FINAL FANTASY IV & THE AFTER YEARS Sounds Plus
This post is also available in: Japanese
Right out of the gate you get Hamauzu
First you need to know a bit about the game and these complete additions to Final Final Fantasy IV. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is an episodic game co-developed by Matrix Software and Square Enix, and the sequel to the 1991 title Final Fantasy IV. Originally released in Japan as a mobile game in 2008, an enhanced WiiWare port of the title was released in North America, Europe and Japan in 2009. Which brings us to 2011, where the game was bundled with Final Fantasy IV as the PlayStation Portable compilation Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.
Set 17 years after Final Fantasy IV, The After Years follows the original cast and their descendants in episodic tales as a new villain appears, setting into action a mysterious chain of events that threatens the fate of the Blue Planet. Largely utilizing assets, locations, and mechanics from its predecessor, the title nevertheless incorporates higher quality character graphics and several new game play systems. New to Complete Collection is a scenario called Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-, which bridges the original game with The After Years. Interlude is based on the game play of the original Final Fantasy IV and not The After Years. It is longer than the average After Years tale.
Interlude is set roughly a year after the original game, and players take control of Cecil again.
[Rest of Videos are Here]
I could not review this release any better then these two guys. Below read what the music critiques have to say on this release. Also the CD download is included below since it is near impossible to find this to buy.
The collection begins with a good song: the opening track for The After Years on PSP. This is almost on par with the stuff that made Nobuo Uematsu a known and respected entity. The second track, “Mysterious Girl,” also displays the classic Final Fantasy music virtues of atmosphere and balance between complexity and simplicity. The next several tracks are less inspired, however, and sound comparatively ordinary. Some are too tame to be memorable (“True Moon”) while others are overly bombastic and slightly abrasive (“Straying from Evolution”). They are neither melodic nor atmospheric, resulting in something decidedly inferior to Uematsu’s work on the core game.
Not until tracks 10 and 11 does the soundtrack pick up again. Both “Epilogues” are above average, particularly the second one, with its soft beginning, build up, and use of a classic Final Fantasy theme. The “Finale” is fairly good and sufficiently broad for its purpose. Track 13 is a longer version of the opening, a thoughtful inclusion. The final track from The After Years is the “Theme of Love,” which channels a theme from the original game to great effect. Of course, most of the credit must be given to the original composer.
The last five tracks were chosen by poll in Japan, all selections from the original game. Not surprisingly, they’re significantly better than those that precede them. FFIV is the first game in the series memorable for its soundtrack, and thus these classic compositions have received a reputation as groundbreaking. My favorite of the five here is “Troian Beauty.” (Editor’s note: this is the bonus track)
See Full Review at RPGan Soundtracks
The mobile version was released in Japan under the title Final Fantasy IV the After: Tsuki no Kikan (ファイナルファンタジーIV ジ・アフター -月の帰還- Fainaru Fantajī Fō Ji Afutā -Tsuki no Kikan-?, lit. “Final Fantasy IV the After: Return of the Moon”). The Japanese WiiWare port and PlayStation Portable compilation Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection later adapted the Western title, renaming the game to Final Fantasy IV the After Years: Tsuki no Kikan (ファイナルファンタジーIV ジ・アフターイヤーズ -月の帰還- Fainaru Fantajī Fō Ji Afutā Iyāzu -Tsuki no Kikan-?).
First question: does the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection retain the music from the DS remake of the game? The answer is yes, unfortunately. Junya Nakano’s arrangements all appear here, which I know will upset a lot of fans as the arrangements were somewhat unkind of some of Uematsu’s original compositions, but take solace in the fact that these tracks only make up a small portion of the album.
Right out of the gate you get Masashi Hamauzu’s “Opening Theme (PSP Ver.)” which is a somewhat shorter version of the “Full Ver.” that appears later. It opens with spacey strings and a twinkling piano before marching snare drums and epic strings and brass voice the Final Fantasy main theme. Hamazu’s arrangement is distinctly Hamauzu, relying heavily on piano and strings. The piano does some playful things here and there, and the arrangement is for the most part upbeat and good natured.
From there we get the 11 tracks that were composed specifically for The After Years. I hadn’t realized that Nakano had written so many original pieces, as I was mainly familiar with the first two. “Mysterious Girl ~minus~” is a foreboding piece with descending belltones and deep pad swells that effectively create a foreign and dangerous atmosphere. This is followed up by what’s easily my favorite track on the album, “The Dispossessed Eidolons ~Minudes~,” which takes the “Mysterious Girl” theme, speeds it up, and adds early Final Fantasy standard bass and percussion along with powerful orchestral hits. It’s heavy, it’s powerful, and it’s awesome. I’m impressed by Nakano’s ability to emulate Uematsu’s writing style.First question: does the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection retain the music from the DS remake of the game? The answer is yes, unfortunately. Junya Nakano’s arrangements all appear here, which I know will upset a lot of fans as the arrangements were somewhat unkind of some of Uematsu’s original compositions, but take solace in the fact that these tracks only make up a small portion of the album.
From there we get the 11 tracks that were composed specifically for The After Years. I hadn’t realized that Nakano had written so many original pieces, as I was mainly familiar with the first two. “Mysterious Girl ~minus~” is a foreboding piece with descending belltones and deep pad swells that effectively create a foreign and dangerous atmosphere. This is followed up by what’s easily my favorite track on the album, “The Dispossessed Eidolons ~Minudes~,” which takes the “Mysterious Girl” theme, speeds it up, and adds early Final Fantasy standard bass and percussion along with powerful orchestral hits. It’s heavy, it’s powerful, and it’s awesome. I’m impressed by Nakano’s ability to emulate Uematsu’s writing style.
Read Full Article at Original Sound Version
FINAL FANTASY IV
THE AFTER YEARS Sounds Plus
01 Opening Theme (PSP Ver.) 2:33
02 Mysterious Girl ~minus~ 2:30
03 The Dispossessed Eidolons ~Minudes~ 3:36
04 True Moon 2:58
05 Planetary Core 2:43
06 Master of Imagination 3:03
07 Straying from Evolution 2:47
08 The Battle for Life 4:40
09 Vanishing of the True Moon 0:38
10 Epilogue I 2:44
11 Epilogue II 4:35
12 Finale 3:50
13 Opening Theme (Full Ver.) 2:59
14 Theme of Love 3:09
15 Opening 2:03
16 Final Fantasy IV Main Theme 2:48
17 Battle 2 2:23
18 Battle with Golbeza’s Four Emperors 3:12
19 Bonus Track 3:33
I still need to play The After Years, it looks like a great addition to me.