Music of Final Fantasy VI

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The music of the video game Final Fantasy VI was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version, a compilation of all the music in the game, was released in Japan by NTT Publishing in 1994 and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. The album was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing in North America in 1994 under the name Kefka's Domain. Selected tracks from the official soundtrack were later released as part of the Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games album that was included with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology , and two EPs were produced containing character theme tracks entitled Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. A special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game, arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito, and performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, was released under the title Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements, arranged by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura, was released under the title Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI by Square/NTT Publishing in 1994 and by NTT Publishing in 2001. Additionally, a single containing unused and remixed tracks from the game was released as Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks by NTT Publishing in 1994.

Contents

The music received critical and universal acclaim, with reviewers finding it to be one of the best video game music soundtracks ever composed. Several pieces, particularly "Terra's Theme", "Aria di Mezzo Carattere", and "Dancing Mad", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series such as the Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series, the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy series, and the Orchestral Game Concert series. Music from the soundtrack has also been published in arranged albums and compilations by Square Enix as well as outside groups.

Albums

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

Final Fantasy VI Original Soundtrack
Ff6sd.jpg
Soundtrack album by
Nobuo Uematsu
ReleasedMarch 25, 1994
July 1, 1994 (Kefka's Domain)
October 1, 2004 (reissue)
Recorded Sunrise Studios
Length58:00(disc one)
57:18 (disc two)
72:03 (disc three)
Label NTT Publishing
Square (Kefka's Domain)
Square Enix (reissue)
Producer Nobuo Uematsu

Final Fantasy VI Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album containing musical tracks from the game, composed and produced by Nobuo Uematsu. The album was originally released through NTT Publishing on March 25, 1994, under the name Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version and the catalog numbers PSCN-5001~3, and was later re-released by Square Enix on October 1, 2004, with the new name and catalog numbers NTCP-5001~3. The soundtrack spans three discs and has a combined duration of 3:07:21. [1] The soundtrack was also officially released in the United States by Square/NTT Publishing under the name of Kefka's Domain on July 1, 1994. This version of the album is the same as its Japanese counterpart, except for different packaging and small differences in the translation of some track names between the album and newer releases. The album has a catalog number of SQ108. [2]

Ten tracks from the soundtrack, comprising all of the character themes for the required characters of the game, were released in a pair of EPs entitled Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The CDs were released in 1994 by NTT Publishing with durations of 13:04 and 11:54 and catalog numbers of N09D-023 and NO9D-024, respectively. [3] [4] Additionally, thirteen tracks from the soundtrack were included in a bonus CD titled Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games that shipped with Final Fantasy Anthology on October 5, 1999. [5] The soundtrack was again released as part of the Final Fantasy Finest Box by Square Enix on March 28, 2007, under the catalog numbers FFFB-0004-6 along with the OSTs of IV and V after the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance. [6] [7]

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version sold 175,000 copies as of January 2010. [8] The album was very well received by critics. Ben Schweitzer of RPGFan claimed that "almost every track here is truly a very good, or even a great composition". [1] Issac Engelhorn of Soundtrack Central agreed, claiming it to be the best video soundtrack ever, a sentiment Jon Turner and Nick Melton of Soundtrack Central agreed with. [9] Patrick Gann of RPGFan claimed that the "Dancing Mad" track contained some of the "most astounding music ever created on a keyboard" and highly recommended the soundtrack. [1]

A new edition of the soundtrack, Final Fantasy VI Original Soundtrack Remaster Version, was released by Square Enix on September 3, 2013. The album has the catalog number SQEX-10387~9, and its 61 tracks have a duration of 3:07:47. Andrew Barker of RPGFan opined that the differences between the original release and this version were "minor and barely noticeable", but that all of the praises for the original music still held true. [10]

Track listing [11] [12] [13]

