Recently in Music Category

Oh look, I'm breaking my "don't discuss newer soundtracks" clause, and I almost feel bad about it!

But that's mainly because this isn't the usual Recommended Soundtracks entry. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth has some quality tunes, all of which use older technology that sounds like it's coming from a Genesis cartridge (though it admittedly sounds slightly better than that). It's a great way to pay homage to older games, especially if games in that genre aren't being made anymore. In that way, I'm recommending the soundtrack; and it's pretty easy to digest since it's a small soundtrack.


I also want to discuss the game's soundtrack because it does something many Castlevania games don't do: remix lesser known tracks. The developers behind the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow have expressed interest in providing orchestral remixes of older tracks that fans are particularly fond of.  That sounds fine on the surface, until you realize it probably means remixing "Vampire Killer," "Bloody Tears," and "Beginning" for the 10th time (a figurative guesstimate, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was literally accurate). They're all perfectly quality tracks, but does anyone really need another remix of these?

(And yes, I know this game also has a remix of "Vampire Killer." I guess it's a prerequisite.)

The fine folks responsible for Rebirth's soundtrack apparently realized this and decided to remix some tracks that weren't fan favorites, with the main job of remixing them being left to Manabu Namiki. They're redone versions of tracks that were (and are, really) woefully underappreciated but every bit as good as those aforementioned classics, and clearly someone thought they deserved another look.

Of course, the preferable alternative would be to have compositions of new music that's every bit as good as the older material. Nothing wrong with throwing in a few remixes, though.

"Reincarnated Soul" plays during the game's first stage, and originally comes from Castlevania: Bloodlines for Genesis, where it was also used for the first stage.  It's almost remarkable to see how similar they sound, but that's not surprising. There's no problem with that either. Usually the best tracks from older console games are the first to be remixed, so who knows why this one hasn't been remixed yet. I would have loved to hear it in Portrait of Ruin, given that it's a sequel to Bloodlines. That's not a complaint, though, since PoR is chock full of fine tunes:


"New Messiah" is used for the third stage, and is originally pulled from Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge for Game Boy, the only good Castlevania game on that system. The Adventure Rebirth is a reimagining of the original Game Boy game Castlevania: The Adventure, so it's fitting that it should include a track from another older portable title. Rebirth wasn't any good, so it desperately needed a remake. Both older Game Boy games have some excellent-though-woefully unappreciated tracks, so don't be surprised to see them pop up in a future entry:


"Aquarius" is used for the game's fifth stage, the final full stage, and originally hails from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse for NES. This is one of my favorite Castlevania tracks ever, and I'm glad to see it get remixed. Again. It was also featured in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon for GBA. That version is noticeably mellower, and I prefer the version with more of a beat:


For how brief the game is, it sure has a nice variety of remixed tracks. The irony here is that's also precisely the main problem with the soundtrack. Castlevania: The Adventure still has a bunch of tracks clamoring for a remix, and this game would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase them. Hoping the LoS team considered some unappreciated tracks as viable candidates for remixing is admittedly a pipe dream, so I hope they decide to use them if there are more "Rebirth" games.

Just as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne isn't your average Japanese RPG, its soundtrack is also very different from what you'd hear in other RPGs.

Nocturne's soundtrack represents some of the best work from mainstay Megaten music composer Shoji Meguro. Your opinion of "best" will depend on which of his music styles you prefer. The Persona titles are certainly more, but not completely, lighthearted than your average Megaten game, and have music that accompanies that thematic choice. Not to say they don't get a little dreary at times, but it's nothing as harrowing as what's represented in a game like Nocturne.

(And on the other side of the spectrum, you have the detective TV show-esque theme of the PS2 Devil Summoner titles.)


