Game Soundtrack Spotlight - Final Fantasy (1987)

Final Fantasy (1987; Squaresoft /
SquareEnix)

by Christopher McElfresh

By the mid 1980's Squaresoft's sales were spotty at best, and one of their lead designers, Hironobu Sakaguchi made the assertion that he will make one more game.  If it failed, he was going to call it quits.  The game, Final Fantasy, titled as such as Sakaguchi was sure it would be his swan song, became a cash cow, and would become one of the most enduring franchises in the industry's history.

Final Fantasy was greatly similar to the Enix title from the year before, Dragon Warrior, wich would become arguably the most popular RPG series in Japan.  The difference would be in the narrative.  The game used storytelling in a way that most gamers had not yet experienced and the ability to form and name your own party brought you into the game like no other game has.

The composer for Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu, is the most recognized and revered composer in the industry.  Never taking a formal lesson, the entirely self-taught Uematsu has made a name for himself by composing game soundtracks that were so far above what players were used to hearing that it made the series an entirely different, richer experience than any other games released at their time.  While the series would have highs and lows in the overal quality of the games, Uematsu's work, along with other composers such as the talented Hironobu Sakaguchi, would stand out as masterworks in the inudstry.

I have chosen to go with the arranged versions of the soundtrack rather than the 8-bit classic version.  I did this because it was a lot easier to find and the fuller sound makes the experience that much richer.  So it begins.  YouTube embeds tend to slow down the page loading quite a bit, so for this and other, longer soundtrack examinations, I am going to link to the youtube vidoes for the songs, rather than put them directly into the article.  I will do this whenever the spotlight features ten or more songs.  For convenience you can simple shift+click the links, or you can right click and choose "Open Link in New Tab."

The Soundtrack -
Main Theme - The Song
This song, which doubles as the overworld theme is adventurous and memorable.  The song is encompases the adventure that is Final Fantasy.

Town - The Song
This is a soft guitar theme, a soft flute melody and a nice little piece of nostalgia.  The Town Theme is one of the more recognizable themes from the game, outside of maybe the Main Theme and...

Battle Theme - The Song
This one has an air of menace and threat yet it is an exiciting piece.  Seeing as how it is probably the one song you will hear more than any other in this game, it is a pretty good thing that it does not suck, eh?

Inn - The Song
In need of a little R&R?  This song has a tinge of Italiano while still fitting in with the rest of the soundtrack quite well. 

Bridge Building - The Song
Light and cheery this theme is an example of the kind of music this series has become known for. 

Temple of Fiends - The Song
The final stage has one of the best themes in the game.  It is haunting and beutiful.  It all leads up to the final bout with Chaos.  Another example of why this series has become so famous for it soundtrack.

Matoya's Cave - The Song
Following the bout with Astos, we get this happy little piece of work.  It is a simple piece but it is actually quite uplifting.  I like this one a lot.

Underwater Temple - The Song
This is a strong piece.  It is both a little dark and lovely.  The strings and piano combo is a personal favorite of mine and this is one of the best video game compositions to make use of them.

The Battle With Chaos - The Song
Final Fantasy has a long history of amazing final boss themes.  The very first one is one of the all-time greats.  The theme is intense, exiciting and really draws you into the final showdown.  It also happens to be another one of my all-time favorite video game themes.

The Ending Theme - The Song
This beautiful rendition of the town theme closes things out with a beautiful air of peace.  Now that you've saved the world, what are you going to do now!?


All above music, Final Fantasy and all elements therein are property of Squaresoft, now SquareEnix.  The video files were found on YouTube and I do not own the videos or their contents.

Game Soundtrack Spotlight - Flower (2009)

by Christopher McElfresh

While the music is entirely secondary to the game itself in all of the posts we have published thus far, how many games are there where the music came first?  Flower was built around a series of themes composed by Vincent Diamante, and as the game's development continued, the ideas in the game seamlessly reflected the soundtrack.  It is arguably the best integration of music and gameplay ever used in video games outside of the actual music game genre.

Thatgamecompany saw success with their game Flow, and Flower, also developed independantly by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark, was their attempt at really making a game that was not about "winning" or about "challenge" but was more of an experience.  Flower was meant to be an emotionally engaging, relaxing interactive experience.  It has no story scenes and no dialogue.  It tells a seemingly grim tale entirely in visuals.  The game is mournful but beautiful.  The environmental message is not subtle, but it is not bashing you over the head either.  I always interpreted it as the idea that nature always triumphs.  Even after man has left his footprint in ashes, life returns and brings beauty to the grey empty ruins.

Diamante's compostions here are a mix of soothing, beautiful and relaxing sounds.   I love the soundtrack to Flower and if you have not played the game, I would actually sugguest skipping listening to the songs here and go play it.  It's under ten bucks on the Playstation Store and it is one of the best games on there.  There really is no reason to have not played this title yet!

So, without further ado, let us take a look at a few of Vincent Diamante's compositions for Flower.

The Soundtrack -

Sailing on the Wind-
This auditory journey is one of my favorites in the game.  The twinkling piano and the soft sounds of the horn come together to make a song that feels just as the title suggests.  Like you are, in fact, sailing on the wind.  What is amazing is that this is not even the best song on this soundtrack, but it is a perfect place to start.

Nighttime Excursion -
My favorite theme in the game is filled with soft piano, a beautiful melody and a smooth and simple rhythm.  Everything in this song works for me, as incomplex as it really is.  It really is an example of "less is more".

Peaceful Repose -
There is a melody that permeates the entire soundtrack to Flower.  You hear it here and can hear it in almost all of the songs.  It is the theme that ties everything together.  This simple tune highlights this theme, placing it as the principle melody of the song.

Lazy Daydream-
This guitar version of the Flower theme is a nice little variation.  I like the ethereal sounds gently humming in the background.

Splash of Color -
Another variation on the Flower theme, this one building to a full orchestral score.  Around the halfway point, this song breaks down, revealing a more complex melody.  Ever slightly leaning to a minor key, but never actually getting there.  This one sounds much more mournful than the rest of the soundtrack.

Purification of the City -
This song is much more full and upbeat than the rest of the soundtrack.  We see the fallen city around us, cold and lifeless, as we slowly restore color and life.  The brightness returning as the sound builds, the chords moving in to really highten the emotional element of nature's victory. The music then subsides ever so slightly so we can absorb the work that is ahead of us, and as an encouraging force, returns to full-strength for the final push to completion.

The soundtrack to Flower is some powerful stuff, but for me, just listening to the music does not come close to playing the game, experiencing all of the parts as a whole.  This captivating game has been out for some time, yet there are still people who have not played it.  Find them, strap them to a chair and make them!  On the next post, I am going to finally, FINALLY talk about a Final Fantasy game.  Until then...

All above music, Flower and all elements therein are property of Thatgamecompany.  The video files were found on YouTube and I do not own the videos or their contents.