Recently, Working Designs brought to America the second and third installments of the Growlanser RPG series, and combined them into one package, called Growlanser Generations. Additionally, in order to appease gamers who desired only to play the game, and not receive any of the typical extras found in most Working Designs products, the game was released as both a standard edition, and a substantially more expensive collector’s edition, which featured, in addition to many other nifty items, a soundtrack containing tracks from the games.
For the most part, this soundtrack is largely hit-or-miss, including songs that fit their parts excellently, and others that do not work nearly as well. The CD opens up with four relatively peaceful sounding songs. With the exception of Track 3, “Raimy’s Theme” they sound as though the music would be heard in a dreamlike state, which I believe complements the introduction to the games rather well. Track 5, “Wandering” is the world map theme for Growlanser 3, and it does an excellent job of conveying the fact that the world in which the party is traveling is beginning to decay. This track in particular makes use of staccato notes rather well, and I believe it would sound even better as an orchestrated piece.
“Zion’s Battle” is what I believe to be the crowning achievement of this soundtrack. Not only does it sound amazing, but it fits perfectly with the rather cold demeanor of one of the party’s enemies, Zion. The song is slower paced, but adds guitar to add to the track’s impact. Another great aspect about this track is that it is not repetitive in the least, as it keeps you guessing almost right up until the end. “Risky Mission” is another track I grew to like. It has a very jazzy sound to it, and sounds perfect for some of the more covert missions that have to be accomplished in the game.
Unfortunately, one important track, Track 9, “Final Battle” seems incredibly out of place. This track sounds more like something you would hear at a dance club as opposed to the theme for an enemy that is threatening the world. Besides this extreme case and a few tracks such as “You and Two Friends” and “Usual Quiet” which sound more at home in a dating sim than an RPG, this soundtrack is definitely worth the extra bit of money it might cost to purchase the collector’s edition of Growlanser Generations.