In fact, "harrowing" is a good word to describe the entire soundtrack. Your usual JRPG would have a serene, calming theme to be used for towns, but that's unnecessary in a game where humans are nearly non-existent. Anyone who's played Nocturne can tell you that the game isn't harrowing only for its derelict world, haunting music, or Kazuma Kaneko's beautifully creepy-looking demons; the game is maddeningly difficult. But it's hard in a way that it rewards a brilliantly-crafted strategy through understanding the game's core features, and not in a way that it's needlessly esoteric (*cough*Unlimited Saga*cough*).

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Nocturne's music is that it's far creepier than it initially lets on. Some of the game's music themes contain vocals that could easily be mistaken for the ominous chanting, the kind you hear in a lot of JRPGs post "One Winged Angel." But no, a good portion of these music themes actually have English lyrics buried within them, though they're tough to hear. It's something you probably won't recognize in the actual game, as you'll be too occupied with figuring out how to survive each battle. Upon booting up the soundtrack and listening very, very closely to the battle themes, you'll discover the meaning behind the music. Unsurprisingly, it's mostly pretty disturbing.

Please note that these lyrics are open to some interpretation, since Atlus didn't release a sheet with official lyrics. These were obtained with help from Atlus' USA forums.

Take the main boss battle theme for instance. In the game, you'll be busy hoping you have the right demons and spells to take the bosses down, and hope they don't unleash any attacks that could leave your party reeling for HP. But there are some...interesting lyrics here:

We sacrificed the son of god!
Man's greatest glimpse of fire red!
Haven't they lost their stable prayers from our greatest god?
Answer our prayers! Help us!

God! Almighty God! Can you hear me?
God! Almighty God! Can you hear me?

Yikes. But it means quite a bit in the context of the game:


"Normal Battle (Large Map)," the battle theme that plays on the overworld map, also has a few lyrics far into it:

Maybe you have ought to suffer
You have doomed creation and fate
You lead them all to death
You little demons are caught in our web

Those lyrics could refer to you and the demons that have sided with you. It makes a lot of sense when you meet the forces behind this entire ordeal:


This one doesn't have any lyrics, but it's one, of my personal favorite battle themes in the game: "Battle - Amala Network." It's also played the least compared to the others. That's probably because it's a remixed theme from Super Famicom title Shin Megami Tensei: If... and was thrown in as a little Easter egg. Still, it's a great theme:


One of my personal pet peeves with certain JRPGs is that many of them use the same battle theme ad infinitum. It's admittedly not as bad when the main battle theme is incredibly good, but even then it can still get a little annoying - though that's dependent on how long the game is. Many fans who had become a little bored of JRPGs and its all-too-common tropes referred to Nocturne as a breath of fresh air. Some wondered whether future games in the genre would take inspiration from this game. Spoiler: they didn't.

You know you're out of ideas when you're recycling old ones and try to pass them off as something new.

Which could be something the, oh, three of you who've had ample experience with both Street Fighter EX and Street Fighter EX 3 might be thinking. Everyone else is just wondering what the heck I'm talking about. This entry will be about Street Fighter EX's soundtrack, but most of the tracks from this game made their way into the third game in the form of character themes. So to speak, they kind of share the same soundtrack. EX 3 does have a soundtrack of its own, however, which contained themes for characters introduced in this spin-off that didn't have themes in the previous game, along with individual stage themes. This means I kind of regret using "Precious Heart" in that entry, but it's not like there aren't plenty of other perfectly recommendable tracks.

The Street Fighter EX games, developed by Arika, were the franchise's first foray into 3D, something the results of which would have been interesting regardless of whether it turned out messy. You'll find a plethora of different opinions on the games around the internet, but they're actually pretty competent fighting games. It wasn't a perfect transition from 2D to 3D because of how loose the controls felt; something many of us wouldn't have realized if Rival Schools hadn't shown us how to perfectly adapt 2D fighting game controls into 3D.  A pity no one noticed that game.

Also, by "competent," I'm referring to the first two games. The figuratively phoned in third game is best left not discussed, unless you're talking about the soundtrack.

