Game info: MobyGames
Listening: emulated audio, YouTube
Credits
Music Compose: Junya Nakano
Sound Effect: Eiji Nakamura
Sound Program: Minoru Akao
Info
Just realized I never went through this soundtrack again after playing the game a few months ago. This is a Japanese-only SNES game released exclusively through the Satellaview, a satellite modem peripheral + subscription service, so for a game developed by Square it’s pretty obscure. It got translated earlier this year, and I probably would’ve downloaded it anyway because I had already heard of the game because of its soundtrack, but while checking out the translation I learned that the game has mode 7 airship fights in it and I was immediately like “say no more.” The game isn’t very big (which makes sense, given it was distributed through a download service in the ’90s); you mainly just get a bunch of cryptic clues about the locations of treasure and then fly around the world map and figure out what geographical formations they correspond to, while occasionally getting in plot-related mode 7 airship fights. It’s interesting, kind of felt like something I’d download off of itch.io (not derogatory).
This game was one of the first, if not the first, projects by Junya Nakano after he joined Square in 1995 after having previously composed for a few years at Capcom. Nakano’s a composer I like a lot because he has a fondness for thick chords and minimalism, two quick ways into my heart. This soundtrack doesn’t demonstrate a whole lot of the things I like him for in other works, though; it’s mainly just RPG string-heavy orchestral to get you in the mood for spending a half an hour flying around in circles trying to figure out what the fuck “on the road to sneak up on the angry sea god, the ring shines on a cape” could possibly mean. SNES strings are always a real comfy vibe, at least.
Recommended tracks:
-
“Introduction” is just an example of the game’s orchestral writing for y’all
-
“Auction” is a longtime fave Nakano track of mine, the marimba fills at the end of every phrase are so good
-
“Doom Triangle” hints at some of the minimalism I mentioned earlier; the weird quarter note chimey melody at the start makes it difficult for me to track the meter of the piece if that’s all I’m focusing on
(track titles are unofficial)
Leave a Reply