Soundtracks: Obscurity That Spans Decades
02.01.09 - 11:12 AM

Whether old or new, these are RPGs that have really fallen below the radar for a lot of people. Regardless, the soundtracks to these games are all pretty gosh-darn good. So check it:

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara - originally an arcade-only beat-em-up, Capcom released a Sega Saturn port of the game in Japan with additional elements, including enough RPG elements (like leveling up) to make it a legitimate Action RPG. The soundtrack is from Masato Koda, a Capcom legend who does much of the epic scores for the Monster Hunter series. Kyle Miller's got the soundtrack review.

Our other oldie-but-goodie is a Super Famicom RPG and sequel to Elnard (known in North America as 7th Saga). That's right, we finally have a review for the Mystic Ark Soundtrack. It's one of the best SFC soundtracks out there, in this reviewer's humble opinion. Be sure not to miss it.

Next up, Neal Chandran has a soundtrack review for a graphic adventure for the DS that, through some miracle, actually made it to North America. Yes, I'm talking about Konami's Time Hollow. Happy times.

We have two more DS soundtrack reviews to present alongside Neal's review. One is Inazuma Eleven, Level 5's "Soccer RPG" with music by Yasunori Mitsuda. The other is SNK Playmore's Kimino Yusha ("Your Hero"), a shorter RPG designed for multiple playthroughs and "casual" play sessions. The soundtrack fits this new mold quite well.

Finally, the only game from the list of soundtracks that you have heard of, tacked on as a bonus: The Last Remnant. Square Enix's Xbox 360 RPG features a score from one of their most overlooked, under-appreciated composers: Tsuyoshi Sekito. It's a big soundtrack too, with three full discs of music to enjoy.

Next week, the update is... well, we haven't decided yet. It might be more Falcom, or a bunch of new stuff, or a whole update dedicated to one great American composer. We haven't decided yet. But keep an eye out for it!


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Patrick Gann