Ys II Eternal, a brand spankin' new version of the beloved classic Ys II, just came out a few months ago, and the soundtrack is included in the package. The OSV is coming out soon for sale by itself, too. So how does the new OSV fare, especially when compared to its groundbreaking TurboGrafx 16 soundtrack? Pretty well, actually.
The composition is nearly exactly the same as the old FM album "Music From Ys II", but the synth used is of a very high caliber. The songs have all been remixed so much that some of them are completely different from the originals. Take "Cavern of Rasteenee", for example. In the past, it has been a very somber, slowly building, quiet song. In Ys II Eternal OSV, it's a techno-style song that blasts out the speakers from beginning to end. Kinda cool. A couple of songs sound a little too synthy, almost like a high-quality NES at times, but overall the samples are very nice. The flute sample almost sounds real, and is *very* beautiful, I assure you.
The OSV covers a wide variety of emotion in its songs, and the styles are varied as well. "Palace of Solomon" is close to the same old version, but halfway through a huge chord of crisp synth blasts you away. "A Still Time" is the best version of this song that I have heard yet. It builds more and more on the main theme every time it repeats. A few other notable tracks are "Too Full With Love" and "Termination", which are both done a la Falcom's "Plus Mix" songs. The new song, the theme to the little town in Burnland, is a remix of "Moat of Burnedbless", but much slower and very somber, featuring a piano solo. "Battle Ground" is a great song, and "Overdrive" is extremely cool. It basically goes into overdrive, if you will, in the middle of the song, delivering a frenzy of crisp synth and moving chords. Very well done.
There are only two downsides to Ys II Eternal OSV: It's tough to get unless you have loads of money (the game cost me 115 smackeroos, but was well worth it), and, in the transition from the '80s into the '90s, it has lost some of its classic sound. The recorded guitar solos are gone, which is a major drawback. Still, as a whole, it is a rather great album, and adds a new color and feel to the world of Ys. Great job Falcom!
By the way, the game is purely unbelievable, and you even get the movie on DVD - great stuff. If you love yourself and you love Ys, get it.
