Archives

The soundtrack to Final Fantasy VI has always held a special place in my heart. While this certainly wasn’t the first time I paused a game just to listen to the music, it was the first time I wanted to listen to that music even when I wasn’t playing. It was exciting, atmospheric, dramatic, and… Read More »

One guilty pleasure game genre I enjoy playing/watching when I’m not engrossed in an RPG is Horror (usually psychological horror). There’s something captivating about the story and music that draws me in unwilling, forcing me to stay with the game until the end (whether there’s a happy or frightening ending). When I saw Doki Doki… Read More »

Much like purchasing blind boxes, I sometimes buy soundtracks hoping I get something pleasing that I can add to my collection. Sadly, some of the OSTs I pick up this way leave me either disappointed or a little regretful of my purchase. Because of this, I only make one or two blind purchases a year.… Read More »

It’s not been a great start to the autumn season in parts of North America. A trio of hurricanes — there’s an expression I never want to use — left many injured or worse. Wouldn’t it be great if a handful of musicians and Materia Collective’s Multiplayer Charity put together a quick EP with a… Read More »

You might already know my opinion on Shiness: The Lighting Kingdom’s soundtrack if you tuned into Episode 33 of Rhythm Encounter. I had the pleasure of interviewing the charming composer-producer, Hazem Hawash, and enjoyed a nice chat with him, getting to know more about the backstory of the music and its context within the game.… Read More »

Okami Goju no Onchou (Five Tones of Okami) is a pleasant return to the musical themes of Okami. Unlike other arrangements, it holds true to the original soundtrack’s instrumentation, replacing synths with a quintet of live performers. The performers play on a variety of instruments, from traditional Japanese woodwinds to strings from both eastern and… Read More »

When NieR: Automata was released, a culmination of strengths came together to bolster its popularity. There was the relatively small but ravenous fanbase for the original NieR clamoring to get their hands on a sequel. There were the people who were friends or acquaintances of said fanbase, not willing to venture back to the old… Read More »

Note: Due to the nature of this review, all samples in the tracklist will lead to their video counterpart on our YouTube channel. It pleases me that, after the success of NieR: Automata, the fanbase for the franchise and its eccentric creative lead Yoko Taro is experiencing a time of growth. As a result, fans… Read More »

Historically speaking, it seems like MMORPG soundtracks have not received nearly as much discussion and recognition as their offline counterparts, and that’s a darned shame, because there is so much MMORPG music out there and so much of it is really good! Perhaps it’s a demographic thing—apparently most players turn the music off—or perhaps we… Read More »

In 2014, Square Enix released the first “dual” album for Final Fantasy XIV, From Astral to Umbral, which took an interesting approach to the arrangement album concept. This album — named for in-game terms representing historical times of peace and war, respectively — offered a selection of songs in two styles, marrying peaceful piano productions… Read More »

Sometimes the simplest songs leave the largest impressions. The strengths of the No One But You soundtrack are lead composer Lemmonias’s piano pieces and AnnEXE’s guitar pieces. The rest of the soundtrack feels as if it’s stumbling in its attempt to be original. One of the ways in which Lemmonias pursues originality is through unique… Read More »

WildStar was an ambitious newcomer to the MMORPG market back in 2014. Its main selling points were a unique sci-fi universe full of lore, dynamic movement and combat, and a charmingly cartoonish aesthetic. I think it’s one of the more distinctive and interesting MMORPGs out there right now, and it’s a shame it hasn’t managed… Read More »

Music has always been a crucial part of my gaming experience. I’ve played great games whose awesomeness is enhanced by their soundtracks, and I’ve also played mediocre games that managed to find a place in my heart because I enjoyed their scores. Horizon Zero Dawn is, for the most part, the former: a truly singular… Read More »

Goomin “Nauts” Nam is a name I hope I see more often in the game music realm, as I greatly enjoyed his work with Monarch: Heroes of a New Age Original Soundtrack. Bar Oasis 2 Lingering Taste is no exception to my adoration of Nauts’ ability to compose beautiful music. Of course, he isn’t alone,… Read More »

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II has some tall shoes to fill: both the game itself, which picks up after a truly brutal cliffhanger at the end of the first game, and the soundtrack, which has to continue the strong showing of its predecessor. The game itself most certainly meets, and even… Read More »

Completion, completion, completion. Sadly, it seems we just can’t get it in one package. The least complete version of the Langrisser Re:Incarnation soundtrack is the one-disc, pack-in bonus with the North American edition of the game, reviewed here. That version is a nice best-of selection. Next, there is a pack-in bonus of the soundtrack that… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It’s been a year and a half since Undertale was released, and I still can’t get it out of my head. Theories keep popping up, new easter eggs are still being found, and the fan community continues to make artistic contributions to this universe. Despite the fact that I only did one playthrough — I… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »

It was over 15 years ago that I got my hands on the CD Theater albums for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. I knew precious little about drama CDs back then, so I don’t think I totally understood that what I had in my hands was special. Not only did these “CD Theater”… Read More »