Disc one
No.TitleKefka's Domain title (if different)Length
1."Omen" (予兆Yochō)"Opening Theme"4:15
2."The Mines of Narshe" (炭坑都市ナルシェTankō Toshi Narushe) 2:48
3."Awakening" (目覚めMezame) 1:41
4."Locke's Theme" (ロックのテーマRokku no Tēma)"Locke"2:01
5."Battle" (戦闘Sentō)"Battle Theme"1:59
6."Victory Fanfare" (勝利のファンファーレShōri no Fanfāre)"Fanfare"0:39
7."Edgar & Sabin's Theme" (エドガー、マッシュのテーマEdogā, Masshu no Tēma)"Edgar & Sabin"2:32
8."Kefka" (魔導士ケフカMadōshi Kefuka) 2:43
9."Mt. Kolts" (霊峰コルツReihō Korutsu) 2:30
10."The Returners" (反乱分子Hanran Bunshi)"Returners"2:42
11."Shadow's Theme" (シャドウのテーマShadō no Tēma)"Shadow"1:53
12."Troops March On" (帝国の進軍Teikoku no Shingun) 1:56
13."Cyan's Theme" (カイエンのテーマKaien no Tēma)"Cyan"2:21
14."The Unforgiven" (許されざる者Yurusarezaru Mono) 1:23
15."Phantom Forest" (迷いの森Mayoi no Mori)"The Phantom Forest"3:17
16."Phantom Train" (魔列車Ma Ressha) 2:49
17."The Veldt" (獣ヶ原Kemonogahara)"Wild West"2:17
18."Gau's Theme" (ガウのテーマGau no Tēma)"Gau"1:50
19."The Serpent Trench" (蛇の道Hebi no Michi) 2:06
20."Kids Run Through the City" (街角の子供達Machikado no Kodomotachi) 2:42
21."Under Martial Law" (戒厳令Kaigenrei) 2:26
22."Celes's Theme" (セリスのテーマSerisu no Tēma)"Celes"2:56
23."Protect the Espers!" (幻獣を守れ!Genjū o Mamore!)"Save Them!"1:57
24."The Decisive Battle" (決戦Kessen) 2:01
25."Metamorphosis" (メタモルフォーゼMetamorufōze) 1:25
Disc two
No.TitleKefka's Domain title (if different)Length
1."Terra's Theme" (ティナのテーマTina no Tēma)"Terra"3:50
2."Coin of Fate" (運命のコインUnmei no Koin)"Coin Song"3:14
3."Techno de Chocobo" (テクノdeチョコボTekuno de Chokobo) 1:35
4."Forever Rachel" (永遠に,レイチェルEien ni, Reicheru) 2:51
5."Slam Shuffle" (スラム・シャッフルSuramu Shaffuru) 2:20
6."Spinach Rag" (スピナッチ・ラグSupinacchi Ragu) 2:13
7."Overture" (序曲Jokyoku) 4:46
8."Aria di Mezzo Carattere" (アリアAria) 3:55
9."Wedding Waltz ~ Duel" (婚礼のワルツ~決闘Konrei no Warutsu ~ Kettō)"The Wedding"4:00
10."Grand Finale" (大団円Daidan'en)"Grand Finale?"3:14
11."Setzer's Theme" (セッツァーのテーマSettsā no Tēma)"Setzer"1:55
12."Johnny C. Bad" (ジョニー・C・バッドJonī Shī Baddo)"Johnny C Bad"2:54
13."The Gestahl Empire" (ガストラ帝国Gasutora Teikoku)"The Empire "Gestahl""3:11
14."Magitek Research Facility" (魔導研究所Madō Kenkyūjo)"Devil's Lab"2:32
15."The Airship Blackjack" (飛空艇ブラックジャックHikūtei Burakkujakku)"Blackjack"3:04
16."What?" (ん?2N? 2)"??"1:07
17."Mog's Theme" (モグのテーマMogu no Tēma)"Mog"1:54
18."Strago's Theme" (ストラゴスのテーマSutoragosu no Tēma)"Strago"2:29
19."Relm's Theme" (リルムのテーマRirumu no Tēma)"Relm"2:54
20."Esper World" (幻獣界Genjū Kai)"Another World of Beasts"2:37
Disc three
No.TitleKefka's Domain title (if different)Length
1."Floating Continent" (魔大陸Ma Tairiku)"New Continent"2:27
2."Catastrophe" (大破壊Daihakai) 2:15
3."Battle to the Death" (死闘Shitō)"The Fierce Battle"2:34
4."Rest in Peace" (レスト・イン・ピースResuto in Pīsu) 0:29
5."Dark World" (死界Shi Kai) 3:03
6."From that Day On..." (あの日から...Ano Hi Kara...)"The Day After"2:14
7."Searching for Friends" (仲間を求めてNakama o Motomete) 2:56
8."Gogo's Theme" (ゴゴのテーマGogo no Tēma)"Gogo"2:10
9."Epitaph" (墓碑名Bohimei) 2:50
10."The Magic House" (からくり屋敷Karakuri Yashiki) 2:32
11."Umaro's Theme" (ウーマロのテーマŪmaro no Tēma)"Umaro"1:54
12."The Fanatics" (狂信集団Kyōshin Shūdan)"Fanatics"1:47
13."Kefka's Tower" (邪神の塔Jashin no Tō)"Last Dungeon"2:49
14."Dancing Mad" (妖星乱舞Yōsei Ranbu) 17:35
15."Balance Is Restored" (蘇る緑Yomigaeru Midori)"Ending Theme"21:29
16."The Prelude" (プレリュードPureryūdo) 2:21

Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale

Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale
Soundtrack album by
Nobuo Uematsu
ReleasedMay 25, 1994
Length54:33
Label NTT Publishing

Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale is a collection of orchestral arrangements of Final Fantasy VI music composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito. It was initially released through NTT Publishing on May 25, 1994, under the catalog number PSCN-5004 and subsequently re-released on October 1, 2004, under the catalog number NTCP-5004. The arrangements are performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, with vocal performances by Svetla Krasteva. The album spans 11 tracks and covers a duration of 54:33. [14]

Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale sold almost 34,000 copies. [15] It was well received by critics, though not as well as the other albums of music from the game. Daniel Space of RPGFan found that, while he was pleased with the album as a whole, there were issues with the track selections and arrangement quality that detracted from the album. [14] Adam Corn of Soundtrack Central found that, while not without flaws, the album was "interesting and entertaining". [16] Patrick Gann concurred, saying that while there are a few minor arrangement issues, the overall quality of the album is great. [14]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Omen ~ Terra's Theme"7:57
2."Kefka"3:24
3."Phantom Forest"4:46
4."Gau's Theme"5:18
5."Milan de Chocobo"5:36
6."Troops March On"4:25
7."Kids Run Through the City"3:13
8."The Airship Blackjack"4:16
9."Relm's Theme"5:38
10."Phantom Train"4:01
11."Aria di Mezzo Carattere"5:53

Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI

Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI
Soundtrack album by
Nobuo Uematsu
ReleasedJune 25, 1994
Length41:23
Label NTT Publishing

Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI is an album of music from Final Fantasy VI composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged on piano by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura. It was first published by Square and NTT Publishing on June 25, 1994, with the catalog number PSCN-5005. It was subsequently republished by NTT Publishing on July 25, 2001, under the catalog number NTCP-1003. The album spans 13 tracks and covers a duration of 41:23. The original release included a hard-cover piano score with all pieces from the album. [17]

The album was well received, with Daniel Space of RPGFan terming it an "amazing CD". [17] Sigmund Shen of Soundtrack Central concurred, calling it "an impressive CD" and "a must-have". [18] Gary King of Soundtrack Central termed it "simply astonishing" and "a CD that really no collector should be without". [18]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Terra's Theme"3:36
2."Gau's Theme"2:20
3."Kefka"3:39
4."Spinach Rag"2:32
5."Strago's Theme"3:21
6."Phantom Forest"3:23
7."Kids Run Through the City"3:14
8."Johnny C. Bad"3:35
9."Phantom Train"2:36
10."The Decisive Battle"2:32
11."Coin of Fate"4:45
12."Celes's Theme"3:07
13."Waltz de Chocobo"2:36

Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks

Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks
Soundtrack album by
Nobuo Uematsu
ReleasedApril 25, 1994
Length20:46
Label NTT Publishing

Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks is an EP released on April 25, 1994, through NTT Publishing with the catalog number PSDN-6101. It is composed primarily of unused or remixed tracks for Final Fantasy VI, including the exclusive unused vocal track "Approaching Premonition" [19] and a remixed version of the Final Fantasy IV track "Troian Beauty". [19] The CD spans six tracks and covers a duration of 20:46. [19]

Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks, while not as widely reviewed as the other Final Fantasy VI albums, was seen as "very neat" by Patrick Gann, who especially liked the "Techno de Chocobo" track. [19]

Track listing [19] [20] [21]
No.TitleLength
1."Approaching Premonition" (近づく予感Chikazuku Yokan)5:22
2."Town 2" (街2Machi 2)2:38
3."Town 3" (街3Machi 3)1:14
4."Troian Beauty (Remake)" (トロイア国（リメイク）Toroia-koku (Rimeiku))2:04
5."Techno de Chocobo (Another Mix)" (テクノ de チョコボ（アナザー・ミックス）Tekuno do Chokobo (Anazā Mikkusu))4:08
6."Approaching Sentiment (No Vocals)" (近づく予感（ボーカルレス・ヴァージョン）Chikazuku Yokan (Bōkaruresu Vājon))5:19

Legacy

Uematsu was personally very pleased with the way that the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VI turned out, and has said in interviews that he felt that "with the satisfaction and excitement I felt after finishing that project, I thought I had reached my primary goal, and could quit doing game music with no regrets". [22] He stated in the liner notes for Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI that he intended the music to be emotionally moving, and entreated the listener not to think about the music, but to feel it. [23] He also feels that the title track for Final Fantasy VI was the most challenging track he has ever made. [24] As for Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale, on the other hand, Uematsu has said that he was "not satisfied with this album at all", due to the deviation it took from his original visions for the music due to his lack of personal involvement in the arrangements. [25] Although he did not feel that the album was a poor one, saying that if he said nothing no one would ever know of his dissatisfaction, he felt that it was not what he would have created if he had "defend[ed] the image of each piece". [25]

The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy games into a rock music style, has arranged four pieces from Final Fantasy VI. These are "The Decisive Battle", "Battle", and "Dancing Mad" from The Black Mages , published in 2003, and "Darkness and Starlight", based on "Opera "Maria and Draco"", from The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight , published in 2008. A lyrical version of "Kids Run Through the City", sung by Risa Ohki, appears on Final Fantasy: Pray , a compilation album produced by Square. Additionally, a lyrical version of "Relm's Theme", sung by Risa Ohki and Ikuko Noguchi, appears on Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow .

Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. [26] The music of VI has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy , a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including "Terra's Theme". [27] In 1994, "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" was played as "Love Oath, Maria and Draco" by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra for the fourth entry in their Orchestral Game Music Concerts series. Additionally, the aria was also performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. [28] Independent but officially licensed releases of VI music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music. [29] Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites. [30] In 2012, a Kickstarter campaign for OverClocked ReMix was funded at over $150,000 for the creation of a freely-released multiple-disc album of remixes of the music from the game, led by Andrew Aversa. The album, Balance and Ruin, contains 74 tracks from 74 artists, each with its own unique style. [31]

Related Research Articles

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous role-playing video game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise. The music of the Final Fantasy series refers to the soundtracks of the Final Fantasy series of video games, as well as the surrounding medley of soundtrack, arranged, and compilation albums. The series' music ranges from very light background music to emotionally intense interweavings of character and situation leitmotifs.

