Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections

Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections Album Title:
Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections
Record Label:
NTT Publishing
Catalog No.:
PSCN-5029; NTCP-5029
Release Date:
August 25, 1995; October 1, 2004
Purchase:
Buy at CDJapan

Overview

In 1991, Square released Koichi Ishii’s Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (aka Final Fantasy Adventure) for the Game Boy. Having debuted Square with the second SaGa game, Kenji Ito was given the opportunity to score an entire soundtrack for the first time on this title. Once again, he focused on producing memorable and expressive melodies that would transcend the notorious limitations of the handheld’s hardware. The soundtrack was so successful that it inspired an orchestral arranged suite by Takayuki Hattori. In 1995, the original soundtrack and arranged album were compiled together into the Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections.

Body

The original version of the score opens with the title theme “Rising Sun”. The track seems deeply inspired by the title themes of the SaGa series, with its long expressive melody and simple harmonisation. However, the lyricism here is distinctly that of Kenji Ito’s and the composer goes some way to emphasising the more scenic focus of the series here. The track sounds somewhat hollow in composition and implementation compared to its various arrangements, but its melody sounds extraordinary even on the Game Boy’s humble sound chip. Ito successfully builds on this approach with several other setting themes, notably with the soothing village theme, reflective “Jema’s Relization”, and elegaic “Mission of Mana”. Regardless of their simplicity, the melodies in each of these themes ensure they are emotional.

Away from the more relaxing entries, there are plenty of adventurous tracks to portray this story of good against evil. The overworld piece “Endless Battlefield” will be fondly remembered by all those who played the game thanks to its exciting pacing and, of course, uplifting melodies. While it can be frustrating that Ito adheres to diatonic tonalities so much, his call-and-answer phrasing is spot on here and delivers exactly the required resolutions. Other likeable ditties include the rock-tinged second overworld theme “In Search of the Holy Sword”, the classically-oriented unreleased town music, and the ever-popular theme for the dwarves. The Chocobo theme from the Final Fantasy series is also featured in two arrangements here, though neither are particularly remarkable.

Ito is popularly known for his battle tracks and one of his best are featured in Seiken Densetsu. “Fight 1” is a decent accompaniment to the game’s earlier boss battles, though the call-and-answer phrasing sometimes sounds laboured here. This may be due to lack of compositional inspiration or alternatively technological factors. Thankfully, “Fight 2” makes up for it and demonstrates Ito at his best. The rock rhythms are very exciting here, while the countermelodies are entirely satisfying. Ito reserves the only particularly tense battle track for the final battle and it’s largely an effective one. However, the body of the composition is too short to make the most out of the epic introduction. The theme for the fighting arena is also a little too repetitive and brief to be worth relistening.

The soundtrack is rounded off by a range of more moody contributions. Anyone who has heard Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy will know what to expect from the three dungeon themes here. There’s lots of dark chord changes, crisis motifs, and suspenseful tempo changes, but not a lot of melody. These tracks are highly effective in context, but perhaps too barren to be worth stand-alone listening and certainly inferior to those featured on subsequent soundtracks in the series. The conclusion of the game features several more gentle tracks, including “Let Thoughts Ride on Knowledge” and “Legend Forever”. The latter takes listeners round circle with a distant rendition of “Rising Sun” before moving into a slow reflective melody. The soundtrack thus closes as slowly and emotionally as it begun.

Moving to the arranged suite, Takayuki Hattori draws listeners into the experience with the cinematic opening suite “Determination”. Under his baton, the orchestra interpret orchestrations of the classic title and overworld themes with great clarity. In contrast to the excellent Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite, the orchestrations tend to be quite straightforward here — with the section dedicated to the battle arena particularly sparse — but the power of a full ensemble transcends that of a sound chip. The track is also presented more as a medley than a coherent movement — with “Rising Sun” being interrupted before reappearing at the finale. This approach is unfortunate for those looking for a cohesive musical experience, but does add to the drama of the experience.

The “Mission” movement is the most inspired addition to the suite. It segues from a guitar contemplation of the “Village” theme into a lavish orchestration of the “Royal Palace” theme, complete with nationalistic influences. Perhaps the most beautiful section of all is the operatic solo based on “Mana’s Mission”, which brings an extremely tragic quality to the experience. It’s certain to inspire listeners to reminisce about their experiences in the game. In contrast, perhaps the lowpoint of the entire suite is “Friends”, a long-winded rendition of the Chocobo theme. Taken on its own, the arrangement will be regarded as a humorous interlude by some and a jarring interpretation by others. Yet while a fun gimmick in the original game, it has no place on an arranged album for the Mana series.

In “Menace”, Takayuki Hattori blends the phrases of three of lacklustre themes from the original version — “Glance Dukedom”, “Dungeon 1”, and “Fight 1” — into a surprisingly dramatic and varied experience. A particular highlight is the double-stopping violin work at the 1:46 mark, to capture the malevolence of the otherwise stereotyped villain. Furthermore, the Spanish guitar accompaniment at the conclusion gives the battle theme some much-needed Latin flair, setting precedent for some of Ito’s own experiments in this area. On “Parting”, the mystical chord sequences of a dungeon theme build up into a flamenco rendition of the title’s best combat theme. It’s a glorious way to release 100 seconds of tension and the soloists excellently interweave with the orchestra.

“Parting” concludes with an extended interlude that reflects the more spiritual aspects of the Mana universe. However, it seems unrelated to the material that preceded it and draws out the suite unnecessarily. After this, “Decisive Battle” isn’t quite as satisfying as one might expect. The orchestra lack the punch needed for the finale and the flamenco guitar sounds like a desperate addition this time round. Perhaps Takayuki Hattori should have taken more artistic liberties when adapting this slightly underwhelming original. The final chapter resolves the experience with a rendition of the game’s reflective ending theme. Though melodramatic, this movement will inspire contemplation with its blooming melodies and the vocals even make a welcome return.

Summary

To summarise, the Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections packages together a solid chiptune score and lavish orchestral suite into a single affordable album. Both parts of the album have their problems, but generally Kenji Ito’s melodies stand out as memorable and emotional on both Game Boy and sound chip. Taken together, the albums will give listeners an opportunity to revisit their journey through the world of Mana. Overall, an excellent purchase for RPG soundtrack fans.

Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections Chris Greening

Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!

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Posted on August 1, 2012 by Chris Greening. Last modified on August 1, 2012.


About the Author

I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!



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