This balladry makes me spoony

July 22, 2009 10:27 AM

Final Fantasy IV remix project.This week the videogame music rearrangement site, OCRemix.org, released a new project covering Nobuo Uematsu's soundtrack to FFIV (originally FFII in the US). FFIV's was the first game soundtrack I fell in love with, back in 2nd grade. Maybe you feel the same.

The musicians have generally eschewed crowd-pleasing statements of the original's iconic themes, which is . . . bittersweet. Try

• this cafe-vibe take on Rydia's theme,
• this rhythmically fractured version of the sweet "Welcome to Our Town,"
• "Into the Darkness" transposed and remade as "Step into the Light,"
• or this slight, anti-triumphal take on the series's traditional victory fanfare.
• And here is the "Theme of Love" made up as what sounds like classical guitar.

All FFIV remixes on OCR. All OCR album projects (I recommend the Street Fighter project, which was used for the soundtrack to the "new" game, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix).

posted by grobstein (19 comments total)

I took a step away from OCRemix a few years ago after having been an avid listener of their work. Too much random club dance stuff, but every so often they have an absolute gem, and this project is one of them. Just beautiful.
posted by clockbound at 10:40 AM on July 22

I've been thrilled with every OCremix project like this. The site itself can be hit or miss in terms of content, but I've picked up some real gems from them, especially from the Silent Hill and Metroid remix areas.

If you haven't already checked out their other remix projects, you should - especially Relics of the Chozo and Chrono Symphonic. Blood on the Asphalt is also a really fun one, very different from most of their other projects too.
posted by strixus at 10:46 AM on July 22

Relatedly, I'm disappointed that Final Fantasy IV: The After Years has very little new music to offer. I've heard only two new themes, and there are an awful lot of dramatic moments to the tune of... silence.

I guess I can understand, considering it was originally a mobile phone release, but it's still disappointing.

(Incidentally, FFIV is probably to blame for my wardrobe to this day being about 70% green and pink.)
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:55 AM on July 22

You spoony bard!
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:03 AM on July 22 [4 favorites has favorites]

The original FF and FFIV are almost certainly the sources of my life-long love of the fantasy genre, as I was exposed to both at a very young age. I played through the entirety of the original FF at the age of six or seven, with the help of Nintendo Power's strategy guide (which I still have). And indeed, the music was part of my love for those games. Thanks for sharing.
posted by Caduceus at 11:14 AM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh holy shit, it's four CDs worth. Awesome!
posted by Caduceus at 11:15 AM on July 22

FFIV's was the first game soundtrack I fell in love with, back in 2nd grade

Christ, I'm old.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 11:38 AM on July 22

This is a new OCRemix release, but there have been previous posts on MeFi for more reading enjoyment. I'm partial to the FFVII remix myself.

Also, to any of the haters, awesome example of how to use bittorrent properly. This would likely be financially impossible due to bandwidth costs for ocremix without using bittorrent.
posted by jmd82 at 12:17 PM on July 22

I never played the SNES FF releases back in the day, and am just now finally working my way into the FFIV rerelease on the DS, so this is pretty good timing.

I used the drawing app to replace Rydia's little bowtie-wearing summon buddy's default face with goatse, and I gotta say it really adds something to the gameplay.
posted by cortex at 12:22 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

As soon as they do FFVI and FFVII I'll be a happy man.
posted by ZaneJ. at 12:23 PM on July 22

As soon as they do FFVI and FFVII I'll be a happy man.

jmd points out that they've done FFVII (previously). I think that one's excellent. I imagine FFVI will come along in the next couple years, since it's so beloved.

My favorite videogame fan remix album, though, is not on OCR: Bound Together, the Earthbound Remix Project. It's great, and a strong brief for Hiro 'Hip' Tanaka's original soundtrack as a games classic.
posted by grobstein at 12:32 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is great, thanks; I've got a FFIV-shaped hole in my heart right now after having finished the DS version a couple weeks ago.
posted by jtron at 12:54 PM on July 22

I must be the only guy on the planet that hates the FF series...
posted by marcocampos at 1:14 PM on July 22

I don't know if I'm going to want to play an FF game any time soon, but these golden-age soundtracks made a big impression on me and continue to delight.
posted by grobstein at 1:17 PM on July 22

An old childhood friend of mine is a wonderful composer and pianist, and occasionally does some side projects involving video game music. This is one of his from Chrono Trigger.
posted by lazaruslong at 1:32 PM on July 22

This was the first RPG that I grew to love and the only one whose soundtrack really sticks with me. This is awesome, thanks for posting it.

I've been wanting to get my hands on the DS version for awhile now, I hear it's stunning. I'm excited to see what the re-write looks like. There was a guy who was working on it for awhile and had a whole bunch of text written for a ROM, but he stopped for some reason (maybe decided the programmer found better things to do). It used to be called the non-Cheeseball edition, but I know the name changed after that. I remember being pretty excited to see how the plot was changed around.

Any excuse for a re-play really. I love that game.
posted by scrutiny at 1:36 PM on July 22

FFIV is probably one the top five strongest cultural influences on my formative years as a young boy... It introduced me to the hero's journey far before Star Wars or Robert Jordan or the Matrix or any religious indoctrination came into my little brain. The story of Cecil, the Dark Knight... the war he waged both externally - for the salvation of the world - and internally, for the bitter darkness in his heart (and the powerful psycho-spiritual trauma surrounding the story of his father / brother)... I think Final Fantasy IV ranks right up there with David the Gnome, Fern Gully and Xanth as having a deep impact on my psychology.
I still replay the game at least once every couple years and keep an SNES in good working condition so I can do so. It's great to see that so many people share such a meaningful connection with something that was so important to me as a boy.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:38 PM on July 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

DAMMIT!!!!!

About a month ago, I thought I had what I thought was a genius-idea-that-no-one-had-ever-thought-of-before...I was going to cover the music from FFIV in dub reggae style, inspired by my recent purchase of a melodica. I even had a fairly long email correspondence with a friend of mine, we figured easily half of those songs seem made for a melodica. I really wish I hadn't seen this, I was practicing it and everything.

Anyways, I like the post, but thought I'd let you know that YOU RUINED MY DAY.
posted by Hoopo at 5:22 PM on July 22

Um, it's a big universe out there, hoopoe. You should go ahead and remake the FFIV soundtrack in dub reggae anyway! (Or, if not the whole thing, a favorite track.) I will look out for it on Mefi Music. People have been covering the FFIV soundtrack for a long time, and inshallah they will go on doing it.

(I am not trying to be defensive. I just genuinely don't think you should be discouraged, and hope that you are not!)
posted by grobstein at 5:52 PM on July 22