Final Fantasy has long been a series known for its music. Both main series and spinoff games feature iconic tracks indelibly associated with the series' characters, battles, emotional moments, and more. These songs can be heard in arcades in Japan and elsewhere, as the series features several arcade-centric spinoffs including fighting game Dissidia and rhythm title Theatrhythm. However, as one Final Fantasy fan recently discovered, the music of the series may be making some unrelated arcade appearances as well.
The musical style of Final Fantasy was initially created by Nobuo Uematsu beginning with the series' very first title, Final Fantasy, in 1987. Since then, Uematsu's signature style has led to the creation of many popular and memorable video game tracks often found gracing "Best Of" lists. In particular, the music of Final Fantasy 7 is well-liked, featuring such songs as the romantic "Aerith's Theme" and the ominous "One Winged Angel." Of course, Final Fantasy 7 also features tracks associated with the Chocobos, the adorable yellow birds who appear as mounts throughout the series.
One Final Fantasy fan, who goes by u/AlexAustinRG on Reddit, was surprised to hear Final Fantasy 7's version of the Chocobo theme on a random, non-Final Fantasy related arcade machine in Ontario, Canada. The machine, called Dino Pop, involved throwing lightweight balls into the mouth of a moving plastic dinosaur. Although the ambient noise of the arcade and general low audio quality make it difficult to identify the exact track, fans have potentially identified it as "Electric de Chocobo," an up-tempo variant on the classic song that plays when Chocobos are encountered in battle.
I was surprised to hear this song on a random arcade machine in rural Ontario. Please ignore how terrible we are at the game! from FinalFantasyVII
Chocobos first appeared in Final Fantasy 2, and since then have made an appearance in every main series Final Fantasy game and several spinoffs. They are large avian creatures, predominantly yellow but also found in a variety of colors. In mainline games, Chocobos are primarily used as mounts, allowing players to traverse terrain more quickly than they can on foot. The birds' popularity has led to them starring in multiple spinoff titles of their own, including Chocobo Racing, Chocobo's Dungeon, and Dice de Chocobo. The most recent spinoff title, Chocobo GP, debuted earlier in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch and received generally mixed reviews.
Fans interested in listening to a higher-quality version of "Electric de Chocobo" than the one found in the Ontario arcade can do so via the official Square Enix YouTube Music channel, which features thousands of songs from throughout the Final Fantasy series. The classic Chocobo tune also appears in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which released in 2020. In the remake, "Electric de Chocobo" is featured as a Music Disc collectible item.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.