The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito, who were three video game composers for Square and Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a hard rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved with the additional use of synthesizers. A year later the band expanded to six members with the addition of Keiji Kawamori, Michio Okamiya and Arata Hanyuda. In August 2010, Uematsu announced the band had been disbanded, but he would continue to perform rock arrangements of his music as a part of another similar band, known as the Earthbound Papas.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy X was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu, along with Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano. It was the first title in the main Final Fantasy series in which Uematsu was not the sole composer. The Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack was released on four Compact Discs in 2001 by DigiCube, and was re-released in 2004 by Square Enix. Prior to the album's North American release, a reduced version entitled Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack was released on a single disk by Tokyopop in 2002. An EP entitled feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus containing additional singles not present in the game was released by DigiCube in 2001. Piano Collections Final Fantasy X, a collection of piano arrangements of the original soundtracks by Masashi Hamauzu and performed by Aki Kuroda, was released by DigiCube in 2002 and re-released by Square EA in 2004. A collection of vocal arrangements of pieces from the game arranged by Katsumi Suyama along with radio drama tracks was released as Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection in 2002 by DigiCube.

Music of <i>Chrono Trigger</i> Soundtrack of SNES game Chrono Trigger

The Chrono series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square Enix. It began in 1995 with the time travel role-playing video game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. The music of Chrono Trigger was composed primarily by Yasunori Mitsuda, with a few tracks composed by regular Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Chrono Trigger soundtrack has inspired four official album releases by Square Enix: a soundtrack album released by NTT Publishing in 1995 and re-released in 2004; a greatest hits album published by DigiCube in 1999, published in abbreviated form by Tokyopop in 2001, and republished by Square Enix in 2005; an acid jazz arrangement album published and republished by NTT Publishing in 1995 and 2004; and a 2008 orchestral arranged album by Square Enix. Corresponding with the Nintendo DS release of the game, a reissued soundtrack was released in 2009. An arranged album for Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, entitled To Far Away Times, was released in 2015 to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of Chrono Trigger.

Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing video game by Square as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. Released in 1997, the game sparked the release of a collection of media centered on the game entitled the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The music of the Final Fantasy VII series includes not only the soundtrack to the original game and its associated albums, but also the soundtracks and music albums released for the other titles in the collection. The first album produced was Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all the music in the game. It was released as a soundtrack album on four CDs by DigiCube in 1997. A selection of tracks from the album was released in the single-disc Reunion Tracks by DigiCube the same year. Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII, an album featuring piano arrangements of pieces from the soundtrack, was released in 2003 by DigiCube, and Square Enix began reprinting all three albums in 2004. To date, these are the only released albums based on the original game's soundtrack, and were solely composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu; his role for the majority of subsequent albums has been filled by Masashi Hamauzu and Takeharu Ishimoto.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy XII was composed primarily by Hitoshi Sakimoto. Additional music was provided by Masaharu Iwata and Hayato Matsuo, who also orchestrated the opening and ending themes. Former regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu's only work for this game was "Kiss Me Good-Bye", the theme song sung by Angela Aki. The Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack was released on four Compact Discs in 2006 by Aniplex. A sampling of tracks from the soundtrack was released as an album entitled Selections from Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack, and was released in 2006 by Tofu Records. Additionally, a promotional digital album titled The Best of Final Fantasy XII was released on the Japanese localization of iTunes for download only in 2006. "Kiss Me Good-Bye" was released by Epic Records as a single in 2006, and Symphonic Poem "Hope", the complete music from the game's end credits, was released by Hats Unlimited the same year. An abridged version of the latter piece, which originally accompanied a promotional video for the game, was included in the official soundtrack album. An album of piano arrangements, titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy XII, was released by Square Enix in 2012.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy V was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing after the game was brought to North America as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology. An arranged album entitled Final Fantasy V Dear Friends, containing a selection of musical tracks from the game arranged in multiple styles, including live and vocal versions, was released by Square/NTT Publishing and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of piano arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Shirou Satou and played by Toshiyuki Mori titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy V was released by Square/NTT Publishing, and re-released by NTT Publishing.

