Secret of Mana OST - Ceremony ~ South Ruins Theme

[Bloodymistressjacqui]

I have this as sms tone. ^^

[haybra1]

scariest game music i can think of- apart from the boss music also in secret of mana :O

[totzstangolo]

need those notes to give it our organ musician in church. all the people would go nuts, i swear

[hoodlamote]

Oh my god!!! When I hit the play button my nose started to bleed.

[maxwell5772]

First, my english isn`t so good :P

In my childhood i was so scared that i was only able to do that Ruins with my mother near to me. :D :D :D ( embarassing :P) Today i am not scared anymore but i still get goosebumbs from that music brrrrr

[stufaman]

I'm an amateur wrestler. I'd love this as an entry soundtrack. Why hasn't anyone remixed this?

Not that it needs it.

[TrikQuestionS]

@stufaman

Cos remixing it would be fucking blasphemous.

[stufaman]

@TrikQuestionS True. But I do think this tune needs to be more recognised.

[TrikQuestionS]

@stufaman

More than fair enough dude :-) totally agree. Most of the SoM music is fantastic!

[stufaman]

@TrikQuestionS I'm an amateur wrestler. I've been thinking of using this tune for a sort of freak character. Even if I don't do well. I hope folks will recognise this tune.

[mattwarren85]

I think this music is so creepy, there should be a new fad. I call it "Ceremony goes with Nightmare Fuel". Imagine this song playing over all those things that freaked you out as a kid. Pennywise the Clown, Sesame Street's I-beam, Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain sequence...the list goes on and on. I was originally gonna suggest Super Paper Mario's River Twygz Bed theme, but IMO, Ceremony is much scarier. What do you think?

[lisamariem89]

Oh god... this level used to give me nightmares as a kid. The music is just so haunting!

[Eaglecris]

so creepy O_o

[KhagarBalugrak]

This is like gamelan music's evil twin.

[BronzeGrowlithe]

This music used to terrify me when i was younger. This was probably the first time I realized videogame music could do that actually...

[Darushiokan]

This gamelan is so amazing! And the creepy flute behind! I'm so fond of this track!

SoM my favourite game!

[ChrisspacePatti]

This was definitely the creepiest theme of them all. Even today, I find the use of it's gongs and chimes surprisingly cryptic and disturbing.

[MayaCrystalwing430]

I think this music is kinda creepy... Especially for the rooms/areas its used for... Still great music... ;-}

[Psychowilly]

I loved this game since it came out, Just replaying it now, it plays so childish. I wish it could be CAREFULLY remade, but that will HOPEFULLY never happen. The Square that made SoM doesn't exist anymore. I'd never let Square Enix touch this game. Look what they did to FF7. Every time they remake a game..... UGH.

[OrcishSlacker]

@Psychowilly Agreed. The Hero would become a brooding bishy, the Girl would go from confidant to meek and useless without the Hero around, and the Sprite would be older, female, and turned into hyperactive and obnoxious jailbait. Instead of building on the present combat system, they'd throw in some arbitrary and useless "card" system or something. Since Square Enix only cares about its properties if it sees big, fat dollar signs written all over them I have a feeling SoM is safe.

[Psychowilly]

@OrcishSlacker Truth. The artistry that existed in the past square games has either been sapped or replaced with this modern pop star imagery that I personally find uninspiring. Example: if they were to remake a game like Final Fantasy VI, I'd bring on the original artist Yoshitaka Amano as art director and visually create the game the way he illustrated it. But Square Enix would find that probably too risky for their main stream audience. I guess can see why some argue that games aren't art.

[alcibiades1111]

You muted it! Ha! I liked it. KALI-MA, KALI-MA!

[rikerZruleZ]

back then the sound was so creepy i muted it ...

[Geckogold]

This music was creepy back in the day, and still sends shivers down my spine. Stupid Tomato Man...

[TheJoGamer]

I get insane of this!

[genaschtes]

this is scary as fuck!

[DrLen23]

@genaschtes listen to this with a sub bass... all i will say

[alcibiades1111]

This part kicked ass. That village was all turned into zombies or whatever.

[mog1255]

There's only one way to do the 2 levels with this song...run like hell.

[uzleber04]

playing this at about age 10-11 back in 93, this music scared the life out of me. I dunno what was scarier, this or the Esper theme in FFIII/FFVI

[ActaiosReborn]

my fav song of the whole game!!!!! =D

[RUdigitized]

I always blitzed through the ruins because I this music terrified me so much.

[IsilionNELE]

wow, those ruins always scared me

so many undead

and this chilling, creepy music

[ebasha24]

This song still scares me almost 20 years later. Brings me back.

