And then there was Day 12. While my internet situation did work itself out, I still ultimately didn't have time to make this post on-time. I think I'm just going to have to accept Monday and Tuesday likely aren't going to happen, and Wednesday's pretty unlikely too.
For those of you just joining us, this is Day 12 of a 30 Day Video Game Music Challenge; if you missed the first eleven days, they're all grouped together in the same category, at the top of the article. Each day consists of a different category of music, and I respond with a song that I feel fits it well, in terms of being one of my favorites of that category. Hard mode: I can't repeat games. Challenge mode: I can't repeat franchises either. (Repeat characters appearing in other franchises are fine.) In each entry, I've also been providing an honorable mention, a song that fits the bill quite well; in order to avoid removing other franchises from the running, I've been keeping these honorable mentions within the same franchise as the original item. Got it? Good!
Day 12's item is "Music that makes you sad." Hoo boy, this is a toughie! While I do tend to like games that make me feel, it's rare that the song by itself makes me sad, and the few cases where the song's association with the scene would make me sad, I've already used those franchises. Dang!
I suppose the best I can come up with right now is the song "Offering", from ActRaiser: Renaissance. This song plays most times the townsfolk have something to say to you; it's a melancholy tune to begin with, but there are some situations when this song plays where the story of the world unfolding beneath you tugs at the heartstrings. In particular, I remember the loss of Teddy in Bloodpool (among other, much later spoilers). Honestly this entire soundtrack is amazing, and while I don't much care for many of the elements Renaissance added to the game, the original ActRaiser is one of my favorite games of all time. Definitely worth a look!
For our honorable mention, I'm going to go with "Overworld" from the original sequel, ActRaiser 2. This game made a stark departure from the original, eschewing the world-building simulator aspect for a more intense action game. Similar to ActRaiser, you, the Master, travel the world, defeating major adversaries in order to rescue your people from the clutches of Tanzra and his minions. While I don't have much experience with this game, the Overworld theme definitely reflects the world, at least at the beginning: in ruins, in desperate need of saving.