Ken Hisuag

Unchiku Company - Children's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures Elegance and serenity are the moods I want to associate to this piece, so a piano solo seemed the ideal arrangement to look for. Surprisingly few had the creative quality I sought, most being "carbon-copy" covers. This piece, however, accomplishes exactly the balance of originality and consistency I wanted. Curly Hamilton - Utopia! Elegance and serenity are the moods the original piece contains, and this departure from that tone while remaining consistent with the progression caught my attention. This is where the line between "remix" and "arrangement" blurs, because all the parts of the original are identifiably present, but undeniably different. O-Life Japan - Nostalgia of the Girls of a Science Era I probably shouldn't be using an O-Life Japan arrangement, but I couldn't pass this one up. This mix of different folks is what makes this circle noteworthy, and it continues to impress me every time I discover another example of it.

Happy Thanksgiving! Riverside - Silence I found this after doing the feature that would otherwise have represented the track, so consider this an addendum. O-Life Japan - When they Gather they Head to the Shrine A few of the motifs I otherwise missed are incorporated into this arrangement. It's as close as I could get, and has all the hybrid folksy flair O-Life is known for. DJ Abner - The Autumn Breeze has Obtained its Wish A final bonus for the holiday. One of these years I'm not going to have anything fitting for the occasion, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

In an effort to be topical, I picked Stardew Valley for this week's soundtrack; as a farming simulator (I think), it can be loosely tied to the American harvest holiday of Thanksgiving. I anticipated the music to be mostly low-energy and relaxing, potentially interspersed with unique event-related tracks. The instrumentation and style reminds me very strongly of old JRPG soundtracks, and I found the listening experience to be oddly nostalgic as a result. Although no melodies stood out to me, the arrangements are pleasant enough and cohesive without being too similar. I've chosen to gimmick this feature by using themes from each season, both because of the significance to the time and because it genuinely seems to sum up the soundtrack fairly well.

ZTS - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~ phantasmagoria ~ & ZTS - a vision To find two arrangements of the same piece by the same artist with such difference between them is a noteworthy situation by my reckoning. Especially surprising to me was my contrasting preference between the two, but I shall leave that unspecified in the interest of intrigue. Meylan (Oto Same) - Witches' Ball ~ Magus I've saved this one for last because of its unique status as a Touhou piece, in as much as it arguably wouldn't be one but for its inclusion in 7.5's soundtrack. Out of the few Touhou-related Seihou themes, Witches' Ball was delayed from adaptation by ZUN into the main franchise until later, and eventually ended up becoming a different piece instead. I like to think this has inadvertently led some to discover the existence of the Seihou Project when they otherwise wouldn't have. This particular arrangement is more akin to the original piece than the remix it technically represents here, but I've always preferred the elegant tone ZUN's composition initially had.

On of the soundtracks I had "missed" last year was that of Infernax, a classic Castlevania inspired game that took its gameplay, visual and audio cues from that series. While I know very little about the game itself, from the music I guess it to have a darker aesthetic; the melodies feature limited movement and incorporate minor discordance in their progressions, resulting in a darker tone. While the compositions themselves are alright, I didn't find anything that especially impressed me; I suppose I'm spoiled by modern chiptune and its intricacies, but I've heard soundtracks that manage to be both reminiscent of their inspiration while still feeling creative (Shovel Knight and Cathedral come to mind).

Almost missed today. Tonchi - Broken Moon ~ Festival This fits better with the game's story, imo; a jovial festival theme as a prelude to battle. KurowaD - Oni's Island in the Fairy Land (Cross Remix) For this oft overlooked-with-acknowledgement piece, I wanted something that conveyed the power of its motifs while retaining the many twists of the original. While the instrumentation for this one isn't quite what I expected, it accomplishes more than I could have asked for in atmosphere and progression. SilentBird - Waltzing at the End of Summer Surprised, delighted and grateful am I for this remix. Reinforcing the "ending" identity of the piece, it also serves as perfect contrast to the previous two.