[VenomLeon]

As a kid, this part of the game's story made me fear walls for a while.. Just image 3 eyes showing up on your wall, and say: "I see what you did there!"

[gummygummygumdrops3]

sounds like a haunted Christmas, one of my favorites from the game

[MrKingsme]

hmmmm sound like something in the dark that only goes after children like Freddie i remember this part i hated the chess knights loved killen the zombies

[Atomsk382]

Oh yes, the game was upbeat fun and games until you stumbled upon these dark demonic ruins with demon statues staring at you and then you hear this.....

[Laurelindo]

This seriously feels like a shroom trip.

[seanysean83]

i associate this music ith klowns because im scared and it sounds like a evil circus...

[Yazunmanto77]

Oh yes... they float! THEY ALL FLOAT!!

[FuranSoul]

@Yazunmanto77 I laughed so hard.

[EverDownward]

@Yazunmanto77 This artwork even looks like the place where Pennywise's lair is.

[mystikka117]

@Yazunmanto77 Now I have to go watch that movie :P

[moonraker09]

This theme is based on Gamelan traditionnal Bali music... Very interesting :)

[horncomposer]

it bothers me how many people say this is creepy.....it's sampled balinese instruments in a "pelog"-like "key." pelog is one of the indonesian tuning systems which sounds like phyrigian mode (which to western ears may sound "creepy" or "mysterious").

[IngridHunnigan]

@horncomposer who gives a shit what the technical elements of the music is? It still is genuinely creepy music used appropriately in the game. It seems to me you just wanted to look smart by explaining the fundamentals of the tune but really you just come off as a condescending jackass

[horncomposer]

@IngridHunnigan wow ok.....the only reason i think i would be condescending is because i am considering the musical values of people to be lower (or higher) than others. sorry if the way i perceive music is different than you....i was merely annoyed that people weren't conscious of the origins of the music. true this is in a video game and not a ethnomusicological documentary, but if it were a video of an actual balinese gamelan i would be even more bothered by the comments.

[IngridHunnigan]

@horncomposer So if I'm a mechanical engineer should I get annoyed at drivers for not knowing how their cars work? No. I respect that you know a lot about music but lecturing people and berating them because of the way they hear something is not going to win you many friends. Especially on the internet. Knowledge isn't going to change many listeners' opinions on the song so don't get bothered by their comments and don't try to change what they think

[horncomposer]

@IngridHunniga If ancient Gregorian monks were to listen to modern jazz they'd probably think its so dissonant it must be devil's music....music is relative and not perceived the same way by everybody. believe it or not, i truly respect everyone's right to their own interpretation. nevertheless what sounds "sad" or "creepy" to us might be proud or celebratory in another musical culture. but people aren't aware of that nor do they care ("its only music") and THAT's what i'm annoyed about.

[lockieme]

@horncomposer I have to disagree to a certain degree... there are certain cords or melodies that promote feeling and certain emotions and are universally recognized. I will admit that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what is perceived is often taught, but there is no mistaking here, from eastern to western cultures, that the irony of the bells paired with the melancholy melody is indeed creepy and puts you on edge...

[horncomposer]

@lockieme nah i disagree.....rhythm and texture and their effects more universal across cultures but chords and melodies are not (except in this modern world where western music influences EVERYTHING). fast music always seems energetic regardless, but a major key which sounds happy to us is perceived completely differently by someone whose music doesn't even use all tones. pelog, used here, has only 7 tones (as opposed to our 12 tones) and can sound all different emotions.

[Deretythe]

@horncomposer (continued) but as you said, many emotions evoked by music are relative to one's surrounding culture. If it sounds sad and creepy in the culture of the composer, and the cultures of the game's audiences, then the composer has accomplished what he was trying to do.

I can actually vaguely hear how this could be considered "celebratory", but the predominant feeling I get is creepiness, particularly coupled with the locations this music appeared in the game.

[Deretythe]

@horncomposer I think it's still valid for people to say this music is creepy and/or sad. That was pretty much the composer's intention: you're in an ancient, ruined temple, filled with pink mist and all manner of demons and posessed objects. In addition, a friend of one of your party members has been brainwashed, and almost an entire town has been turned into mindless zombies and taken there... Sure, in some culture the music may be perceived as celabratory, but (continued in another post)

[BlackfeetSinopaa]

I tell you a funny as hell story. My friend said that Dead Space was the scariest game he's ever played. So one day he was showing it to me and was really getting into it, so I decided to crank this little gem in the background just to mess with him.

