Final Fantasy VII

Nobuo Uematsu's 1997 score for Final Fantasy VII remains the most iconic and commercially successful video game soundtrack ever, with over 1 million albums sold globally. Its leitmotifs, such as the triumphant “Main Theme” and the brooding “One-Winged Angel,” set a standard for narrative-driven composition, influencing 80% of subsequent JRPG scores. Uematsu’s masterful use of synthesized orchestration—despite technical limits—created a timeless soundscape that still tops fan polls 25 years later, with 15% of modern game composers citing it as a primary inspiration.