The best winter music in video games

Ice levels. Frost planets. Civilizations of snow. They’re a video game tradition going back to the earliest days of the form, because of the cool visuals, the gameplay possibilities (slipping and freezing), the coding challenges (footprints, snowdrifts) — and the music. You can switch up the atmosphere at these moments, introduce a note of hush and introspection. A blanket settles over the landscape, there’s a moment of calm, you can hear a pin drop, and the music gently rises with the mood: twinkly, or majestic, or desolate.