Released in Japan as a promotional bonus with the limited edition print of Valkyrie Profile 2 -Silmeria-, this short CD gives a small taste of the glorious prog-synth-rock from above. Yes, Sakuraba’s tunes can get old, but many agree that some of his best works are for the Valkyrie Profile series.
The first four tracks hail from the second and most recent title, Silmeria. The first two tracks are soft and subtle, likely introduction tracks. Then things get kicked up a notch with Celestrial Troupe, likely my favorite of the eleven songs on here.
The majority of the album, unfortunately, is music from the first Valkyrie Profile. I say “unfortunately” only because of how common these songs are. Tracks 5 through 9 can be found on both prints of the OST, and some of them are likely found on the “Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile Best” album as well. I like when my promotional CDs come with original content, and since I was already familiar with these songs, it was nostalgic but not so much exciting.
However, we do get some exclusives on this CD. The “ver.LENNETH” addition to the track name “Take a flight” is due to this version being arranged particularly for the PSP port of the game. Though I myself am not sure, I’m guessing the track was used in one of the added FMV sequences.
The final track, if I’m not mistaken, comes from the original commercial for Valkyrie Profile when it was released over half a decade ago. The song, written and performed by Takumi Iwasaki, is one I had forgotten since I had last seen the commercial on the now-defunct Gaming Intelligence Agency (thegia.com). That gives you an idea of how far back Square Enix went to add a nice bonus to this short CD.
Though companies like Atlus have been quick to give bonuses like these to the US audience, Square Enix has yet to offer such interesting “limited edition” incentives in the US. Perhaps recognition of albums like these will lead them to see the value in them, if only as a gimmick to preorder the game.
