That post about how gorgeous the Castlevania DS game are had me thinking about the singular greatest track in the entire series, belonging to Harmony of Dissonance on the GBA. I need you to understand that I did not edit this in any way, it just sounds like this in game.
oh yeah forgot to mention one of the best things of many great things about Harmony of Dissonance.
the Luck stat in Castlevania games have always been notoriously ineffectual but Harmony of Dissonance takes the cake in that it does nothing except determine how often you can encounter one of these guys, the Rare Ghost (at a rate of LCK Γ 0.00025). they also drop Lucky Rings, so you can encounter more Rare Ghost.
(i could swear i already wrote this comment but it seems to have vanished into the aether...)
the music in this post is absolutely perfect for purpose. the merchant is literally just some guy, he doesn't even get a name, he appears only under arcane conditions that are clued to you in barely visible wall markings, and it's highly possible to get through the entire game without meeting him even once because none of his other appearances happen unless you meet him in the one specific room that starts the whole thing. not even the main character can make any sense of it, and actively questions what this guy is doing in a castle. this music accurately conveys that confusion. literally who are you. what is happening in this room. how did you get here. why did you get here. i guess i have slightly better gloves now, thank you strange person. it is possible i will never see you again for another couple of playthroughs. π€·ββοΈ

