Composer: Masamichi Amano
Developer: Imagineer
This song has a pressing sense of urgency that is heightened by the percussive plucks of the strings, insinuating that if we do not succeed, the world may be doomed. This is a song propelled in its best parts by the impish plucks of the sylph’s violin and a warlord’s impatient, blood thirsty strikes of the war drum.
Often when we think about a song being emotional, we think about the generic emotions of love and fear. However, music can be used to imbue scenes with other emotional qualities as well. If you watch horror or suspense cinema, you know how much emotion can be in a single violin when we are on the edge of our seats. We know that something is coming… that is what we all paid our money for… but what? Where? How? These feelings of uncertainty can be heightened with proper use of music. That is exactly what the music does here. If the music in the beginning of the game can be thought of as very placid (all is well with the world), the music in the end of the game can be thought of as very tense (standing on the precipice of the apocalypse). This track is filled to the brim with Anxiety. In fact, it almost feels as if the cello strings are about to be ripped from the neck and the timpani’s head is about to burst. The delightful pieces of syncopation sprinkled all throughout the song. The bass lines that pace in a circle like a male ballerina. You should listen to this song to enjoy the unsettling feeling that a great composition can give you.
If you ignore it all, I ask you to pay attention to the flute melody, its such a treat.
So does anyone out there think that synthesized instruments have their place along side real versions of the instruments? Check out this video to compare. Which is better to you?