The jump to 3D meant venturing into the unknown for Street Fighter, so a soundtrack was composed that could also be relegated to comparatively unfamiliar territory. Capcom and Arika hired Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, and Takayuki Aihara for the job. The results? Three of the best soundtracks in the franchise's history. It's also criminally underrated, but that's precisely what makes it a good candidate for an entry like this.

This is "Spinning Bird," Chun-Li's theme for the series, something I hope you guessed if you're a fan of the franchise. You may notice that while some of the character themes may be inspired by their Street Fighter II themes, they're given a different approach. I like this theme more than her SFII theme; a shame Capcom apparently refuses to use it again, assuming they own the rights:


Here we have "Garnet Sky," used for new characters Cracker Jack and Blair Dame. If you think it sounds like something inspired by numerous western themes, you'd be right, as that's also the kind of stage they fight in. You could probably accurately picture the stage. If there's one aspect you could knock the EX games for legitimately, it's the bland backgrounds:


"Arabesque" is the theme for the semi-popular wealthy Arabian Pullum Purna. This theme fits both the character and the stage perfectly, but that doesn't mean it's not nice to hear outside of the game. I see this song played over quite a few Youtube videos of Street Fighter IV matches, and some fans have admitted to using this song while using the custom soundtrack feature:


This entry was awfully tough to write, as I have plenty of recommendations for this soundtrack. I needed to fit in "Strange Sunset" for how delightfully smooth and jazzy it sounds, and it's the exact antithesis of "Precious Heart," which uses a fast-paced tempo and is heavy on the saxophone. All three EX games have some of the best music in the franchise, but it's one of the least praised.

After searching for some tracks, it wasn't too long until I realized the horrifying truth: it doesn't have an original soundtrack. In fact, none of the older Shining games do. Both Shining Force III and Shining the Holy Ark, released for Sega Saturn, have music CD's with the title "Original Soundtrack," but they're really remixed soundtracks. They just wanted to confuse you.

But I'm featuring it anyway. One of the reasons why this feature is called "Recommended Soundtracks," is because I'd like to do more than just original soundtracks. Releases of remixes still fit under that definition, so I'll be able to feature Sound Story of Shining and the Darkness, the actual title of SitD's remixed soundtrack, without a "the." It was called "Shining and the Darkness" in Japan, which was probably changed for western audiences because "in" rolls of the tongue better than "and" when used for that title, and using "and" there gives the title a more abstract meaning; or, depending on your interpretation of the name, because it was borderline nonsensical.

When you listen to the soundtracks of many dungeon crawlers, they usually have mostly mellow and harrowing tracks. Dungeon crawlers put more focus on immersion and atmosphere than many other genres, and the music is used to assist with that. Shining in the Darkness does not do this, and instead eschews that for a theme more upbeat and lighthearted. That theme is also represented in the soundtrack. My choices here are going to be awfully rudimentary, so bear with me.

I personally adore the first track to this soundtrack, "The World of Shining and the Darkness," because it fully lives up to its name. Contained within its tempo is a representation of every theme the game touches upon: the feeling of adventure, danger, and overcoming the darkness of the dungeon (by grinding). It's a lengthy overture of what you're in for when you begin the game:


"The Ancient Temple" is the first dungeon theme, one you'll be hearing a lot early on. Especially in the earlier hours, where you'll have to grind and constantly go back to the inn and heal up to stand a chance as you advance into the dungeon. Well, at least until you find your buddies. It's more happy-go-lucky than you'd expect a dungeon theme in the genre to be, but it's composed well:


This last one here is the battle theme, which, seeing as how this is an RPG, you'll be hearing pretty often throughout the game. It's rife with suspense, which you can really tell about a minute into it. The beginning of the remixed version is a little slower than the actual theme, but it later sticks very close to the original:


In fact, the majority of the soundtrack sticks very close to the original, but it makes for more listenable music material because of the instruments it uses. The Genesis wasn't the most capable machine in terms of sound, and didn't have the benefit of having a Sony-powered chip like its competitor in the Super Nintendo. That doesn't mean it was incapable of producing some quality tunes, however. Good music shines through core composition, not technology, which is something quite a few video game music composers of the late 80s and early 90s understood incredibly well.