Something jumped out of nowhere during the big dong in the song and he damn near ran out of the room wetting himself scared. Thank you SOM for giving me such a great memory! XD

[XF0N]

this theme scared the hell out of me and made me want to leave immediately!

[SabreMatt311]

This track is sinister nursery rhyme music. Really creepy. It pretends to be inviting while luring innocence. Sounds like a KORN intro. When you play this game and hear this music for the first time, you are all like....."Shit! I should've leveled up!

[SkellionPowalskiz]

This song is made scarier by the fact that the boss is that wall, he's so damn hard.

[orenjidance]

Man..... this song should be added to a horror game... it'll make the horror game 10 times scarier.

[Killthem54]

Psykopat song

[Charliegone]

Thumbs up if you couldn't kill that floating kappa head that drops zombies. WTF?

[dlav8]

@Charliegone

magic bro, magic

[TheVideoGameFreak100]

Ahhhh, I remember now, this song plays right before you fight The Dark Lich, This song is Thanatos's Theme, The Oracle is not, however I can understand why people think The Oracle is Thanatos's theme, because it's the most memorable Secret Of Mana Boss Fight and Boss song Ever.

[MistressRemilia]

Dark, Evil and sooooooo Creepy.... Heeheeheehh...

[Alexx1083]

Ah, I love this horrble, creepy song. I played SoM originally in my basement (that's where the little TV and my SNES was set up back then) so this one always brings back memories of the dark basement and trying not to look into it's farther reaches while this played.

[occultologist]

this music describes the way i feel when i look in the mirror, when one of my eyes seems to have a mind of it's own, like it's not me, it's looking in different directions.

[krikrou100]

@occultologist lol !! well we all go through difficult phases in life and happen to feel like this on certain days... well... actually, no !!! I advise you go see an ophthalmologist

[occultologist]

@krikrou100 i don't know, i think there's another person inside me and he/she is in control of my left eye, it gives me the creeps. sometimes i feel like i should just cut it ou. i need help

[prinnyzawa]

this song reminds me of gygas and the circus if they had a child

[Keklawlawlawl]

This song is great :)

[musashi7272]

Scary.

[mopbrothers]

Going to Toon Town.

[elbarto94]

Definitely one of the best tracks of SoM. So weird and creepy, but i love it. Makes me think about forest temple theme in Zelda ocarina of time, for the weird side.

[PsychoKrazyTime]

The best thing about the music in this game is that it starts off awesome, yet as the game goes on it keeps getting better and better. Just when you think that your favourite track can't be surpassed, suddenly the game throws better tracks at you.

[Sosske]

this song makes me happy xD i think its not creepy at all o.o

[omganotherun]

Damn, this shit gave me nightmares as a kid. <_< Probably still can...

[Amnesiac085]

I think this song made my parents cry in fear when they heard it coming from the basement.

[Lamoir]

I think it's a kewl and creepy song at the same time, I also didn't have a hard time with this place. I just ran away from the tomato guys when I ran out of magic. I actually had a much harder time with the previous place with the fire gigas.

[darthskull77]

i remember playing this part of the game always liked this music was creepy as hell

[LilClinkin]

haha this song is awesome

[magetacular]

Dark, comforting and nostalgistic.

[theblocksays]

This music definitely reminds me of errie music from the Akira soundtrack....Tetsuoooooooo!!!­!

[laclillac]

@theblocksays That because both of them are based on Traditional Balinese songs :)

[JLCL01]

@theblocksays

KANEDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

[ElvenNoble]

It's odd, but unlike most of the people here who have commented, rather than finding this song scary, I find it hypnotic.

[starshinesMonet]

Thank you! I really wanted a copy of this song for a Halloween PL I was making for a friend but could not find it ANYWHERE! This was always the creepiest scene in the whole game for me and I would play and re-play it constantly because of it!

[MacDragard]

This reminds me of that movie IT. Judging by how the music sounds, you would think there would be more evil clowns (and balloons) in this level.

[thantrus]

I feel like this song wants to take my soul ._.

[northi05]

I remember in my childhood, i ran throug those dungeons, avoiding all emenies, to get out as fast as possible. Only because of this soundtrack. I hated this music when i was young and it has been burning into my head back then.

Today i think it is great, in my opinion one of the most underrated sounds of the game, cause no other one led such a strong impression to me.

[IsilionNELE]

gave me goosebumps when i was a kid. going through the ruins made me paranoia

[DDofCourage]

I've had the midi for this for a million years, I've been trying to figure out what it's from, I finally found ittt 8D Thanks for uploading this.

[Chidsuey]

When I was little I was stuck on this part of the game for a long time because every time this music would start, I would get SUPER scared and head back to the town. I couldn't even get in the door!

