Among all the great RPG remakes in the past few years, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven might be the one that surprised me most. This surprise was not necessarily about the high quality of the remake itself (though I’m inclined to agree that it was, alongside Ben Love’s review). For me, the surprise was that Square Enix decided to remake Romancing SaGa 2 in the first place.
Given that they went ahead with this plan, my first thought regarding a potential remake soundtrack was to compare it with the 2005 remake (and recent remaster) of the first Romancing SaGa, Minstrel Song. However, it seems Square Enix decided to go a different musical route with RS2: RotS.
In the soundtrack’s liner notes (thank you once again Square Enix Music for providing English liner notes), composer Kenji Ito and music director Hidenori Iwasaki note that producer Shinichi Tatsuke wanted a faithful representation and re-creation of the source material. Minstrel Song took a different approach, with plenty of new compositions, as well as arrangements of the Super Famicom source material that sounded quite distinct. Tatsuke’s vision was more akin to the work on his previous project, the Trials of Mana remake.
And so, the original 35 tracks from 1993’s Super Famicom Romancing SaGa 2 Original Sound Version got upgraded, recorded instrumental incarnations. Utilizing orchestra, rock band, or the occasional mix, we find some of the highest quality vanilla/transcription arrangements you could ask for. The recording here was definitely big-budget, including a 60+ person string ensemble (Yu Manabe Strings), another 40+ to round out the other orchestra sections, and for two pristine rock tracks, the entirety of the SaGa-specific DESTINY 8 rock band. That puts the number of musicians recording on par with not only SaGa Emerald Beyond, but near the same level as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
This impressive cavalcade of performers brings grandeur and energy to the musical recording, yes. But what of the arrangements? Here, Kenji Ito hardly had a hand in things. Instead, a large team of arrangers split up the work of upgrading each piece of music from 16-bit sequenced audio to orchestral, chamber, or rock band recordings. Yohei Kobayashi handled some of the most iconic parts of the soundtrack, including the opening and ending tracks, as well as “The Emperor’s March” and “Imperial Lineage.” These tracks share many qualities of past Orchestral SaGa arranged releases, but more tightly controlled with click tracks allowing a steady tempo and the option to loop (an evergreen feature of BGM).
Tsutomu Narita, a fantastic composer in his own right, presented some of the best small-scale tracks, utilizing only a handful of instruments to great effect. His arrangement for “Wipe Away Your Tears” (originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu as one of two tracks here whose origins go all the way back to the Game Boy SaGa titles) is intensely emotionally evocative and stirring. In contrast, his synth-rock version of “The Ultimate Confrontation” (final battle) is incredibly strong, even though it doesn’t utilize the entire DESTINY 8 crew.
Speaking of DESTINY 8, the two offerings where they’re all present and it’s exclusively them are for the regular battle tune “Battle of the Emperor” and the oft-celebrated boss battle track “Encounter with the Seven Heroes.” Arranged by Noriyuki Kamikura with some additional help from Kenji Ito (both of these individuals are also members of the band), these two tracks are much like Yohei Kobayashi’s work. Which is to say, I can imagine hearing either of these two arrangements on a DESTINY 8 album, except there are fewer solos and the tempo stays in place so that there is an effective loop.
Though the major battle and event themes may be thrilling, some of my favorite tunes here are the environmental themes: town and dungeon. AYAME’s version of “Dragon’s Den,” Chiemi Takano’s “Ancient Ruins,” and Minako Seki’s “Over the Seas” are great examples of music that were merely pleasant on the Super Famicom, and are now improved with a chamber music recording to the degree that I would go out of my way to listen to these particular tracks.
And, while those three tracks are exceptional, I think they represent the whole batch of 35 tracks. Of course, there is something to be said for the 16-bit originals, but I am celebrating the triumph of impressive, faithful arrangements right now.
Ever consistent, the venerable Kenji Ito did pen two new compositions for Revenge of the Seven. These are the final two tracks, “Into the Abyss” and “Cloaked in Dread.” Both are for the optional postgame super-hard boss battle, The Dread Queen. The former is dark and brooding, while the latter is energetic and slightly uplifting, though both stay primarily in a minor key. What amazes me about these two new compositions are that Ito wrote two songs that fit so well with the other 35 Romancing SaGa 2 tracks. One should not interpret this consistency as rote or boring. These are two solid new pieces, and I love how well they mesh with “Encounter with the Seven Heroes” and “The Ultimate Confrontation.”
Not everyone appreciates Kenji Ito’s soundtracks. For my part, I’ve come to appreciate the Romancing SaGa trilogy as being on par with Uematsu’s Final Fantasy IV–VI. And while the arrangement philosophy for Revenge of the Seven is not the same as the Pixel Remaster arrangements, both feature transitions from synth to recorded instruments, usually for the better. With all of this in mind, I must give Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Original Soundtrack high marks for great source material, faithful arrangements, and fantastic recording and production.
