Omega Labyrinth Song Collection
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Album Title: Omega Labyrinth Song Collection ♪ |
| Record Label: Sweep Record |
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| Catalog No.: SRIN-1138 |
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| Release Date: February 29, 2016 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
The Omega Labyrinth Song Collection ♪ is a comprehensive collection of music from a “unique” dungeon crawler for the Vita. It features the game’s background music, composed by Daisuke Nakashima. There are also a variety of vocal tunes, sung by various seiyuu and composed by Mitsuhiro Tabata, Rodriguez Nobu, M-Driver, Daisuke Nakashima, and Shinpei Nozaki, originally released as part of the pack-in with the original game, Omega Labyrinth. How does this effort turn out?
Body
The album opens and closes with the same five tunes, the latter of which are the off-vocal or karaoke versions of the vocal tunes. The first, “Brave Heart,” sung by Aina Akemiya and composed by Mitsuhiro Tabata, is an upbeat pop rock featuring a fun melody, but I would say the vocal performance isn’t for everyone. “Special Recipe, composed by Rodriguez Nobu and sung by Nako Mito, is another pop-oriented tune features a catchy chorus and a wonderful violin melody that is quite beautiful, but even more so than the previous tune, the vocals leave a lot to be desired.
“Blue Persona,” sung by Saeri Soja and composed by M-Driver, is an upbeat synth rock tune with some pop flavoring. The vocal performance itself is fairly strong and helps complement the energetic melody. “Another vocal performance that is fairly strong would be that of Marika Hikawa for “Crimson Labyrinth.” Composed by Daisuke Nakashima, it is a rock meets Japanese instrumentation affair that features great energy, a wonderful melody, and some nice solos as well. Lastly, “Precious Time,” sung by Mirei Shirogane and composed by Shinpei Nozaki, is another tune where the vocals leave a bit to be desired. The tune itself is a typical pop tune with a strings and rock focus with a pretty catchy melody.
As for the background music, Daisuke Nakashima’s instrumental score is a bit of a mixed bag. “Embellir Girl’s Academy” is an upbeat tune that carries the pop sounds heard in the vocal tunes but also featuring woodwinds, chimes, strings, and harpischord. “Cavern of the Holy Grail” is a mysterious, strings and woodwind focused piece with fantastic atmosphere. Of particular note is the dynamic of the tune’s tempo and progression that really keeps it engaging. On the other end of the spectrum are “Saint’s Pagoda” with its mysterious, at times angelic, tone and “Monster Floor” with its ominous and sinister sounds, but both come off as somewhat generic and not super memorable.
“Boss Battle” is a tense orchestral theme with some rock influence featuring a great melody and has a classic RPG sound to it that is sure to appease to many. “Rescue” is a quirky electronic theme with a bit of atmosphere but doesn’t really stand out on its own. “Breast Appraisal,” certainly named after the game’s gimmick, is actually a fantastic synth led theme with a dreamy soundscape and reminiscent of something someone at Supersweep might cmoposer. Vocal samples might be a bit off putting, given their erotic nature, but there are some nice electronic elements thrown into the mix as well. Lastly, “ending” is an upbeat synth pop tune with some orchestral tones as well featuring a decent melody and some congratulatory tones.
Summary
In the end, the Omega Labyrinth Song Collection ♪ is a mixed bag. On one hand, the vocal tunes are generally well composed but the vocals themselves, at times, hinder the enjoyment, while the background music itself ranges from fairly generic to much stronger and memorable tunes. The soundtrack itself is recommended for those who have actually played the game, but those willing to try out a new composer, who prior to this review was an unfamiliar name to me, might enjoy some of the music featured as well.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on April 20, 2016 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on April 20, 2016.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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