I found Super Mario Bros Wonder to be exactly the imaginative musical experience I expected. The franchise has always had a reputation for this style of melodies, and while this certainly felt like they leaned in to it more this time around, I personally wonder if they shouldn't have leaned in heavier. Between the new themes, variations, and "wonder seed" tracks, I perceive a slight reluctance to commit too strongly to the various gimmicks. For example, each level theme has a unique variation for the new elephant power-up, which usually consists of replacing the main instrument of the piece with brass; I think they should have done something similar for all the power-ups in a level, or at least for the other new one, so as to reinforce the idea of the world being treated different based on available abilities. This isn't to say there's lack of variety; the wonder seed tracks alone ensure the soundtrack is interspersed with all manner of creative compositions, and despite being such a large album, I fully enjoyed the listening experience.

The day will eventually come where I say something more original on this thread rather than just posting the analysis of someone else; but today is not that day. What especially engaged me with this video wasn't just hearing a professional musician say things I've been thinking for years, but also the variety of comments referencing the contrast between the older styles and the newer styles.

Unknown - Swift Battle I was really surprised to find an arrangement for this. If I understand the description correctly, it's an arrangement in the style of Touhou Puppet Play, not actually from the fangame itself (but maybe it is; I can't really tell). Hidenori Fan - Night Falls ~ Evening Star (Synth Techno Style) I don't think Night Falls gets the credit it deserves; it's essentially Hartmann's, but with better character integration. This arrangement may not stray very far from the original's tone, but I don't think it needs to; the intro's subversive eeriness contrasted with the main body's progression is already everything it needs to be. t=NODE - Theme of Yukari ~ OP ~ I moved this down to after Evening Star because included references, and also because its tone and scope fit better as a closer. The range this arrangement traverses is impressive, yet I think it somewhat fitting for the source material as a more complete encapsulation of its greater context.

This was supposed to be a double-feature, but listening to two new soundtracks at once proved too much for me. Sonic Superstars is the latest installment in its series, noteworthy for being the more official return to the 2D classical style (Mania being more of an official fangame, and Origins being a remaster). Several composers from previous entries were called upon to contribute to the soundtrack, making it something of a collaboration project. In theory, this would result in a nostalgic musical smorgasbord. Unfortunately, I think the variety of musicians ultimately hurt the project. With such a range of styles, the soundtrack lacks cohesiveness, and struggles to establish an identity. There are plenty of great compositions, but there are also a lot of mediocre ones which clash with each other. I've tried to pick the most "Sonic" sounding tracks while featuring more of the different artists involved; this may not be an accurate depiction of what the soundtrack has to offer, but does highlight where my interest in it lies.

Missing Tracks {NKZ - Intermezzo}* *Williatico - Intermezzo Technically several of these missing tracks have been "covered" by this person, but they're ultimately more recreations than remixes, and as such I do not consider them sufficient for this project. Nonetheless, I though I ought to use at least one for sake of awareness, and decided on this one because of the perceived irony of the name. Stas Gavrik - Unexpected Visitor (Ambient Ver.) I'm not normally a fan of Gavrik's "ambient remixes," but I must admit his style suites the source material in this case; mayhaps he'll consider doing more from 7.5 in future? Missing Tracks {NKZ - Demonic Place} Ringru Touhou Piano - Bad Omen Short, but excellent; there's creative effort in this arrangement, especially in the accompaniment. Missing Tracks {NKZ - Inner Heart} Ika Keshi - Skypia Skygazer was the one pre-battle theme that I found extensive coverage of; for whatever reason this track has received all the attention that the others lack. Beyond, this is a great chill arrangement.

I need time, so this week is a fracture feature. First up, every name I'm familiar with in the metal remixing community (and then some) collaborating on possibly the most iconic metal-esque piece in all VGM. When I first found this next track, I thought I'd eventually find the rest of the soundtrack and do a feature for it. But the little research I did seemed to indicate the piece to be unique to its collection, so I'll use it for this instead (some might guess as to what put it into my mind recently). To round off, I realize I've not mentioned the Octopath Traveler arrangement albums before. IMO they're a bit hit-or-miss, but there are several tracks I'm especially impressed with, especially this one.

The Piano Guys recently announced a new album, and in so doing refreshed in my mind all the great music I've enjoyed from them over the years. These are some of my favorites.

