Battle for Evermore

Secret of Evermore was made by a North American division of Squaresoft. When Japan got Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 3), we got Secret of Evermore. Both were really good games, and both countries should have got both games, but instead we were all divided. Personally, I think we came out on top with this one, because Secret of Evermore was a subtly amazing game.

Ever notice how I mention 'atmosphere' in a lot of music? Well, that's what I've seen SoE do that no other game has been able to top. When lost in an odd and curious world, going somewhere new actually felt like honest exploration. The game is just so eerie and lonely, and the music captures it perfectly. This game was made by an amateur composer, his time working on a video game before. But he knew exactly how to play his cards: Not trying for a simple catchy style, he tries to fit the game, adding to what makes SoE such a unique experience. Literally half the game is just ambiance, no music, and its just so powerfully done.

There were 4 worlds you could visit in this game: The dinosaur world, the Egyptian world, the Victorian Gothic, and the robot world. My personal favorite was the Gothic one for the music.


Then there's the Boss Track #1, which feels fitting for the whole game. I love the tribal-esque sound of the drums, the, once again, atmospheric 'aaaahs', and that string instrument which you'd hear in the egyptian or goth world. It kinda of fuses them all together for a hard hitting track that tells you shit is going down.

shitty shmups

Earth Defense Force had good music. No, not THAT Earth Defense Force, I mean Super Earth Defense Force on the SNES! It was a Gradius-esque SHMUP where I guess you fly a plane and shoot aliens or something. I don't know, it wasn't a very good game. BUT THE MUSIC WAS GOOD! Here's the song from the first level, its pretty fitting for the setting of flying high above the clouds speeding past you in the background. And foreground. Anyway, its a pretty slick tune so have at it.

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy, as a series, is different for everyone. I was one of the very few North American gamers who's first Final Fantasy was the first, on the NES. Thief is totally the best, by the way. Now if only Square would make a new FF where you get to choose the classes of your party without a job system, that's would be great.

I feel everybody has one Final Fantasy they connect with. With most people, this was Final Fantasy 7. To anyone who played the series before 7, its universally agreed that 6 was the best. I'm a fan of 6 no doubt (5 makes a close second, but the music pales in comparison), and that's because it has one of the best music scores in video games that 7 just didn't quite get. I've played 6 over and over, and anyone can agree its dated and pretty average for a game, I keep coming back because the music just hits home so well. The main theme throughout the series is Terra's Theme, which gets played as you wander the world map.



The game has something like 13 characters you can have in your party, which is a lot, but not overdose like Chrono Cross. They also emphasize using each member equally, which I find really breaks the repetition, because in FF7 you can pick 3 members and play the game like that, and woop-dee-doo I'm bored by the Golden Saucer. What really shines is everyone's theme, each one is just an amazing piece of music, and if you don't mind I'm posting a handful of songs.

Each one captivates the characters well. Locke, the thief--Er, I mean, "treasure hunter" fights for a woman he lost, and has a very inspirational piece that gives that feeling of "keep on fighting, things will look up eventually", while still keeping a theme of adventure.


Celes has a much somber theme. One more of romance, desperation, and sadness, which I find strikingly similar to the scene where Aeris dies (SPOILER!!!). A lot of people call that the best Final Fantasy scene, other will say the Opera Scene in 6 where this song plays. The sad romance of a woman who lost her loved one in war, yet the song works just as well when Celes loses everything and drives herself to suicide via cliff.


And lastly, the windswept tune of a warrior who lost his wife, son, and entire castle to a psycho who poisoned the water supply. A song of wandering loneliness really gives you a feel for the poor man. Now if only the translation didn't turn him into a comic relief character 10 minutes later, they could have captured emotions better. But eh. Take it for what it is, a really good song.


Thanks for listening!

The starting music

You just got a new game. You tear the game out of its box, sit your ass cross-legged on the floor while you slam the game into your SNES. Maybe you have a brother or a friend with you, you tell him you just got a sweet new 2-player game and you wanna play together.

The intro shines on. Oooh, ahhh. The start screen. In your childlike excitement you frantically hit the start button until you're playing the game. The screen fades to black, and fades back in and you see Kirby. And the music just screams "You're beginning a huge and exciting adventure."



The first level's music has to be really gripping, because this paves the road for the rest of the game's music...And atmosphere.

Request

Someone mentioned I should get some Donkey Kong Country on here. That, my good man, sounds like a great idea. My last post, Icefire Mountain, was composed by David Wise of classic Rare. And he is, without a ghost of a doubt, my favorite composer. He did work on a lot of memorable games, including DKC. And a lot of people would probably agree that DKC2 was the best of the series, music-wise or not. And here's my personal favorite:



The part right at the 0:36 mark gets me every time. Just so good.

But hey! As an added bonus, here's another boss theme from the first game: Gankplank Galleon. This is definitely one of my favorite SNES tracks out there, and even one of the first songs I learned to play on bass. Nifty?


I've always had plans of covering Gangplank Galleon, actually. A kind of Punk Rock cover, but that will have to wait until my equipment is ready for recording ANYTHING.

New Blog

Welcome to the Retro Game Music blog, were I post some rad classic tunes daily.  No blah blah blah, no bullshit, just music all day baby.




And check out this crazy good remix: