Music from video games – be it songs “inspired by” games, soundtracks, chip tunes, remixes, or something else entirely – is a big part of the Destructoid community. Music Monday is a weekly look at some of these tunes.
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There is something great about the themes of classic franchises. Sure, its great to hear the music of a new game, like the electro-rock of Episode 2 or the sweeping score of Oblivion. In the same vein, games like Rez give gamers music along with a hypnotizing level of involvement. But as the soundtracks of games continue to evolve into longer, more complex pieces of music, there is still an incredible draw to the themes of old games. Even as I type, Dtoiders far and wide are enjoying the retro-goodness of the leaked Super Smash Brothers Brawl soundtrack.

Maybe its just the reliability. When we put in a new game from a franchise, we know we'll hear a new, reimagined and (hopefully) improved version of a song we've heard before. Nintendo seems particularly adept at this recreation of songs. In franchises like the Mario and Zelda games, every soundtrack is different than the one that came before, yet seems eerily familar. In honor of one of these venerable series, I present five of the best alternate versions of the Zelda “theme,” the song from the Overworld in the original game. It is worth noting that a sixth entry can be found on an older Weekend Destructainment, in which MattyG plays the theme as a one-man band.

5. Theremin



ooo6 plays the Zelda theme on a theremin. While the version starts off a bit shaky, seeing a theremin played well is pretty outstanding. If you've never seen a theremin, prepare to have your mind blown. If you have, you still gotta be impressed by such a good rendition.

4. Ukulele



In this clip, Shonsta plays the overworld theme on the guitar's little cousin, the Ukulele. Of the five versions, this one probably varies from the original the most. However, the kid has definitely got some talent. The song takes on a kind of cool Hawaiian vibe, which would be right at home in some of the seafaring parts of the Windwaker Zelda games.

3. 11-String Bass



4-string? 6-string? Fuck that. When Jean Baudin plays the Zelda theme, he plays it on a custom 11-string bass. Not a very long clip, but a nice clean version. Plus, the fact that it was filmed in an arcade doesn't hurt.

2. Mario Paint



Okay, so adolfobaez cheated a little. This wasn't composed in Mario Paint from the SNES, but in unfungames' Mario Paint Composer. Nevertheless, the results are impressive. This clip makes it onto the list for crossing the Mario and Zelda franchises, done with a great 16-bit style.

1. Ocarina



Now, this threw me for a loop when I found it (and inspired this post). DocJazz4 manages to impress by playing some Zelda music on a real-life Ocarina. While there are a couple flubs in the video, the result is still a hauntingly beautiful version of the Zelda theme. Obviously, the choice of instrument is of special significance to Legend of Zelda fans. When the number one game of all time has the instrument in the title, there is something special about seeing the theme played on one.

Any other favorite versions of the song?