Episode #401 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth travel back to the formative years of home computer gaming to celebrate the groundbreaking work of Martin Galway, one of the true architects of early video game music. Best known for pushing the Commodore 64’s SID chip far beyond its perceived limits, Galway helped define the sound of an entire era with unforgettable compositions.

Long before lush orchestras and expansive sound libraries, Galway was composing bold, expressive, and technically daring music under extreme hardware constraints, creating tracks that still shine with personality and ambition decades later. This Composer Appreciation honors a pioneer whose fearless experimentation and melodic instincts laid crucial groundwork for everything video game music would eventually become, and whose influence can still be felt in chiptune and retro-inspired scores today.

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. Ocean Loader 1 from Hyper Sports [Martin Galway, 1985]
2. Title Screen from Arkanoid [Martin Galway, 1988]
3. Title Screen from Wizball [Martin Galway, 1987]
4. Title Theme from Crazee Rider [Martin Galway, 1987]
5. Title Screen -I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor- from Combat School [Martin Galway, 1987]
6. Title Screen from Rambo: First Blood Part II [Martin Galway, 1985]
7. Title Theme from Terra Cresta [Martin Galway, 1986]
8. Title Screen from Helikopter Jagd [Martin Galway, 1986]
9. Title Screen from Ultima: Runes of Virtue II [Martin Galway, 1993]
10. Main Theme from The Neverending Story [Martin Galway, 1985]
11. Main Theme from Game Over [Martin Galway, 1987]
12. Title Theme from Yie Ar Kung-Fu II: The Emperor Yie-Gah [Martin Galway, 1986]
13. Title Screen from Times of Lore [Martin Galway, 1988]
14. Title Screen from Street Hawk [Martin Galway, Unreleased]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

BGMania B-Sides #37 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bedroth dives headfirst into the bright skies and high-speed thrill of Kirby Air Riders, Nintendo’s long-awaited return to the cult-favorite racing series, where momentum, mastery, and just a touch of chaos rule the day.

Building on the legacy of Kirby Air Ride while confidently carving its own path, Kirby Air Riders blends accessible arcade racing with surprising depth and a distinct sense of joy. Its soundtrack leans into that identity, bursting with buoyant melodies, kinetic rhythms, and playful arrangements that perfectly capture the rush of flight and the unmistakable charm of the Kirby universe.

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. VS. Nightmare from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
2. Airtopia Ruins from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
3. Cyberion Highway from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
4. Air from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
5. Nova from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
6. City from Kirby Air Riders [Hirokazu Ando, 2025]
7. Dense Fog from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
8. VS. Zero Two from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
9. VS. Hyper Gigantes from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare, Shogo Sakai & Akira Miyagawa, 2025]
10. Starlit Journey - Free -Final Credits- from Kirby Air Riders [Noriyuki Iwadare feat. MJ Cube, 2025]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Episode #400 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth celebrate 400 mainline episodes of this concept and project that started in 2017 with our longest runtime yet for a single episode. And what better way to do so than with an idea that started a few years ago where, much like life, we have no idea what is coming next on the playlist.

Besides hopefully finding some really cool things through the grace of the universe, the guys also reminisce on the past 400 episodes of BGMania, especially the last almost four years that Bedroth has been on the show. Crack one open this week and celebrate with us! Here's to many more episodes to come.

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. Shadows of Eternity from Drill Core [Nikola Nikita Jeremić, 2025]
2. Twilight Romance -Side B- from Freshly Frosted [Josie Brechner, 2022]
3. Music 12 from 70's Robot Anime Geppy-X [Momo Michishita, 1999]
4. Fallen Village Interval from Metal Gear Survive [Takanori Kaneko, 2018]
5. Frozen City from Snowdrop Escape [Paweł Perepelica, 2021]
6. Echoes of Bells Beneath a Crimson Moon -The Ravager- from Remnant 2 [Rob Westwood, 2023]
7. Bonus Levels from Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 [Bartosz Idzi, 2003]
8. True Form from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero [Takanori Arima, Toshiyuki Kishi, Kenji Katoh & Seiji Hotta, 2024]
9. Level 333 from Fractured Minds [Kai Engel, 2017]
10. Recet and Tear from Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale [sarumotto, 2007]
11. The Battle of Underground from Cyber Sled [Shinji Hosoe, 1993]
12. Tales of North Pole from Gumby vs. the Astrobots [Edward Colman, 2005]
13. StarForge Theme -Classic- from StarForge [Kevin "LoudCore" Greenlee, 2014]
14. Track 29 from Gift: Prism [Makoto Sasakura & Kotaro Odaka, 2006]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Bonus Episode #58 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan steps into the ancient past of Hyrule in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. After the mystery surrounding the Imprisoning War, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo finally reveal the canonical story of Demon King Ganondorf's first rise to power. In this comprehensive review, we explore how developer Koei Tecmo's AAA Games Studio has crafted the most refined Hyrule Warriors experience yet, taking players through Princess Zelda's time-displaced journey alongside King Rauru, Queen Sonia, and the legendary Sages who united to save the newly founded kingdom of Hyrule.

This episode features an extensive breakdown of the game's stunning soundtrack, composed by the acclaimed MONACA collective (Keiichi Okabe, Ryuichi Takada, Kuniyuki Takahashi, Oliver Good, Keita Inoue, and Taichi Joraku), the same talented team behind NieR: Automata and Stellar Blade. We also cover the game's musou-style combat with Sync Strikes and Zonai Devices, the diverse roster of 19 playable characters, expansive side content, technical performance on the Nintendo Switch 2, and why this canonical Warriors entry stands as Bryan's favorite musou game to date.

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. Undaunted Will -Zelda Main Theme- from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
2. Main Theme from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
3. Land of Antiquity from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
4. Battle for the Wetlands from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
5. Battle for the Forest from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
6. To the Rescue from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
7. The Blood Moon Rises from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
8. The Stormwind Ark from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
9. Grimgera Boss Battle Theme from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
10. Hearts Connected -Zelda's Lullaby- from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
11. Demon King Ganondorf Theme from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
12. Evil Construct Theme -Phase 1, 2, 3- from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
13. Journey's End from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]
14. Staff Credits from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [MONACA, 2025]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Episode #399 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan closes out the month of November 2025 with another eclectic mix in Radio Hour, Volume 81!

This episode is packed with a blend of tracks spanning generations. From sweeping orchestral journeys and relaxed overworld themes to high-energy battle tunes and deep-cut surprises, there’s a little something for every kind of VGM fan. Settle in and enjoy another hand-curated selection of music to close out the month in style.

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. Title Screen from Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault [Christopher Larkin, 2025]
2. Dance Through the Danger from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Jake Kaufman feat. Cristina Vee, 2016]
3. Moon Theme from DuckTales: Remastered [Jake Kaufman, 2013]
4. Theme of Ryu from Super Street Fighter IV [Hideyuki Fukasawa, 2010]
5. Candy Tobacco from The Outer Worlds 2 [Jim Bonney feat. Holy Crow Jazz Band, Jessy Carolina, Kory Leigh & Jim Ziegler, 2025]
6. How To Get Ahead (Never Get Caught) from "Auntie: The Musical" from The Outer Worlds 2 [Jim Bonney feat. Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, Marco Palos, April Stewart, The Swing Dolls & Tony Manfredonia, 2025]
7. Fibonacci from The Outer Worlds 2 [Juliette Jones, 2025]
8. Toccata from Crawl [Alex Yoder, 2017]
9. Tokushima from Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!! [Satoshi Okubo, Kosuke Inoue, Hideaki Miyamoto, Shinji Yoshikawa, Akihiro Juichitani, Eri Tanaka & Kazushi Umeda, 2023]
10. Infinite Ferocity from The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II [Mitsuo Singa, 2022]
11. Possessor(s) from Possessor(s) [Azuria Sky, 2025]
12. Beautiful World from Blue Protocol: Star Resonance [Shuji Katayama, 2025]
13. Intergalactic Convertible from Dispatch [Andrew Arcadi, 2025]
14. Special Stage from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 [Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace, Doug Grigsby III, Cirocco Jones, Michael Jackson & Bruce Connole, 1994]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

BGMania B-Sides #36 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bedroth ventures into the windswept fields and mystical frontier of Windswept, the newly released indie adventure that’s already capturing hearts with its gentle worldbuilding and evocative score.

Crafted with a focus on exploration, emotion, and atmosphere, Windswept invites players into a land shaped by ancient spirits, drifting memories, and the quiet pull of destiny. Composed by Patrick Crecelius and Zach Fendelman, known together as Fat Bard, its soundtrack carries that spirit beautifully. It layers warm acoustic textures, airy synths, and intimate melodic themes to create a soundscape that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly new.