The music of the video games Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu, who would go on to be the exclusive composer for the next eight Final Fantasy games. Although they were composed separately, music from the two games has only been released together. All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II, a compilation of almost all of the music in the games, was released by DataM/Polystar in 1989, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994. Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy, an arranged album of music from the two games by Katsuhisa Hattori and his son Takayuki Hattori was released by DataM in 1989, and re-released by NTT Publishing/Polystar in 1994. Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack, another arranged album, this time by Nobuo Uematsu and Tsuyoshi Sekito, was released in 2002 by DigiCube and again in 2004 by Square Enix.

The Mana series, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu, is a role-playing video game series from Square Enix, created by Koichi Ishii. The series began as a handheld side story to Square's flagship franchise Final Fantasy, although most Final Fantasy-inspired elements were subsequently dropped, starting with the second installment, Secret of Mana. It has since grown to include games of various genres within the fictional world of Mana. The music of the Mana series includes soundtracks and arranged albums of music from the series, which is currently composed of Final Fantasy Adventure and its remake Sword of Mana, Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Legend of Mana, Dawn of Mana, Children of Mana, Friends of Mana, Heroes of Mana, Circle of Mana, and Rise of Mana. Each game except for Friends and Circle has produced a soundtrack album, while Adventure has sparked an arranged album as well as a combined soundtrack and arranged album, Legend of Mana has an additional promotional EP, and music from Secret and Trials were combined into an arranged album. For the series' 20th anniversary, a 20-disc box set of previously-released albums was produced, as well as an album of arrangements by Kenji Ito, composer for several games in the series.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy X-2 was composed by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi. Regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu did not contribute any of the music, despite having composed around half of the soundtrack for the first game, Final Fantasy X. The Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack was released on two Compact Discs in 2003 by Avex. After the release of Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission, an album entitled Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack composed of the songs added to the soundtrack for that game was released in 2003 by Avex. Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection, a collection of piano arrangements of the original soundtracks by Noriko Matsueda, Takahito Eguchi, Hiroko Kokubu, Masahiro Sayama, and Febian Reza Pane, was released by Avex in 2004.

The music of the Final Fantasy Tactics series, composed of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Advance, Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, and The War of the Lions, was primarily composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. He was assisted by Masaharu Iwata in composing the music for Final Fantasy Tactics. The Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by DigiCube in 1997, and re-released by Square Enix in 2006. No separate soundtrack has been released for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. The soundtrack was well received by critics, who found it to be astounding and one of the best video game music soundtracks in existence at the time of its release.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy VIII was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all music in the game, was released on four Compact Discs by DigiCube in Japan, and by Square EA in North America. A special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game—arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi—was released under the title Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec Final Fantasy VIII, and a collection of piano arrangements—performed by Shinko Ogata—was released under the title Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy IV was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy IV Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing. It was released in North America by Tokyopop as Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack: Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles, with one additional track. It has since been re-released multiple times with slight changes as part of the Final Fantasy Finest Box and as Final Fantasy IV DS OST. An arranged album entitled Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon, containing a selection of musical tracks from the game performed in the style of Celtic music by Máire Breatnach, was released by Square and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of piano arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu and played by Toshiyuki Mori titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy IV was released by NTT Publishing.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy III was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing in 1991, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004. The soundtrack to the remake of Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack was released by NTT Publishing in 2006, with revamped versions of the tracks and additional tracks. A vocal arrangement album entitled Final Fantasy III Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, or literally Final Fantasy III Legend of the Eternal Wind, contained a selection of musical tracks from the game. The tracks were performed by Nobuo Uematsu and Dido, a duo composed of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka. The album was released by Data M in 1990 and by Polystar in 1994.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy IX was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. It was his last exclusive Final Fantasy score. The Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all music in the game, was originally released on four Compact Discs by DigiCube in 2000, and was re-released by Square Enix in 2004. A Best Of and arranged soundtrack album of musical tracks from the game entitled Final Fantasy IX: Uematsu's Best Selection was released in 2000 by Tokyopop Soundtrax. Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS, an album of music from the game's full motion videos and extra tracks, was released by DigiCube in 2000 and re-released in 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements of pieces from the original soundtrack arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed by Louis Leerink was released as Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX in 2001.