Touhou 16 ~ Hidden Star in Four Seasons I tend to think of this as my entry point into the series; while two spinoffs had already followed, this being the most recent mainline game somehow established it in my mind as the "current" state of the franchise. That being said, I didn't actually give it much time initially, since I was still familiarizing myself with its predecessors. I remember briefly listening to a few of its tracks, thinking the boss themes were a bit rough, and failing to properly comprehend any motifs (for honorable mention, I was initially impressed by Into Backdoor simply for its unique tension and atmosphere). Since then I've had the chance properly listen through these pieces, and thankfully found my first impressions to be embarrassingly hasty. My favorite tracks are without a doubt Illusionary White Traveler and Concealed Four Seasons, simply for their strong motifs. Touhou 15.5 ~ Antinomy of Common Flowers Funny story to this one; when I first came to this site in search of soundtracks, the download for this one was a gamerip rather than the official OST, and thus included duplicate tracks from 14.5 while missing the bonus arrangements from the CD. In fact, most (if not all) of the Tasofro soundtrack downloads were messed up in some way or other, and being somewhat particular about metadata I ended up doing a lot of digging to determine what the albums were supposed to look like. It was in this way that I learned about Uni Akiyama, ZUN's unofficial musical sidekick. I've consistently praised his contributions to the series thus far, for the unique musical character he has added as a contrast to ZUN's standard style. In many ways, this is the culmination of his work; many of the tracks are rearrangements of his previous compositions from across the series, with enough originals scattered in to make this the largest and most diverse collection of such pieces. The piece that stands out the most to me, however, is a reoccurring theme that is expanded as the game progresses; its final form, The Blooms of Spirit Possession, is not actually in the game itself, which I find somewhat symbolic. As though to match the soundtrack's magnitude, ZUN delivered some of his best fighting game compositions yet, perfecting their unique style with Tonight Stars an Easygoing Egoist (Live ver.) ~ Egoistic Flowers. Honorable mention for the new arrangements of Eternal Spring Dream and Battlefield of the Flower Threshold, both of which bring some much needed character to their motifs. Touhou 16.5 ~ Violet Detector I've seen a lot of things said about this game, which is a wonderfully vague statement on my part. My primary (and sometimes sole) focus is still the music. I believe Nightmare Journal is the popular pick, and to be sure its atmosphere is quite good, especially for a menu theme. But my favorite has to be the confusingly like-named Nightmare Diary, which is a more standard sounding track, but if it ain't broke . . . (I sometimes wonder about my own tastes, whether they are consistent or not). Touhou 17 ~ Wily Beast and Weakest Creature This was the first entry to be released after I had become familiar with the franchise, and may be my second favorite from the second modern era. Entrusting the World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World is undeniably a masterful composition (if not as good as Pure Furies), but the rest of the soundtrack is by no means lacking. My initial opinions of each piece as compared to its companions varied widely with my initial listenings, and even now I'm not always convinced of my preferences. But when they are sufficiently separated from each other, I believe Unlocated Hell wins out, both for its strong motifs and for the perfected usage of the guitar sample as the lead. Joutounin of the Ceramics and Beast Metropolis would be the next closest contenders, though. I should not have started this so late, but I have successfully reached what I consider to be another milestone (more on that next time). Shalom!

Shishimai Brothers - Fantasy Seasons I expected Forgathering Dream to be a lot harder to search for, given that its later counterpart has more notoriety, but there are in fact a fair supply of arrangements for the piece. This one has the same mood as the original, but with an additional ethereal tone through its performance. It is here that I reach the first "breaking point" of my endeavor. Despite my best attempts, I could not find a remix of the next chronological track in the series. In fact, most of the original pieces from Touhou Suimusou are lacking attention among the musical talents of the fandom. Being thus forced to skip over these pieces, I have decided to mark their absence as I go, as evidence of my search. (Also, given 7.5's odd formatting, I decided to order them with alternating composers--just cause.) Missing Tracks {NKZ - Wanderings} {U2 Akiyama - Silence} {NKZ - The Moon} SMXE - Dive An unusual remix that's a bit too discordant for my tastes, but at least it's something. Gan-san-ko Usagi - Eastern Wind This one almost feels like a technicality, given the poor quality of the recording, but it's still a cover at the very least. Missing Tracks {U2 Akiyama - Solitary Place}

