![]() The series of area and town themes that follow the character themes follow the same order – Ophelia, the first character whose theme is played, also sees the first area theme “The Frostlands”, and the first town theme “Flamesgrace”. “The Trees Have Eyes”, much further down on the tracklist, echoes H’aanit’s theme, but with a stronger string section that takes over after a few lines of piano. The piece is actually a piano solo – while the instrument is used in other places on the score, this is the only time we are exposed to an unaccompanied piano, and it’s the only piece on the score that uses a single instrument. The last character theme is “H’aanit, the Hunter”, which relies on another new instrument – piano. One surprising instrument choice is the saxophone in “Alfyn, the Apothecary” – it’s the only time the sax makes an appearance on the album, but it brings a softer, mellow mood to the soundtrack. “Olberic, the Warrior” is one of my absolute favorite themes – the melody is stately and noble, accompanied by a snare to give it military flare – but it ends surprisingly, with a chromatic resolution that feels fresh, while still in keeping with the solemnity of the piece. “Cyrus, the Scholar” is a grand, sweeping waltz with full unison string sections and bursts of horns, while “Tressa, the Merchant” takes the same strings and uses them as a backdrop to a more unassuming harmonica solo (with a clarinet joining in for a merry B section). But each one of the melodies on the score are unique, and fit the intended themes wonderfully. Describing them in a score that is filled to the brim with beautiful, original, diverse melodies is nearly impossible. I opened by discussing instrumentation since, frankly, it’s easier to talk about. Regarding Nishiki’s second strength – it’s worth noting at this point that even the least notable melodies on this score are excellent. “How Amusing!” pairs a clarinet with an oboe for a more mischievous melody. “Cobbleston, Nestled in the Hills” and “Gazing over the Great Plain” are a more pastoral uses of the instrument – the melodies reminds me of what I might expect of starting town themes in other JRPGS. “Despair” takes the same instrument and gives it a much more sorrowful melody – one of my favorites on the album. “Sunshade, City of Pleasures” has a fantastically sleazy melody played on a clarinet, with some bluesy guitar riffs in the background. I also want to mention his gratuitous use of clarinet – something we don’t see nearly enough of on soundtracks. Although both instruments are used for their strengths in their respective tracks, “The Flatlands” brings the oboe back for a brighter overworld theme, whereas “The Cliftlands” and “Melancholy” use the flute’s lower ranges for more pensive pieces. The melody this time is less sweet and more melancholy, and the flute eventually takes over the melody by the end. “Therion, the Thief” uses an oboe (later paired with a flute) for its melody, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. ![]() While it picks up some strings, soft horns, and a harp as it continues, the flute stays front and center for the entire piece. The very first character theme, “Ophilia, the Cleric”, has a solo flute playing a simple lyrical melody. ![]() I was especially delighted at how prominently he used woodwinds of all types, and how he combined them. ![]() Already from this track, we get to hear two of Nishiki’s strengths that carry across the score: use of instrumentation (even in this track, each section of the orchestra gets a chance in the spotlight), and motif.įirst, Nishiki makes use of the full set of instruments at his disposal throughout the score. The album opens with “Octopath Traveler – Main Theme”, a spirited theme performed by a full orchestra. The album tracklist follows that pattern rather than the order the tracks appear in the game (which may change depending on which characters the player chooses to play as). The soundtrack of Octopath Traveler is divided very traditionally, Final Fantasy VI-style we have a set of character themes, area themes, and battle themes, culminating in an Ending Theme that brings together motifs from the game. Unlike Revo, Nishiki seems to have been aiming straight for JRPG nostalgia when he composed Octopath Traveler. The same team development is now behind Octopath Traveler, but with newcomer Yasunori Nishiki in the composer’s seat. When composing the soundtrack to Bravely Default, Revo certainly took inspiration from classic JRPGs, but was equally interested in embedding his own sound, leading to memorable tracks like “The Snake That Devours the Horizon”. If Bravely Default was a love letter to Final Fantasy V (with its four crystals, four protagonists, and a retro job system), Octopath Traveler is a love letter to Final Fantasy VI, with its colorful cast of characters, each with their own background and reason for journeying across the game.
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