It’s the 26th century. The top notch racing competition is called F-Zero, and visits the universe to race in very different environments and layouts. Still, the sound is pretty much like the current 21st century, clearly showcasing that the oldies will never die. Prepare yourself for some awesome guitar riffs, as well as electronic tunes that will delight your musical tastes.

For starters, the general music for menus and such.

1- Rick’s Theme

The theme of the newly introduced protagonist couldn’t sound more epic than this. A magnificent tune, with some bass roll to go along with it. All he needs after this is just the main spotlight.

2- Menu Screen

This track is used for various screens. Mode select, Cup select, Machine select… And it really can be used for all those purposes. A sober but fast paced guitar riff, along with a light supportive bass. Demonstrates how the game will have action, but at the same time doesn’t rush the player into making a quick selection.

3- Machine Settings

This screen requires a softer tune so the player can take crucial decisions more calmly. Indeed, the song has both a light electronic tune and bass that soothes the mind, perfect for this kind of screen.

4- Results

What a better song than this one to compile the race’s results: a variety of sober electronic tunes with a slow paced bass. In a championship, this song lets you calmly think of the strategy to follow on the next race, as is a soft way of saying in the final results that you failed.

5- Mission Failed

Talking about failing, here goes the saddest tune in the whole game. No bass, no guitar riffs, just a very sad (and somewhat creepy) electronic tune. Trust me, you don’t want to hear this one, so whatever you do, don’t fail a single mission.

6- Total Rank

Essentially, the “Thanks for Playing” tune, played at the end of a championship with the top three machines doing a honor lap around… somewhere. A sober tune, mixing guitars and electronic instruments alike, alongside a nice background bass. A magnificent track to end the game.

And now that we are done with the general music, here go the locations.

7- Mute City

What a better start for the locations than one of the trademarks of this series. A nice and catchy guitar riff, with a very light bass following the tune. Nothing else expected not only from the most important city in F-Zero’s universe, but also from the future version of New York that is Mute City.

8- Fire Field

In a world of scorching heat and lava flowing all around, not less heated action happens in the GPs it hosts. A much faster riff, to better adapt to this living hell, and the bass is a tad more prominent. To infuse more action to the tune, we even hear some keyboards going along the guitars as we progress through the song.

9- Port Town

A fast paced bass with a calm piano tune for the first part. Then, the bass becomes of a normal pace, while the electronic tune becomes more elaborated. A pretty soft track, even though Port Town is the largest space harbor in the universe and thus it theoretically should be a busy and crowded place.

10- Red Canyon

A return to the catchy guitar riffs and prominent bass. For the first seconds, at least, because then we have a calm moment before returning to a softer paced bass and a much calmer riff. And again, the fast paced riff and bass come back. A pretty catchy song, I must say, but doesn’t fit the location, as Red Canyon is said to be the least safe planet the F-Zero visits due to the many space pirates that have made it their home.

11- Sand Ocean

A fast paced bass leads to an equally fast tune, that is later joined by the classic electric guitar. Then, after the initial part, the guitar riff becomes the prominent tune, as the electronic melody is still played as background, even though it eventually disappears. After nearly a minute, the electronic tunes become prominent again as the guitars disappear. Finally, the bass becomes more prominent as the electronic tune becomes basically supportive, and the track starts again. A very changing song that represents how Sand Ocean is, the constant movement of the sand alters the planet’s surface, giving it a different and changing aspect.

12- Illusion

A very fast paced guitar riff is soon followed by an equally fast paced bass. Then, after a brief moment of peace, an electronic tune kicks in, as fast paced as everything on this track. A song that clearly defines this world: since there are no guardrails, the faint-hearted aren’t recommended to race in here.

13- Silence

A fast paced bass is followed by a rather calm electronic tune, with some guitar riffs appearing randomly through the first part of the track. After a while, the guitar riff becomes the prominent tune, and is as fast paced as the bass. I must admit that both the electronic and guitar tunes are very catchy. Still, makes little sense that a song this fast paced is featured in a deserted world where there’s no noise besides the F-Zero crafts.

14- White Land

After some fast paced songs, it’s time for another calm track. The initial guitar riff and the bass are much slower paced, as well as the electronic tunes that come after. Fits well with this world, with such a cold ambient and a constant snowy weather.

15- Lightning

Returning to fast paced tracks. While the bass isn’t very fast, the electric tune sure is, as well as the guitar riff that appears right after. A second tune played by guitars appears later on, which is a lot catchier and a tad slower paced. Still, a very rushed song, perfectly fits with this place, which is surrounded by dark clouds and lightning hammering down from the sky.

16- Big Blue

Ah, another of the emblematic locations of the F-Zero universe, a world which is almost fully covered by a vast water ocean. Being a legendary location, it keeps its classic tune, probably the trademark of the whole F-Zero series. A simple electronic tune accompanied by a somewhat fast paced bass define the epicness of this song. The guitar riff that appears later only increases its epicness, making this song a clear fan favorite, and probably one of the best tracks in the whole game.

17- Mist Flow

The last world the F-Zero visits in this installment is covered in a dense fog, which gives it a ghostly appearance, and also gives the drivers a hard time to race. The track, however, is far from ghostly. A fast paced guitar riff along with an equally fast paced bass kick off the track. After that, a softer but still fast paced electronic tune kicks in, and a different guitar riff, still fast paced, retakes the spotlight several seconds after. As has been staple through the whole game, a fast paced track which clearly demonstrates the action of the F-Zero races.

Overall: Well, less hard-rocker than F-Zero X, and also less than what I remember F-Zero GX, but well, it’s not like this game offers as much action as those two, possibly due to console specifications. Still, a lot of fast-paced songs that make the whole soundtrack very pleasant to listen to, and of course some epic riffs and tunes to brighten up any sad day you can go through.