Cross Generation of Heroes, the original Japanese arcade and Wii release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom - not to be confused with Ultimate All-Stars,  the retooled version released earlier this year worldwide - has a soundtrack comprised of remixes of old tunes for each character, depending on what game or Tatsunoko Pro series they're from. Unfortunately, the results aren't as good as the premise would suggest.

Most of the Capcom remixes (if they are remixes, unlike Soki's) are completely redone, though they still invoke nostalgia if you're familiar with the game these characters originated, but the Tatsunoko remixes are all very low quality midi synths that couldn't sound more dull. It's evident that the idea behind them was to keep their "classic" spirit alive, given that most of these characters are from franchises made in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. But said spirit can still be kept alive in good remixes, something well evinced by the Capcom tracks on the same soundtrack.

So it's because of that puzzling juxtaposition that I'll only be recommending remixes from the Capcom side here. Also, I don't like to talk about soundtracks that were recently released here anymore lest I may rob the producer of sales. This one is an exception since it doesn't have an official soundtrack. Another exception I'm making is featuring four tracks instead of three. Why? Got me!

Alex's Theme here is a more jazzy remix of his Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike theme, aptly called Jazzy NYC. All of 3rd Strike's theme had a hip-hop theme, so it's been mellowed out to fit in with TvC's much more lighthearted theme. It comes off pretty well too. It's similar to the themes of Makoto and Ibuki in Super Street Fighter IV in being comparatively mellower:

And for another theme from an old and sorely neglected Capcom franchise, we have Batsu's theme, a remix of "On the Rooftop of Sunshine High School" from Rival Schools. So now I've provided three remixes of themes from fighting games. But the interesting aspect is that they're all from fighting games fans thought Capcom forgot existed. Good thing this came along:
And speaking of characters we thought Capcom forgot existed, here's Mega Man Voluntt's theme from the game. It's an instrumental remix of a vocal theme from Mega Man Legends, "Another Sun," though it doesn't sound like it too much in parts. All of the remixes have an old-school late-90s style sound to them to invoke nostalgia. Capcom did well:


For TvC, it was decided that Morrigan's theme would be from the older Darkstalkers games, and by that, I mean the first two games in the series (and the better of her two themes). I wasn't making a reference to some newer game that you didn't know about, not while Capcom continues to neglect a property that could have a promising sequel. But yeah, Morrigan's theme is pretty good. I wonder which they'll use for Marvel vs. Capcom 3:


As for other tracks that didn't make it on here, I also recommend listening to Ryu and Chun-Li's remixed themes. I personally like them better than their Street Fighter IV remixes, because the TvC iterations are more faithful to the tempo of their original Street Fighter II themes. And while I may have no nostalgia for Saki or Quiz Nanairo Dreams, her theme is incredibly catchy. There's also Roll's if you enjoy some cheesy J-Pop and liked the iteration of "Kaze no Tsutaete" that appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom, that's here for you to enjoy as well. I may recommend Ultimate All-Stars' soundtrack in the future too, since that also doesn't have an official soundtrack.

Star Ocean, Tri-Ace's first RPG after many of the Tales of Phantasia team split from Namco, features some of Motoi Sakuraba's earlier work. He's a video game music composer whose work is either vaunted or maligned depending on what part of the internet you dare to venture to. As a person who likes his music, I'll be honest: some of his material can be gratingly bland; see any tales game, save Tales of Phantasia, for examples. Or better yet, don't; at least not initially.

