What makes the music of Zelda so special?

Qumu: I can't really pinpoint what it is, but Zelda music in general always manages to make me feel something, whether it's a sense of adventure from the Overworld themes or unease from dungeon/temple themes. I also feel the music plays a bit role in the environmental storytelling (at least in the modern Zelda games). There's so much you can learn about an area in a Zelda game by just listening to its theme.

RebeccaETripp: The music of Zelda has a unique way of making the player feel relaxed, comforted, and "at home" while simultaneously enabling them to feel confident and "in control” within what would ordinarily seem like a hostile setting. Even when the context surrounding a given track or, indeed, the track itself is dissonant or downright creepy, there is usually something about it that’s either directly relatable on an emotional level (picture the “Last End” track in Majora’s Mask), or so intriguing as to entice the listener to venture outside of their comfort zone (picture the Forest Temple track from Ocarina of Time). The music encourages the player to interact with the environment and immerse themselves in the aesthetic, beauty, and culture surrounding it. It acts as a kind of magical filter between the game itself and the player.

Ro Panuganti: The music of Zelda is so expansive now, but it always has a sense of adventure and exhilaration. There's always some sort of recurring melodies and super secret themes from other songs. You get the sense that you truly are in that world. I also love that it can borrow from dozens of musics, even Eastern and African tunes, but always with this Legend of Zelda style.

Patti Rudisill: I think there is something inherently magical in the music and the way it sounds, even apart from the imagery within the game. When I was first introduced to Zelda, the music was associated forever with the immense world I was exploring, but I still hear that same magic even in OST’s of the games I haven’t yet played. There is a certain wonder and curiosity that is present in all of the scores and within the context of the game that it adds so much!

Soundole VGM Covers: To me, its depictive clarity. Whether setting the tone for galloping across open fields or creating eerie and mystical atmospheres in dungeons, Zelda's music has always been powerfully evocative.