[Quincy0047]

This was the only soundtrack in the entire game that I didn't love. It creeped me out so badly that I remember turning the sound off just for this part.

[ElectricPandaa]

Omg...I kinda like creepy stuff, and a faved this, but then i listened to it at night....in a room with no one else in it...aaaaaand....D:>

lol, but I'm not home alone.:D

This song is awesomely creepy.

[zeldagamerDX6]

feels like the dark emotion associated with silent hill. it's like darkness closing in on you, and as you drop to you knees as you bear a look of disbelief, and then clutch your head in anguish, and fear. the darkness closes in on you as you descent deeper.....deeper.....deeper..­.....until you reach a point of no return, at which point it ultimately swallows you.

the eternal nightmare, and sleep......

[Subartimaeus]

@zeldagamerDX6

stop... stop describing it... WHY MUST YOU INCLUDE SO MUCH DETAIL?!

[lightignakelloyd]

Giygas won't even dare to enter here...

the song reaches THAT level of awesomeness

[Doriol]

Sounds like a song straight out of Akira.

[AlphaAlgeroth]

Gentlemen, this is what a lack of reason sounds like.

I love it.

[SilverNoaCross]

Reminds me of the Andromeda intro theme.

[ChAnYaHmAhCogEcO]

Fucking nightmare fuel right here, Jesus Christ.

[Yasukunidude]

Sound a bit like Indonesian Music

[poorlittlerichiegirl]

@Yasukunidude I agree :) I heard very similar music on a show about traditional dancers from Bali

[lordreis]

I still recall playing this game for the first times... I couldn't enter the ruins with the OST playing, I had to have different music or the ruins would creep me out too much ;)

Now I simply love this track and enjoy the goosebumps I still get while listening to this track... Nowadays videogames don't have such a well-composed and -arranged soundtrack anymore - these songs are EPIC, each and every one of it!

[Andronious]

Those ruins weren't abandoned for a reason,

thanatos' guards were protecting you from what was inside,

tomato men throwing zombies at you,

a room with no doors and spikes, with a wall inching ever closer,

you do not know fear, until you enter the ruins.

Many enter...none leave...save the wielder of the mana-sword

[mumble090]

i love this song out of all of them! no matter how many times i play this game,i love listening to this

[drako897]

this has always reminded me of 'You know when this music stops your gonna be facing the evil wall >_>'

[babieslostintime]

One of my favorite songs ever. I'm shocked at how many people are frightened by it.

[morrisandlola]

This music would fit Castlevania.

[TellKenzine]

This music freaked me RIGHT the fuck out as a kid.

[Woodland312]

Hiroki Kikuta was definately affected by Gamelan music when he did the OST for this game. Shows especially much in this song and for Dark Lich's theme.

[zeldagamerDX6]

try as I may to resist the eerie music, I cannot.

it looks as if this is the beginning of benjamin young's descent into the mindless bottomless darkness beyond human comprehension from which there is no return...it kind of reminds of a poem that I heard somewhere:

blackness covers all I see and touch....

no feeling of pain...just sorrow...

my hand loses grip of the sword I once held...

and I turn to darkness to become at long last...a true shadow...

[warlordninja100]

o i fukn love secret of mana songs that r sorta like this and what the forest taught me

[TheWho0p]

i hated this song when i played it the first time ( i was 5 years old :D )

[SourcererZ]

It's a very well made music for the place, it make me think of a cursed place where dark rituals are made and everything there may attack you from anywhere.

[Mootime7]

I was staying over at my mom's friends house many years ago. Her son wasnt there, and she left me up in his bedroom to play his SNES while she went to the store. I put in Secret of Mana, loaded one of the saves and heard this music, which creeped me the fuck out especially since I was alone in a strange house. Later my mom's friend came back. She brought her dog for me to play with, and he immediately bit my hand so hard his upper teeth went through the back and out the palm. I hate this song.

[4lbatross]

I just finished this place, and I hate it with my heart. The tomato guys that are invulnerable to physical attacks are annoying as heck, as you run out of magic to use on the boss.

[Hessar]

Given it's a bloody 16 bit era game, and the game'snot even meant to be scary, it's really quite surprising how eerie this music gets around 2 in the morning in a darkened room.

[MrTJH1991]

@Hessar agreed!

[ShinTheSilverDemon]

Wait a minute, this song is like the spiritual brother of Tetsuo's theme in Akira! 0_0 now I see why people are afraid of it.

