Best 8 Music Tracks from Sonic (Modern Era)

Acting as the game’s main recurring and final boss track, “Live & Learn” is a hard-hitting and pulse-pounding rock anthem that not only touches on the story’s central theme of moving forward from past mistakes and embracing a better tomorrow but also hypes players up to finally put an end to Gerald Robotnik’s posthumous plan to annihilate humanity. Also, once again recognizing that there was a certain feeling of finality hanging over Adventure 2‘s release in light of the Dreamcast’s discontinuation, the track felt like (at the time) one last “hurrah” for the overarching Sonic franchise.

Rooftop Run – Night (Sonic Unleashed, 2008)

Skipping ahead to 2008’s Unleashed (especially considering that it’s more or less Sonic Adventure 3 in all but name), I really like the slick and moody track “Rooftop Run – Night” that plays during the nighttime portions of the game’s Italy/Spain-like “Spagonia” area. And while Unleased is by no means a perfect game (particularly its controversial implementation of the slower “Werehog” segments), the music featured in this particular stage has an alluring, even slightly Parisian, sound to it that nicely fits the luxurious cityscape at night (and with a little bit of Nights quality to it).

Planet Wisp – Act 1 (Sonic Colors, 2010)

Seen as an attempt to bridge the franchise’s then-primary utilization of 3D gameplay with its earlier 2D titles from its “classic” period on the Genesis, Colors featured both types of gameplay (as supplemented by special power-ups via the collection of alien creatures called “Wisps”). While the Wisps were a divisive point of praise and criticism, Colors was nonetheless lauded as a well-crafted “return to form” after some less–than–stellar entries; likewise, the game featured a great soundtrack, with the elegant yet determined-sounding “Planet Wisp – Act 1” being hailed as the game’s best piece.

Sea Bottom Segue (Sonic Lost World, 2013)

Serving as a conceptual follow-up to Sonic Colors‘ marriage of 2D and 3D gameplay, 2013’s Lost World (which, as many have pointed out, “borrowed” the cancelled X-treme‘s spherical stage layouts and proposed backstory involving six deadly enemies with mystical powers) was a relatively fun but ostensibly half-hearted attempt to emulate Super Mario Galaxy. However, like the entry above, the game still featured a very decent soundtrack, with “Sea Bottom Segue” being a notable standout due to it having a similarly elegant yet determined tone like “Planet Wisp – Act 1.”

Titanic Monarch Act 1 (Sonic Mania, 2017)

Even though 2017’s Mania is a purposeful throwback to the earlier 2D Genesis titles (including the return of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Eggman’s pre-Adventure designs), the game still technically falls within the series’ “modern era” – especially with it serving as a sort of stealth “prologue” to Forces. Mania‘s soundtrack, composed by now-frequent collaborator Tee Lopes, features the wonderfully menacing “Built to Rule – Titanic Monarch Zone Act 1” for the first part of the final level…and the track’s odd mix of baroque and synth-techno really sells its looming danger.

I’m With You (Sonic Frontiers, 2022)

While Frontiers was an admirable (but less-than-ideally executed) attempt at making an “open-world” Sonic the Hedgehog game in the style and tone of something like Shadow of the Colossus mixed with TLoZ: Breath of the Wild, it still presented an uncharacteristically moody and alluringly contemplative story. Come the game’s true final boss fight (itself taking on a completely different gameplay format), the surprisingly emotional and bittersweet track “I’m With You” begins to play while fighting against the series’ single-most powerful, incomprehensible, and heartless foe.

Speed Jungle Zone Act 1 (Sonic Superstars, 2023)

As a similar “throwback” to the older Genesis games like Mania before it (but utilizing modern 2.5D graphics this time), Superstars was a fun but sadly haphazard title that was declared a notably “underperforming” release. Despite the game being seen as a disappointment (and myself also finding certain faults with it), I still appreciated its return to the pre-Adventure era, as well as its introduction of highly likable new character Trip the Sungazer; likewise, Tee Lopes returned to provide some very well-crafted tracks, such as the vibrant and energetic “Speed Jungle Zone Act 1.”

Honorable Mentions

“Welcome to Station Square” (Sonic Adventure); “Event: 3 Black Noises (Revival / Chaos Control / Reflection” (Sonic Adventure 2), “vs. Egg Dragoon” (Sonic Unleashed); and “vs. Nega-Wisp Armor – Phase 2” (Sonic Colors).

“The Deadly Six Theme (Orchestra ver.)” (Sonic Lost World); “Ruby Illusions – Final Boss” (Sonic Mania); “I’m Here – Orchestral ver.” (Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon); and “Lagoon City Zone Act 2” (Sonic Superstars).