Tales of Phantasia -Narikiri Dungeon X- Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Tales of Phantasia -Narikiri Dungeon X- Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Pony Canyon |
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| Catalog No.: PCCG-01117 |
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| Release Date: August 18, 2010 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
In 2000, Namco released a sequel for the Super Nintendo’s and PlayStation’s Tales of Phantasia for the Game Boy Color to modest success in Japan. Ten years later, the company released remakes of the original game and its sequel for the PSP under the title Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X. Composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura were extensively involved in the sequel’s remake, blending arrangements of familiar favourites with new compositions. However, they failed to produce a soundtrack worthy of the original’s esteemed legacy.
Body
While there are plenty of new compositions in this release, the arrangements of Tales of Phantasia favourites are what carries the soundtrack. These tracks ted to be resynthed rather than remixed, but this approach can emphasise the goodness of the originals. For example, the battle theme “Take Up the Cross Xver.” shines more than any of the nine originals that preceded it. There’s little more enpowering than Motoi Sakuraba’s old-school rock melodies and the bold implementation here certainly accentuates that. Other welcome reprises include “As Time Goes On” with its wistful yet hopeful flute lead, “Sylph” with its slow epic build-up, and “Conclusion” with its roaring keyboard improvisations. A few once underwhelming tracks also benefit from 15 years of technological innovations. Most notably, the haunting choral samples and ambient effects in “Dark Cave” give the track a clarity that the 16-bit original only ever aspired to, while “Resurrection” is more impacting than ever thanks to its deep brass and piano chords.
Despite such highlights, the majority of the reprises are less enjoyable than their originals. While the samples in “Mystic Forest” are individually improved, the balance is completely off; the flute trills that drew listeners into the original are barely pronounced here and the pizzicato strings detract from the fantasy soundscape this time around. The synth-heavy arrangement of the fan favourite “Fighting of the Spirit” was supposed to be nostalgic, but simply sounds contrived. The original version or even the PlayStation remix are much more satisfying. The piercing trumpet lead in “The Second Act” takes all the enjoyment out of the original composition, while novelty voice samples ensure “Olive Forest” sounds even more annoying than before. A few favourites from Tales of Phantasia, for example “The Stream of Time” and “Be Absentminded”, are also rejected here. Clearly, the team have largely ruined a classic soundtrack through a combination of uninspired arranging and sloppy implementation.
Sadly, the originals do not make up for it… Most compositions typically channel Sakuraba’s modern approach to scoring, but appear to have been composed on autopilot. “Symptom” grabs one’s attention at the start of the game with its bombastic brass and mystical chimes. While an effective scene-setter, it’s hardly a creative one and seems to amalgamate all the clichés of the composer’s orchestral music into one; in fact, one could easily mistake this track for a Star Ocean piece were it not for its brief development and sloppy implementation. As the soundtrack progresses, there are plenty of other tracks that sound like they come from a stock library: the dreary glockenspiel solo “Serious Failure”, the utterly pompous march “Decision”, and the even uglier tension theme “Decision”. “Norn” and “Past Crime” are considerably more emotional, thanks to their semi-operatic leads, but still don’t maximise their full potential and come across as pale imitations of “Theme of Rena”.
The more light-hearted compositions are also a mixed bag. Shinji Tamura’s “Town of Valhalla”, for instance, captures the atmosphere of a youthful stroll through town using pop-flavoured melodies and functional accompaniment. It’s catchy enough, but could easily have come from a dating sim. The novelty synth sounds of “Comedy Touch” and stereotypical calypso flavours of “Nam Cobanda Isle” provide some unwanted light relief and demonstrate Tamura’s more superficial musicianship. Even more sickly is “Gentle”, which sounds like it should belong on the weather channel or worse. Rock action themes such as “Blue Sky” and “Dios Meltia” provide some brief moments of excitement on the soundtrack, but they are all rhythm and no melody. The soundtrack only serves to emphasise this by incorporating remixes of battle anthems like “Take Up the Cross” along the way. Only “Reason” comes close to comparing to Tales of Phantasia‘s classics and, featured right at the end of the soundtrack, it’s all too late.
Summary
Put simply, the soundtrack for Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X is not worth your time or money. There are a few nostalgic reprises and enjoyable originals, but almost everything else is creatively uninspired and horribly implemented. It’s better to skip this soundtrack and grab the solid soundtrack for the PlayStation’s Tales of Phantasia instead.
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
Chris Greening 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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