Episode #407 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth spotlight Octopath Traveler 0, the newest entry in Square Enix's beloved HD-2D series.

Yasunori Nishiki returns as composer, delivering new tracks that capture the game's themes of loss, revenge, and restoration. From Wishvale's destruction to ring-bearing villains, we explore battle themes, character leitmotifs, and an emotional vocal ending.

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. Main Theme from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
2. Choices to Make from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
3. Wishvale from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
4. Battle 0 from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
5. Tytos, The Hero from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
6. Herminia, the Covetous Witch from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
7. Auguste, the Playwright from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
8. Decisive Battle 0 from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
9. Bestower of Wealth from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
10. Who Awaits on Greed's Path from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
11. Hell -Battle- from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
12. The Heavens -Decisive Battle- from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
13. Returning All to Nil from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki, 2025]
14. Yet I Carry On from Octopath Traveler 0 [Yasunori Nishiki feat. Kaon Kokudo, 2025]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
• Instagram: BGManiaPodcast
• TikTok: BGManiaPodcast
• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Episode #406 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth delve into the emotional power of ballads throughout gaming history.

From satirical power ballads to heartbreaking laments, and interactive folk songs to sweeping orchestral endings, we're covering the full spectrum of vocal storytelling. Whether it's karaoke confessions, ending credit tearjerkers, or sirens serenading you during boss fights, ballads give composers space to explore melody and lyrics in ways that humanize virtual worlds and create those intimate moments we never forget.

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. This is a Power Ballad from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City [Lex Horton feat. Darren Ritchie, 2002]
2. Lament of Orpheus from Hades [Darren Korb, 2020]
3. Without You from Sonic X Shadow Generations [Jun Senoue feat. Casey Lee Williams, 2024]
4. We Are As One from Bayonetta 3 [Hiroshi Yamaguchi feat. Rachael Hawnt, 2022]
5. Amidst a Dream from Judgment [Kiyo feat. Nao Toyama, 2018]
6. Theme Song from Love And Deepspace [Sarah Brightman, 2024]
7. Why from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion [Yoshihiko Nishio feat. ayaka, 2022]
8. What We Did in Colorado from Wasteland 3 [Nathan Long feat. William Whitmore, 2020]
9. Fear Not This Night from Guild Wars 2 [Jeremy Soule feat. Asja Kadric, 2012]
10. Baka Mitai from Yakuza 0 [Mitsuharu Fukuyama feat. Takaya Kuroda, 2015]
11. Wherever You Are from Digimon Story: Time Stranger [Yuichi Ohno & Atsushi Masuda feat. reche, 2025]
12. Maybe Tomorrow from Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra [Yuki Kajiura feat. Emily Curtis and the Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus, 2006]
13. Bewitching Eyes from Hades II [Darren Korb feat. Erin Yvette, Ashley Barrett & Judy Alice Lee, 2025]
14. Girl In The Tower from King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow [Mark Seibert feat. Bob Bergthold & Debbie Seibert, 1992]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
• Instagram: BGManiaPodcast
• TikTok: BGManiaPodcast
• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

BGMania B-Sides #39 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bedroth takes flight into Air Twister, Yu Suzuki’s kaleidoscopic rail shooter that blends arcade intensity with surreal fantasy, sending players soaring through pastel skies and dreamlike landscapes at breakneck speed.

Driven by Valensia’s operatic, symphonic rock score, Air Twister’s soundtrack feels grand, theatrical, and unashamedly dramatic. Sweeping strings, choral flourishes, and pulsing rhythms collide in a way that’s both elegant and overwhelming, creating a musical experience that’s constantly in motion, like riding a gust of wind through a vivid, ever-shifting dream where beauty and chaos exist in perfect balance.

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. Air Twister from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
2. Maia from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
3. Michelle Mambo 2022 from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
4. Phantom of the Opera 2022 from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
5. Into the Realm of Nature from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
6. Aglaea 2022 from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
7. Princess Mystique from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
8. Act of the Silver Squid from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
9. Arma et Alas from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]
10. We Have Come Home from Air Twister [Valensia, 2022]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
• Instagram: BGManiaPodcast
• TikTok: BGManiaPodcast
• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously