Game info: Wikipedia
Listening/music info: soundtrack album (first release, second release)
Info
So before we get to anything else: the game’s title is an encoded version of the phrase hotaru no nikki, which can be translated as the game’s English subtitle, “The Firefly Diary.” I don’t really know much about this game, so I can’t tell you if the mangling of the title is actually significant plotwise, or if it’s just because it looks cool and is somewhat thematically relevant to the setting (it takes place in the far future apparently). I also don’t really know much about the composer, Hajime Sugie, aside from that he’s a freelance composer and most of his other game works are other games by the same developer, Nippon Ichi. Oh, and he plays the trombone! But there isn’t any trombone in this soundtrack.
What you’ll actually find in this soundtrack is a bunch of cool ambient music with a bit of an undercurrent to it, sometimes subtle and sometimes overt, that something terrible happened here. A lotta synth warmth with a sprinkling of synth terror, not trying to spook you with loud noises or chaos but keeping you tense, reminding you that you shouldn’t be here. I like it a lot!
Recommended tracks:
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“Anonymous materials” has some nice chord changes and big ol’ bends
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“Everything going to be ghost” is a darker track with some concerning noises here and there
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“Where is my key?” is one of three chiptuney pieces in the game, the weirdest one with plenty usage of noise and unmelodic tones
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“Reach for reality” is the longest and “biggest” song on the soundtrack, a lush piece with a million different synth things going on at any one time
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“The Firefly Diary” (vo. Yukino Utsuki) ends the game with some ethereal, modulated vocals; the weird dissonant bit from 1:00 to 1:10 always kicks me in the butt when I listen to this
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