Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Soundtrack

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Soundtrack, Noriyasu Agematsu / Hitoshi Fujima / Junpei Fujita / Seima Kondo / Ryota Tomaru, 2015

Square Enix’s post-merger strategy rested largely on the idea of “polymorphic content”, though some might reasonably describe that as the familiar practice of milking popular brands for all they are worth. As a result, the number of games bearing the Final Fantasy name exploded from the mid-2000s onwards, and it was only a matter of time before the series followed the freemium mobile trend as that business model took hold in the 2010s. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius was developed by Alim, who had already demonstrated a sure hand in this area with Brave Frontier. Critical reception remained mixed, despite the copious fan service added to the package. Then again, 45 million downloads within five years is hardly trivial, so Brave Exvius can scarcely be called a commercial misfire.

For the score, Alim turned to Noriyasu Agematsu and his production group Elements Garden, which included several co-composers and orchestrators. Although Final Fantasy Brave Exvius marked Agematsu’s first work on the franchise, he was already a veteran composer. His first game score had been 2002’s Hooligan, and he and his collaborators had also worked extensively in anime. He had moreover already amassed useful JRPG experience through Wild Arms 5 and Wild Arms XF. A youthful admirer of Final Fantasy III through VI, Agematsu was given a brief of appealing directness: “How would the FF music from this period sound if it were performed by a live orchestra?”

This consciously retro premise places Final Fantasy Brave Exvius alongside other Square titles of the same period that promised a return to the melody-driven values of the 16-bit JRPG golden age. Agematsu underlined that approach in his own account of how he wrote for the game: “I would keep things simple during the initial stages, sticking to having only two sounds – the melody and the bass – while building a strong melody. I would then work on the arrangement later to make the music grander in scope.” In interviews, he explained that this melody-centred style partly reflected the fact that his “favorite FF music tracks are the smooth and pleasing melodies.”

And indeed, what makes Final Fantasy Brave Exvius shine above all are Agematsu’s richly romantic melodies, which far surpass those of competitors such as Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler. Their composers likewise showed an affection for melody-driven, old-school JRPG scoring, but their reading of that tradition was ultimately flawed. What made the finest 16-bit scores so remarkable was not simply the quality of their tunes, but the sheer density of ideas packed into such short spans. That is precisely the opposite of the newer retro JRPG score, which too often stretches one melody across an entire track. Agematsu avoids that trap. His cues rarely run much beyond a minute in non-looped form, and at his best he makes every second count, constantly developing the material while drawing all sections of the orchestra into play. The latter is, no doubt, also a tribute to the excellent work of the orchestrators.

That is not to say that the soundtrack, taken as a whole, is an unqualified masterpiece. As with any release spread across six CDs, some trimming is necessary to isolate the truly strong material, with the third and final album in particular having a pronounced odds-and-ends quality. Agematsu’s collaborators contribute a substantial amount of music as well, though it is generally less distinctive. Square Enix’s album sequencing further complicates matters by grouping most of the battle tracks on the second disc, skewing the score’s internal balance and requiring some resorting if one wants a more satisfying listening order. In the end, there are ‘only’ around 90 minutes of genuinely outstanding music on this sprawling release. Yet across those 90 minutes, the Final Fantasy series reaches rarified heights it had not attained since 1997’s Final Fantasy Tactics, bringing to an end a very long drought for what had once been game music’s flagship franchise.

At his best, Agematsu writes concise, lushly arranged pieces that strike an ideal balance between allowing their melodies to bloom and never standing still. Most of the score’s finest non-battle cues are distinguished by their irresistibly attractive string writing, as one warmly glowing melody follows another. “Tree of Tales”, “Peaceful Village” and “Walkabout” are exemplary demonstrations of Agematsu’s broad melodic instincts. Crucially, he adjusts his sumptuous style to fit each setting. A cue such as “The Ghost Ship” nods towards the eerie character of its location, yet still moves gracefully into swooning string textures. “Allure of the Unknown” achieves something similar. Tinkling arpeggios and delicate metallic percussion conjure an icy, crystalline world, while Agematsu carefully prepares the path towards the inevitable string climax, here perhaps more serene and yearning than usual.

These cues are not exactly understated, but Agematsu uses their opulent orchestrations and robust melodic foundations as a springboard to push the music’s scale even further. At times he brightens the score’s already optimistic tone by introducing upbeat pop and electronic elements, as in “Monument Valley” and “Overcome the Menace”, without compromising the orchestral craft. “Odyssey” folds martial bombast into the prevailing formula, heightening the music’s emotional reach still further, aided by Agematsu’s confident handling of dynamics as the cue grows from an opening flute line. “State of Voyage” offers a stately travel theme with fluttering woodwinds and heroic horn accents threaded through its flowing strings. Better still is “Over the Rain Clouds”, doubtless the game’s airship theme. Gladiatorial brass fanfares launch the piece before pop drums catapult a thrilling interplay of strings and piano skywards.

Naturally, this being a JRPG, the other end of the emotional spectrum also needs covering: the roaring battle music. Here again Agematsu distinguishes himself from the competition. Where many retro-minded JRPG scores, including Square Enix’s own Pixel Remasters, tend towards power-metal gestures, Agematsu keeps his non-orchestral elements lighter and more pop-rock inflected, though he can certainly let rip when required, as the frantic double-bass drumming of “Onslaught” makes clear. Across the battle cues, whether in the driving electronic accompaniment of “Parallel Star” and “Banish the Darkness” or the choral bombast of “Chaotic Darkness”, Agematsu remains faithful to the same virtues that elevate his slower material. The music stays agile, varied and constantly energised, even at its most grandiose. Most importantly, the best battle tracks are always led by melody rather than by a mere pursuit of force.

Finally, there is also room for a little experimentation. “Once More Dance?” is one of the most delectable cues in the score. Not quite a waltz despite its 3/4 metre, it builds its charm from skipping piano rhythms and pizzicato strings, over which a beautiful flute-and-viola duet casts a nostalgic spell. “Into the Labyrinth” beautifully conveys the mystery of its setting through a potent combination of string-and-choir unison accents and hushed wordless chorus. “Call of the Crystal” features the score’s most elaborate vocal writing, its floating, intoxicated choral textures contrasting strikingly with the string ostinati below. It is yet another example of how successfully Agematsu realises his lofty ambition of imagining a classic Final Fantasy score as if performed by live orchestra, an impressive achievement indeed.