Background Music Override: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A video game trope, most seen in console RPGs.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

** And after the [[Wham! Episode]] in 2300 AD (when you discover what Lavos is), "Chrono Trigger" starts playing... and plays until you leave the Storage Area, fights or no.

** If you have {{spoiler|Magus}} in your party during the final battle against Queen Zeal, his theme plays instead.

*** In the scene where you team up with Moogles to protect Terra, Locke jumps down a hole, a bunch of Moogles decides to help, heroic music starts playing, you fight your way to boss, the music changes to the equally awesome "The Decisive Battle" as you get destroyed by the Marshal's Charge attack, then, as you prepare to try again with a better team, the music reverts. Yes, the music is just that awesome.

*** There's also [[Minecart Madness|minecart sequence]] where you're escaping from the Vector magitech laboratory, the sequence when you're trying to get to Ultros in order to stop him from ruining the opera, and the sequence where Sabin is holding up a house while you try to save the child inside. FFVI seems to like this trope A LOT.

*** Further, during the sequence where everyone is escaping from the falling [[Floating Continent]], the battles continue "Metamorphosis".

*** Much earlier, "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" is still playing during the first boss fight.

*** The battle theme version is done when you're climbing the section 7 Pillar. The regular battle theme plays through the entire climb.

*** To add to the list is the "Weapon Raid" Track, which plays whenever the Weapon's show up, and during the fights with them.

*** This also happens in one dungeon in ''[[Crisis Core]]'', with its creepy slow-paced dungeon music.

*** "Protecting My Devotion" is also pretty epic and memorable. It plays when you are defending the city of Alexandria from Kuja's monster invasion with Steiner, and the badass guest character Beatrix.

** It's also used during the battle with Miguel in the Dead Sea.

** And in the beginning of the game we have a battle theme version, where the boss theme plays through almost the entire dream sequence (though without the chanting).

** In some climactic moments, a special theme, belonging to neither the players or the enemies will play throughout the stage, overriding both the player's and the boss's themes.

*** Of special note is the final battle of ''Alpha 3'', where the heroic "''GONG''" plays for the entire fight... {{spoiler|unless the ''Macross7'' crew attacks, in which case ''their'' music kicks in. Thoroughly justified, however: ''they're the ones playing GONG in the first place.''}}

** Played straight in ''[[Ace Attorney Investigations]] 1'', where the "Presto" confrontation theme plays near the end of case two despite not actually cross-examining the killer, and [[Played for Laughs]] in the sequel, where [[Small Name, Big Ego|Yumihiko Ichiyanagi]]'s first argument is so overwrought and nonsensical that his extremely loopy theme music plays throughout it.

* [[Mega Man Star Force]] 3 had a particularly memorable bit where the WAZA HQ is under attack by clones. The [[Crowning Music of Awesome|Satella Police theme]] plays throughout, uninterrupted, until all the clones are dealt with. Unfortunately not repeated in the final stage, where touching the Crimson bits only plays the regular battle theme. Repeated in the post-game, where if an area contains an Omega Boss, a very special, dark and foreboding theme plays, not interrupting until you either leave or find the boss.

* In ''Red Dead Redemption'', "Far Away" upon landing in Mexico.

* In ''[[Super Castlevania IV]]'', [[Theme Music Power-Up|Simon's Theme]] starts playing once you get Dracula's health below half.

* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]] Origins'', during the boss battle with {{spoiler|[[That One Boss|Guillo]]}}, the amazingly creepy song '[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToRbdS3J1HY&feature=channel_video_title Into the Spiral Tention]' plays over the fight, instead of the regular boss music. Fitting, considering this is a ''massive'' [[Wham! Episode]].

** Earlier, during the segment where Sagi and Guillo escape Mintaka, the normal battle music doesn't play over the first few scripted fights.

* If for some reason you decide to exit a boss's lair in ''Adventures of Rad Gravity'', the boss music continues to play. Conversely, the [[Final Dungeon]] uses the boss music for its main theme, but switches to the regular action music when you fight Agathos.

* In ''Super [[Contra]]'' (arcade), the miniboss of the final stage has its own unique BGM and victory fanfare, but when the [[Final Boss]] appears, it plays the original stage music again! This may have been a programming error.

* In ''[[Twisted Metal]]: Black'' a more frantic music theme (different for each stage) takes over when there's only one opponent left.

* In [[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]], when either the sun has intensified or there is a massive downpour, all overworld music (Including surfing and cycling) will be replaced with one ominous track.

** In [[Pokémon Black and White]], the dynamic music in Village Bridge will also override the surfing and cycling music.

 

== Web Comics ==

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** Used primarily because at that point, Gamzee had no [[Leitmotif]]. He got one shortly thereafter in "Blackest Heart".