For every Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo, there are several other composers whose names aren't associated with the success of their releases. And among them, there's a culture that invisibilizes the names of women who were pillars of the success of games as we know them today. And in the conversation about whether video games are an art form or not, the undeniable musical aspect of this medium is present.
Unnamed Women Composers in a Bygone Era
Game soundtracks are a fundamental part of the experience, and nowadays it's impossible to imagine how some classics would be without their unforgettable songs, like Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda.In 1986, Konami maintained its console production at full speed, along with the explosive success of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the West. Among its most successful titles was Castlevania, the game that was a tribute to the classic horror films of Universal and Hammer Studios released during the first half of the last century.
The soundtrack captivated gamer culture in such a way that its tracks continue to be rearranged to this day in other games in the franchise and even in anime. The composer credited by Konami — which at that time protected its developers in this way — was James Banana, a pun on James Bernard, a musician who worked on the 1958 classic Dracula. The fact is that the credit was a pseudonym for two composers: Satoe Terashima and Kinuyo Yamashita.
Satoe Terashima began her career at Konami composing the soundtrack for The Goonies, also from 1986, and had the opportunity to compose the soundtrack for Castlevania soon after, in an era when games were released year after year. Little is known about her life outside her important work at the company, but her name is marked by the composition of perhaps not only the most famous music of the vampire hunter franchise, but also one of the most iconic compositions in games in general, the track “Vampire Killer.”
Sharing the soundtrack was Kinuyo Yamashita, responsible for the also unforgettable “Wicked Child.” Yamashita, like Terashima, was a recent hire at Konami and used all her influences, ranging from Chopin to the soundtrack of Mother, from the NES itself, to compose what would be her mark on history. After becoming a freelance artist, she still composed soundtracks for Mega Man X3 and Medabots.
Konami in its Golden Age
Speaking of Konami, another important name for the company is Miki Higashino, composer of the explosive soundtrack of Gradius, the first game in the franchise that would become an arcade classic. Not long after, she also co-authored several tracks from the golden age of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by the Japanese company and produced perhaps her greatest work — literally — in the Suikoden franchise. After the relative success of the first game on the then-recently released PlayStation, the musician would release a work of almost 100 tracks for Suikoden II.
However, the main name at Konami during the company's golden years was Michiru Yamane, one of the most prolific composers of the "genre." Although her name was initially only credited to minor titles, soon after joining the company she contributed to the soundtracks of 16-bit generation classics, such as Vendetta, Contra: Hard Corps and The Rocket Knight Adventures, showing mastery over the legendary Yamaha Y2612 sound chip.
Her magnum opus would come a few years later: After her debut in Castlevania: Bloodlines — another Mega Drive title —, she would compose the absolute classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, in a team led by Koji Igarashi, which had another woman in a very important role in the game's development, designer Ayame Kojima. In the game, she was responsible for the entire sound department, from the music that made up the soundtrack, the sound effects, and even the controversial editing of the dubbing, which gave life to moments like the initial dialogue between Richter Belmont and Dracula.
After the success of this chapter in the franchise, she was responsible for the soundtrack of all subsequent Castlevanias, until her departure from the company in 2008. Her resume also includes compositions and contributions to Winning Eleven, Suikoden III and IV, Rumble Roses, and even Metal Gear Solid 4. After becoming a freelancer, she participated in soundtracks for Skullgirls, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — revisiting her partnership with Igarashi — and performing in concerts around the world with performances that span her golden years.
Capcom, Square Enix, and Their Pillars Formed by Women
In 1987, another icon of the gaming world emerged with the release of Mega Man by Capcom. The Blue Bomber's first adventure, despite not being received with acclaim like the following games, already had in its soundtrack some tracks that became symbols from then on. The person responsible for the classic “Game Start” was Manami Matsumae, one of the figures who made up the great female team of Capcom's sound department during the 80s.
It was also at Capcom that the defining game of the fighting genre emerged, Street Fighter II, and with it one of the most important and well-known soundtracks in games, composed by Yoko Shimomura, a legend in the industry who still remains in relevant projects today. The composer of unforgettable themes — such as those of Ken and Guile's stages — had a modest start at the company: after having worked as a music teacher and having video games as one of her hobbies during her graduation, she decided to apply to several companies, including Capcom.
During her time at the arcade giant and with her biggest work released (until then), she also participated in the soundtrack of beat 'em ups and the Disney classics released by the company. But in 1993, during a change of scenery, Shimomura joined Square, starting a fruitful partnership and giving rise to major titles such as Live-A-Live, Super Mario RPG, and Parasite Eve during the following years of the 90s.
At the turn of the millennium, even with the apprehension of the responsibility she would have in her hands, Shimomura saw another great success emerge in her career with the release of the first Kingdom Hearts, which featured re-editions of classic themes, such as "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid and "This is Halloween" from Nightmare Before Christmas. The franchise that mixed the universes of Disney and Square Enix also received a true classic authored by Shimomura, "Dearly Beloved."
Upon leaving Square Enix in 2003, she continued her career as a freelancer, still working on Kingdom Hearts, but also on Nintendo projects, such as the Mario & Luigi franchise and the company's new RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles. She also worked as an arranger of soundtracks for other games, in the composition of anime soundtracks, and even released a collection in 2008 of her best themes to commemorate her two decades of career, until then.
Nintendo and the Prominence of its Memorable Soundtracks
After an adventure that would revolutionize action and platform games, the bounty hunter Samus Aran would return even more prepared in Super Metroid, facing dangers and puzzles made for a new generation of consoles. To accompany the chaotic and dangerous atmosphere of the game, composer Minako Hamano created a soundtrack that captures well the horrors of an unknown place and makes anyone enter a state of tension.
Before that, Hamano had already created the soundtrack of another Nintendo classic, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The chapter of the franchise that came right after the anthological A Link to the Past is a showcase of what the original Game Boy is capable of and has songs that are among fans' favorites, such as "Ballad of the Wind Fish." After many years of career, she holds a position as sound coordinator at Nintendo, where she remains to this day.
In addition to Hamano, another composer also made history with The Legend of Zelda franchise: Manaka Kataoka and her soundtrack for the instant classic Breath of the Wild. The composer, who started working at Nintendo in 2006, had a resume filled with titles that produced several fan-favorite songs, such as Wii Fit, Animal Crossing: City Folk and New Leaf, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. In 2023, her career was marked by her collaboration with Koji Kondo, the original composer of The Legend of Zelda franchise, in creating the main theme of Tears of the Kingdom.
The Present, The Future, and the End of Invisibility
Hamano is yet another composer who proves this long tradition of women who sustain the history of Japanese games to this day. And it doesn't stop with her. Another great example that we will see more and more remarkable examples ahead is Yuka Kitamura, a composer who was in charge of creating themes at From Software for over 10 years.If the studio led by Hidetaka Miyazaki, which produced Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, has as its formula a punitive but rewarding gameplay, part of this successful ingenuity is due to the soundtracks that accompany the electrifying fights against bosses in these games and that certainly marked the lives of fans. Among the songs that Kitamura composed is "Soul of Cinder," a re-edition of the final theme of the first Dark Souls and that closed a circle — literally — for the franchise that practically created a subgenre.
This list could have at least twice as many paragraphs if we were to include so many other composers who worked on acclaimed game soundtracks. If we were to include musicians from other countries, especially Western ones, this text would never end. But thanks to the internet and the research of names that we often didn't understand or even see when skipping the credits screens, remembering some icons that often went unnoticed is to guarantee a memory for all these artists.
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