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. Adventure Awaits from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
2. Guiding Glade from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
3. Brambles in the Breeze from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
4. Over the Raybow from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
5. Aucora's Abyss from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
6. Lunosa's Library from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
7. Dizzying Descent from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
8. Spicy Ice Speedway from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
9. Bells End from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]
10. Windswept from Windswept [Fat Bard, 2025]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Episode #397 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth gather around the virtual table for our Thanksgiving-inspired celebration: Nature’s Harvest. We dig into games that capture the spirit of gathering, growing, cultivating, and coming together. From quiet farming moments to festival energy, from playful abundance to mysterious rural charm, we explore how composers across genres approach the idea of harvest, not just as crops in a field, but as a season, a feeling, and a rhythm of life.

Whether the music evokes community, hard work, celebration, or the calm in between, each track brings a different shade of the harvest season to life. Join us as we wander through cozy villages, vibrant fields, bustling festivals, and even a few unexpected corners of gaming that interpret the idea in their own unique way.

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. Dance of Thanksgiving from Summon Night 2 [Chiaki Fujita, Minako Adachi & Kohei Matsuoka, 2001]
2. Crops Left Behind from Wingspan [Paweł Górniak, 2020]
3. Tractor Tippin' Blues from Cars [Bruno Coon, 2006]
4. Grain Cellar from World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria [Russell Brower, Neal Acree, Sam Cardon, Edo Guidotti, Jeremy Soule & Derek Duke, 2012]
5. Harvest Time from Against the Storm [Mikołaj Kurpios, 2023]
6. Main Theme -Slow Acoustic- from HARVESTELLA [Go Shiina, 2022]
7. Canyon of Harvest from The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails [Ryo Takeshita, 2012]
8. Wheat Wave from Rise to Ruins [José Ramón García, 2019]
9. The Password is 'Barley Broth' from PRINCESS CONNECT! Re:Dive [no_my, 2018]
10. Squash from Aoi Namida [Hideki Takahashi, Yoshio Tsuru & EJ, 2004]
11. The Harvest Festival from Farmagia [Tetsuya Kobayashi & Shioto Hamasaki, 2024]
12. Cornucopian Village -Town of Good Harvest- from Baten Kaitos Origins [Motoi Sakuraba, 2006]
13. Mysteries of the Cornucopia from Cornucopia [Pontus Hultgren, 2023]
14. Harvest of Love from Beautiful Katamari [Yuji Masubuchi feat. Hitomi Ishikawa, 2007]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
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PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Bonus Episode #57 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. The fall through shadow has only just begun. Kaelen, Torren, and their unlikely new ally Brenn plummet through a starlight portal into the Sunken Realms, islands trapped in eternal twilight, casualties of Zyra's earliest experiments with corrupted bindings. Here, among crystallized tears and frozen moments of catastrophe, they must confront the graveyard of noble intentions gone terribly wrong.

In this third installment of our four-part radio drama, our heroes walk through a museum of failures that reveals the exact moment when reform became tyranny. They encounter Nethys, a woman caught between all realities, who shows them the mechanics of the life-binding ritual and the terrible price required to break it. They discover Zyra's hidden research vault, where decades of meticulous planning toward absolute control lie preserved in cold precision. And they face Auren, not as the enemy they feared, but as a sister still fighting against the chains slowly consuming her will.

The path to the Shadowed Core grows clearer with each revelation, but so does the understanding that saving those they love will demand sacrifices none of them are prepared to make. The Choice-Point, that crucial moment when resistance becomes impossible, draws ever closer for everyone involved.

Content Note: This fantasy adventure contains themes of betrayal, magical violence, and family conflict.

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. Twilight from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [Toru Minegishi, 2006]
2. The House from What Remains of Edith Finch [Jeff Russo, 2017]
3. Flooded Suspense from Dishonored [Daniel Licht, 2012]
4. The Point Where Light Vanishes from Senua's Saga: Hellblade II [David García Díaz, 2024]
5. Whispers of the Forgotten Machines from System Shock [Jonathan Peros, 2023]
6. Timelines from Life is Strange [Jonathan Morali, 2015]
7. Kaine -Salvation- from Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139 [Keiichi Okabe feat. Emi Evans, 2021]
8. The Price of Freedom from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion [Takeharu Ishimoto, 2022]
9. No Turning Back from A Plague Tale: Requiem [Olivier Deriviere, 2022]
10. Dream Already Seen from Returnal [Bobby Krlic, 2021]

VOICE CAST

• Narrator - Bryan Clutter
• Kaelen - Bryan Clutter
• Torren - Kyle Vaughn
• Brenn - Kyle Vaughn
• Zyra - Bryan Clutter
• Theren - Brian Booth
• Nethys - Brian Booth
• Auren - Brian Booth
• Varn - Bryan Clutter
• Sera - Lindsey Vaughn
• Elyndra - Lindsey Vaughn

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