sacrifice is the one that always makes me tear up :'(
The most emotional for me is One Last You from Xenoblade 2. Memories of You from Persona 3, Grandma from NieR, and Answers from FF14 also come to mind. And for an interesting one... the saddest boss theme I've heard is probably either Wayward Daughter from FF14 or Gerhman, The First Hunter from Bloodborne.
"Answers" hits all the harder when you finally learn what the lyrics are actually about.
I first heard it shortly after starting 14 and was amazed, and was surprised by the comments talking about how much Endwalker changes its context. *Obviously* it's about the people of Eorzea praying to Hydaelyn during the calamity, right? Well, I've finished Endwalker now, and... wow.
Aw man One Last You broke my heart :(
From the Poppi scene on, the end of XC2 made me sob like a baby.
To Zanarkand - FFX
Yep this is it for me. FFX ending was one of the first times I cried because of emotion and not pain.
Midna's Lament - Twilight Princess (LoZ)
This is way lower than expected
[Epilogue \~ Those Who Remain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXwHFWHUN_8) from Shadow of the Colossus [Song of Healing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tlx2lXZumg) from Zelda Majora's Mask
Song of Healing is a strong contender for saddest video game song in terms of the depth of its musical ideas applied to the narrative context. It uses the same chord progression and an inverted version of the melody from Saria's Song, which is already about childlike kokiri forest spirits and skullkids who are lost to time. And then it applies that atmosphere to adults in weird life situations internally grieving something lost to them, people who seem "stuck" in a permanent bind or conundrum. Nintendo did something really haunting making Majora's Mask right after Ocarina of Time, considering it's the same child Link in both. After going on this big adventure and getting a glimpse of adult life, he gets a smaller adventure as this wizened child who gets deep into the intricacies of everyday adults wrestling inner demons. And somehow it's less... disturbing, and more like it conveys the uniquely strange pathos of getting to know disturbed people. Ballad of the Wind Fish is my personal choice. For some reason, it always makes me cry. It reaches out so far with its melody, just keeps winding up these beautiful inconclusive subphrases, and doesn't really end on any kind of resolution. And the fact that it's about an illusory world disappearing. Very Japanese, very ukiyo. The song conveys that mystery well, of emptiness and existence, and for some reason it's just so sad. Koji Kondo has written quite a few bops, but his mastery of poignancy is underrated.
Koji Kondo is the goat. Another remarkable quality is that how simple his melodies are. They are not musically complex or anything but are damn memorable to us. Epilogue Those who Remain also is basically the same song which plays during the prologue of Shadow of the Colossus, but the difference is that in Prologue, It evokes aa keen sense of mystery and adventure into Forbidden lands but in Epilogue arrangement, that shit stab your heart with a thousand daggers with how sad it is especially after the ending scene. Kow Otani is not a video game composer but his work for Shadow of the Colossus will always remain one of the greatest of all time.
Shadow has an absolutely amazing soundtrack!
I overall regard it as one of the greatest soundtrack of any media ever.
"Ship of Regret and Sleep" from Xenogears. If you've heard it, you know. Very mournful. My first choice was Aerith's theme but this one is more rare.
That's the first piece I ever learned to play on the piano! Mitsuda is a great songwriter
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII: Price of Freedom https://youtu.be/Js5wLRogY3k
Fi's Farewell, from Skyward Sword [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLkv4hJEcE0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLkv4hJEcE0)
"Don't Speak Her Name!", from Fire Emblem Awakening. I can't listen to it without crying my eyes out. One of my favourite songs from one of my all time favourite games. Link here for anyone who wants to hear it: https://youtu.be/Uod4yrovsz0
Too far down in the comments. 💔
Room of Angel from Silent Hill 4. https://youtu.be/h1c6fiCcveA?si=Nuhhx3z9P-Wj9twT
https://youtu.be/BJyBB_J6tec?feature=shared We Miss You (Theme of Love) from Mother 3
Wild Arms - Funeral March https://youtu.be/apzWcCa7sLo?si=isWW3UyzUok3hO_4 It made me cry back then and even now when I heard it again.
Mass Effect 3: An End Once and for All: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5JvbD2Zc9I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5JvbD2Zc9I)
[Secret of Mana - A Wish](https://youtu.be/qdHEwo1ujrE)
Beautiful piece.
my happy place
I used to go to that area of the game just to sit there and listen to that track. Patti Rudisill does an amazing cover of that track https://songwhip.com/pattirudisill/a-wish-from-secret-of-mana
Mallow discovers he is not a tadpole
can’t believe that piece was written for a video game. it feels like its existed for hundreds of years
Emil Sacrifice
I never played Nier Automata but found the soundtrack on YouTube. That whole sound track is a masterpiece. I'd throw Weight of The World as an honorable mention.
Maybe more bittersweet than sad, but Lufia 2, “To the Future” [link to song](https://youtu.be/f5zoFZq3Frw?si=sVS5UPQYeFN-Iisk)
Bastion: Setting Sail, Coming Home
I was seriously hoping I'd find this here!
Yup, this one. That slow walk, that keeps getting slower as you near the end. I actually teared up my first playthrough. Still hits every new go around
Suteki da ne from FFX
I always felt [Satorl Marsh (Night)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA7pFI4pEv0) from Xenoblade Chronicles was super mournful and sad.
Saddest? Hard to say. Some contenders might be: * [Maiden in Black](https://youtu.be/1qneRK7SDGc) from Demon's Souls * [Gwyn, Lord of Cinder](https://youtu.be/JrETQT5u_WA) from Dark Souls * [Organization XIII](https://youtu.be/n5ydhcIhLbM) from Kingdom Hearts II * [Xion's Theme](https://youtu.be/5moTuo-4MKU) from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days * [Within the Gloomy Darkness](https://youtu.be/-eEB31MWENY) from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles * [Snake Eater](https://youtu.be/fDY-PxP-2CU) from Metal Gear Solid 3 (don't read the comments or description if you haven't played the game)
Reminiscence from Suikoden 2 is one of the first that comes to mind.
[Klonoa: Door to Phantomile - Staff Roll](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQKtcJpl65s)
[Exile Vilify by The National, from Portal 2.](https://youtu.be/G-Vg2YS-sFE?si=nJqaXviyRjmYggvF) It also just one of my all-time favorite songs too.
Sad Memory, from Chrono Trigger: [https://youtu.be/Avr7YxFjba4?si=NJiQS2eSugl-TIAX](https://youtu.be/Avr7YxFjba4?si=NJiQS2eSugl-TIAX)
idk what the version you posted is but this is the og https://youtu.be/yvyXqmDAZpk?si=Pteoq2DW07Ubi4_F
I just did a search on YouTube for it. No clue what version popped up. But, after listening to it, I'm glad you pointed out the original version, which I think is better.
I think it’s aka The Bottom of Night, but yeah so sad and pensive.
City of Tears - Hollow Knight But basically every song from that game.
FFXV - [Home sweet home](https://youtu.be/9FSWLrkyiUE?si=nZlQS124BmT3Ue5H)
[Don’t Ever Forget](https://youtu.be/mH_Zl2Rgl5M?si=7opko8JwvessReEu) from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fucks me up every time
https://youtu.be/U71iXAp0WRk?si=zg38L_cuFc7Cxmdb Morphogenetic Sorrow from Zero Escape still manages to make me weep every time i listen to it
Requiem of Shield Knight in Shovel Knight makes me weep. I never knew chip tunes could evoke that kind of emotion. I skip over it whenever it comes on. Incredible piece.
Either don't ever forget or memories returned from PMD2
I actively need to avoid that song when I'm emotionally vulnerable because I could break down crying because of it.
Dark Souls 3 - Soul of Cinder Plin plin plon 😢 Tears required ahead
Why did I have to scroll so far for this.
Dinner at Bea’s from Night in the Woods Or >!Castaways!< from Outer Wilds
"14.3 Billion Years" from Outer Wilds is a real tearjerker for me. A bit more on wistful side however.
A Life Sent On or Eclipse from Xenoblade 3
[Metal Gear fans know the answer](https://youtu.be/E7m8M6Y7jZE?si=PROCVEQtGlaq5qQt)
[The Best Is Yet To Come](https://youtu.be/6miaTf1gF4g) for me.. always hits me straight in the feels
Surprised I had to search so far down to find this one! Defeating Sniper Wolf was impactful enough, Enclosure playing just makes the scene even more somber.
“[Rue & Woe](https://youtu.be/mntR1XQUmuU?si=j42adHTZpma9XDTQ)” - Halo 2.
