Eminence Online, Game Music Review

While Dragon Quest did it first both in terms of orchestral concerts and albums, Final Fantasy quickly caught up, and the 1989 release of Symphonic Suite: Final Fantasy was a significant step for the series. The reprint that was released by Polystar in 1994 has remained a mainstay of game music collections for as long as I can remember, and in fact, it was one of the first game music albums I owned.

Performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, this album allowed Final Fantasy fans to enjoy the first two games of the series in their full orchestral glory. Arrangers Katsuhisa Hattori and Takayuki Hattori have apparently stayed active in game music since this album was released, but I do wish there had been meaningful follow-ups to this album, similar to what we've seen with the Dragon Quest series.

Learn why one of the firsts was one of the best after the jump.

The entire opening act, titled "Scene I," is dedicated to the majestic overworld theme from Final Fantasy II, complete with strings and brass sections and an angelic choir. I'm sure gamers at the time were surprised to hear just how beautiful the music from their favorite Famicom titles could be in this format, although I was perfectly fine humming my favorite chip tunes when I was a kid. "Scene II" is an odd one in the bunch with the addition of rock drums and a gamey bassline to accompany the battle music from the second Final Fantasy. It's definitely interesting to see such an early example of the marriage between orchestral and rock music in games. "Scene III" is near and dear to all of our hearts, coming in the form of a suite from the original Final Fantasy. It opens with the Final Fantasy "Main Theme." The snare rolls and regal brass section lends the segment a powerful presence. The whimsical town theme comes next with a solo woodwind and a lovely harp backing before "Matoya's Cave" (one of my favorite Final Fantasy tunes) comes in sounding as sweet as ever. There is this instance where the progression sounds a bit off, but I guess that's just the anal retentive fan in me clinging to the original melody line in my head. The piece ends just as it began, jumping back into the "Main Theme." I think this piece becomes more meaningful to me with each passing year.

Takayuki Hattori is credited as composer and arranger for "Scene V ~Prelude~," which opens with a cinematic theme that isn't from any Final Fantasy title. A simple harp rendition of Nobuo Uematsu's original "Prelude" comes next before a contemplative arrangement of the overworld theme is played. Things get a little more lively with an amazingly epic arrangement of "Chaos' Temple," which is the final dungeon theme from the original game. "Scene VI" features themes from both Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II, with the star being a pizzicato strings and bassoon version of "Gurgu Volcano."

My favorite track on the album is the closing piece, "Scene VII," which is entirely dedicated to the "Rebel Army Theme" from Final Fantasy II. The flow of the piece is quite appropriate, starting with a subdued string arrangement of the theme before a conflicted section enters with the choir. Towards the end, brass instruments call out defiantly as the piece picks up energy, symbolizing the rise of the rebellion and the fall of the evil empire. Oh, how I love a good JRPG plot!

Seven excellent arrangements, forty minutes of music, and a whole lot of history. While concert albums have been released since, my favorite thing about this album is that it covers only two games in the series, giving some of the lesser-known themes their moment in the spotlight. I wish Square had adopted a similar approach to Enix with the Dragon Quest Symphonic Suite series where they recorded one for every game, as everyone knows the music of Final Fantasy is deserving of such treatment. I recommend checking it out regardless of whether or not you've played the first two games in the series, as the music definitely stands on its own as both beautiful and memorable.

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