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All Sounds of Ogre Battle :: Review by Jon Turner
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Album Title: | All Sounds of Ogre Battle |
| Record Label: | Datam Polystar | |
| Catalog No.: | DPCX-5003 (1st Edition); DPCX-5219 (Reprint) | |
| Release Date: | April 25, 1993; January 13, 2000 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at eBay |
Review
Sometimes the best video game scores can be found in the fantasy/adventure/role-playing genre, and Ogre Battle is no exception. Scored by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, and Hayato Matsuo, All Sounds of Ogre Battle echoes other scores of this type, including the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series, but it mostly recaptures the symphonic scope and militaristic marches of ActRaiser, a classic from the early years of the Super Nintendo.
What is different about this score is that it doesn't totally stay true to the movie-score feel of some soundtracks, like Final Fantasy. There are no character themes present throughout the score, nor are there any love themes or heartfelt melodies. Although "Fortune Teller" and "Coma" are beautiful, they are far from romantic. This is hardly an insult, because the game itself hardly has any romance or peaceful moments, so it seems to work fine.
The majority of the music is militaristic and stirring, although it too changes style. The earlier tracks, "Revolt," "Viking Spirits," and "Autumnal Sky," are all lighthearted and sometimes jubilant, while the later tracks, such as "Accretion Disk" and "Dark Matter," are darker and intense. In these and other cases, they are impressive, involving, and thundering. The battle themes "Guerrilla War," "Do Or Die," and "Billow Of The Dark" all are very grand and furious, with each one getting darker and more furious then the last. It is almost difficult to say whether one is better than the other, because all of them are great.
All of the game's great melodies are here, from the breathtaking, exciting "Overture" to the celebrational "One Episode." Plus, there is a free gift with this CD — it doesn't have just the game's original tracks, but upgraded, arranged MIDI versions. They are high quality and very well done, sometimes making the original versions sound weak. This CD is a must-have for your collection, even if you're not a fan of Ogre Battle.