But when he's usually given the task to compose a soundtrack, he puts out some good work, and we received one of our first opportunities to listen to it with Star Ocean on Super Famicom. Well, some of us did, because it was a pretty late release for the system, not to mention Enix's American arm no longer existing. It was given a fan translation for the rom used with ZSNES, or any other SNES emulator you can think of. But it was one of a few games that was a slight hassle to play because it required a patch to run properly. Then you also had the reputation of fan translations back then, which wasn't good when inane butchery like Tales of Phantasia's translations existed. That same group, Dejap, worked on it.

It took a little over twelve years, but the game finally received an official localization in the form of its remake for PSP: Star Ocean: First Departure. This version revamped quite a few of its gameplay features, but it also used remixed iterations of the music used in the original. Interestingly enough, the music here wasn't composed for this game, but was actually released as a separate arrange soundtrack back in early 2004. The earlier soundtrack also featured some of the best tracks from the original SFC title. (The best according to who? Got me.) First Departure was given an official soundtrack release, including the SFC tracks; it also included the new opening theme, "Heart" by Asunaro, and the credits theme "Mother Ocean," the latter of which is from Star Ocean Perfect Sound Collection from 1996, a different arrange soundtrack. Yeah, the situation is a little confusing.

What makes the remixed soundtrack good is that it keeps the melodies of the original very well. Perhaps too well for some people's tastes, as it doesn't take any risks. But that's great in preserving the original intent of the game. Please keep in mind that I'm going to be jumping all around the soundtrack here, so you're going to hear some tracks from the end of the game. Don't worry, I'll warn you if you don't want to hear them.

The very Engrishy "For Achieve," is the title to this game's main battle theme. You'll, unsurprisingly, be hearing this track a lot as you play through the game. It's as upbeat and energetic as you'd expect a Sakuraba-composed battle theme to be. What's great about it is that it's composed to fit the theme of whatever place you're fighting in, be it the overworld field, a castle dungeon, or a labyrinthine cave:


"Ancient Ruin" is used for the two optional dungeons that you can tackle before hitting the main dungeon on the overworld. Its enemies are noticeably tougher than any you've faced before, and they have plenty of excellent treasures to add to either your equipment arsenal or to use for synthesis items. A dungeon of its caliber needs something epic to go with it, and this suits it well:


The final track I want to feature is one I mentioned above: "Mother Ocean." It begins with a soft piano melody, but escalates into playing a full, live recorded version of the main theme. It's by far the longest track on the OST at well over five minutes, and it needs to be that long to accompany all the credits. It's also of much higher quality than any of the other tracks, aside from the opening theme:


Star Ocean's soundtrack is a representation of some the best early work from Sakuraba, and serves as a complementary soundtrack to Tales of Phantasia. First Departure's soundtrack might be one of the most "Play-It-Safe" examples for a remixed soundtrack around, but that really doesn't matter when the tunes themselves are so good.

A shame that era is mostly long gone, and many of Capcom's games have switched genres with their embracing of new genres of video games. It's a fitting change (for most, not all); a result of the company adapting to the current video game development and publishing climate. But it's good to remember when their music was still "old school," to put it simply.

Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact is an interesting example here, because it was one of the last few representatives for this trend. That, and its change would be displayed in the very next game after this one released, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. You'll find around the internet that many fans abide by 3rd Strike's soundtrack over the music provided by the previous two installments, but I have a soft spot for 2nd Impact's New Age/Jazz offerings. 3rd Strike's, on the other hand, which I like just as much, embraces a mix of Hip-Hop and Jazz. Your mileage may vary on which is better, but they're both fantastic soundtracks. Hideki Okugawa and Yuji Iwai composed this game's soundtrack, while Okugawa worked on Third Strike's by himself.

Now, keep in mind that I don't consider 2nd Impact to have the best soundtrack of this type in terms of fighting games. I reserve that honor for Street Fighter Alpha 2. 2nd Impact represented the beacon of change from one style to another, hence its significance. Most of 2nd Impact's music is remixed from the first game, New Generation. But while those versions were more mellow in tone (a little too mellow), these have more of a beat to fit the genre the game is in.

