Tickling the Ivories: Top Ten Pianos in Games

Some of my first memories with a piano involved going to my grandma’s house and making up songs on her lovely, black upright piano which she kept in her dining room. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing. For me, it was a game – an opportunity to create sounds that represented pictures I had in my head. The high notes were rain, the low notes were thunder, and every once in a while, a sharp middle note would be the lightning. And so set the stage for a lifelong love of music!

Naturally, wherever I went, I was on the hunt for a piano to play – including in video games! Grab your favorite Alfred learning book, and let’s take a look at the top ten instances of pianos in games!

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10) Grand Piano Keys
(Arcade, 2015)

I’d be remiss not to include this abomination of a ticket game that appealed to budding pianists who were only met with deep disappointment when they realized there was hardly any connection to the instrument whatsoever. But, the cabinet itself was decorated with all sorts of beautiful music references and I guess the giant buttons “could” be piano keys? Half steps? Whole steps? Maybe I should step away.

9) Parasite Eve
(Playstation, 1998)

The day for the mitochondria to be free has finally arrived! Melissa is feeling hot… and no, it’s not because she has reached that special age in her life. Something in her cells has shifted, turning her into the evil “Eve.” She may want to cut her nails if she wants to maintain proper finger curvature.

8) Maniac Mansion
(Commodore 64/Apple II, 1987)

No mansion would be complete without a fine, grand piano for the music room. Though, it’s hard to imagine Dr. Fred taking time away from his zombie cheerleader experiments to practice his scales! Proud of Bernard for taking the first steps to a healthy practice session – “walk to the piano bench.”

7) Mario Kart 8
(Wii U, 2014)

Drums, brass valves, and vibraphones – it seems like every family of instrument is represented in this iconic raceway. My favorite portion is when the track suddenly turns into a set of giant piano keys, and the in-game music adds a glissando of notes as you speed across them. I would 100% visit this Music Park. Please make it a real thing!

6) Final Fantasy V
(Super Famicom, 1992)

Pianos first appeared in Final Fantasy III and even famously showed up in Final Fantasy VII (see our glorious cover photo for this post). Final Fantasy V, however, turned the hunt for pianos in each town into a little mini game. Each new piano that was discovered and played would result in a slightly better piece of music being played. Practice makes perfect!

5) Luigi’s Mansion 3
(Switch, 2019)

Amadeus Wolfgeist takes his playing very seriously, so when a timid Luigi steps on stage and interrupts the mad maestro, all hell breaks loose! What follows is an event that leaves the entire theater in shambles – similar to some of my own personal performances when I hadn’t practiced enough!

4) The 7th Guest
(DOS, 1993)

If you loved the melody memorization game of Simon as a kid, then you’ll love this puzzle in The 7th Guest. All one needs to do is listen to the pitches being played and then repeat them back, one note being added with each new sequence. I especially liked that the notes being played are the correct pitches!

3) It Takes Two
(Various, 2021)

They say that music brings people together, and perhaps the troubled couple of It Takes Two just might find what they need to rekindle their relationship – especially after being shrunken down in size. Here’s your chance to reenact that famous “Heart and Soul” scene from Big!

2) Super Mario 64
(N64, 1996)

Play with us, Mario. The Overlook Hotel… I mean “Big Boo’s Haunt” had no business being such a nightmarish dwelling with unnerving, looping melodies and ghastly specters lurking around every corner. Not even our camera man Lakitu was brave enough to enter the abode, forced to film Mario from the window which, in turn, gives us an eery, fixed view straight out of Resident Evil. And, of course, just when we thought we had a moment of reprieve with a cozy grand piano, enticing us closer with its glossy black finish and beautiful ivory keys… the lid springs open sporting sharp fangs as the piano wobbles to and fro toward our helpless plumber, each step made worse with the roar of the hammers slamming against the muddy, bass strings. “Why didn’t you practice this week, Eric?” “THE PIANO IS GOING TO KILL ME.”

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Honorable Mentions:

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time
(Window/Macintosh, 1996)

The Simpsons: Bart’s Nightmare
(Super Nintendo, 1992)

The Stanley Parable
(Steam, 2013)

Celeste
(Various, 2018)

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1) The Miracle Piano Teaching System
(NES, 1990)

Name the craziest Nintendo peripheral. Is it the light zapper? The U-Force? R.O.B.? No! It’s the MIRACLE PIANO TEACHING SYSTEM – a fully functional digital keyboard that you plug directly into your controller port! In addition, it comes with software, shaped like every other NES cartridge, which will “teach” you how to play the piano. Can you imagine sitting in the living room with your keyboard trying to follow notes on your TV screen? In any case, this was pretty groundbreaking territory for 1990, and Nintendo certainly wasn’t afraid of trying out a little innovation (see the above peripherals, the Wii, the Wii U, the 3DS, Labo, the Switch, etc.). Nowadays, most digital pianos have a built-in screen where you can play similar “follow the note”-type games for learning pitches and fingering. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.

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Thanks for stopping by to read my post! Can you think of other instances of seeing a piano in a game? Share with me in a comment! Also, if you’re enjoying my content, let me know by “liking” my post, and if you want to see more, be sure to “follow” me so you’re the first to see my new stuff!

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