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SwSh How's the OST (Official Soundtrack) of Sword/Shield so far to you?

How would you rate the OST out of /10 so far?


  • Total voters
    67
In the end, I'm going to say the OST is either average or slightly above. Note: That isn't necessarily bad from where I'm sitting, because the bulk of Pokemon OSTs post-Gen III are all well below average for me.

Sword/Shield has a lot of meh/forgettable tracks, but it also has a number of memorable ones, more than DPPt, BWB2W2, and SMUSUM, that's one thing for sure. So for me, the OST sits right around the middle in ranking of the generations.

My OST ranking as of now:

  1. XY
  2. GSC
  3. RBY
  4. RSE
  5. SS
  6. BWB2W2
  7. SMUSUM
  8. DPPt

I will note there is a significant gap between RSE and SS for me, though. RSE's OST is worlds above SS's and everything below.
 
I like that, because Galar doesn't actually seem to have a formal Hall of Fame, the signature music instead gets remixed as Leon's battle theme (and is it just me or is there a bit of the Frontier Brain music in there as well? I know Bede's battle theme similarly borrows a melody from the PWT finals theme).
 
I like that, because Galar doesn't actually seem to have a formal Hall of Fame, the signature music instead gets remixed as Leon's battle theme (and is it just me or is there a bit of the Frontier Brain music in there as well? I know Bede's battle theme similarly borrows a melody from the PWT finals theme).
The champion battle music also has some bits from the title screen music too.
 
The Gym Battle theme is certainly my favorite track, especially the first part. It makes me so pumped every time I go face the Gym Leader.

I also like how it changes tempo depending from what happens during the battle, like a Pokémon being OK’d or the Gym Leader being left to their last Pokémon.

I’ve seen that the cheering part is a bit polarizing, but it truly makes the whole Gym challenge feel like the real deal. Like you don’t want to disappoint your fans.

It’s easily my favorite Gym Leader theme so far, with the Gen 5 and Gen 6 being close seconds.
 
The Gym Battle theme is certainly my favorite track, especially the first part. It makes me so pumped every time I go face the Gym Leader.

I also like how it changes tempo depending from what happens during the battle, like a Pokémon being OK’d or the Gym Leader being left to their last Pokémon.

I’ve seen that the cheering part is a bit polarizing, but it truly makes the whole Gym challenge feel like the real deal. Like you don’t want to disappoint your fans.

It’s easily my favorite Gym Leader theme so far, with the Gen 5 and Gen 6 being close seconds.
I agree, the gym leader music is probably my favorite in the game.

The chanting part... I don't care for. I will admit, it's catchy tho.

As for the rest... I'd have to say the OST is overall "meh" for me. Music is one of my favorite parts of any videogame, and this one just doesn't do it for me. It's almost like it's too much... Bede's battle theme is just a mess, Hop's initially gave me Colosseum vibes, but then becomes a letdown, and my ears haven't recovered from the atrocity that is Hulbury.

Having said all this, I'm only 5 badges in, so I hope my overall opinion changes with the rest of the game.
 
I agree. Bede's theme is an absolute mess.

I like everything else, though. Except some city the,es are super annoying.
 
Okay, I'm gonna say it, I'm gonna say it right now.

Wyndon's theme is absolute utter garbage!
 
I found this soundtrack to be pretty "meh" with not a lot of tracks that stood out.
 
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The opening is fine. But the rest of it sucks.

I really love the phase 3 Eternatus theme.
 
I don't really like any of the themes. Like, the only ones that stood out to me were the gym battle and maybe Marnie's theme. The rest, meh. Even Alola's SM soundtrack (which I despise btw) has more memorable themes.
 
Personally, the soundtrack was one of my least favorite parts of the game. Some of the route themes were pretty good and I enjoyed how they attempted to include instruments like bassoon and bagpipes, as well as a more rock style during some portions (like Hop's theme). That's fine and adds to Galar's culture as a play off of the UK. But the gym themes were just plain annoying, for one main reason: the FREAKING CROWD NOISES. It makes sense to have the crowd cheer during a big hit, or when a Pokemon faints, but my biggest gripe with this occurs when the music shifts when the opponent has only one Pokemon left. As a musician it sounds plain gross and lazy to include weird, synthetic voice shouts that are like a quarter beat off the actual beat. I also wasn't a fan of the wolf-like noises in the Slumbering Weald or pretty much wherever Zacian and Zamazenta showed up.

The thing that surprised me the most was that Toby Fox worked on this soundtrack, since I actually really enjoyed the soundtrack from Undertale. Honestly a disappointment and a step down from SuMo.

So yeah, I was the one who voted 3/10.
 
nothing will ever beat the Eternatus v3 soundtrack because that got me SUPER pumped. that and the Champion theme is pretty cool too, as well as Marnie's. Hop's is ok. Bede's is ok. wild Pokemon soundtrack is meh. Gym Leader battle soundtrack is nice, though.

i guess you can say it's more or less hit or miss with more hits than misses for me but both are pretty close. i'd say around 7/10
 
I really love the northern Wild Area music (the one with the bagpipes) but what I love even more is that small chasm of silence around Motostoke Riverbank where it transitions from the southern theme to the northern theme. Parking myself there when there's a thunderstorm and just listening to the ambience is the best.

(I realize I could just turn the BGM down entirely whenever I want, but that wouldn't be as authentic.)
 
Some parts, like the Wild Area one, are far too repetitive. Many other tracks are just there, with the exception of the likes of Glimwood's or Stow-on-Side's tracks.

Others, like Bede's or Marnie's battle-themes are just topnotch for such moments and my go-to tracks in multiplayer battles or the Battle Tower.

So, all in all pretty average. Putting the nostalgia-goggles aside, most Pokémon games suffer from this. Games like WoW, for example, have different versions of the same track to keep some variety. Pokémon should try that, I think.
 
Please note: The thread is from 3 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
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