I have a lot to say about Sea of Stars. I've been anticipating its release for a few years now; between Eric W. Brown of The Messenger and Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger, I had ever reason to expect an amazing soundtrack. A few tracks were released around the initial announcement, and their quality reaffirmed my hopes. Thus commenced the long wait, culminating in the release two months ago. Unfortunately for me, the soundtrack released as a Steam exclusive. While I've bought soundtracks through Steam before, they're usually lacking proper metadata, making them a pain to organize; I also appreciate being able to listen to my purchases through streaming, which Steam does not offer. I decided to put off buying the OST in hopes of it being published through other services, and instead listen through it on Youtube. This turned out to be rather difficult; the soundtrack is large, there has not been an official posting yet, and Youtube isn't really designed for the kind of listening I like to do. I initially intended to feature this last week, but had not managed to "finish" it by that time. At this point, I believe it's going to take me a while to feel satisfied with my own comprehension of the collection, and I want to be able to do so at my own leisure, without having to think about what I'm including in a feature. I do, however, believe I've grasped enough to recommend and provide example tracks for the soundtrack. As The Messenger was meant to be reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, Sea of Stars is very strongly inspired (if that is the right word) by Chrono Trigger, both in gameplay and music. Melodies are less punchy, though no less strong, and a greater range of tones and moods are covered across the collective. Main area themes (I assume) have "day" and "night" variations, though of yet I haven't recognized a specific gimmick that consistently distinguishes them from each other. Motifs from the first game also make an appearance in altered form, though I personally think some aren't altered enough, clashing in style from the rest of the soundtrack (Frozen Peak especially). Finally, there are also bardcore versions of several songs, identified as "pirate versions." Altogether, this is a much fuller and more balanced soundtrack then I had expected (especially with Mitsuda's contributions), for which I'm ultimately glad. There is still, however, just enough of The Messenger's style left to reinforce what I loved about it; as of now, I'm more than satisfied.

franctanisharmonicoo - The Polar Day, The Polar Night What a circle name! This arrangement is a bit unorthodox, but for all that it rambles, it does come together somewhat. Especially considering what a small piece this is remixed from, I appreciate the effort put into it. TraumereiFabrik - LET An interesting blend of instrumentation helps reinforce the "culmination" feeling of the piece from its source material. Vitnoise - Ether Ideally, this track should embody the atmosphere of the game itself, since it isn't linked to a particular moment but rather an unusual event; this remix has the necessary energy while also capturing the ethereal sound of space.

ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 8: Dr. Latency's Freak Report We're getting into the entries that were still relatively recent releases when I first encountered the series, and as such were less propagated on the outer fringes of the fandom. As such I didn't encounter a lot of these tracks until I'd already familiarized myself with the main body of preceding works, resulting in me approaching them a bit differently. It's difficult to quantify the effect this has had even to now on my perception of these pieces, and ultimately I don't believe it worth the effort to do so. The Childlike Duo's Naturalis Historia strikes me as an especially well-designed piece, even for ZUN, and serves to me as potent example of his undiminished skill over time. I choose Schrödinger's Bakeneko as my second, even though I can't shake the feeling I've heard its motif somewhere else in the series. Strange Creators of Outer World Vol. 2 While an odd and minuscule release relying completely on remixes, I wouldn't advise passing this over. For some reason, I vastly prefer this version of Last Occultism ~ Esotericist of the Present World, despite its alterations being relatively minor. Perhaps it's the more drawn-out intro emphasizing the tension, maybe it's the slightly lowered tempo allowing the piece to develop better, possibly it's just something in the production quality that I can't put a name to; regardless, this is the definitive version of the piece as far as I'm concerned. Also in this collection is Akiyama's Retribution for Eternal Night ~ Pipes and Fiddle., one of his most unique works in the series. ZUN's Music Collection Vol. 9: Dateless Bar "Old Adam" Similar to volumes six and seven, eight and nine seem to be connected to each other thematically. Unlike the previous titles, however, I think the musical style is significantly divergent between the two. Where volume eight was more focused on atmosphere, volume nine features more intense arrangements (I might make a comparison to the difference between stage themes and boss themes in the main games). The two major exceptions to this are the first and last tracks in the album, though moreso the latter than the former. Old Adam Bar maintains the energy of the previous album with slightly more casual twist, and it makes sense to me that this would be the more popular track. That being said, I sometimes think I prefer Hangover of Bedfellows Dreaming Differently, which contrasts more strongly with the rest of the album as a more staff-roll-esque epilogue to it. Touhou 14.8 ~ Urban Legend in Limbo: PS4 Expansion Yes, I'm cheating. I don't recall seeing anyone else referring to this arguably unprecedented phenomenon of the series as its own unique sub-entry, but as far as I'm concerned it matches all the prerequisites, right down to having its own small soundtrack. And what a soundtrack! None other than beatMario a.k.a. COOL&CREATE of Night of Nights fame provided a remix of Lunatic Eyes ~ Invisible Full Moon in his signature quasi-nightcore style, transforming the serious mood of the original into a crazy roller coaster that still manages to hold onto the sinister tone of its motifs. It suits the melody and theme perfectly, and remains one of the most unique tracks in the franchise. Honorable mention to Unknown X ~ Occultly Madness, ZUN's third take on the motif with just enough stylistic edits to completely transform the piece (seriously, why can't more of ZUN's self-arrangements be more like this or Speed Fox?). Forbidden Scrollery Vol. 6 Again, entries like this are what throw the viability of this format into question. There are three tracks, two of them are arrangements, and neither of them are significantly altered. Likely Bibliophile with a Deciphering Eye would stand out even among more impressive company, but in this context it hardly seems fair. Nevertheless, it's an underappreciated piece, and I won't pass up the opportunity to highlight it.

