Mega Man 10 is probably the most all-over-the-place game in the series. It's less attached to the hip to MM2 and generally more inventive, but the design isn't nearly as tight and it still doesn't... re-evolve anything. This applies to the soundtrack too, which compared to MM9's more consistent score, has way higher highs and way lower lows. That being said, when it hits, it absolutely hits. The decision to bring back every major Mega Man composer prior to 9 to do one Robot Master theme is brilliant, and the Wily Castle themes are absolutely phenomenal.
Mega Man 10
Usual Day
The first opening theme is your generic upbeat happy-go-lucky music, so I don't have much to say about it.
2/5 Stars
Future World
Future World introduces one of Mega Man 10's big new leitmotifs, and it's really good, it's super dramatic and has a lot of gravitas. That being said, just wait until we get to the track Future World is foreshadowing...
4/5 Stars
Suspicion
A pretty short and unremarkable loop. It's a perfectly decent piece with a bit of intrigue, but I still don't find it all that special.
2/5 Stars
Go Together
Four opening themes is kind of excessive, huh? Go Together is the usual heroic theme that caps off an opening and it's once again totally fine, but I think other games pull it off with a lot more flair.
3/5 Stars
Title Theme
Oh, finally, we're into the game. Mega Man 10's title theme is pretty good, but not one of my favorites. I like how it keeps building in intensity, but it's not quite the massive head-banger that some other games kick off with.
3/5 Stars
Menu Theme
Would you believe it, an actually original menu theme that isn't ripped from Mega Man 2. I still don't think this track is anything too special, but it's got a nice groove to it and is certainly more pleasing to the ears than MM2's password theme.
3/5 Stars
Stage Select
Mega Man 10 has one of the more dramatic stage select themes. The main melody is solid, but I just don't think it provokes that exciting feeling of adventure that other stage select themes do.
3/5 Stars
King Of Blades
As I mentioned, each Robot Master theme is by a different composer from prior entries. King Of Blades's theme is by Akari Kaida from Mega Man & Bass, and as you'd expect, it's quite jazzy. The whole track has a nice elegance to it, and while it takes a bit to really get going, the chorus is fantastic and really makes the whole thing worth it.
4/5 Stars
Polluted Pump
Pump Man's theme is by Yuko Takehara from MM6, and it's dripping with his distinct percussive cadence. Just like King Of Blades, this track is a bit of a slow-burn, but once again, the chorus is fantastic. Those chiptune trills in the intro are also very memorable.
4/5 Stars
Desert Commando
MM4's composer Minae Fuji did this one, and while it's predictably my least favorite of the soundtrack, she still did a solid job. Commando Man's theme has the classical and militaristic feel of MM4 without any of that obnoxious echoing, and with a catchy main melody and solid pacing, this is an overall good track that I just don't find super memorable.
4/5 Stars
Absolute Chill
Mega Man 8's Shusaku Uchiyama made one of the more unique tracks in the game. Despite being in chiptune, Absolute Chill still sounds like it slots right into the chill techno of MM8, and it's dripping with haunting atmosphere while still having a really catchy main melody.
5/5 Stars
Cybersheep's Dream
After all these years, MM5's Mari Yamaguchi hasn't skipped a beat, and she put out one of the best tracks in the entire series. Cybersheep's Dream is a phenomenal track boasting all the fun polyrhythms and groovy energy that defined Mega Man 5's soundtrack, while also having an incredibly smooth and catchy central melody and some well-executed beeps and boops that evoke the feeling of being inside a computer very well.
5/5 Stars
Fireball Strike
Makoto Tomozawa of Mega Man 7 did this track, and it's easily one of the silliest tracks in the entire series, in a good way. Most of the first half of Strike Man is your usual Mega Man banger, with a particularly great chorus... only for the track to completely get interrupted by a baseball jingle. It's the kind of bold swing (no pun intended) that really shouldn't work, but it somehow does.
4/5 Stars
Nitro Rider
Nitro Man's theme is Manami Matsumae at full power, it is pure Mega Man bliss in every conceivable way. The constant sense of energy, the aggressive rock influences, the classical-sounding melody, and that climactic chorus. Incredible track.
5/5 Stars
Solar Inferno
As you'd probably expect, Yasuaki Fujita of Mega Man 3 also really knocked it out of the park with his track. Solar Inferno is probably the heaviest metal banger in a classic Mega Man game, from the groovy surf guitar in the verse, to the heavy main riff, to that absolutely nuts chorus that ranks among some of the most energetic guitar solos in all of gaming. It's some of the most impressive chiptune I've ever heard, Fujita is an absolute legend.
5/5 Stars
Boss
This boss theme is even weaker than the last one. Once again, the intro is pretty good, but the main melody feels... too melodic for a boss theme. Where's the punch? Where's the energy?
