Game info: Wikipedia
Listening: emulated audio, YouTube
Credits
Music Composer: Jun Ishikawa
Info
I got randomly reminded by a friend that this game exists, so let’s give ‘er a listen again. This is an action game by HAL Laboratory, the Kirby folks, back when they made non-Kirby games a little more regularly than they do now. It’s a top-down fantasy game where you run around stabbin’ a bunch of jerks with a sword; if you’ve played something like Soul Blazer that’s kinda what you’re looking at here. Played it a few years ago, it’s not super remarkable but it wasn’t unenjoyable.
Music’s by Jun Ishikawa, the guy who invented Kirby music. It’s a bit more of a “serious” soundtrack for him, but still in his recognizable orchestral style that you’d also hear in Kirby Super Star and Arcana; the boss themes in particular scream Kirby. We’ve got pizzicato strings, sixteenth-note bass, odd time, and chord changes that impart a sense of wistfulness, all your Jun Ishikawa standbys. He loves a little taste of prog here and there, especially in his SNES work, and this is one of if not his proggiest soundtrack in his discography.
Recommended tracks:
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“Floating Continent” is the first stage theme; keep an ear out for the final measure of the song being in 4/4 instead of 7/8—having the last measure be in a different time signature is a trademark Ishikawa move
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“Powerful Enemy” has a couple of fast mixed meter sections
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“Battle with Babilom” has some cool pitch bends and chime rings
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“Edge of the World” is a very Kirby’s Dream Land 3 piece in its bittersweet lyricism
(track titles are unofficial)
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