|
|
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Original Soundtrack :: Review by Dave
OverviewFinal Fantasy Tactics was said to be the best strategy RPG of its time, and the superb score from Sakimoto and Iwata heightened this experience even further. This success was worldwide, so Square Enix took the opportunity in 2003, a whole five years later, to produce Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Most fans thought that this game was going to feature the same story as the original, and what a surprise it was to find a complete set of new characters. Along with this came a new set of composers too. Masaharu Iwata left the scene as Ayako Saso and Kaori Ohkoshi joined the team to compose alongside Hitoshi Sakimoto. As I knew very little about Kaori Ohkoshi and Ayako Saso prior to this album I greeted it with trepidation, and this, along with the fact that it was a Game Boy Advance album, made it very hard for me to decide whether it was worth the buy. Nonetheless, my mind was soothed when I found that the album was split into a Game Boy Advance Original Version section and a Full Sound Version section. The Full Sound Version section has great sound quality, and, added to this, it has no filler tracks either. This album was a pleasant surprise and a great introduction to Kaori Ohkoshi's and Ayako Saso's works, too. Hitoshi Sakimoto is as thrilling as ever in this soundtrack, but how do his efforts here compare to his compositions on the Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack? Read on! BodyI was half hoping to hear an arranged version of the Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack's "Brand Logo ~ Title Black" when I first played the opening theme, and although my hopes weren't fulfilled here, I was greeted with some Nobuo Uematsu magic. "Main Theme" is Uematsu's single contribution to the soundtrack, and what an effective one it is too. The track is sophisticated and extremely grand, so it fits in well with the game to give it an upbeat feeling straight away. The next track, "Snow Dancing in the Schoolyard" uses similar instrumentation, but this time the focus is placed upon the string lines. As the title suggests, this is a mystical and sweet theme with an upbeat nature, and it is extremely easy to visualise a snowy setting. This track has an everlasting effect, but it is no match for the next theme, namely "Companions That Surpassed Their Tribe," which is a grand, powerful, and lively theme. Sakimoto creates these feelings perfectly through a great use of dynamics and instrumentation, and it is very easy to visualise a group of comrades showing off their talent. These three opening themes provide a nice taster of what is to come later on in the album, and although they aren't as awe-inspiring as the opening themes from the Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack, they each ooze with a sense of potential that we just know Sakimoto will release later on in the album. The next track, "Magic Beast Farm" fits perfectly with the gameplay; with its interweaving harmonic line and a sense of power, these grand beasts' footsteps are portrayed very well. The most admirable asset is its development, and how the rise in dynamics gives off a similar sense of power as "Companions That Surpassed Their Tribe" did, thus giving an image of comradeship amongst the beasts, too. With four buoyant tracks preceding it, "Crystal" provides a bit of variety through its gothic nature. The instrumentation in this track consists of a choir and an organ, so it is easy to see that the setting for this track is within a place of worship. The minor tone to this theme is another effective touch, as not only does it give the crystal a sense of mystery and power, but a sense of sorrow too. "Gathering Allies" goes against the lively feel of the album too, as although this track has an essence of prosperity about it, it is more grand and battle-esque. The powerful nature of this track puts it ahead of quite a few tracks on the album, especially the ones that fail to develop due to the capacity of the system. "Walking in Ivalice" follows "Gathering Allies," and although it maintains the militaristic image produced by "Gathering Allies," it is much more radiant. Although the album is mostly light-hearted throughout, Sakimoto throws in a bit of variety to keep the listener entertained. "Unhideable Anxiety" is a unique track in that it evokes a number of different emotions. The strings add a nice sense of syncopation to the start of the track, and not only does this give a perfect sense of time ticking away, but it also adds a mysterious feel, too. The track takes a darker turn towards the middle where a harp plays arpeggios against a horn part. "At the Bar" adds a bit of entertainment, too. The percussion bass line adds a mystifying tone to the track whereas the melody reveals a sense of joy and prosperity. "Prison" is a much darker track, and with the string instruments playing in the lower octaves and a dark timpani beat reinforcing every note, a perfect image of a prison is drawn. It is interesting to see this track amongst the others, as in some ways it is much more effective than the chirpier or more buoyant themes, but, realistically, it needs to be developed a lot more to maintain any recognisable status on the album. The character themes vary in style too, and although there are only four of them, Sakimoto does well to portray the characters' personalities. An exception to this is "Mewt"; Mewt is a young and condescending character but his theme is noble and mysterious. "Mewt" is easily the best character theme, though the fact that it barely relates to the character's personality is slightly baffling. The asset of this track that puts it ahead of the rest is its development. Sure, "Ritz" may also have a great development, but it doesn't offer the listener a mixed variety of emotions through this. Another