From Guitar Hero to Dance Dance Revolution, many games focus on musical challenges. Others, such as Rayman Legends, use a dynamic soundtrack to make the gameplay match the rhythm of its beautiful tunes. In most games, however, musical levels offer a surprisingly genre-bending experience.

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From making key characters burst into song to adding musical minigames, there are many ways for non-musical games to add some groove to their gameplay. Plus, when musical levels are the exception in a game, these moments are all the more special. Here are the best musical levels in non-musical games, chosen for how groundbreaking, emotional, and fun they can be.

9 Yakuza Zero

Disco Dancing

Yakuza 0

Action Adventure Beat 'Em Up Developer(s) Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Platform(s) PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

The Like A Dragon (Previously Yakuza) series is filled to the brim with minigames and side activities that you can spend hundreds of hours unraveling. On the musical side of the Japanese mafia business, however, Yakuza 0 stands out thanks to the Disco Dancing mini game.

With five unique songs and three different difficulty levels, Disco Dancing allows you to show your sleek moves on the dance floor by hitting the right buttons as they pop on the screen. Still, while the gameplay of Yakuza 0’s Disco Dancing might be a simple rhythm game, there’s something quite spectacular in seeing your mobster dancing like there’s no tomorrow.

8 Kingdom Hearts 2 HD ReMix

Ursula’s Revenge

The Kingdom Hearts series includes many musical moments inspired by some of the best Disney songs. As you travel through worlds based on your favorite Disney stories, you can listen to the classic tunes that made part of your childhood. Yet, of all the Kingdom Hearts levels, none is as musical as Kingdom Hearts 2’s Atlantica.

Set in the underwater kingdom of The Little Mermaid, Atlantica offers you a musical adventure with multiple songs. To advance in the story, you must complete the rhythm minigame associated with each song. The culmination of the level is a boss battle against Ursula, who sings an original, catchy tune.

7 Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Phantom of the Bwahpera

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Strategy Developer(s) Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle mashed Nintendo’s iconic plumber with Ubisoft’s loony Rabbids to deliver a fantastic strategy game that’s both friendly to beginners and challenging for veterans. The adventure has many exciting boss battles, but none as memorable as that against the Phantom of the Bwahpera.

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Inspired by the tale of the cursed opera singer, Phantom of the Bwahpera’s attacks are music-based. The boss fight also has fun cutscenes in which the Phantom of the Bwahpera sings about Mario’s dire situation and the general absurdity of the game’s concept.

6 Psychonauts 2

SI King’s Sensorium

Psychonauts 2

Platformer Developer(s) Double Fine Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Linux, macOS Powered by Expand Collapse

While exploring the mindscape levels of Psychonauts 2, you’ll eventually end up in the PSI King’s Sensorium. The level is inspired by the 70s music festival, where psychedelia and free love were unleashed. The goal is to find the musicians of a rock band, so they can put on a show.

PSI King’s Sensorium is unique because it perfectly blends the overwhelming sense of psychedelic experiences with the vibrant power of music. Quite literally, because the musicians you must recruit for the band are actually sensory organs such as eyes, nose, and tongue.

5 Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Piranha Plant Parade

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Platformer Developer(s) Nintendo EPD Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

Thanks to the Wonder Seeds system, each level of Super Mario Bros. Wonder subverts expectations by introducing mind-bending challenges filled with bright colors and inventive gameplay twists. Since the soundtrack has always been an important aspect of Super Mario games, Super Mario Bros. Wonder explores the power of music on different levels.

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Among the many musical levels of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the Piranha Plant Parade is by far the best one. The level turns the platforming game into an actual musical, with the botany enemies singing in a choir a cute song that will stick to your memory like glue.

4 Night In The Woods

Band Practice

Night In The Woods

Adventure Platform(s) Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Night in the Woods is an emotional coming-of-age story that explores how friendship and family help to chart the course of your life. It’s also a sensitive exploration of mental illness that wants to defy taboos and show how depression and anxiety can drag someone down.

One of the best moments of the Night in the Woods playthrough is the band practice, where the game’s protagonist joins her childhood friends to jam. The gameplay mimics Guitar Hero, where you have to press buttons at the right moment to play the correct notes. However, we also glimpse the characters' emotional journey as the world melts away, and they allow themselves to be carried by song.

3 Conker’s Bad Fur Day

The Great Mighty Poo

Conker's Bad Fur Day

Platformer Developer(s) Rare Platform(s) Nintendo 64, PC, Xbox (Original), Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

The Great Mighty Poo is the original singing villain, appearing in one of the most unexpected games on the Nintendo 64. That’s because Conker’s Bad Fur Day is the only R-rated game to be published by Nintendo on its first 3D console.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day has drinking, cursing, lots of gore, and parodies of some of the biggest cinematic hits of the 80s and 90s. It’s existence is a miracle, and The Great Mighty Poo perfectly exemplifies why. The boos is a colossal mass of poo that you defeat by throwing rolls of toilet paper inside his mouth. At each stage of the boss battle, The Great Might Poo also sings opera, defining the pacing of the fight accordingly to the rhythm of his song.

2 There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension

Gigi’s Song

For a game about breaking the fourth wall, There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension is surprisingly emotional. The game's ultimate goal is to reunite broken software with the Global Gameplay system that can turn it back into a game. The whole affair plays like a love story that culminates in the brilliant song My Actual Code.

The original song gives clues you need to solve some of the game’s puzzles, moving the story forward. It’s also a moving tune that sets the tone for There Is No Game's happy ending.

1 Alan Wake 2

We Sing

Alan Wake 2

Survival Horror Developer(s) Remedy Entertainment Platform(s) PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse

The ultimate musical level in a non-musical game is, by far, the We Sing portion of Alan Wake 2. For a good chunk of the survival horror, you’ll be playing as the titular character, who’s trapped in a distorted dimension known as the Dark Place. Many strange things are happening in the Dark Place, but nothing can prepare you for the We Sing level.

What makes this level so memorable is how the whole game shapeshifts genres to push the plot forward. The level is a technical achievement like no other, and shatters every expectation you could have about the highly-anticipated sequel.

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