Tracklist:
Disc One
01 - Introduction Peak
02 - Nadir's Whale
03 - To the End of the Journey of Glittering Stars
04 - Soul Poetry
05 - The True Mirror
06 - Vitriolic a Stroke
07 - Condemnation of Darkness
08 - Glowing Cloud
09 - Chaotic Dance
10 - Rumbling of the Earth
11 - Coolant
12 - Valley of the Wind
13 - Gentle Wind
14 - To the Garden of the Moon Butterflies in the Moonless Night
15 - Flowing Through the Rays of the Morning Sun
16 - Limpidly Flow
17 - Soft Labyrinth
18 - Bellflower
19 - Imperial Dynamics
20 - Icy Fog Flow
21 - Feudal Guardian
22 - Flighty Spirits
23 - Tenkai Flower Temple
24 - Mystery Crystal
25 - Deterioration
26 - Holo Holo
27 - Azure Soul Fountain
28 - Dust Dancing in the Wind
Total Time:
64'34"
Disc Two
01 - Dead Beat
02 - Disorder
03 - Castle in the Sand
04 - Divine White Bell
05 - Start on a Voyage
06 - Glittering Violet Moon
07 - Twisted Time and Warped Sky
08 - Strike Off the Enemy
09 - Awakening Calamity
10 - Late at Night
11 - Level up!
12 - Class up!
13 - With the Spirit
14 - Collision Spray
15 - Bottom Out
16 - Hailstorm
17 - Worldwide Panic
18 - Brave Way
19 - Enshrinement
20 - Keppakudan
21 - Survival from The Force
22 - The True Mirror ~guitar ver~
23 - Supreme Ruler of the Nine Heavens
24 - Violent Storm
25 - A Last Villainous Quip
26 - Earth Advent
27 - Deep Sea of Tears
28 - Addressing the Stars
29 - To the Party of the Future with a Fragrant White Peach
Total Time:
66'31"
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Now this was a pleasant treat. I bought the OST only days before the game's domestic release, not knowing that the soundtrack had been out for almost a year. I made a good decision, too, because this contains some of Motoi Sakuraba's best works, though many (myself included) will find it to sound much like his previous arrangements.
Starting with powerful tracks such as "Nadir's Whale", the first disc is filled with tunes of all of Sakuraba's varieties. The boss themes (disc 1 tracks 6-10) are probably the best on the CD, with the oddly addicting "Chaotic Dance" and the semi-original "Rumbling of the Earth". While the rest of the CD contains mostly slower, gloomy and/or sad themes with a few exceptions, they are all notably good. "Limpidly Flow" is a beautiful piano piece and "Bellflower" is a catchy and fitting town theme. Both of these actually tend to stand out more than some of the other, similar tunes.
The second disc is the lesser one, but it still contains music that, once again, stands out. "Castle in the Sand", while quite overused in the game itself, is a very nice track to listen to: the song has yet to bore me. My favorite track on this disc (and possibly the entire OST) is "Brave Way", a beautifully orchestrated piece that creates a type of heroic feel. Sakuraba seems to be an expert at these types of songs.
But there are flaws. Like I said before, much of the music here sounds way too much like Sakuraba's previous works on other games. I could not help but be reminded of a certain track early in the Tales of Symphonia OST after listening to "Feudal Guardian". The second disc suffers more, with "Start on a Voyage" being basically yet another version of Star Ocean 3's Brass Wings, and "Violent Storm", the token electric guitar track of the album (though it's not as good as, say, Star Ocean 3's "Expiration"). Maybe Sakuraba needs to try something new?
I would not say this soundtrack is as good as some of Sakuraba's other albums (namely the Star Ocean OSTs) but it is still a solid, well-done deal. It is definitely one of Sakuraba's better works, containing some pieces that are now my favorite tunes created by the artist.
Reviewed by: Eliminator
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