SuperSweep Records has begun a great new series of CD publications called the “Discovery” series. They dig up old game music that never had a soundtrack release, and release it. They’re starting with some totally forgotten titles in the MegaTen universe.
“Last Bible” is a Gaiden series in the MegaTen world that would later bring about the GBC “DemiKids” games, which did come to the US. But these particular games were originally just for Game Boy, then reissued years later for GBC (like Link’s Awakening vs. Link’s Awakening DX).
I have a soft spot for the ultra-simple chiptunes of the Game Boy. It’s even more limited than the NES, yet some amazing music was written for it. “Last Bible II” falls in line with that tradition of under-appreciated, amazing music.
(Yes, I said all this in the review for the first “Last Bible” soundtrack as well. It’s important preamble stuff!)
The same composers that worked on LB1 are here for LB2, and they create many of the same styles of music. Here I find less “anxious” frantic, and more “rambling, winding” frantic music. Take a listen to track 4, “Temple.” A winding melody across 12 beats… very hard to keep your mind wrapped around, very easy to get lost in, and absolutely perfect for the Game Boy.
In terms of quality of composition, I think LB2 is slightly better than LB1. It’s also slightly longer as a disc, and the set of tunes are fully different from LB1. I detected zero “borrows” from the previous game’s melodies, though some may be hidden in there. The point is, it’s a great sequel soundtrack, and though I still think the two soundtracks should have been printed on one disc, I can deal with it, because I’m just happy to have more Game Boy music in my collection.
The audio samples tell the rest of the story. Don’t miss this opportunity: take a listen. Love it. And know that the five samples here are not the absolute best: they are representative of the whole disc. There’s so much good stuff here, it’s crazy. I will not soon forget how much I enjoyed this one.