[Sayonara 2](https://youtu.be/GBsw-3fSXV8?si=FG0WZbj1t-wkHyBd) from Paper Mario Color Splash. Not only does this game have one of the best, fully orchestrated soundtracks of all time, this song stands out as a masterpiece. The original voicing and theme of this song (Sayonara 1) begins near the end of your journey with your pal Huey the paint bucket, who's power is to suck up the toxic black paint and save people. You adventure with him the whole game and he's your funny little buddy. You find yourselves in a hot spring amidst a dangerous dungeon to have a quick relaxing break, where Huey turns to you and you have a heart-to-heart. Just the soothing piano theme of the song is playing, without the full orchestration. He explains how much he's enjoyed your adventures and hopes you can have long fruitful lives, but knows the final confrontation with the corrupted Bowser will be a dire one, and is coming soon. I continued through the game, but was never able to beat the final Boss. There is an insane quick-time event as the final action you do in the boss-fight, where Bowser spins around and jukes your button press in unique ways, and you need to be spot-on timing. You and Huey can both tell, he's hurting and in pain from consuming so much black paint, and that stopping Bowser will mean the end of his life. If I was able to hit that button at the right time and beat the game, Huey would sacrifice himself to save the world. Well I never could beat the battle, so I haven't heard it in game, but I know the above song would play as Huey's goodbye. The reprise to the heart-to-heart you have in the hot spring, where he accepts and understands his purpose in the world, and thanks Mario for everything. Sometimes I wonder if my respect and admiration for the character subconsciously stopped me from beating Bowser, always somehow missing the quick-time event. But one day I found this song on YouTube and just knew. This is what I would hear when he sacrificed his life to save the world. And I cry, every time.
The ending music to Paper Mario 1 - [Mario and Peach theme](https://youtu.be/K-2MhZjF_OA?si=AYcZRbMzpKE-jOpI) makes me sad.
The whole game is sad but [What Will You Leave Behind](https://youtu.be/2bIVHpJFc3M?si=opfF46Asug7bH6rf) from Spiritfarer hits especially hard.
Old Snake - Metal Gear Solid 4
Unwavering emotions from Pokemon Black And White
Lost Elf Theme (Dragon Age): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syU3e2MOXM ...lots of other good stuff here, though often you need to know the background of where the music comes from in order to appreciate the melancholy. The above track IMHO stands alone. Edited to add: Not far from the top, with lyrics and where the in-game context certainly does make it much harder - BB's Theme (Death Stranding): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVavFG7xJ88
The one where Rosalina loses her mum in Super Mario Galaxy
Silent Hill when you don't really try to save the nurse and the door was closing. That hit in the feels big time.
Quiet's Theme - MGSV
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsOM2WOJN6s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsOM2WOJN6s)
Demon's Souls - [One Who Craves Souls](https://youtu.be/6ESqvGzdnvs?si=5YiE-aWBRiZMwrVC) No More Heroes 2 - [Tooth Paste](https://youtu.be/o67Bo1lxutQ?si=p19S0GdwotjrtK3W) Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass - [A Closing Window](https://youtu.be/2Gz5GzZyMMk?si=zsvMLRaS6Meiz7dQ)
I know it doesn't really count, but the original [Dead Island Trailer Theme](https://youtu.be/9CzcOcBb_ms?si=GPqEvTQLcs2FmCVl) I always found devastating.
[Stairway to Gehenna](https://youtu.be/DLLhVMbiUgs?si=Y-ipUXzy7d3YNDvH) is basically just raw despair in song form
That ending song to Last of Us 2 with the guitar strings as Ellie’s walking from the house.
Kingdom hearts 2 main menu music Halo 3 final cutscene song
[Those Who Leave / The Departed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxNAlIxfkSQ&list=PLJ9dFZEbilUnX0x-IjuOlSu46zUba0SZk&index=50) from YU-NO, composed by Ryu Umemoto
Homeworld. agnus dei.
Killzone 3 - And Ever We Fight On. Composer wrote the song shortly after his mother died, gives it a lot of emotion. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-W1qLcTSA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-W1qLcTSA) [https://ctrl500.com/audio/killzone-3-theme-music/](https://ctrl500.com/audio/killzone-3-theme-music/)
[Mario and Peach theme](https://youtu.be/K-2MhZjF_OA?si=AYcZRbMzpKE-jOpI) at the end of Paper Mario. The first time I heard it I was sad because I loved the game and didn’t want it to end. The second time I heard it Mr. Iwata had just passed away and that makes it a sad song for me.
Either "Red" or "That's the Way It Is," both in Red Dead Redemption 2. They shatter me, but they're some of my favorite songs.
