Minako Hamano

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Minako Hamano is a long-time composer and sound coordinator at Nintendo, primarily known for her work in the Metroid series along with fellow composer Kenji Yamamoto.

History[]

She joined the company's R&D1 department in 1991, with her debut games being The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Super Metroid; some of her most iconic compositions for those titles include the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" and Ridley's theme. After working on some more projects, she was the lead composer of Metroid Fusion, which was characterized by a more suspenseful approach to the music.

Later on, Hamano moved to the Nintendo SPD sound group. Throughout her career, Hamano has composed for series like Metroid, Brain Age, Wario, and Donkey Kong, although nowadays, she is mostly involved as a sound coordinator for games developed externally.

Game Works[]

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) - Sound Composer
Super Metroid (1994) - Music Composer
Snoopy Concert (1995) - Sound Staff
Galactic Pinball (1995) - Sound Assistant
Game Boy Camera (1998) - Sound Composer
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (2000) - Music Composition
Mobile Golf (2001) - BGM Programming
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) - Sound
Metroid Fusion (2002) - Music Composition
Nintendo Puzzle Collection (2003) - Voice (Panel de Pon)
Wario World (2003) - Music
Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) - Music Composition
Daigasso! Band Brothers (2004) - Sound
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (2005) - Music Composition
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (2005) - Music
Tetris DS (2006) - Sound
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007) - Music
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) - Music Arrangement
Jam with the Band (2008) - Music
Wario Land: Shake It! (2008) - Music [note: credited only in the instruction booklet]
Brain Age Express: Math/Arts & Letters/Sudoku (2008) - Music Composition
Mono ya Okane no Shikumi DS (2009) - Music
Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) - Music
Wii Play: Motion (2011) - Sound Coordination
Brain Age: Concentration Training (2012) - Music
Miiverse (2012) - Sound Composition
Mii Force/Flower Town/Warrior's Way/Monster Manor (2013) - Sound Coordination
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) - Music/Voice Recording
Battleground Z (2015) - Sound Coordination
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (2015) - Sound Supervisor
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE (2015) - Sound Support
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge (2016) - Music Supervisor
Slot Car Rivals/Market Crashers/Ninja Launcher/Feed Mii/Mii Trek (2016) - Sound Coordination
Hey! Pikmin (2017) - Sound Progress Management
Metroid: Samus Returns (2017) - Original Metroid Music, Sound Coordination
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch) (2018) - Music Support
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido (2018) - Sound Support
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch (2019)
Metroid Dread (2021) - Sound Coordination
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025) - Music

Special Thanks[]

Mario & Wario (1993)
Teleroboxer (1995)
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shōjo (Super Famicom) (1998)
Metroid Prime (2002) (Japanese Version)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004)
DS Kokoro Nurie (2010)
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (2011)
Tokyo Crash Mobs (2012)
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U (2014) - Supervisor (Original Games)
Mario Party 10 (2015)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) - Original Game Supervisor

Song Credits[]

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening[]

Shipwreck -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Title (Opening Version) -- Arrangement (w/Kozue Ishikawa)^{^[1]}
Enter Name -- Arrangement^{^[1]}
Waking Up at Tarin's House -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
First Search -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Owl -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Sword Get Fanfare -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Marin Version) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Cave -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 1: Tail Cave -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Passage -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Boss Battle -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Boss Battle Victory: Heart Get -- Composition (w/Kazumi Totaka), Arrangement (w/Kazumi Totaka)^{^[1]}
Instrument of the Sirens Fanfare -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 2: Bottle Grotto -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon: Kanalet Castle -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 3: Key Cavern -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dream Shrine: Entrance -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dream Shrine: Sleep -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dream Shrine -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Marin on the Beach -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Shore Version) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Ocarina Practice Version) -- Composition (w/Kazumi Totaka), Arrangement (w/Kazumi Totaka)^{^[1]}
Dungeon 4: Angler's Tunnel -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 5: Catfish's Maw -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Prelude to Defeat -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Southern Face Shrine -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 6: Face Shrine -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 7: Eagle's Tower -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Boss Battle (Eagle's Tower Version) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Dungeon 8: Turtle Rock -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Instrumental Version) -- Composition (w/Kazumi Totaka), Arrangement (w/Kazumi Totaka)^{^[1]}
Wind Fish's Egg -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Shadows Battle Omen -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Shadows Appear/Battle -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}
Koholint Island Disappears -- Composition (w/Kazumi Totaka), Arrangement (w/Kazumi Totaka)^{^[1]}
Ending/Staff Roll -- Composition (w/Kozue Ishikawa), Arrangement (w/Kozue Ishikawa)^{^[1]}
Game Over -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[1]}

