Customer Reviews

Xenogears: Original Soundtrack

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Xenogears had an ambitious, deep plot. It had a powerful theme surrounding relationships of men and women, men and God. (Actually, because of its religious overtones it almost didn't make it to North America.) It was also a spectacularly moving love story (the eternal bond of Fei and Elly was beautiful). Additionally, it had some of the most intense, grandiose moments I've ever seen in cinema or gaming. When the "Red Gear" picked up the Yggdrasil, or when Id destroyed Solaris, or when Krelian became an angel, or the tear-jerking return of Elly and Fei after proving the power of humanity to Krelian. Because Xenogears is such an emotionally-affecting game, the soundtrack -- which accounts for much of the impact of any scene -- makes it more powerful.

I am in awe of Yasunori Mitsuda. Few film or game composers can match his melodic instinct and his emotionally sensitivity. Xenogears was a massive game...it took me about 70 hours to finish. Probably about five of those hours, however, were just spent stopping to listen to the music. Is there anything more beautiful than the mournful violins and piano of "Shattering Egg of Dreams"? Is there anything more menacing and crippling than "One who Bares His Teeth at God"? (from when Fei & co. fight Deus)? "The Blue Traveler" (from the Yggdrasil) is uplifting and spirited. The music box theme "Faraway Promise" shows how a simple melody can be so beautiful. "Flight" gives me goose bumps just thinking about it and the scenes it works in conjunction with. With its powerful trumpet build-up and the soaring string & percussion arrangement, it is probably the most elating song I've ever heard. The end theme, "Two Small Pieces - Restored Pieces" is gorgeous, featuring a Celtic influence. It is beautifully sung (I don't know who the singer is, but she has a very pretty voice.) "Graaf, Emperor of Darkness" is a ominous, sinister composition that underscores the enigmatic villain's malfeasance. "Gathering Stars in the Night Sky" reuses a theme from "Flight" in a more somber, soothing orchestration. "Shebat: The Wind is Calling" is mysterious, enchanting, and stately.

Naturally, the soundtrack won't have the same effect on someone without emotional attachment to the game. Also, as synthesizer technology improves greatly, the archaic sample quality on older soundtracks like this one doesn't sound so hot. Still, if you've played Xenogears and still gets chills at the thought of Fei's showdown with Graaf, or Fei and Elly coming to terms with their feelings for each other, or Maria carrying the "attack team" into Solaris...you _have_ to get this soundtrack. The music is timeless, even though the sound quality is not, and it will help preserve the memories of one of the best stories ever told.

Yasunori Mitsuda is most famous for composing the music to the classic SNES RPG "Chrono Trigger" and its wonderful PSX sequel "Chrono Cross", but out of all his works, the soundtrack to the underground PSX classic "Xenogears" is probably his greatest accomplishment. "Xenogears" was a very story-driven RPG, even for a Square title, and contained very heavy idealisms and thought-provoking concepts, so the music especially had to set a defined mood and atmosphere throughout the course of the game. Mitsuda took up the challenge, and ended up creating one of the most powerful and emotional soundtracks ever made.

The first thing a listener will notice about the "Xenogears" soundtrack is that the overall tone is a lot darker than his other works. While there are light-hearted tunes scattered throughout the soundtrack, they are balanced by dark, brooding songs that create an overall atmosphere a lot heavier than his other soundtracks. The songs are also played using synth-like sounds, giving the underlying impression that this is, indeed, a game soundtrack.

But Yasunori Mitsuda uses his remarkable talent to make us beg to differ. While the soundtrack is indeed darker in tone, it merely showcases Mitsuda developing musical maturity into raw, emotional performance. And while the music is played using syth-like sounds, the songs are so marvelously crafted and so beautifully executed they have a life of their own despite their MIDI limitations. Each song is a miniature masterpiece, and not one sounds like a "filler" track commonly found in other RPGs.

What is also interesting about the "Xenogears" soundtrack are the two vocal pieces. While vocal songs in RPGs are hit-and-miss, these two songs are definite hits. But what makes them unique is that they are sung in English and not Japanese. The vocalist is Irish singer Joanne Hogg, and her renditions of "Star of Tears" and "Small of Two Pieces - Restored Shards" are so beautiful and enchanting they completely overshadow the Japanese versions (found on the "Xenogears CREID" album).

There isn't enough that can be said about the "Xenogears" original soundtrack. It would be somewhat silly to call it Mitsuda's musical pinnacle, considering he later composed the soundtracks to "Chrono Cross" and "Xenosaga". But "Xenogears" is undoubtedly his most powerful and emotional masterpiece, and is a game soundtrack not to be missed by anyone interesting in breathtaking music.

Not many people got a chance to play Xenogears when it was released in 1997. It was limited, as Squaresoft didn't believe it would sell very well. As things go, it sold out very quickly, and Squaresoft was left with a number of consumers demanding the hit title.

While I loved the story, the characters, and yes, even the battles, the greatest thing about Xenogears was the music. Yasunori Mitsuda is an orchestral genius, as he proves time and again, putting examples in all of his works, and namely his work here and in its sequel's soundtrack, Xenosaga.

Unlike Xenosaga, I do not know this soundtrack's sequence by heart, so I'm going to order myself in the game's order. Thus, I start with "Light from the Netherworld," a slow, suspenseful piece that eventually erupts into the violence that happens in the game as well. The quick music that ensues after the slow start is very sudden, and the eerie chorus that heads the three minute mark is what truly makes this piece come alive.

"My Village is Number One" is a very enjoyable, innocent piece that really make's one's heart fly. It can be appreciated in its light-heartedness for those who have never played the game, while for those of us who have, reminds us of how easily that innocence is shattered.

