Soundtracks are a fundamental element of video games, especially given their ability to express feelings.
Whether they are happiness, sadness, melancholy, rage, tension, or magnificence, musical themes are key to the player’s experience.
Many titles' excellence is because of their soundtracks, and among them, we could include FromSoftware games,whose great sound presence has guaranteed magical and unparalleled moments.
After all these years, we have experienced a sea of sensations worthy of the finest orchestras through their tunes. Therefore, celebrate with me the music of these glorious creations through thisranked list of the ten best Soulsborne boss themes.
10Old King Allant
A Real Song For A False King
Demon’s Souls
Shunsuke Kida
In-game Appearance
Old King Allant boss fight
Although it’s often overlooked,Demon’s Soulsis the blueprint of the Soulsborne formula, and this is reflected in its music as well.
As a result, the epic yet melancholic nature of FromSoftware’s soundtracks began in Boletaria, withOld King Allantas its greatest exponent.
The title’s final boss features the best theme in the entire game, especially for its ability to raise the intensity of the combat to levels that its limited gameplay can’t achieve.
Unlike the developer’s more recent projects,they previously relied much more on songs to convey feelings of tension and glory, which gave them even more prominence and weight within the boss fights.
9Soul of Cinder
A Heavenly Remix
Dark Souls 3
Yuka Kitamura
Soul of Cinder boss fight
Throughout the adventure,Dark Souls 3emits a conclusive aura, aiming to establish that Lothric is the final destination of this long journey.
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FromSoftware’s ability to worldbuilding is immaculate, but even perfection has its scales.
For this reason, FromSoftware connected many points between the third installment and its predecessors, including characters, areas, bosses, and songs.
Thus,Soul of Cinder is the ultimate expression ofDark Souls 3’s intention. From gameplay to sound, the fight is a tribute to the series, with its second phase being the pinnacle of nostalgia through a soundtrack that makes it all unforgettable.
Since there is no person who has played the game and doesn’t feel goosebumps just thinking about Yuka Kitamura’s theme, I think Soul of Cinder accomplished its goal flawlessly.
8Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin
A Lie Will Remain A Lie
Dark Souls 2
Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin boss fight
Despite the valid criticisms you can make regardingDark Souls 2, I can’t help but put them aside when I think about how the final stretch makes you feel.
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FromSoft gets it right most of the time. But not all of the time.
Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin, while a mechanically deplorable boss, is magnificent in narrative and audiovisual terms. Together with its theme,the fight brilliantly conveys the feelings of guilt,frustration,and struggle against an inexplicable and unbearable cycle.
However, to achieve this, it relies on its music entirely, which gives depth to the sad, unwanted, and complex event that is taking place while it plays.
It may only be a tree on fire, but what Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin achieves beyond gameplay is one of the reasons why I most admireDark Souls 2.
7Godskin Apostles
A Spectacle of Another Kind
Elden Ring
Tai Tomisawa
Every ‘Godskin’ boss fight
I’ve always feltElden Ring’s Godskin race was wasted in terms of gameplay due to the high number of times they appear throughout the adventure.
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Sometimes, the boss battle isn’t the thing we dread most
However, it’s because of their constant appearances I’ve truly appreciatedGodskin Apostles, a soundtrack that’s as majestic as it is creepy.
As a series of specimens known for taking down gods and wearing their skins,the accompanying theme conveys how it feels to face such terrifying but divine entities perfectly.
I still lament it’s a fight that has been recycled so many times, but I think it’s a good sacrifice to pay to hear Godskin Apostles and discover a little history behind them.
6The Promised Consort
An Era That Comes To An End
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Shoi Miyazawa
Promised Consort Radahn boss fight
Speaking of replaying a boss numerous times, I lost count of how many attempts it took me to beatPromised Consort Radahn, and I’m still not sure if I liked the conclusion ofShadow of the Erdtreethat much.
However, I am sure the soundtrack is a majestic representation of what’s at stake during combat.The Promised Consortexcellently embodies the notion of two beings of incalculable power facing off to see who will determine the order of things.
At the gates of godhood and facing the most powerful demigods of The Lands Between,the song conveys as much or more than the combat itself, including its beautiful transition into the second phase where Miquella takes center stage.