Super Metroid[]

Opening (Destroyed Science Academy Research Station) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Wrecked Ship -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Maridia - Rocky Underground Water Area -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Maridia - Quicksand Underground Water Area -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Mini Boss Confrontation Theme (Spore Spawn, Botwoon) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Big Boss Confrontation Theme (Ridley, Draygon) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Big Boss Confrontation Theme (Kraid, Crocomire, Phantoon) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Tourian -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Mother Brain -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Escape -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[2]}
Ending -- Composition (w/Kenji Yamamoto), Arrangement^{^[2]}

Mario Kart: Super Circuit[]

Bowser Castle Course -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[3]}

Metroid Fusion[]

Sector 1: (SRX) SR388 Simulation Area -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[4]}
SA-X Appearance -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[5]}

Wario World[]

Greenhorn Ruins^{^[6]} -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[7]^[8]}
Vs. Dual Dragon^{^[6]} -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[8]}
Beanstalk Way 2^{^[6]} -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[8]}

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day![]

Title Theme -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[9]}
Menu Theme -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[9]}
Checking Answers -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[9]}
Staff Credits -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[9]}

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

Sector 1 (Metroid Fusion) -- Composition & Arrangement

Wario Land: Shake It![]

Main Menu^{^[6]} -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[10]}
Stonecarving City (Ruins) -- Composition & Arrangement^{^[10]}

Interviews[]

Super Metroid Staff Interview (translated by Metroid Database)
N.O.M.: Metroid Fusion (translated by Metroid Database)

References[]

↑ ^1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 ^1.17 ^1.18 ^1.19 ^1.20 ^1.21 ^1.22 ^1.23 ^1.24 ^1.25 ^1.26 ^1.27 ^1.28 ^1.29 ^1.30 ^1.31 ^1.32 ^1.33 ^1.34 ^1.35 ^1.36 ^1.37 https://vgmdb.net/album/96462
↑ ^2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 https://vgmdb.net/album/883
↑ https://vgmdb.net/album/2426
↑ https://vgmdb.net/album/68952
↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070827092607/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0303/32/index.html
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 unofficial song name
↑ https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2017/03/17/tomoya-tomita-interview/
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 via Wario World game files (this track has the extension "n-" for Nintendo, corresponding to Hamano as the only Nintendo composer credited)
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 via Brain Age game files (this track is associated with the sound bank "BANK_BGM_HAMANO")
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 https://gamingreinvented.com/interview/lets-interview-kirbys-epic-yarn-composer-tomoya-tomita/

[:2-1] 1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 ^1.16 ^1.17 ^1.18 ^1.19 ^1.20 ^1.21 ^1.22 ^1.23 ^1.24 ^1.25 ^1.26 ^1.27 ^1.28 ^1.29 ^1.30 ^1.31 ^1.32 ^1.33 ^1.34 ^1.35 ^1.36 ^1.37 https://vgmdb.net/album/96462

[:0-2] 2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 https://vgmdb.net/album/883

[3] ttps://vgmdb.net/album/2426

[4] ttps://vgmdb.net/album/68952

[5] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070827092607/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0303/32/index.html

[unofficial-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 unofficial song name

[:3-7] ttps://www.heypoorplayer.com/2017/03/17/tomoya-tomita-interview/

[:5-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 via Wario World game files (this track has the extension "n-" for Nintendo, corresponding to Hamano as the only Nintendo composer credited)

[:4-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 via Brain Age game files (this track is associated with the sound bank "BANK_BGM_HAMANO")

[:1-10] 10.0 ^10.1 https://gamingreinvented.com/interview/lets-interview-kirbys-epic-yarn-composer-tomoya-tomita/

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