Yoko Shimomura is, in my mind and in the mind of many others, one of Squaresoft’s “three composing giants” (the other two being Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda…And some consider Sakimoto one, but he hasn’t done enough work with Square yet). Anyway, this being Shimomura’s latest work, it is simply amazing. The synth quality, the composition quality…Everything about it, quality. A quality soundtrack, to say the least!
Shimomura has never been strong with town themes… Unfortunately, given the settings of the game, she had to write plenty of them. A couple came out alright, but some are just downright boring. However, this is counter-balanced with big, emotional themes (like the Theme of MANA and just about every piano track on here) and then the hard-rock/techno mix battle music, along with fast-pace dungeon music. Add that to an amazing Swedish vocalist who does the opening/ending song (basically the same song), and you have quite a soundtrack on your hands.
And, how can you get this soundtrack in your hands? The best place to go is definitely Anime Nation for only $32. Definitely worth the payment, pick it up now! Anyone can enjoy this soundtrack!
