Following up on the 2D-based Action RPG “Shining Tears,” the 2007 title “Shining Wind” again features music from Kaoru Okada. The soundtrack only features one disc’s worth of music; the good news is that it was a pleasant surprise through and through.
The opening song, written by VGM newcomer Noriyasu Agematsu (composer-contributor to recent Wild Arms titles), is a bouncy-yet-tense 6/8 allegro piece reminiscent of vocals from the Atelier series. It sets the mood for the album very well.
From there, the barrage of highly accessible, impressively-synthesized tunes begins. If there’s one thing I found refreshing about the album as a whole, it’s that there was a minimum of bland “filler” music. These songs are very good, especially for a game that may fall under the radar of many gamers. I didn’t expect much from this soundtrack, which is perhaps why I was so shocked to find such great music here.
But, even then, I am familiar with the music of Shining Tears, for which Okada contributed most of the pieces. And, if I were to compare the two soundtracks (as I am now about to do), I would have to say that Shining Wind is the victor in every way. Each and every song here is a quality VGM composition. The audio samples speak for themselves; both the softer town themes and the tense battle tracks mark a return to good synthesized music at a time when streaming audio of real instruments are becoming more prevalent.
Many of Wave Master’s printed albums become out-of-print at the blink of an eye. So if you’re interested, you may want to act soon. VGM fans, and fans of the “new” Shining games, would hardly regret it.
