Waxing Lyrical: Beware the Forest Mushrooms by Yoko Shimomura

These days it's common to see Mario and his friends going into different genre's of games. From the classic platformers to kart racing and even participating at the Olympics. However it wasn't always like that back on the Super Nintendo. The portly plumber was either platforming his way to success or else he was karting with his arch nemesis. That changed when they worked with Squaresoft and made Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This was also the first time someone else had done the music. Instead of Koji Kondo, it was Yoko Shimomura as the lead composer.

I have consistently enjoyed Shimomura's work as she always knew how to get the player immersed in the game's world. I consider her one of the best composers in the business alongside Nobuo Uematsu, David Wise and Yasunori Mitsuda. However, I still often question why the team chose her and not Koji Kondo or Nobuo Uematsu.

Super Mario RPG remains one of my favourite Mario games to date and one of the main reasons for this is the music from the game. The music is a perfect blend of fun adventure and action with some tracks adding an element of mystery or nervousness into the music. So today on Lost in the Music, I will be focusing on my favourite track from the game, Beware the Forest Mushrooms.

I love this track so much as it evokes the feeling of exploring the woods as a child. Hopping over fallen tree's and searching for hidden treasure, it makes you feel like you are on an adventure. In the game, no one knows what to expect in the woods. Even the villain comes as a surprise. That's what makes this track great. Whereas areas like Star Hill, Bean Valley and Barrel Canyon, you know what to expect there. The Forest Maze on the other hand, you didn't know what to expect within dark woods aside from some villain firing arrows into the neighbouring town.

Beware the Forest Mushrooms in my own opinion is the single best Mario song out there, surpassing Dire Dire Docks and Koopa Road. It is a classic in every sense of the word. If you yourself are a fan of the original, I also highly suggest checking out Waltz of the Forest by Christopher “kirbopher” Niosi. It is a fantastic remake of an already fantastic song. You can find the video on his Youtube page.

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.