It's a trademark in a fighting game to have a track that matches both its stage and character. This one, "Sao Paulo," is Sean's theme, a Brazilian character whose stage is, uh, Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is not the most Mexican-influenced song that you will hear in a video game, but it goes with the stage and the character pretty well. It's perfectly upbeat as well:


You'd probably never guess that a track that goes by the name "Sharp Eyes" would be associated with a young Japanese ninja (aka kunoichi) like Ibuki. But it's likely named for the kunai's she can throw. It's not a theme that would fit the outskirts of a Japanese ninja training village either. But that shouldn't stop anyone from concluding that it's a nice piano-laden theme. The composition itself, however, fits the character pretty well:


This last one is "Leave Alone," which is Dudley's theme, whose stage is in London, England. It's the same stage he fights in for New Generation, but this time there's plenty of activity going on in the background. This is personally my favorite remix of a theme from the last game, only slightly topping "Sharp Eyes." And it's perfectly jazzy for the character as well:


The last two characters discussed managed to make it into Super Street Fighter IV -- along with Makoto from 3rd Strike. For that game, they remixed their 3rd Strike themes for their character themes, and though that's fitting and logical (it's by far the more popular installment), I would have liked to have seen these make it in. But that's going a little overboard for this particular feature, whose ulterior motive is a love letter to the bygone days of music from Capcoms games from the mid-to-late 90s, especially their Q Sound-powered arcade fighters. If Capcom continues to make more fighting games, I think it would be nice if their music was inspired by this. It has a good chance of happening considering Okugawa still works for Capcom.

With Drakengard 2, Cavia sought to change a few things, and to address the flaws present in the original game. A pity the plot was one that was considered more typical for the genre, but that's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable ride. It, like its predecessor, was one of the most underrated games last generation.

Given that they're both in the same franchise, you wouldn't expect their soundtracks to be too different. But they are, and wildly so. Drakengard's music, composed by Nobuyoshi Sano and Takayuki Aihara, is completely atmospheric to act as an accomplice to the bleak world the game existed in. And having a "completely atmospheric" soundtrack means that it's almost entirely unlistenable while you're not playing the game. This changed with the second game's soundtrack, whose score was more typical for the genre -- perfectly in-fitting with its story.

And it's a fantastic (though limited) score provided by Yoshiki Aoi, hence why it's featured here. The soundtrack contains music of varying theme's, signifying action, danger, and serenity. Overall, it's incredibly dramatic in scope. Given the results, it's a shame this remains Aoi's solitary work in video games.

This is the first track on the OST, "Symphonic Poem 'Forbidden Prelude'," and it gives you a signal about what moods the game and soundtrack will show. Within the track, there are periods signifying a harrowing sense of danger and peacefulness, all done with a heavenly chorus. It's a heck of an introduction, and the rest of the soundtrack thankfully reflects its quality:


"Plains of Pity" accompanies the first section you enter, and it lives up to its name: it sounds pretty sad. It's the trumpet use really helps to hammer home that affect. Also, notice the presence of a chorus prevalent here as well, though it's more subdued compared to the last track:


You may have heard "Vein of Grief" if you watched numerous trailers for the game. It's not surprising either, because it works as a good piece of accompaniment for a montage of action and dramatic sequences from the game. This track has an excellent use of trumpets, a chorus (quite a trend), and some nice drum use:


Here's hoping Aoi can return to compose another video game soundtrack, regardless of what genre it's in. Drakengard's pseudo-sequel (because it's more than a spiritual sequel), Nier, features compositions from Keiichi Okabe, who has a very lengthy resume. From what I've heard, I would also recommend that you seek out that soundtrack as well. I haven't played the game yet, since it just had to release on the same week as Super Street Fighter IV. But I hear that it's pretty good, appreciable in the way Drakengard was. Which is fitting.