good character theme is "Teach me Mont Blanc," which represents the clan's trusty Moogle. This theme is a lot quirkier than the other themes and this is mainly down to the wooden timbre offered by the xylophone. The emphatic ring that is given off is perfectly fitting to the character, as is the somewhat limited, but fun to listen to, development. The next theme, namely "Marche," has a beautiful melody that has a sorrow filled melodic line. The way that this track develops is subtle, as not only do inklings of hope appear, but a slight change in timbre can be heard as well. All in all, these character themes are successful, and with dynamic contrast also becoming more prominent here, Sakimoto gives us a taster of what is to come. As the album credits show, Ayako Saso and Kaori Ohkoshi from Super Sweep Ltd. also provided some marvellous tracks. Saso's contributions all take a powerful form and it is certainly hard to miss them. "Amber Valley" is one of the best on the disc, and although this is mainly because of the memorable melody, the development is also captivating. Her next theme, "Painful Battle" is surprisingly upbeat for a theme that is supposed to represent suffering. Nonetheless, its grand vibes and persistent nature ensure that it stands out amongst some great tracks. Undoubtedly her best theme, "Battle of Hope" is filled with glorious developed sections and impressive accentuation. This is a track that you just can't miss. Kaori Ohkoshi's themes are slightly more diverse, and although this is a good thing collectively, she doesn't really get the chance to develop her style as Saso does. "Undefeated Heart" is one of her finest compositions, but it is no match for "Beyond the Wasteland," which is consequently her best theme. "Beyond the Wasteland" blends militaristic vibes with mysterious ones to create a tension filled atmosphere with a sense of pride. The instrumentation is much the same as before (strings and brass) but this time, the emphasis has been placed on the steady, beating percussion. Overall, Saso's and Ohkoshi's additions to the soundtrack are valuable ones, and it just goes to show that a little can go a long way. As the characters come closer to reaching their final foe, the themes get much darker and mysterious. The first instance of this is "The Road We Both Aim For." This track is nothing special when its melody is compared to the likes of "Mewt," but if the atmospheres were to be compared, then it would certainly come out on top. Crescendos, diminuendos, sforzandos, and dozens of articulation litter this track, and it is these that make the atmosphere as dominant as it is. Instrumentation is another key factor and this is evident in "Confusion" which attempts to adopt a similar style but fails to utilise the same diversity in timbre. "The World Starting to Move" follows this in a lively and outgoing manner, but, with the harmony frequently adding discords to the melody, the whole idea of a buoyant motion is somewhat clouded. "Incarnation" is where all of these vibes are brought together. This track features some ominous strings, deathly brass rasps, and some war raging timpani that are sure to send any player into researching their battle tactics. The suspense built up is great, and as we were shown earlier, Sakimoto has some dynamic contrasts up his sleeve, thus releasing this tension in a track of fearful and militaristic vibes. After defeating the final boss, the characters leave the world that they were in as "Vanishing World" plays. This track is beautifully composed and ideal for the situation; not only does it offer a sense of success, but it also emits a radiance of unity and relief. The instrumentation is much the same as with the rest of the score, obviously, the track is orchestral, but there is dominance on the string part, much more like the earlier tracks than the later ones. The next theme, "The Place We Should Return To" adopts and extends the sense of unity that "Vanishing World" offers. The way that this track flows is excellent and it really sums up the course of the album well, too. The last track, "Fulfilled Dream Segment" ends the album in the most inspiring way possible. The melody is heartrending, the development is awe-inspiring, and the dynamic contrast is perfect. The 1:00 mark sees the introduction of a march-like section filled with pride and hope, and this, along with some rather well written glockenspiel melodies, adds a sense of justice to the mission, but more importantly, a sense of finality to the soundtrack. SummaryAll in all, this soundtrack is a mixed bag. The first tracks that we hear are full of hope and emit a whole stream of possibilities regarding how Sakimoto will end up developing his themes. I can't say that I am disappointed by this album, but the fact that nearly every theme was a light-hearted one put me off a bit at first. Nonetheless, Ayako Saso and Kaori Ohkoshi certainly helped the album maintain a sense of diversity with their themes. The rather long "Undefeated Heart," the musical "Amber Valley," and the unforgettable "Battle of Hope" really livened the Original Soundtrack up. One of the trends that are easy to notice in this album is how Sakimoto's knowledge of development and use of dynamic contrast increases, and this is a great thing to see, despite the fact that the earlier themes aren't extended to their full potential as a result. Nonetheless, Sakimoto doesn't touch upon the thematic melodies that he introduced to the Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack here, so the two are hardly comparable. If you are hesitating on buying the album due to sound quality reasons, then don't. The second disc flaunts some brilliant synth that brings some great justice to the tracks. All in all, this isn't one of his best works, but when the console is considered, he did the best he could. Percentage Overall Score: 84% |
|||||||||||||||
 |
