Yggdra Union is apparently a big success for Sting. The game itself is only one entry in the "Dept Heaven" series. Having originally been released on the GBA, then ported to PSP, a number of side games were developed for Japanese-only mobile phone platforms. One of them was upgraded and ported to the DS. That game is Yggdra Unison. This is the soundtrack for that game.

Of course, that means Shigeki Hayashi is back, though only to do some arrangement, with the majority of composition coming from Minako Adachi, for the game's music. It's only one disc of music, no "multiple versions" crap here, just one set of 41 tracks to dig through.

The tracklist itself gives you an idea of how the game operates. Different groups take turns on the offensive, and they get different music for "light" and "dark" battle time. Lots and lots of battle themes. That's the majority of the album, really.

As for the musical quality from Adachi-san: I wouldn't call these "throw-away" tracks per se, but they are comparatively weaker than their Yggdra Union counterparts. Less substance, less nuance, less style. Fun and functional, to be sure, but far from sublime.

Bottom line: this album is only for serious collectors. Fans of Hayashi's and Adachi's work with Sting on the Dept Heaven series would do better to pick up a more "mainstream" soundtrack, such as Riviera or the PSP Yggdra Union soundtrack (which Atlus USA made available in our region as a promotional item, and will be available in Japan later in 2010).

Reviewed by: Patrick Gann