P-Vock's Music Box: Decisive Determination
Hello and welcome back to P-Vock's Music Box, the weekly blog where I get you set for the weekend with some banging tunes. This week, I'm finally talking about one of my all-time favourite OSTs. A soundtrack that has nudged its way into my brain and will never leave. A soundtrack that delivers tunes to accompany good vibes, adventurous marches, somber despair, and absolutely spectacular fights.
2018's Octopath Traveler was an absolute treat for me in every way. Balancing eight different characters with no single narrative in an RPG, a genre most associated with memorable narratives, was a daunting task. Square Enix was absolutely up to the challenge, however. While simple, each character was enjoyable and well-written enough that each have some powerful and memorable moments. Especially Primrose, the dancer, when she tells her former "master" to go fuck himself after he shamefully demands that she "pleasure" him tonight.
YES. GO OFF, YOU ABSOLUTE QUEEN!
So yeah, the game was a good time for me. But, how were them tunes? As I mentioned, this is absolutely one of my all-time favourite OSTs. Choosing the tracks was so difficult. Each battle theme is hype, the town themes are incredible, the character themes tell you exactly what to expect with each character. Choosing just a couple was not easy. But, I did it. So, let's start off with the main theme, the one that perfectly captures the feeling of prepping for a grand adventure.
YESSSS. I am so ready to go on a journey to avenge my fallen father, reclaim my honour as a disgraced knight, go find something shiny to buy, or any of the other great journeys this absolutely gorgeous gem takes me on. Octopath Traveler is a game I often found myself frequently heading back to the title screen while playing just to hear this absolute banger once again. This is definitely not a battle theme, but it gives me the same kind of motivation most battle themes do.
But, speaking of battle themes . . .
This was one of the trailers Nintendo released about 8 months before this game initially launched and it hit so many people like a truck. This was one of the first real good listens we got into this game's OST, and what a stellar impression it made. I was already on board from the moment it was announced, but I saw so many people just clamoring for this game after this orgasmic 3-minute masterpiece dropped.
Holy shit, the visuals are beyond stellar, the combat looks so intense, AND THE MUSIC. With only two notes, this track immediately and confidently wedged its way into my mind and I don't ever want it to go. When people say "Boss Fight Theme" this is often the tune that immediately jumps out in my mind. This track has accompanied me through so many workouts, study sessions, long drives, long poops, and even been what just fired me up to go do anything. I would say this is the most iconic track from this game and that is for good reason.
Would you believe me if I said that that isn't even my favourite track in the game? My favourite plays during some pretty emphatic character moments, sometimes during combat and sometimes during cutscenes. I won't go too in-depth about it because I will ramble to no end, but I'll just say that the tune titled Determination deserves it name, because that is what I feel whenever I hear it.
There is not enough time in the day for me to deliver all the praise I want to for Octopath Traveler. To me, it is a modern classic that deserves as much love as your Xenoblades, Persona 5s, Skyrims, or whatever other beloved games people love that have come out in the last decade (Wait, Skyrim and Xenoblade are both over a decade old now... Shit). I sincerely hope your weekend is as stellar as these tunes, and I'll see you back here next week with another suggestion from my music box. Stay Brutal!
PS. Yasunori Nishiki, the game's composer, and the team behind this wonderful OST couldn't stop after the game was released. The original release of the game's OST was not enough, so they gave us a ton of remixes in a new album that still gives me goosebumps. So before I go, let me drop the phenomenal remix of my favourite track from Octopath Traveler's Boost and Break album.