The Olympics opening ceremony was filled with video game music

By Andrew Zucosky July 23, 2021

The opening ceremony for the Olympics this year welcomed its athletes with iconic video game music. During the Parade of Nations, each country walked out to songs from video games. Many recognizable songs were used from games such as Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Chrono Trigger.

The 2020 Olympics kicked off today in Tokyo after being delayed due to the pandemic. The opening ceremony featured a suite of gaming music, which had users on social media on an Easter egg hunt to identify each track.

DID THEY REALLY PLAY KINGDOM HEARTS AND FINAL FANTASY MUSIC AT THE OLYMPICS?!?

YES LOOK pic.twitter.com/x8tlnRhDKD

— Maku (@TropicalMaku) July 23, 2021

The first song that played during the ceremony was Overture: Roto’s Theme, a song originally found in Dragon Quest III. Dragon Quest is one of the most popular video game series in Japan where many people will take time off of school and work to purchase and play the newest installment in the series. Dragon Quest III is considered the game that helped solidify the series into the hearts of the culture, so it is only fitting that the Olympics would use its version of the memorable opening theme for its opening ceremony.

There were 19 songs that were included for this opening event from over 15 different Japanese video games. Star Light Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog and the Main Theme from Final Fantasy might be the most recognizable songs and games that were played during the ceremony.

Tokyo Olympics now genuinely rocking the Sonic Star Light Zone theme 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BAxs0b8eDE

— Andy Robinson (@AndyPlaytonic) July 23, 2021

Square Enix was the most represented company in the list of songs. At least seven of its video games were included in the opening ceremony with certain games like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy having multiple songs played. Capcom and Sega both had multiple songs played in the ceremony as well.

Interestingly, the Olympics did not include any first-party games made by Nintendo. There were no songs from Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, or even from the Pokémon series.

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Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…

Gaming

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: all piano sheet music locations and rewards

Cloud playing the piano in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

While there's no shortage of ways to distract yourself while playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one of the most unexpected minigames is the surprisingly deep piano system. In most of the major hub towns you encounter across the expansive world, Cloud can find a piano to sit down at and tickle the keys. You're free to play any song you want in free play, but you can turn this system into a full-on rhythm game, almost like Guitar Hero, by collecting sheet music of some of the game's most iconic tracks. There's even an NPC near each piano who will reward you if you get a high enough rank on each song. Cloud may not be the most expressive in his words, but he can sure play the piano with heart. Here is where you can find all the sheet music and what rewards await if you can master them.
Where to find all sheet music

Sheet music, thankfully, isn't hidden away in chests or has to be purchased for crazy amounts of Gil, but a few do have some hidden requirements. Each new composition is found on a piano in the world and is free to snag once you sit down. Even if you don't feel like playing right then and there, make sure you always at least grab the music to add to your collection so you don't have to backtrack later and get it. There are eight in total to find, and some will only come later in the story, but none are missable once you open up fast travel back to previous areas. This is the natural order you can collect them.
On Our Way
Our first piece of music can be picked up once you hit Chapter 4. During this section, go to the Crow's Nest town in the Junon region, which you can only enter by doing the "When Words Won't Do" side quest. Once you complete this quest and can freely enter the town, hit up the bar and grab this tune.
Tifa's Theme
After a rather exciting cruise to Costa del Sol in Chapter 6, you can add this piece to your collection by making a quick stop at the fancy Royal Crown Hotel.
Barret's Theme
Not much further into the game in Chapter 7 you will visit Barret's old hometown of Corel. The Rock Bottom Bar is waiting with his song.
Cinco de Chocobo
Chapter 9 takes you through the town of Gongaga. Even a town way out in the forest has a piano, which means yet another song to snag.
Two Legs? Nothin' to it
One chapter later, in Chapter 10, you need to do a little exploring in Cosmo Canyon to find your way to the piano, but the icon on your map won't lead you astray.
Aerith's Theme
Perhaps the most iconic song in the entire game, if not the franchise, is hidden behind a completely optional side quest. Once you reach Chapter 11, return to Nibelheim and do the "White-Haired Angel" side quest. It may seem totally irrelevant, but the quest ends with you playing and collecting this song.
Let the Battles Begin!
Once you prove your skills and get an A rank or better on all prior songs, you will get this new one as a reward from the NPC Dorian next to all pianos.
One-Winged Angel
We're not sure if fighting Sephiroth or getting this song is harder. If you want to play this terrifying arrangement, you need to donate all 88 Treasure Trove items to Johnny. This more or less requires you to 100% the entire game
All song rewards
For every song you A rank, Dorian will give you a prize when you talk to him. Here's everything you can get:

Gaming

Like the best RPGs, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets sidequests right

The mayor of Under Junon in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Among its many highlights, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes simple sidequests a lot more engaging than I had expected. Take an early-game sidequest called When Words Won’t Do. On a surface level, it’s a simple escort mission where players must get a dog from Under Junon to Crow’s Nest unscathed. I did not initially have high hopes for this sidequest due to the poor reputation of escort missions; thankfully, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth defied that fate. To make this optional content more worthwhile, Square Enix gave it a strong narrative backbone.

When Words Won’t Do is actually a story about parents struggling to let go of their kids. Under Junon’s mayor sends players on this quest to help her son and unborn grandchild, and Barrett wonders if he’ll ever be able to let Marlene go during the mission. That’s thematically fitting for an escort mission where you can’t keep something out of your sight.

Gaming

How long is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Cloud and his friends overlook a scenic field.

By expanding the Midgar section of Final Fantasy 7 into an entire game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally takes us beyond the walls into the world beyond. This much larger swath of land to explore begs the question of just how big this game will be. Between all the open-world tasks, sidequests, and minigames awaiting in the Gold Saucer, could this game really be a 100-hour experience as was claimed? What if you just tried to focus on the main story to see what has or hasn't changed? We've played through the entirety of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and can give you a good idea of just how long it will take you to reach this chapter's conclusion.

Note: We will not be spoiling any story details, but will list how many chapters there are.
How long is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?