New Fan Album “8-Bit Time Capsule” Reimagines Music From Zelda and Other Iconic Nintendo Franchises

Composer Giovanni Rotondo, in collaboration with Enjoy the Ride Records and Magic Deck Records, has released a brand new album featuring reimagined music from some of Nintendo’s most iconic franchises and beyond. The album, The 8-bit Time Capsule, released June 23rd and is the third installment in Rotondo’s 8-bit Time Adventures collection.

The 8-bit Time Capsule tells a “story of imagined, long-lost chapters of famous game franchises, envisioning alternative timelines and realities.” A concept album of sorts, the project presents a “sonic tapestry of ‘what-if’ scenarios within each franchise, spanning styles from orchestral to metal, rock, and hip-hop.”

Zelda fans will be most interested in the third track of the new album, entitled “Curse of the Ocarina.” The song’s inspiration is a kind of “what if?” in which “a weird Skull Kid teaches Link a new melody. Link plays it on the Ocarina of Time and starts experiencing frantic time jumps to many different eras of the Zelda adventures. The Ocarina melody is the constant that connects all the piece’s vertigo-inducing sections together.” Those eras are the following: “NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, boat/train Celtic music saga, and the Studio Ghibli-esque Wild era.”

As part of the album’s promotion, Rotondo provided Zelda Dungeon with exclusive access to the full digital version of “Curse of the Ocarina,” so we highly recommend giving it a listen below.

The other two entries of Rotondo’s 8-bit Time Adventures collection, The 8-bit Time Machine and The 8-bit Time Paradox, were each released a few years ago. Both are currently available digitally on all major platforms, but the physical editions have been sold out until now. In conjunction with The 8-bit Time Capsule‘s release, these other two albums have received physical re-releases as of June 23rd. A Collectors Bundle featuring all three 8-bit Time Adventures albums is also available.

Those interested in purchasing The 8-Bit Time Capsule, or any of the 8-bit Time Adventures releases, should note that there are many different promotions and bundles available on Enjoy the Ride Records’ website (see image gallery below). These promotional items include special-edition vinyl releases, cassette releases, and unique track listings. See the listings below for more details.

• The 8-bit Time Adventures – COLLECTORS BUNDLE 2023, $164 (USD)
• The 8-bit Time Capsule, $24.99 (USD)
• The 8-bit Time Machine, $24.99 (USD)
• The 8-bit Time Paradox, $24.99 (USD)

Additional variants of these albums will be available exclusively from Mondo in the near future.

 

The 8-bit Time Capsule

The 8-bit Time Capsule is only available physically for now, but excerpts are available digitally on Rotondo’s website right here. See below for the full list of songs on the album.

Track listing:

• “Flying Egg Island” (Yoshi-inspired)
• “Old Man Mario” (Super Mario Brothers-inspired)
• “Curse of the Ocarina” (Zelda-inspired)
• “Samus Lullaby” (Metroid-inspired)
• “Prohibition Town” (GTA-inspired)
• “The Cake is Real” (Portal-inspired)
• “The Spherical Block” (Minecraft-inspired)
• “Red Dead Metal” (Red Dead-inspired)

You can check out The 8-bit Time Capsule right here.

 

The 8-bit Time Machine

The 8-bit Time Machine features eight beloved game tunes, transformed through the nostalgic chiptune music aesthetic, as well as two original tracks.

Track listing:

• “Satellite” (Watchdogs)
• “Gusty Garden Galaxy” (Super Mario Galaxy)
• “The Traveler” (Destiny)
• “Downstream” (Braid)
• “Theme” (Battlefield 1942)
• “Still Alive” (Portal)
• “Main Theme” (Angry Birds)
• “Title” (The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
• “Paso The 8-bit Time Traveler” (Original by Giovanni Rotondo)
• “Yolao The 8-bit Lord Of Time” (Original by Giovanni Rotondo)

You can check out The 8-bit Time Machine right here. You can also listen to the album digitally on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

 

The 8-bit Time Paradox

The 8-bit Time Paradox features eight covers of beloved video game tunes all reimagined by popular YouTube musicians, each with a unique style, and one original track, composed by Giovanni Rotondo, where they all perform together.

Track listing:

• Metroid – “Title Theme” – SamiaAntha
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild – “Main Theme” – Salome Scheidegger
• Final Fantasy VII – “Anxiety” – Harry Murrell
• Zelda Ocarina of Time – “Gerudo Valley” – Greg Pattillo & Eric Stephenson (project Trio)
• Mega Man – “Medley” – Meine Meinung (Moonbow music)
• Titanfall 2 – “Medley” – Live Voices
• Shovel Knight – “Medley” – CarboHydroM
• Battlefield 1 – “Battlefield One” – Giovanni Rotondo
• Original Bonus Track – all the above artists

You can check out The 8-bit Time Paradox right here. You can also listen to the album digitally on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

---

The 8-bit Time Capsule and the rest of the 8-bit Time Adventures collection have been hits so far.

“Since our launch, we’ve been thrilled with the response from fans,” Rotondo noted. “The Magic Deck Records and the Test Press Bundle have completely sold out, and only a limited number of Collectors Bundles are still available. To celebrate that, we’ve recently shared a 1-minute excerpt of the bonus track included with the card in a YouTube promo clip.”

Outside of the 8-bit Time Adventures series, Giovanni Rotondo is a composer known for feature films and documentaries like BBC1’s The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Rai1’s Il Giudice Meschino, Orphans & Kingdoms, and Netflix’s Dark Desire and El Club.

Tell us what you think! Are you enjoying these reimagined Nintendo theme songs? Will you be picking up one of these albums? Share your reactions in the comments below.

Source: Giovanni Rotondo, Enjoy the Ride Records, Magic Deck Records