I have to skip along now, because there just isn't enough room to mention how good each piece is and why. "Knight of Fire" is an excellent battle music, and is made more interesting by the sound of orders going over a speaker in the background at certain points. It's the boss music, and is also reflected in certain areas with the Geblar forces. Later battle musics, such as in the Arena, don't quite match up to it, but all are put a step back by the final boss theme "Awakening."

"Dajil" is simply excellent. I love hearing the Middle Eastern mix within it, along with the varying instruments and singing of children, which also occurs in "Aveh."

While all these are great, and I haven't even tapped the wonders of "Shevat," nor the mystery and intensity of "The One Who Bares Fangs at God," there is one set of songs that really makes the Xenosaga soundtrack so grand, and also so well-loved, and that is the collection of love songs for Fei and Elly.

Fei and Elly may have the most beautiful love story there will ever be, but they certainly have the most beautiful music for that love story. "June Mermaid" is a popular example of these, as many show the awkwardness and the enchantment of the romance between the two. The musicbox melody (its name escapes me) is very intruiging and is hard to stop listening to. It simply beats right with your heart and gives a feeling of warm through its simple music with a complex and touching theme.

That theme comes from "Small Two of Pieces." Without this piece, the soundtrack just doesn't have as much strength. Without it, it would only deserve 4 stars. Joanne Hogg sings the beautiful serenade of Fei and Elly, and after hearing it and then listening to the musicbox, you can almost hear the words go along with the simple sounds. The music combines flutes and guitars to Hogg's voice, creating an incredible song, one that will stay in my memory for the rest of my life.

-Escushion

A huge part of why I enjoyed the Xenogear game for playstation was the music that set the tone so well and so I decided to purchase this CD from Japan. The price was high yet I was so relieved once it came because it is just as good as I hoped it would be. With 44 songs on 2 CDs, the Xenogears soundtrack is an amazing work of musical talent. One can't put the style into a genre because it all alone. There are few words to describe this amazingly original and rich work and certainly no reason not to say this CD is as good as any "normal" CD out there just because this one comes from a videogame. Every emotion is touched with this music - what music has always been meant to do.

Of the many games I've played, few have boasted soundtracks quite as spellbinding as the one belonging to Xenogears. This 2-CD set covers several musical genres, but it tends to have a Celtic underpinning. From the calm "Emotions" to the adrenaline-pounding "Into the Sky" and to the haunting music box tune "Faraway Promise," Yasunori Mitsuda has created a real gem here. It is the perfect background to a remarkable RPG.

The video game itself is the most satisfying game that I have played. It took me almost two months to finish, but it was pure enjoyment all the way. Sometimes, I found myself just pausing for a few minutes just to listen to the soundtrack. I put so many enjoyable hours playing the game, that I just had to have the soundtrack.

I'm glad to hear that the same composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, also did the soundtrack for Xenosaga. Xenosaga is actually a prequel to Xenogears.

I didn't get Xenogears until this year, however, I'm glad I did. The music was just beautiful. I listen to We the People Shall Advance Toward the Light, June Mermaid, Distant Promise, Forgotten Jewel, and so many other over and over. Small of Two Pieces, just as everybody else said, is gorgeously composed and sang by Joanne Hogg.
I definitely recommend this CD to any RPG music fan.

This is, quite frankly, the second best videogame soundtrack ever written (the first, in my opinion, being Chrono Cross, also composed by Yasunori Mitsuda). Every track on the 2 CDs does a fine job of conveying whatever emotions the situation in the game desires. Not only that, but it sounds great on its own (with the possible exception of The Jaws of Ice, Disc 2, Track 2, which is just a bit too ambient for my taste, but what can ya do, huh?). It's a classic, what more can be said.

This is the Japanese Import on 2 CD's. The full track listing is below:

Disc 1 (73 minutes)

1. Light from the Netherworlds
2. Stars of Tears (Opening Theme)
3. Bonds of Sea and Fire
4. My Village is Number One
5. The Valley where Wind is Born
6. Faraway Promise
7. Steel Giant
8. Forest of the Black Moon
9. Shattering Egg of Dreams
10. Back to Sleep
11. Daijiru: City of Burning Sands
12. Emotions
13. Graaf, Emperor of Darkness
14. Fuse
15. Leftovers of the Dreams of the Strong
16. The Treasure which cannot be Stolen
17. Ave, the Ancient Dance
18. Invasion
19. Stage of Death
20. In a Dark Sleep
21. Singing of the Gentle Wind
22. The Wounded shall Advance into the Light
23. Lost... Broken Shards
24. Tamusu, the Man of the Sea
25. The Blue Traveler

Disc 2 (71 minutes)

1. Ship of Regret and Sleep
2. The Jaws of Ice
3. Knight of Fire
4. June Mermaid
5. Shebat: The Wind is Calling
6. The Sky, the Clouds, and You
7. Gathering Stars in the Night Sky
8. Tears of the Stars, Hearts of the People
9. Flight
10. Wings
11. Solaris: Eden of Heaven
12. Back to Sleep
13. The One who is Torn Apart
14. Pray for the People's Joy
15. Omen
16. Awakening
17. One who Bares Fangs at God
18. The Beginning and the End
19. Small Two of Pieces - Restored Pieces

Whether you own the game and can't get enough of it or just enjoy creative classical music this soundtrack will exceed your expectations. 40+ tracks of instrumental music capture the style of the area or situation from the game creating a very eclectic soundtrack. This CD also features the wonderful song from the closing credits "Small Two of Pieces".