Well here we are, at the final part of this blog entry series entitled: "The Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming". If you want to recap on the previous songs, you can click here. Otherwise, let's get on with the No. 1 Final Boss Theme in Gaming... PERIOD! Click the "Spoiler" tag to reveal.
[spoiler]
"Megalith (Agnus Dei)" - Ace Combat 4: Distant Thunder/Shattered Skies
The Final Boss: Megalith (Click for gameplay footage)
MERITS EARNED:
"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.
"Stirring" - Dude, this makes me want to cry. This merit is earned by being able to stir sad emotions into the player. The song is able to attach the player in a way that movies or music would never be able to do. It's what makes video games so great to play in the first place.
BOSS SUMMARY:
In Ace Combat 04: Distant Thunder (or Shattered Skies as it's known in the States), you play as a legendary flying ace known only by his callsign, "Mobius One". You are never seen or heard as a character, and you are a silent protagonist just doing his job. The story is told through a man who once heard of Mobius One's legacy, and so tells the story to the player through picture stills and dialogue. Some backstory to this: As a kid, the narrator has memories of seeing shooting stars and enjoying them fly past, until cannons were built to shoot them down. One of the cannons was named "Megalith", which was designed as a Planetary Defense System that destroys incoming asteroids to protect Earth. Megalith was constructed after a tragic accident involving an astroid that shattered into multiple fragments that impacted the earth, killing many people. And so, the Megalith was built. And you have to stop this superweapon - a huge base with numerous cannons that were meant to shoot down stars, armed with nukes and lasers.
As you fly into this hellhole, your comrades are beside you (and I will never forget the lines spoken here), ready for battle - to destroy this monstrosity of a weapon. The setting is perfect too as it introduces this weapon, Megalith. A cloudy day with the sun up. The sun reflecting its bright light on the ocean below. Seagulls flocking from the oceans, and shooting stars are seen falling from the sky. Lasers are pointed, searching for targets. Nukes are ready to launch. And while you, Mobius One, are up in the sky, soldiers on the ground are doing the same thing - fighting against all odds to take this weapon down. And then your fellow comrades begin to speak, their static-y voices barely audible over the radio...
"SkyEye here. All Mobius aircraft report in."
"Mobius 2 on standby."
"Mobius 3 through 7 on standby."
"Mobius 8 on standby."
"Preparations are complete; ready for battle. All aircraft follow Mobius 1."
Clouds are thick and shooting stars are seen falling from the skies ahead. And then the clouds disappear, and you see your first glimpse of the target that you've sought to destroy for so long: Megalith. You speed ahead of all the other Mobius pilots, and you dive beneath the clouds, lower and lower. And then. The choir. And this game, Ace Combat 04, was the first game to make me truly feel like a hero, a flying ace. It's like saving the world, but not as cheesy as the phrase says. And you head in, shooting down everything in sight, dead-set on destroying Megalith.
You can hear the voices of men fighting down below. As they speak, you can hear the gunfire in the background, and the screams of men dying in fierce combat. Friendlies descend from an elevator, only to notice that there's a man with a flamethrower as soon as the elevator stops. Everyone is heard screaming, shouting orders in confusion, and you're up there. Safe. In the skies. Until a nuclear bomb is launched from Megalith. And you have to destroy it before it reaches its target.
WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Like I said earlier, Ace Combat 04 was the first game to make me truly feel like a video-game hero. A flying ace. That, and the music and how it sets the mood is just unforgettable. Also, did you know that the lyrics (which are in Latin) are taken from Mozart's final song Requiem, a song about the apocalypse and the end of the world, along with the Second Coming of Jesus? Not to be so overly religious here, but the lyrics are actually relevant. Here they are, for reference:
LYRICS AND TRANSLATED TEXT:
REX TREMENDAE (Intro to Megalith):
Rex tremendæ maiestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.
King of tremendous majesty,
who freely saves those who should be saved,
save me, source of mercy.
AGNUS DEI (Megalith Theme):
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them eternal rest.
The lyrics have actually been taken from this song from Mozart and the melody has been changed, but if you actually compare the lyrics to the actual song in the game, you might find it pretty relevant. Even if it is religious. Also, make sure you listen to the whole song, because there's a really good part in the middle where everything's all quiet all of a sudden, and the lulling of the choir is just amazing. It's just that the song just strikes a chord inside me. It's like the requiem for a hero, and yet it's like the final moments of the hero as well. It's like that moment when the hero has fulfilled his destiny and must decline. And when you watch through the credits of Ace Combat 04, you look back on everything you just did as the legendary flying ace, Mobius 1. And you never feel the same way again. [/spoiler]