The music of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI was composed by Naoshi Mizuta along with regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu and Kumi Tanioka. The Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by DigiCube in 2002, and subsequently re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Rise of the Zilart Original Soundtrack was released by DigiCube in 2003 after the release of the Rise of the Zilart expansion for Final Fantasy XI, and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia Original Soundtrack was produced by Square Enix in 2004 after the release of the Chains of Promathia expansion, and in 2005 Square Enix published Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel, a collection of arranged tracks from the game performed by The Star Onions, a group composed of Square Enix composers including Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka and Hidenori Iwasaki. Final Fantasy XI Treasures of Aht Urhgan Original Soundtrack was released by Square Enix in 2006 for the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion.

SaGa is a series of science fiction role-playing video games produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 2, and like the Final Fantasy series, the story in each SaGa game is independent of its counterparts. The music of the SaGa series consists of musical scores and arranged albums from various composers. Some of these composers have created soundtracks and pieces for other Square Enix franchises including the Final Fantasy series and Mana series. The SaGa series is divided up between the original series, released as the Final Fantasy Legend series in North America, the Romancing SaGa series, the SaGa Frontier series, and Unlimited SaGa.

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The original Final Fantasy video game, published in 1987, is a role-playing video game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise. The primary composer of music for the main series was Nobuo Uematsu, who single-handedly composed the soundtracks for the first nine games, as well as directing the production of many of the soundtrack albums. Music for the spin-off series and main series games beginning with Final Fantasy X was created by a variety of composers including Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Kumi Tanioka, as well as many others.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy XIII was composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Former regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu did not contribute any pieces to the soundtrack. Music from the game has been released in several albums. The main soundtrack album, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four Compact Discs in 2010 by Square Enix, the developers and producers of the game. Selections from the soundtrack have been released on two gramophone record albums, W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII and W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII Gentle Reveries, both in 2010 by Square Enix. An album of arranged pieces from the soundtrack, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS-, was also released by Square Enix in 2010, as was an album of piano arrangements, Piano Collection Final Fantasy XIII. The theme song for the Japanese version of the game, "Kimi ga Iru Kara", was released as a single by For Life Music in 2009.

Front Mission is a series of tactical role-playing games produced by Square Enix. The music of the series includes the soundtracks to the main series, composed of Front Mission through Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, as well as the spin-off games, which include Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, Front Mission Alternative, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 2089 and its remake Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, Front Mission 2089-II, and Front Mission Evolved. The soundtracks of the series' installments have been released in album form in Japan, with the exceptions of 2089, 2089-II, and Border of Madness, which reuse music from the other installments, and Evolved, which was published in 2010. The soundtrack to Front Mission was released in 1995 by NTT Publishing, which also published the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard in 1996. DigiCube published soundtrack albums for Front Mission 2 and Alternative in 1997 and 3 in 1999. Square Enix published the albums for Front Mission 4 in 2004, and 5 and Online in 2006.

References

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  2. ↑ Thomas, Damian. "Final Fantasy III: Kefka's Domain". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  3. ↑ "Final Fantasy VI Stars vol. 1". ffmusic.info. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Final Fantasy VI Stars vol. 2". ffmusic.info. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  5. ↑ Gann, Patrick. "Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  6. ↑ Tjan, Mark. "FF Finest Box". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
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  8. ↑ 『FF XIII』サウンドトラックが初日TOP3入り ["FF XIII" soundtrack entered the top 3 on the first day] (in Japanese). Oricon. 2010-01-28. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
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  11. ↑ English titles taken from the album's iTunes release. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
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  18. 1 2 King, Gary; Shen, Sigmund. "Final Fantasy VI Piano Collections". Soundtrack Central. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
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