![]() ![]() These genres definitely fit the more grounded world of Final Fantasy XV, but the tracks themselves are screaming for some musical development. “Broken Down” is the first in a slew of jazzy, rocky, bluesy pieces by Tetsuya Shibata and, to a lesser extent, Mitsuhiro Ohta (“A Quick Pitstop” and “Blues de Chocobo”) and Yoshino Aoki (“Altissia”, etc). ![]() Then, out of absolutely nowhere, “Broken Down”, a little track for harmonica, pierces your eardrums and you realize that Shimomura isn’t the only composer here. “Departure” is forgettable but pleasant accompaniment to the early cutscene where Noctis bids his father farewell and sets off on his journey. Things are off to a decent start with a violin-centered rendition of “Somnus” that, while pretty, makes me wish I was listening to the vocal version instead. In the end, I don’t know if the score’s flaws can be traced back to the game’s design, its troubled production or Shimomura herself, but the final product, while okay, is definitely not the masterpiece I was hoping it would be. Reports that the game had switched directors and development teams had me worried that this would have drastic consequences for the score as well. ![]() As the days turned to years, the music became the sole reason I occasionally kept an eye on the game’s increasingly troubled development. This was going to represent the maturation of Shimomura’s style. I was hungry for more and couldn’t wait until the game was released. That solemn piano intro, Andrea Hopkins’ exquisite vocals and Kaoru Wada’s orchestration swept me off my feet. On that day, fiv- I mean, ten years ago, I heard Yoko Shimomura’s “Somnus” for the first time. Square Enix Music (Japan) Sony Classical (International) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2023
Categories |