Editor’s Note: We are kicking off 2026 music reviews with six weeks of classic Final Fantasy! While our team had fun reviewing the recent Pixel Remaster versions of the first six games, our music team was keen to look back at the original versions of Final Fantasy through Final Fantasy VII. We hope you enjoy revisiting these iconic sounds as much as we did. You can always find these, the Pixel Remasters, and all music reviews in our Music section.
I’m aware that I have approached the soundtracks of the classic Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II games in the opposite way to most, having never experienced these games until the Pixel Remaster versions arrived with their new arranged OSTs. Jumping into this album, I was looking forward to taking a trip back in time to the late ’80s and checking out the stripped-back, chiptune origins of Final Fantasy music.
Whilst 1988’s All Sounds of Final Fantasy I • II obviously lacks the variety of a modern soundtrack, that does not mean there’s a lack of range in the emotions or moods it evokes. Bookending the OST are two fantastically nostalgic synth tracks—”Welcome to F.F. World” and “Farewell! F.F. World,” both involving a more layered and full approach (i.e., they sound like regular songs) than the rest of the soundtrack, which is full-on chiptune awesomeness. I particularly enjoy “Farewell…” which is half electropop banger and half power ballad, and sounds like it dropped straight out of an ’80s superhero cartoon.
The rest of the tracks follow a much more basic format, all limited to those chiptune sounds and very short lengths. You can blast through this whole album in just over an hour. There’s a lot of fun to be had on the way too! Don’t let the limited soundscape fool you either; there’s still variety and a journey to be had with All Sounds of Final Fantasy I • II.
“Prelude” and “Opening Theme” will sound very familiar to series fans, and it’s great to hear both of these tracks in their first iterations. “Chaos’ Temple“—one of my favourite tracks from the Pixel Remaster OST—is still a highlight in its original rendition, with the low tones in its main motif creating a nice sense of mystique. “Town” is a fun, jaunty track that feels very fitting for shop music, with the chiptune sound even making it feel more like elevator music or something you’d hear walking around a department store (probably not intended, but a fun modern association from this ’80s track). “Gurgu Volcano” will instantly sound familiar to any Final Fantasy IX fans out there, with Mount Gulug’s music from that game being a new version of this FFI original.
There isn’t a huge distinction between the FFI and FFII tracks, as the overall sound across the games is very similar, though FFII adds a bit more complexity and layering. The “Main Theme” is wonderfully bleak-sounding, and “Chocobo’s Theme” is the first version of the very well-known theme of Final Fantasy‘s giant yellow bird-friends, and it’s just as fun as always. The FFII portion of this soundtrack is a more sombre affair, fitting the game’s world and story perfectly—exemplified by tracks like “Temptation of the Princess,” “Dead Music,” and “Castle Pandemonium.”
It’s interesting listening to this album now, with these retro video game sounds being quite present and on-trend in electronic music genres currently, particularly in synth wave and electropop. Whilst the original FFI and FFII obviously lack the musical variety of contemporary series entries, they’re still a fun listen whether you’re going in for the nostalgic sounds or to hear the origins of some of Final Fantasy‘s most well-known tracks.
