SaGa series composer Kenji Ito returns with a cavalcade of musicians in the latest series entry: SaGa Emerald Beyond. Released nearly a decade after its predecessor, SaGa Scarlet Grace, was originally published in Japan, Emerald Beyond takes a leap from medieval fantasy to a multi-realm fantasy including sci-fi, modern, gothic, and other settings, very much akin to SaGa Frontier.
I note the change in setting as, in many ways, I can’t help but notice a change in composition style for Ito. Similar to the change in style from Romancing SaGa 3 to SaGa Frontier in the 1990s, I can’t help but notice a similar shift from Scarlet Grace to Emerald Beyond. Due to the many different environments and character interactions in this game, Ito had to develop many songs with disparate styles from one to the next. The saccharine synth-pop of “Yumeha, Chipper as Ever!” seems difficult to match up with, say, “The Dismal King’s Triumph.” But, when you remember that there is more than one story told in Emerald Beyond, the discordant soundscapes make more sense. To that end, I suppose what I’m trying to convey is that this soundtrack works better in the context of playing the game than in an independent listen. I’m in agreement with my colleague Izzy that the music hits much better when playing the game.
Still, I’d like to spotlight the great vocal work found throughout SaGa Emerald Beyond. The operatic, non-lyrical vocal work of Ayano Nonomura is a perfect juxtaposition with the piano-driven EDM piece that is “The World’s Heartbeat.” Of course, Nonomura also performs the vocals for the Italian opera piece “Un bel di vedremo” (from Puccini’s early 20th-century opera Madama Butterfly). Nonomura’s return from Scarlet Grace, along with her recent contribution in Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe (“Entrance: Celestial Fulcrum”), helps to build some cohesion to the SaGa series’ soundscape. Another Re;univerSe vocalist, KOCHO, appears on this OST to do chant-style vocals in the aforementioned “Dismal King’s Triumph.” Jazz singer Kyoko Kishikawa, best remembered for her incredible performance of “Ardent Rhythm” on Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song, returns for a similarly brisk and rhythmic piece, “Fluttering Spirits.”
Even with these returning vocalists, Kenji Ito and team saw fit to add additional vocalists to the SaGa Emerald Beyond soundtrack. One of them is a celebrated singer now making her SaGa debut: Sarah Àlainn. Sarah’s past works include Xenoblade, Monster Hunter, and the great Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross arrange album To Far Away Times. For Emerald Beyond, Sarah recorded the vocals for the mech character Diva No.5 in her hit song “Crazy For Who?,” which has its own official music video. This is a great, energetic pop song, melding the nuance of authentic human emotion with the precision of synthetic instrumental tones. Utilizing Sarah’s gorgeous voice, only to apply the occasional auto-tune, is a wise choice to remind us what we’re hearing in Diva No.5’s hit song.
But Sarah Àlainn isn’t done there. She also provides the vocals for a lengthy final battle track (of course, it is Diva’s final battle theme). This one is “Beyond the Doors.” And it’s hard to explain, but I’ll try. Here, Sarah is singing original Japanese lyrics written by SaGa series creator Akitoshi Kawazu. These lyrics replace what would have been the original lyrics from “Hotaru no Hikari” or, “The Glow of the Firefly.” “Hotaru no Hikari” is a song originating in the late 1800s that utilizes the melody of “Auld Lang Syne,” but with completely different lyrics. Here, Kawazu takes the lyric replacement one step further with “Beyond the Doors.” While Kenji Ito maintains some of the base melody of Auld Lang Syne, he also incorporates changes to it and, most notably, builds an entirely different harmonic structure, making it sound nothing like the traditional Scottish New Year’s tune. Sarah’s performance here is great, and the layered contrafactum occurring here is brilliant.
All that said, there is one more vocalist and one more vocal track to discuss! And it is — wait for it— “Auld Lang Syne!” This version utilizes the original lyrics from Scottish poet Robert Burns, and the vocalist performer here is the newest to the SaGa and VGM scene in general, Ceitlin Lilidh. Ceitlin performs as a solo vocalist and as part of a Scottish Gaelic vocal trio called Sian. Her performance of this musically restructured “Auld Lang Syne,” with beautiful enunciation of both the English and Gaelic phrases, elevates the quality of this oddly catchy battle theme; the blend of style and cultural significance meet with the eccentric qualities of SaGa Emerald Beyond. I must say, I could not have predicted this one. Or, to put it in a more common current phrasing, “Gaelic vocals in SaGa was not on my 2024 bingo card.”
Before stepping away from vocals, I will call attention to the short (40-second) A capella renditions of “Beyond the Doors” and “Auld Lang Syne” in the middle of disc two. Without all of Koji Yamaoka’s EDM trappings, hearing Sarah and Ceitlin nailing these vocals with no backing track is pure magic. A spell is cast, and I feel chills.
On the instrumental side of things, I have to call attention to Noriyuki Kamikura’s work as arranger in collaboration with Kenji Ito. Kamikura has worked alongside Ito on the DESTINY 8 albums (SaGa-specific rock band) as well as new compositions for Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe. Across Emerald Beyond, Kamikura’s tracks are some of the best. They are also primarily battle themes. These include “Rising Spirits,” “Fluttering Spirits,” “Keeping Faith,” and perhaps my personal favorite, “CCPD, Moving Out!” CCPD is a catchy, groovy rock track with trading lead melody/improv solo lines between guitar and sax. There is an absolutely killer sax line around the two-minute mark; it gets me every time. CCPD may as well be a track on the next DESTINY 8 album, assuming one is coming.
I would be remiss if I failed to note the major production value for the SaGa Emerald Beyond OST. From a budgetary perspective, this is the biggest SaGa soundtrack to date. In the SaGa Emerald Beyond Original Soundtrack liner notes (in both Japanese and English; thank you again Square Enix Music!), arranger and music director Hidenori Iwasaki notes that the full symphony orchestra included about 80 musicians: 50 strings, 17 brass, 12 woodwind, plus percussion, piano, harp, etc. Of course, only a handful of tracks benefit from the full ensemble, while most tracks benefit more from the rock band ensemble and a few soloists. Nonetheless, whether we’re talking about the grandiose “Emerald Beyond Overture” and end credits music “One Tale Ends,” or more subdued tracks like “A Mysterious Person” and “Stories Left to Tell,” the orchestral pieces (primarily arranged by Yohei Kobayashi) are some of the most stunning pieces to enjoy.
One final thing I will say about this soundtrack: it does not overstay its welcome. While I love getting the most bang for my buck, I have also found myself overwhelmed by game soundtracks with just a bit too much content. When your game’s base OST is eight hours, and then you tack on another four hour’s worth of music through DLC… yes, that’s impressive, but it might also be overkill. Personally, I will take the 3-4 hours of music in a game like SaGa Emerald Beyond or, say, Pokémon Legends: Arceus over a mammoth OST like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or Final Fantasy VII Remake.
So, SaGa fans, what are you waiting for? Kenji Ito and friends have crafted an OST that branches out to many genres, with a great lineup of vocalists and a bevy of instrumentalists. It may not be as cohesive as Scarlet Grace, but Emerald Beyond is still a strong entry in the SaGa musical repertoire!