Since the completion of the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove collection, there have been a couple spin-off titles for the series focusing on expanding the franchise into other styles and genres. Thus far, the one that's interested me most has been Shovel Knight Dig, which features a similar musical style to the original game with a different kind of chiptune. My one significant complaint with Shovel Knight's soundtrack has always been its methodology concerning boss battle themes; Kaufman would usually arrange the motifs of the stage theme into a more chaotic progression lacking resolution. While this successfully simulates the necessary tension the situation calls for, it often doesn't make for the most engaging casual listen. Ultimately it's a personal preference, but I'd appreciate some more climactic or character-themed tracks from this series; either way, the rest of the music makes up for it more often then not.

Kunokaya - Extend Ash I'm rather happy about this find. The intro keeps things slightly ominous but energetic, and when the signature motif hits it opens up into a more direct intensity. The piece swings between these two styles according to its needs, sometimes rather abruptly, thus perfectly capturing the finality of its setting. Asomosphere & Antipole Sounds - Cruciv This is a bit more direct and heavy compared to the previous piece, as I believe is fitting. I might have tried for a bit more melody focus, but it may actually be better this way; it burns out quickly, and there's an appealing irony to that. Instead of covering the next piece in the series, I've decided to put off the likely inevitable failure of this project by featuring some related remixes I was hunting down outside of the regular features. Specifically, last week I was trying to find an arrangement that combined Gensokyo Millennium with Flight of the Bamboo Cutter, which was surprisingly difficult. In my search, I found a few other crossovers, and appreciated the various ways they each achieved their intended effect. The consistent theme between them made for an ideal set up here.

Deceive Inc., which I did a feature for earlier in the year, finally received an official soundtrack release. Quite a few tracks I was previously unfamiliar with became available, and the various "phases" of the level themes were compiled into single tracks. Given the circumstances, I've decided to feature the soundtrack again, as a contrast to the unofficial recreations initially available.