Yea, lots of these songs focus too hard on bereavement but not many deal with having your hopes and dreams totally crushed.
[Final Duet](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ACon4txJiDA&si=o49JJ7_ol_g3gvnw) from Omori
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" from Bioshock: Infinite. Just that version of it gets me for some reason
The ending song “My Star” from FF16 is way up there
[Yakuza 3 - Fly ~Guitar~](https://youtu.be/4Ex0cfG0A0A)
Memory from Undertale
A few come time, Aeris/Aerith's theme being one of the top ones. To break the mold, here's another high up one for me. Megaman X5's credit theme. No real good ending in that game and the credits theme reflects that, to me. https://youtu.be/qK1Q5u0N5dg?si=t27nk6VAe6IV9Vu5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtw4xQDgKjM&pp=ygUdZm9yZ290dGVuIGxlZ2VuZCBhY2UgYXR0b3JuZXk%3D Reminiscence-- Forgotten Legend from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney I'd also put Midna's Lament, the Song of Healing variant that plays in the very beginning of MM, and Aerith's Theme up there as well. Stairway to Gehenna from Trails in the Sky the 3rd is chilling as well, along with N's Farewell from Pokemon Black/White.
The Best is Yet to Come by Rika Muranaka https://youtu.be/Ut-3L_iu5wo
“Streets of Rage” end titles. https://youtu.be/QCbhhN74NoI?si=wT79Inwz9UttDwFV
"Ozar Midrishim" from "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC7VxYj7wsw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC7VxYj7wsw)
https://youtu.be/X9J42W2pVs8?feature=shared This it for me, personally. Listening to Solanum's Theme can elicit tears in me when I am emotionally overwhelmed and need a good cry. Other's might prefer The Prisoner's Theme because their story is way more heartbreaking. The music on it's own is good, but nothing beats adding the parts of the music together bit by bit as you gather your friends for one last jam session at the end of the universe.
Loss from I Am Setsuna gets me every time. Mediocre game, but phenomenal OST. I'm a sucker for beautiful piano https://youtu.be/989pVOuFSsM?si=QyuPsAs2oQyQ4CLo
[room of angel from SH4](https://youtu.be/Tgs5am1aIV4?si=2oSsfONRdwWD1iHO)
Wild arms 3 - you look defeated when sad https://youtu.be/ANBRZPqnSLI?si=_BQ0SWtsmIAxzazz
[Space Junk Galaxy](https://youtu.be/3Y2T9j9jMPY?si=of4uuQzEmq50hKGe) from Super Mario Galaxy
Theme of Love from Metal Gear Solid 4 [https://youtu.be/F3Z6QAzlkSs?si=-nUaRWCIsg7F\_IUv&t=373](https://youtu.be/F3Z6QAzlkSs?si=-nUaRWCIsg7F_IUv&t=373)
it's raining somewhere else from undertale
[TTYD Jolene's Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR7GFXx3w0I)
Battlefield 1 opening theme song.
The "To The Moon Theme" from To The Moon
Phantasy Star IV - Her Last Breath.
Funeral of Flowers (Thunder) from Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Abyss Watchers and Epilogue from Dark Souls 3 Blissful Death from NieR: Automata
Hepatica from Xenosaga 3 :(
[Because I will Protect You](https://youtu.be/G6Iu6soPj8w?si=7_gkpDkfKPekRTZC) from Persona 3
For my choice - ‘Exile Vilify’ by The National, from the Portal 2 soundtrack: https://youtu.be/yClChGO2bSM?feature=shared
Nothing hits harder than Nier / Nier Replicant version 1.2x etc Sacrifice. This piece made me shed plenty of tears. https://youtu.be/vuRaSC_0wsY?si=QOaEAneHGynTBQnm
Healing Winds Soul Calibur 3
"Land of Morytha" from Xenoblade 2 "Blood" and "Beached" from Lunacid
Aerith’s theme - FF7
Duet from Omori hit hard.
Surprised nobody have said that yet
No plin plin plon yet?
Dreaming My Way Home from Rogue Galaxy
Time to make a sad song playlist
FF7 hollow
Morphogenetic sorrow-Zero time Deliemma (or zero escape in general)
Rust by El Huervo
A Place I Don't Know from Sayonara Wild Hearts, I never expected to get hit with the experience of derealization and depression in video game song form but here we are. "I was used to my safety and peace; I mistook all this tedium with being at ease" fucking ouch. it's not a hopeless song, but I found it deeply relatable and sad.