3/5 Stars
Get A Weapon
Ah, nice to see a new weapon upgrade theme. This track feels more like the ones from 4 onwards with its heavy instrumentation, but the melody is still pretty sparse and repetitive.
2/5 Stars
Shop - Mega Man
Another cute shop theme from Inti Creates. I can't really articulate why I really like Mega Man's shop theme beyond it just sounding really bouncy and fun.
4/5 Stars
Shop - Proto Man
Proto Man's shop theme is easily the best one, though, an absolutely killer blues piece that's dripping with style.
5/5 Stars
Shop - Bass
Bass's shop theme is the weakest of the three, but it's not bad. I like how the background track is his boss theme, but the melody doesn't have too much to it.
3/5 Stars
Crisis
It's your typical panic music for before the Wily Castle. It's not on the level of MM9's Suspense, but it does its job without sounding annoying.
2/5 Stars
Evil Wily
I have absolutely nothing to say about this theme. It's reasonably menacing, it fits Wily well, but it's cutscene music and it does not stick with me in the slightest.
2/5 Stars
For You
Roll finally gets a theme, and it's very pretty. The whistle sound is used to great effect here, and it fits Roll's caring personality quite well.
4/5 Stars
Silent Rain
For the first time since Mega Man 7, we get a more atmospheric track for right before the Wily Castle. It's not anywhere near as masterful as Entrance was, but it's got a strong atmosphere to it and does a great job at building up to one of the best lineups of endgame themes in the series...
4/5 Stars
Dr Wily Stage Boss
But first, there's the boss theme. This is definitely the better of the boss themes, it's a lot more energy, and the chorus is super groovy and chaotic.
4/5 Stars
Abandoned Memory
It's no Flash In The Dark, but Abandoned Memory comes very close. While I wish it was a tad longer, it crams so much into its short length, from an energetic verse, to a beautiful whistle-heavy pre-chorus, to one of the most powerful and memorable choruses in the franchise.
5/5 Stars
Against The Pressure
And this track is somehow even better! Ryo Kawakami returns for one of the most relentlessly fast-paced and energetic Wily Castle themes you could ask for, it never stops moving. The rocking verse leads into the more dramatic pre-chorus which leads to an absolutely godlike climax that feels like the musical culmination of the entire game.
5/5 Stars
No Turning Back
No Turning Back is a lot more toned down from the last track, but it's got a strong sense of melancholy and a powerful melody that keeps getting more intense as it goes on. Another really strong Wily Castle theme.
5/5 Stars
Stairway To Darkness
Definitely the weakest Wily Castle theme, but it's not bad. It definitely fits the name in how it keeps progressively building itself up, and does a good job at being atmospheric without being too ambient.
4/5 Stars
Wily Machine
I really didn't remember this track at all, but it's actually pretty good. It's got a lot of energy, and the climax of the track is really strong and effective.
3/5 Stars
Deep In Space
Remember when I said Future World was foreshadowing a later track? This is that track. Deep In Space is one of the most chilling tracks in the entire franchise, it's so atmospheric and gripping. The simple but haunting riff, the somber melody, the glitching notes, the way it brings the whole game full circle, it all adds up to a sound unlike anything else in the series. A criminally underrated Wily Castle theme and definitely one of the best.
5/5 Stars
Wily Capsule
Sadly, like the fight itself, the Wily Capsule theme is pretty eh. It lacks the sheer gravitas and intensity that other final Wily fights have, and it just isn't all that memorable.
2/5 Stars
Staff Roll
The staff roll theme is a slight improvement over Mega Man 9's. The slow intro is nice, and the melody is a lot catchier and more memorable.
3/5 Stars
Challenges
The side-mode themes don't tend to stick with me much since I
don't have a character or story event I can really associate with them, but this is still a solidly groovy track.
3/5 Stars
Endless Struggle
Endless Struggle isn't anywhere near being as much of a banger as Maze Of Death was, but I like that they kept the rave vibe for MM10's endless stages.
3/5 Stars
Heart Of Ender
Mega Man 10 included a bunch of stages themed after the Mega Man Killers from the World games, and they got some solid themes. Heart Of Ender is a fun rock theme with an exciting and heroic-sounding chorus, it's got a similar energy to Solar Inferno which I like.
4/5 Stars
Get The Punk Out
Punk's theme is also a bop, though it's got a bit more of a build-up to it. The guitar solos are fantastic, but there isn't too much connecting them.
4/5 Stars
Farewell To Ballade
Ballade got far and away the best theme of the Mega Man Killers, this track is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It's incredibly melancholy and the perfectly-tuned whistle sound only heightens that feel, and the emotional chorus really made this track feel like the end of an era for Mega Man (especially since we wouldn't get another game for almost a decade).
5/5 Stars
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