About time I get back to this. Touhou 14 ~ Double Dealing Character The "Second Modern Era" opened with some experimenting on ZUN's part with new instruments. I don't particularly mind the electric guitar sample itself, nor even its general usage in this soundtrack, but I believe its presence influenced the structure of the compositions in a way which I don't particularly appreciate, specifically in the boss themes of the first half. I don't believe it's the motifs themselves; I've heard great arrangements of them all that establish the better potential they contain. For some reason, I just don't enjoy their original forms. Thankfully, this is only true for these specific tracks. Primordial Beat ~ Pristine Beat may be more a concept piece, but for all that it's one of the more unique themes of ZUN's repertoire. The extra-stage boss has been often been used by ZUN for more unorthodox arrangements; the results don't always manage to distinguish themselves significantly, but when they do, they often become among the more iconic in the series. On the other hand, Inchlings of the Shining Needle ~ Little Princess is as by-the-book as one could ask for, with all the benefits the approach can reward when utilized properly. Touhou 14.3 ~ Impossible Spell Card ZUN's spin-offs feature shorter soundtracks as a rule, and this game began a trend of buffing them out with reused tracks from recent games. Since older pieces are often remixed for newer entries in the series, this used to confuse me as I tried to distinguish between the two. Once this distinction has been made, however, it's easy enough to pick out a favorite. For me, that one is Romantic Escape Flight; I know Cheat Against the Impossible Danmaku is the more popular track, and deservedly so, but I've always preferred its equally high-energy but slightly less ominous twin. Touhou 14.5 ~ Urban Legend in Limbo This entry included community arrangements in its soundtrack, not as a replacement for Akiyama's contributions but as a supplement to them. In my opinion, this was a brilliant idea, both for encouraging community production and for ensuring musical variety in the series. That being said, I can't say any of these official fan remixes impressed me that much. They're perfectly serviceable and enjoyable to listen to, but I ultimately find I appreciate Akiyama's compositions more, even as he reuses elements from his work (and perhaps even because he does this so well). Bell of the Antipodes is my personal favorite, with Occult a la Carte being a close second. ZUN also contributes an especially noteworthy piece, but I have reason to refrain from relating it to this entry. Touhou 15 ~ Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom What do you think I'm gonna pick? To be fair, there's a lot of great tracks in this album from beginning to end, and I can easily understand someone struggling to choose favorites from it. But for me, there's no competitor to Pure Furies ~ Whereabouts of the Heart; I may enjoy listening to other pieces more, but no composition of ZUN has impressed me more on an artistic level than this track. It may seem a bit unfair to name The Sea Where the Home Planet is Reflected as a second, given it uses much the same melody, but I can't help but appreciate its presentation and atmosphere. As great as I consider the rest of this soundtrack, these two are the ones I keep coming back to. I've got to stop there for now, this still takes too long.

It's hard for me to be to disappointed in these rankings. We may say a lot of these songs are overrated, but that tends to be in context of all the tracks that don't get their deserved recognition; considered each on their own, every one of these tracks are masterpieces. Nor are occasional changes impossible; Idolatrize World is a relatively recent addition compared to the rest of the top ten, and seems to be there to stay. I'm just happy that some of my favorite tracks are still in the top twenty-five. Basic Overview: Highest Akiyama track is still Broken Moon at #13 Highest PC-98 track is Bad Apple!! at #58 Highest Music Collection track is Greenwich in the Sky at #70 Highest new-to-the-poll track is The Deviants' Unobstructed Light ~ Kingdom of Nothingness at #43 Eight tracks received only one vote each; one from the PC-98 era, six from the fighting game spin-offs, and one that I can't identify (I figure it's a translation confusion; anyone know where "Big Talk" comes from?). Side note, why doesn't Soul's Resting Place have a recorded ranking from the past two polls?

Kimino Museum - Gensokyo Millennium ~ History of the Moon I never know what I'm going to settle on for these features until I've actually done it; despite intending to use something far more high-energy, I ultimately chose this for its smooth presentation of the source motifs. Daihuku - Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess Again, this wasn't what I had in mind when I went looking, but nothing else seemed quite right for whatever reason. The oriental folk certainly fits the piece. ??? - Leap of Death Despite lacking proper credits, this was the best arrangement of Voyage 1970 I found. There aren't very many to begin with; most musicians combine it with other pieces.

I got sick last week, and was unable to accomplish the necessary prerequisites for a feature (mainly, listening to the soundtrack in question). Rather unfortunate for this to occur in the middle of a series, but there's not much I can do about it now. We're finishing up the month with Pokemon Black & White, a title I've often heard about but never had direct acknowledged contact with. I was surprised at the number of tracks I recognized from other sources, such as memes and Youtube bgms; this made the music seem overall more familiar to me than it technically was. Since the second "generation," it has been fairly standard for the music to be composed by a team, with each individual often given responsibility for specific types of tracks. This seemed especially noteworthy to me for this collection. Most tracks were composed by either Shota Kageyama or Go Ichinose. The former has a more standard progression style, but with a tendency to experiment with jazz in the melodies. His tracks consistently impressed me, standing out from the rest of the album. Ichinose, on the other hand, has a unique harmonization style that lends itself to tension in his music. Most of the game's combat music was composed by him, making his style that of the game's more tense moments. However, he is also able to apply this style in less high-energy pieces, contrasting against Kageyama's to give the game a more varied musical character. While there were other composers involved, I didn't notice significant divergences of style from them compared to these first two. This is not to say their compositions were not noteworthy contributions, but I only managed to fit one into this feature.