P-Vock's Music Box: A Fleeting Dream
Hello and welcome back to P-Vock's Music Box. February has tons of releases yet to come that make my heart happy and my wallet hurt. Among these, and standing the tallest next to Octopath 2, is a new Theatrhythm. Theathrythm, besides being a name with a glorious pun that makes me giddy, is a fantastic rhythm game consisting mostly of Final Fantasy music. So, to honour one of my favourite IPs, let's look at one of my favourite soundtracks of all time.
Next to Persona 3, this is the greatest opening sequence ever made. It tells you so much while giving you little information. It's actually just a cutscene from very late into the game, but I think it stands as a shining example of how powerful music can be. We don't need some glorious soliloquy. We just need To Zanarkand.
To Zanarkand is probably the single piece of music from video games most people will say make them cry. It's just so somber. It feels tired. It feels empty. It feels like it just wants to give up, but it can't. This is a flawless way to grab someone's attention as you just have to find out what could possibly create such a scenario.
So let's skip to a much happier moment, as this game does have some incredibly jovial moments.
Final Fantasy X is a very tropical game, so it would stand to reason that at least one of the tracks would be the perfect music to lounge at a beach with. It's so calm and serene. It's just relaxed. As you explore towns in this game, your given a moment of reprieve from the otherwise high octane battles and extremely intense story. I think Spira Unplugged accomplishes that very well.
Not only does it nail the current vibe (heh, water pun), it also has a wee bit of a leitmotif that is furthered by my favourite track in the game.
A Fleeting Dream is perfection. Until I played FFIX, this was my favourite track in the whole series and stands behind my favourite moment in the game. You saw the Zanarkand ruins in the opening, now you march through them with this absolute masterpiece blasting in your ears.
Sure, the leitmotif is incredible, but this track really shines for me because it encapsulates EVERYTHING you need in a moment like this. It's somber and tired as you've been on a long journey. It breaks for a moment as if you're about to give up. But it keeps on driving. It keeps going.
This is basically just a track telling you "Yeah, this has been a hard journey. You've come so far, and you're almost finished. Just a little more and you'll be done."
This kind of track shows why I love video games and music from video games so much.
I have wanted to talk about Final Fantasy X for so long. I love this damn game so much. I love this damn soundtrack so much. This OST is filled from top to bottom with iconic bops that provide every emotion possible for its players. Until I played FFIX, it was just far and away my favourite.
It is an absolute masterpiece.
Thank you so much, as always, for checking out my nonsense. I hope these tunes gave you a little something to carry you into the weekend, and I hope to catch you back here next time with another suggestion from my Music Box.
Stay Brutal!