Why Pokémon: Black & White Have the Best of Soundtrack

In terms of pokémon games, we all have a favorite. My personal favorite happens to be Gen IV, but that’s mostly just because Pearl was the very first pokémon game I ever played (but also because poffin making and the Hearthome super contests are far and away better than any of their successors in other games—I will fight you on this).

And of course, in terms of the history of video games, there have been some with truly incredible soundtracks. The hardcore heavy metal of Doom (2016) or Doom Eternal springs to mind, where legendary composer Mick Gordon actually incorporated literal chainsaws into the score. Then of course there are classics like the Legend of Zelda series, Mario, and plenty of others.

But as far as comparison between Pokémon games is concerned, Gen V is undoubtedly the best in terms of soundtrack, for the following reasons:

Accumula Town Theme

Need I say more? At the mere mention, you can probably hear this theme in your head. Even if you haven’t played Pokémon Black or White, chances are you’ve heard of this iconic track. I say this because back in 2010 when these games were first released (hard to believe it’s been that long), I myself heard about this little town’s theme song before I even got the games. That’s just how iconic it was; right up there with the nostalgic Hall of Fame theme or the absolutely classic Wild Pokémon Battle theme.

This song is one of the many you can find a 10-hour loop of on YouTube—not that you really need that, in my opinion, since once you hear it, this cheery tune will be stuck in your head for at least that long anyway. It’s so catchy, I’m listening to it right now as I write this article!

Low HP Music

Classic, iconic Accumula Town theme aside, this is my main reason for adoring the soundtrack of Black and White is the fact that they did something which—to my knowledge, at least—no other Pokémon game has ever done: They turned that godawful, repetitive, blinky, ‘low HP’ sound into an actual part of the game’s soundtrack.

No more would you have to sit there listening to the same obnoxious sound blaring overtop of the main battle theme every time an annoying enemy brought your precious Pokémon to low health, now that sound was the beat to a thrilling, heart-pounding, blood-pumping battle theme. It was a brilliant twist to the classic game’s soundtrack and I can honestly say it was a shocker and a delight to hear. It was something I really hoped they’d do in future games, but alas, it seems this glorious innovation was only for Gen V.

While the light and chipper Accumula Town theme might be something of a stark contrast to the stress-inducing Low HP music, both of these tunes are part of why Gen V’s soundtrack stands out above any other Pokémon game.