Hitoshi Sakimoto was the composer for this album. He compiled a bundle
of tracks from the Valkyria Chronicles series. It was featured on the
Humble Bundle website as well, as part of the very first music oriented
bundle on the website. The bundle provided FLAC and MP3 formats of the
album which means both are available. The whole collection is of 24
songs, spanning from various games, including themes from the second and
third game and many other memorable tunes if you have ever played the
games before. Hitoshi has composed some memorable soundtracks before
including those for Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII. His
reputation with Square Enix shows his high budget projects from the
past. I think it is safe to say he has a decent library. Though he has
also done work for Aniplex and Digicube, meaning there is a good chance
he will be expanding and continuing to provide for your listening
pleasure.
The track seems to be instrumental with possibly slight vocals being
used in harmony with many instruments. It is almost not noticeable, with
so many different sounds being used together, a harmonious voice just
blends in well. It’s a big contrast from the major focus so many songs
put on the singer. Here it seems as if the singer is not any more
important than a musician, or even less so. A nice and well done change.
Various kinds of instruments are used such as the cello, violin, drums,
trumpets, bells and many of the chimes are done so with an impressive
clash of different notes and musicians. A combination of them all
creates a very dynamic presentation. As an experience the songs do a
pretty good job of replicating tones of intensity which are to be expect
in a game and can very vividly describe the scene of a war. With
battles going on in the Valkyria games consistently, it is actually easy
to tell what parts of the game each song would fit into.
Each track is themed and transitions in very harmonious and fluid
manners which indicate a very natural form of progression throughout the
game. Transitions are very epic (filled with various sounds and
decently long). There is a pretty good constant pace with not much build
up. The amount of activity which occurs during the majority of the song
leaves no room for build up. It’s an extensive thrill ride all the way
through the song, and in turn the album. Moving into higher notes to
represent suspense of urgence; a very effective method which does not
take up a very significant portion of the song, rather just quick
sections and transitions which are there just to provoke certain
emotions. Producing emotions that keep you on edge while not distracting
you, add to the immersion of the game. Placing importance on a games
music to the point where it feeds into the engagement of the gameplay,
is a great use of what some people consider; a simple side element not
essential to the game. It’s an opportunity to do something amazing.
Diversity is not too clear. The compositions are unique but there is a
pretty big similarity throughout all the different songs, but a common
style is expect from any album. The instruments remain the same. The
games are supposed to be a representation of war, so all the songs are
fast paced. The transitions are indeed harmonious (mostly because they
are not sudden, but gradual) though they are not given too much
importance in the song. By this I refer to all the different parts which
change throughout the song which are mostly done through many quick
notes and consistent alterations between instruments. Aside from a
similarity of the songs (which is to be expected), listening to the
album all at once, seems as if it’s an expanding piece of art that goes
on for sometime. Keeping the style present through the hole album allows
for a very fluid experience. While some look for diversity in each
song, this album is best observed as a whole, a collective of pieces if
you will, similar to that of a jigsaw puzzle.
The
art cover depicts the characters in somewhat odd uniforms but hey,
people have their own style. The guns and tank are a clear
representation of the scene of war that takes place within the game.
With that in mind while listening to the album, you can get a good
understanding of what is trying to be depicted within the game through
the music. Even without visuals, the tone of the sound can be very heavy
and very uplifting. It fluctuates in a very clear and melodic fashion.
Editing in the music seems to be almost unnoticeable. The majority of
all the instruments (if not all) that you hear at one time is due to the
orchestra who Sakimoto used at his disposal. This means it could
potentially be heard live with no equipment other than the instruments
themselves. When listening to the complexity of all that is going on and
how many different people are required to make the one moment of sound
being listened to, it is quite impressive. Composing such a record is
quite the feet.
(not the orchestra from this soundtrack)
Uniqueness of the all encompassing music you hear from an orchestra is
present in this album, with folk type elements and other more rock and
heavy components. Though the general pattern within orchestra music can
be found (it doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but that isn’t required to
be good). Even though the songs tie together really well, the range of
tone and theme of each song (past the theme of war) is vibrant. Some
tones being quite sad, reflecting death, while others joyful and
laughable, reflecting reuniting and victory. The story of the game, as
far as I can tell is displayed quite well through the music in this
soundtrack.
Is this really the best? Well it was terrific; the rest (and there’s a
lot) is worth a lot of looking into. This album is a great collection of
Sakimoto’s work and it’s great for getting started in the library of
music he has composed.
Check
out the Humble Bundle blog post about the sale which included this
soundtrack (where I bought it):