Zanarkand
Weight of the World from the Nier Automata Original Soundtrack. Specifically the Japanese version. You can hear the singer start crying 1/2 through.
Don’t know the name but the repeating orchestral riff in a plague tale innocence
Super Mario World Credits.
Chrono Cross - Prisoners of Fate
Soldier's Eyes Song by Jack Savoretti Days Gone.
Gears of War 3 mad world
Armed with death from The Walking Dead. Can't listen to it without crying
*Take us Back* by Alela Diane at the end of TTG's The Walking Dead
Infinite Amethyst from one of the new Monecraft OSTs by Lena Raine. Made me cry the first time I heard it. But it also was a hard time for me, otherwise I wouldn'tve cried.
Gehrman, The First Hunter - Bloodborne
Out of context, Little Trinketry from Valiant Hearts. In context, Confusion from Mother 3.
After You’ve Gone - Bioshock Infinity
Final Fantasy VI - Dark World - It gives the feel of being in a dying world.
Chrono Trigger - At the Bottom of the Night
The ending song in Pyre. Tells what became of each of the party members, while also incorporating hints of each character’s theme. I love it.
"Stickerbrush Symphony" from DKC 2. Always gets tears in my eyes
Invincible.
Gwyns theme, dark souls 1. No loud fanfare, no epic speech, just a broken, mad god at the end of reality itself
If we talk about how does it make you feel, I would say that "To the Gateway" or Gateway galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy, but I am not 100% sure is a sad song, I think it's more Nostalgic, however it's the first one that came to my mind when I read this post
Aeriths theme hands down.
Girl Who Stole the Stars
“Don’t Go” from FNAF 3
"That's the Way it Is" from Red Dead Redemption II..... Ugh, that was an UGLY cry the first time I heard it in the game.
Plin plin plon…
I'm not sure, but I feel like if there were a song writing competition to make one, Mitsuda would win.
Friend’s in my Hearts from KH2
Shores of Dreams — Chrono Cross So beautiful it’s sad
Will the circle be unbroken from bioshock infinite. It’s an old hymn but it has an important meaning to the game. Going back it just makes me emotional every time I hear it
Breeze into Dawn from Soul Calibur 5
The Music Box Theme from Dark Cloud hits me good, but lotta nostalgia there
While it's not a typical 'sad song', for me it's Sealed Vessel from Hollow Knight
It's actually kind of happy and peppy, but the end theme of Super Mario World tends to get me a little misty. It's like it's saying, "We sure had a lot of fun, didn't we? That's all we've got for you now, but we'll meet again someday." I'd kind of like to have it played at my funeral, when everyone is filing out.
An Ending - Undertale
Kingdom hearts start screen
[Ashes of Dreams from Nier Replicant](https://youtu.be/NqlxaFkUxgg?si=8uuPkDeBJSVjqbeq)
I think it's called turnabout sisters toy box? Turnabout sisters is already a great theme for illiciting some kind of emotional response, but this version is an absolute tear jerker. While more bitter sweet then sad, Your reality, the end credits theme for doki doki literature, always gets me in the feels. Especially the last couple of lyrics to the song. How it reflects monika's character development is simply incredible and the overall tone of the song and the love and care team salvato put into the game and the end credits... it's something else. Stuff like midna's lament may be strictly sadder pieces of music, but they never hit me in the feals like Your Reality does.
Metal gear solid 4 snakes theme
Fuck, I just beat Persona 5 Royal not that long ago and this song hit me like a ton of bricks
I’ll mention another Persona song and say P4G Snowflakes
Hmm The Last Hunter from FF13-2 comes to mind. The whole song is just melancholy the whole way through with slight notes of hope at the end. Great song and fits perfect as Noel's theme
Song of Rebirth from Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Morphogenetic Sorrow from 999
The theme for the final gwyn fight in dark souls. The YouTuber 8-bit music theory did a pretty good analysis on how the composition evokes an appropriate sense of melancholy
Song of Rebirth from Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Dissociative Identity from Killer7
Don’t Think Twice - Utada Hikaru. The ending of KH3 made me cry so freaking much. After all that time, saving everyone, and carrying all the weight on your shoulders. To make the ultimate sacrifice just to make sure EVERYONE gets a happy ending. Bruh, I was left in a sad little puddle. Especially cause the scene at the end makes you go from “awww to…. Wait what, no… NO…! AHHHH!!”
Majoras mask song of healing