Critical response to the actual game itself is contentious, but the soundtrack is unique in that Masashi Hamauzu—and not the series’ usual, Nobuo Uematsu—was the composer. There’s a lot of moodswinging throughout the song, which I think was used primarily for boss battles or intense cinematic scenes. A good boss battle song will have ups and downs, as those fights can last a long time and a varied song to accompany it will keep the player alert.
Saber’s Edge is symphonic, but there’s some atonal piano tickling, standing out from the military snares and percussive woodwinds and strings. My favorite part is the swelling French horn and trumpet (I think) phrasing starting around 41 seconds in.
Listen below or load the mp3 of “Saber’s Edge” in a new tab/window.
4 Comments
I admit to finding all the Final Fantasy game videos quite distasteful, but I really liked this composition. It sounds like a lot of good classical music, and I’m a sucker for that.
What is it about the videos you don’t like? I generally don’t like games with commentary, because players tend to talk way too much or in such a way that irritates me. It takes some nuance to do it right, for me. Most of the playthroughs I watch have no commentary, and the really good ones are edited to leave the fluff or humdrum parts out.
In this case, the premise of the story itself completely fails to draw me in. Maybe it’s that outrageous and impossible sword the main character wields, but the story itself, with or without commentary, just does not click with me.
Oh ok, I thought it was something about playthrough videos themselves.
I think you’re thinking of FF7, with Cloud and that big sword of his. Every game installment has different characters/worlds. I’d like to see a continuous story, myself, but that’s now how they do it.