Phantom Brave was NIS America’s first release, once they had established themselves as an entity apart from Atlus.
And from the start, they were releasing bonus soundtracks. In this case, the “bonus” is an amalgam the Japanese OST and arranged album. Despite the number of tracks being the same as the Japanese arranged album, the track order (and selection) are slightly different. Also, note the fairly short disc time. For the most part, these are OST tracks, though they are some of the “fan favorites,” hence why the tracklist resembles that of the Japanese arranged album to a degree.
Personally, I think Phantom Brave is one of Sato’s best scores. If you compare Disgaea, La Pucelle, and Phantom Brave, it’s difficult to say which is best. But Sato made a strong effort with Phantom Brave, and it shows on this little “selection” disc. Choral vocals (Angel Breath) and powerful violin performances (Strange Wind) are all Sato trademarks. There’s even a good, cheesy guitar solo found on the battle theme “Violent Emotion.” Good times.
This CD was printed as a special release alongside the game, so if you want this little US-only sample disc, better find a used copy of the game that also came with the disc.