[Slammerbit]

@ShinTheSilverDemon

No...It just has a creepy tune to it besides nothing can top secret of mana

[SoulReaperVampire]

lol makes me think of paper mario Dry Dry ruins

[GoddaGo]

This one gave me nightmares! :O

[golbezchaoslord]

those tomatoe men got on my nevers. does 30 attacks. i'm saying what the hell. evne charge weapon attack miss. annoying. well this is also the theme of thanatos, so everytime i hear this i think of thanatos.

[gunpei]

I had to turn the volume down when I was a kid cause this song scared me :O

[kAmi9teen8y5]

When i was a kid i refused to continue playing SD/SoM for a couple of days, weeks even! Just because this song scared me shitless!!! Good times though^^

[redtesla]

I just heard a vaguely similar piece on TV called Semara, by Ancient Future. It got me thinking of this song so I had to get on here and check it out for old times sake. I would provide a link, but I can't find Semara anywhere online. Check it out if you can.

[4lbatross]

if you think about it, this song would fit perfectly well with a sureal place like the southern ruins. I mean, good lord, the boss is a freaking moving wall. If you have something as wierd as that, you gotta have some wierd kinda creepy music to go along with it.

[ScratchyKay]

Gah! I hate those flying tomato guys.. I can never seem to hit them :P

[4lbatross]

This song is beautiful but disconcerting at the same time. It's an interesting combination, but one that I love. This song is priceless!

[Ryosaku14]

This song is so damn cool! It still creeps me out when I hear it. Chills...

[abojangles404]

DAMN, it sounds so GOOD!!! I wish I wrote it!

[sodadreamer21]

was this melody ever performed by any super nerdy orchestra? if so why is the video of the tune not to be found on tube of you.? one of the most interesting tunes in the game..

[Endoli]

Really beautiful piece, love it.

[dannyc0304]

this song helps me sleep.

[Diavir]

nostalgia bomb

also creepy as hell

[FxChiP]

This song is incredibly creepy

[piromaniac9999]

yes it is.

evil tomatoes who throw zombies anybody?

[StarryJewel]

This song always creeped me out when I was little, and I HATED the places it was played in.....still do, actually....

[SquallLeipzig]

me too,when I was a child I got nightmares from it

[TheNattak]

When I was younger, I liked to play this game alot with my friends, but when I was playing alone, this music along with all the zombies, scared the shit out of me a little...

[KitKaty]

*shudder* This song gave me the chills, and to be honest it still does! The pictures of those jumping zombies makes it even worse!

Though I loved this part of the game, I often dreaded entering Pandora's Ruins.

[cupcaketopper]

this was perfect for this portion of the game. really creepy and effective.

[ArcticPrism]

This was the only music in the game I hated. It's like a loop of 10 seconds with one dunnnnnnnnn. After hearing it for what seemed like an hour in a dungeon it got old fast.

[AsteriskBlue]

great

[Zeramourn]

This sounds like music that would play during a seance.

[Guylock]

Satisfying song yes.. I like.

[PsychoticLuke]

This song creeps me out. I'm like extra alert on my sorroundings, sharpening all my senses, when I listen to this one. Especially when I play the game.

[Primer9]

haha yea, this song is creepy, specially the castle place it plays in lol

[zuko5456]

This song STILL creeps me out.

[kouron]

@zuko5456 i still get goosebumbs :B

[StarryJewel]

@zuko5456 I know, me too. I dread doing the ruins where this plays, and that castle up to the right of south town....*shudders*

[daeus82]

Wicked!

[usefulidiot227]

This song used to creep the shit out of me when I was little. I used to have to mute the game when I heard this song come on. Haha, I was only like 7.

[killabun3]

0.0, *cry* it's sounds like a nightmare circus, your worst fears all gathering to scare you, in my case destroy me, i'm afraid of death

[PeyserConley]

It always reminds me of some creepy place in a nightmare where you're standing all alone, seeing nothing but darkness, strange voices surrounding you and there's some kind of smoke suffocating you and you can't get out no matter how far you run... an awful feeling!

[AyakoEmerald]

@PeyserConley It reminds me of a dark wonderland with creepy plushies and puppets ._."

[melissa4444444]

@PeyserConley reminds me of when tifa was trapped alone in the lifestream and she ran in all directions and then crouched down because she wanted it all to end. that was just as freaky as this theme.

[PeyserConley]

@melissa4444444 Yeah, it would fit perfectly to that scene!

[NeroTheDarklord]

i exactly know what you are talking about. When i was young and plaid the game for the first time, i got creeped out by this music... but i dont know it also encouraged me to go inside because this song was so atracting me

[finaljakk]

<33 Love this

[GoddaGo]

Good song for a nightmare! :D

This song always scared me when I played SoM in my early years. ^^

[GarredHATES]

creepy