The result of having Shiina makes Legendia's OST the absolute best in the franchise, and one of the best video game soundtracks around. The soundtrack contains a wide variety of music, ranging from some new age, jazz, and quite a few vocal tracks - some of which are in English performed by Donna Burke and Gab Desmond, in precisely that order of importance. Its mixture of styles mesh well, and it's capable of standing alone, making it worth listening to whether you've played the game or not.

"melfes ~ Shining Blue" plays over the main menu upon first booting the game, and upon hearing the track, you know you're in for something good. A shame that "something good" wasn't the game itself! This is the kind of nice, sweet, orchestral theme that will have you leaving the menu idle for a while. Though that means it will tick you off when the intro eventually replays:


One of the first areas of exploration in the game uses "The Birds Chirp, I Sing," despite it being track 12 of the second disc. This was the place that taught me that vocal tracks really do have a place in RPGs, in and outside of battle. Earlier in the soundtrack (disc 1, track 13) is an instrumental version called "Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny," though you wouldn't know it at first glance because of the completely different name:


Now here's a more upbeat, slightly jazzy theme, called "Chasing Shirley." Ignore the fact that it might be one of those track names that spoils something in the game -- which is something too many soundtracks do -- and listen for the fantastic music. Besides, I don't think it qualifies as a spoiler without any context. It's the perfect track to get you in the mood to go chasing someone. You know, in a video game:


With how good the soundtrack is, it's disheartening to see that Shiina hasn't been used for a Tales game since, with its pseudo-progeny relying on Sakuraba. Rumor has it that the team responsible for Legendia disbanded upon word that the game was both a financial and critical failure. The game made immediately after this one -- as in, releasing a whole four months later - was Tales of the Abyss, which was a far better game. Though Legendia's, er, legend won't live on, its soundtrack definitely should.

*It's OK, Namco Bandai Games America. They have now similarly screwed it over in Japan.

Namco was not content with merely upgrading the specs of its 3D weapon-based fighter, despite the original being the finest of its kind. No, they enhanced everything, especially the music. With new technology comes the ability to include more instruments for every specific piece of music for a more dynamic effect. The result is something that's more akin to what you would hear being paired with, well, an extravagant Renaissance era fighting game (not including the Khan Super Session here). Soul Blade may have been hindered by technology, but that was less of a problem for Soul Calibur.

And yes, "less of a problem" doesn't mean it wasn't a problem at all. It's not something you would have known at the time of its release - and we're talking more about nearly twelve years ago here - but the quality here isn't on par with the newer Soul Calibur games. Its quality lies in the compositions, and the instruments used seek to accompany it. And you know it's good when some of the franchises sequels reuse numerous tracks from the game. I'll only use three tracks, of course, but the entire soundtrack is worth listening to. It wouldn't be featured here if it wasn't.

The first track is "Wings of Faith" by Junichi Nakatsuru, which is Sophitia's theme. It's naturally a heavenly theme, too, considering that Sophitia is on a mission from Hephaestus, the Olympian god of fire and forge:


The second featured here is "In the Name of the Father" by Akitaka Toyama, the track for Nightmare's theme. Nightmare is a man who's fallen from grace, a literal, living shadow of his former self. He was originally Siegfried, who also appears in this game as a hidden character (and has a different theme). This track matches that theme:


Last, we have "Leaving the World Behind," also from Akitaka Toyama, which is Cervantes' theme. Cervantes is the "he's not dead after all" character in this game, previously defeated in the last game and no longer the possessor of the Soul Edge. So yeah, that title is a lie. The track itself has a slow, melodic theme. Not fitting for a demonic pirate, but it is for the stage itself:


It wasn't until writing this feature that I realized how much I like having each character bound to a theme. Soul Calibur II completely abandoned this. Soul Calibur III brought it back for most of its characters, only for Namco to mostly do away with it with Soul Calibur IV. Who knows whether the next game will have that, so it's another entry for the wish list for whenever the sequel is inevitably unveiled. I had a tough time writing this feature because all of the tracks used for the individual stages are all pretty great. Definitely give the OST a listen if you haven't yet.