History Main / SongsInTheKeyOfPanic

* The ''{{Halo}}'' series usually powers up the music towards the climax or end of a battle. For example, on the second and third levels of the first game, the "Brothers in Arms" music goes into its climax section when the Covenant bring in reinforcements. When you reach the toll plaza at the end of the bridge on Metropolis, rock drums and bass guitar are added to the Halo theme music, and when you go into the tunnel, the music quiets down. While riding the second gondola on Regret, the first part of "Leonidas" plays on a loop, then when you reach the end, it segues to the awesome climax of the piece, which loops until you defeat all the enemies. "Blow Me Away" also does this for the Mausoleum battle.

* ''SuperMarioBros.'' series does this frequently when timer reaches 100.

* ''DonkeyKongCountry'', as a part of its very wide compendium of [[{{NightmareFuel/DonkeyKongCountry} Nightmare Fuel]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMAWnr5jMx0 gives us this example of]] [[NotSoFastBucko "don't think you'll get out of this place easily".]]

* ''DonkeyKongCountry'', [[{{NightmareFuel/DonkeyKongCountry}} as a part of its very wide compendium of]] NightmareFuel, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMAWnr5jMx0 gives us this example of]] [[NotSoFastBucko "don't think you'll get out of this place easily".]]

** ''{{Columns}}'' on the SegaGenesis does the same thing.

* ''PuyoPuyo''

* Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine has this when your screen of beans is nearly full. You're most likely completely screwed at this point, so usually hearing this music is basically like YOU LOST!

* BanjoKazooie has a maze in a desert level that gradually increases in speed, and goes up a pitch or two every so often to boot.

* An interesting subversion: in ''{{Mother 3}}'', when you are trapped by the Ultimate Chimera, the music doesn't change, but Lucas's ''heartbeat'', which you can hear over the music, goes faster and faster as his situation becomes increasingly dire.

* ''KnightsInTheNightmare'' does this when the time is running out, under fifteen seconds of time remaining makes the music plays faster.

* In later versions of ''StreetFighter II'', the music becomes more urgent when one of the fighters' health bars is low.

* In the ''AceAttorney'' series, as you wear the witnesses down in cross-examination, the music becomes more urgent and elaborate. This is actually a separate track on the soundtrack, the 'Allegro' version. The BigBad of the fifth game has a cross-examination so long he gets a unique 'Presto' version. [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome And it is epic.]]

* ''SonicTheHedgehog'' does it with the drowning music. [[NightmareFuel It does its job well.]]

* In the ''MetalGearSolid'' series, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnQRWJ7bIhs Encounter theme]] starts playing if you get spotted.

* Metal Gear Solid 3 introduces the concept of the music serving as an additional indicator of the alert level. Ordinarily, no non-diegetic music is heard outside of cutscenes. However, if the guards are alerted to your presence, or even suspicious, the music will kick in.