It’s a shame I fought Radahn when he was more of a laser show and low frames than a final boss, but at least I became fond of its OST during the process.
5Slave Knight Gael
The Trilogy’s Immaculate Finale
Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City
Slave Knight Gael boss fight
The end ofDark Souls 3is also the end of theentire trilogy, and I don’t think there was a more idyllic way to wrap it all up than throughSlave Knight Gael.
As one of the most memorable bosses in Soulsborne history, its fight represents millennia of in-game mythology and years of community passion.
If you add a soundtrack that gains momentum as the fight unfolds, with Gael growing more powerful and the player struggling to keep up, it’s easy to feel an unprecedented sense of glory.
An empty glory, of course, as we are only two nobodies fighting at the end of time and civilization,with no one to bear witness to it but their swords and a soundtrack to rejoice in their majesty.
4The Final Battle
A Legacy of Wonderful Years
Tsukasa Saitoh
Radagon of the Golden Order & Elden Beast boss fight
Even though people don’t likeElden Ring’s final fight all that much,I have to admit it’s probably one of my favorites.
The duality ofRadagon and Elden Beastas the campaign’s final bosses feels both pertinent and epic, especially thanks toThe Final Battletheme.
After 100 hours of gameplay, hearing the same song that made me fall in love withElden Ringfrom the beginning felt like a monumental closure.
Between the combat, the aesthetics, and the soundtrack, especially when you’re facing the Greater Will’s vessel,it’s one of my standout moments in the whole game.
It brings together all of FromSoftware’s years of experience and channels them into one heavenly encounter that people don’t often give the credit it deserves.
3Ludwig, The Accursed
From Bestiality to Divinity
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
Nobuyoshi Suzuki
Ludwig, The Accursed boss fight
Ludwig, The Accursedis probably the most representative theme in all ofBloodborne, so I’m sure you’ll find it odd it’s in fourth place.
Certainly, Nobuyoshi Suzuki’s composition is one of the most stunning and immersive of all FromSoftware’s creations, andit has all the credentials to be considered the best of the Soulsborne games.
Its changes and evolution are an incredible exposition of Ludwig’s fight, who goes from being an untamed beast to a graceful swordsman while the sound also rises in intensity.
The music acknowledges the magnificence of the dispute and of those who carry it out, leading to a memorable climax whose voices and instruments are unforgettable for anyone who has the delight of perceiving them.
It’s the definition of perfection, as will be the following entries. Thus, from here on,all the positions can be interchanged,so we could talk about Ludwig, The Accursed as number one without any problem.
2Gehrman, The First Hunter
A Perfect Final Encounter
Bloodborne
Gehrman, The First Hunter boss fight
FacingGehrman, The First HunterinBloodborneis one of those moments that exemplifies why video games are art.
With the white flowers mourning the deaths of the hundreds of hunters whose tombstones show Gehrman’s meticulous work and the moon stalking closely for its next prey,it’s a fight full ofdeep symbolism.
However, the soundtrack is what turns a seeming dispute about power into a fight to save your fellow hunter from cosmic enslavement.
The sadness of two colleagues trying to prevent the perpetuation of atragic cycleis manifested through a melancholic melody that changes the moment’s aura completely.
It’s a perfect encounter in every sense, especially because of the exquisite song’s contrast with the aggressiveness of the visceral attacks and bullets.
1Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
The Most Iconic Tragedy
Dark Souls
Motoi Sakuraba
Gwyn, Lord of Cinder boss fight
If there is a soundtrack that represents every last detail of FromSoftware’s creations, it’sGwyn, Lord of CinderfromDark Souls.
It isn’t only the most recognized song from Soulsborne games, but also one of the most significant, since its quality transcends the mere sound.
Although it’s beautiful and iconic like few others in the video game industry, details such asbeing onlyplayed with white piano keys to represent Gwyn’s fear of darknessare what put it on another level.
Gwyn, Lord of Cinder is the undead curse, Lordran, and theDark Soulsexperience.Its notes symbolize the entire cosmos hidden in FromSoftware’s masterpiece in just three and a half minutes, and that’s something only geniuses can do.
