Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Soundtrack

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Soundtrack, 2021, Nobuo Uematsu / Various

So much has been written about the original 1987 Final Fantasy, and its influence has been analysed in such detail, that there is little left to add. Like many early Square titles, it was modelled on an earlier success – in this case the enormously popular Dragon Quest. Against the odds, however, Square managed not merely to imitate its inspiration but to improve on it, with a grander story, lusher presentation and more accessible – or simply less tedious – gameplay. What is more, Final Fantasy brought JRPGs to the attention of Western console players, many of whom had never encountered anything like it before unless they were already familiar with computer RPGs. The rest, as they say, is history. Even if the series’ popularity arguably peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Final Fantasy remains a commercial juggernaut and one of gaming’s biggest properties, with each new mainline release positioned as a lavish blockbuster.

Even more imposing may be the franchise’s influence on game music. Of course, that is partly because several Final Fantasy scores rank among the greatest soundtracks the medium has produced. But other factors were also at work. Compared with their biggest rival, the Dragon Quest games, Final Fantasy titles have always foregrounded their production values more self-consciously – including Nobuo Uematsu’s music. His scores played an indelible role in bringing Square’s vast fantasy worlds to life. It also helped that these soundtracks were attached to games that achieved immense success outside Japan, unlike Dragon Quest. Finally, the franchise’s commercial peak coincided with the rise of online music distribution, making the music accessible to new audiences. Few series, in other words, have done as much to introduce listeners to the possibilities of game music as Final Fantasy.

Square has never been shy about capitalising on its successes, so Final Fantasy has naturally seen its fair share of ports. That also meant multiple opportunities to upgrade the original NES soundtrack. Interestingly, though, none of the arranged versions strays far from Uematsu’s 1987 score and, as a result, they differ relatively little from one another. It is unfortunate that there seems to be no information on who handled the arrangements for the 2002 PlayStation port of Final Fantasy, since the later Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable and now Steam releases simply adapt those PS1 arrangements to their respective hardware.

Long story short: this version of the Final Fantasy soundtrack will hold few surprises for anyone familiar with the non-chiptune incarnations of the score. Thankfully, this 2021 release of what is by now a very familiar work still deserves attention. While the arrangements themselves are hardly new, they have never sounded better than they do here, thanks to the use of live performers – and presumably some studio enhancement, given the ensemble’s modest size. That extra fidelity is especially welcome because the arrangers of the PS1 version took such an intelligent approach. Their work is a textbook example of how to turn a chiptune score into an orchestral pleasure while remaining close to the sonically limited source material.

All the arrangers really do is transfer Uematsu’s often wonderful melodies to suitable solo instruments or instrumental groups, while tastefully adding a little counterpoint and some colourful orchestration. Track lengths are expanded largely by repeating the material in different timbral guises. It is a conservative, unobtrusive method, but one that works because of the strength of the underlying compositions – above all, Uematsu’s tunes. These melodies are not yet as magnificent as those of his later SNES scores, but they already reveal the melodic instinct that would fully blossom in subsequent Final Fantasy games.

That said, staying this close to the source also brings risks – chiefly when the 1987 original does not offer the arrangers much to build on. Even this polished version of the Final Fantasy soundtrack cannot make the dreariness of “Opening Demo” or the obnoxious repetitiveness of “Dungeon” genuinely engaging. Elsewhere, the arrangers occasionally seem to strain in their attempts to make the material sound grander than it really is. The melody of “Main Theme” is adventurous but brief, leaving the NES original somewhat short on substance. The remake overcomes that weakness mainly by lavishing rich orchestration on the tune, making its three straight restatements just about bearable. “Ending” is arguably a significant improvement on the melodically pleasing but ultimately plain NES version. Still, the arrangers’ increasingly histrionic insistence on the same two melodies comes perilously close to sounding overblown, even if the cue ultimately remains satisfying.

Most of the time, though, these remade versions improve on what was already a strong score in chiptune form, foregrounding its strengths while adding the timbral and rhythmic flexibility the NES could not provide. “Ship” and “Airship” already featured exciting melodies, but they vanished almost as soon as they arrived, while “Ship” in particular was burdened by an inflexible, intrusive ostinato accompaniment. The arrangements, simply by repeating the material more generously and dressing it in richer colours, solve those problems neatly, preserving “Ship”’s spirited character and turning “Airship” into a brassy, boisterous extravaganza. At other times, it becomes clear that Uematsu’s original ideas may simply have been poorly served by the NES sound chip, only to flourish when voiced by the right instruments. “Battle Scene”’s staccato repetitions were not especially impressive in the original version, but once clothed in roaring power-metal orchestration, the cue comes off splendidly.

Where the Final Fantasy soundtrack was already firing on all cylinders on the NES, the arrangers scarcely need to break sweat to turn these cues into orchestral delights whose melodies continue to enchant. In “Opening Theme”, the warm, noble Final Fantasy theme passes through a series of well-judged variations – intimate at first, then increasingly pompous – while easily sustaining each reprise of its unforgettable melody. Fan favourite “Matoya’s Cave” shines in a woodwind-heavy, earthy arrangement that also gives the cue a stronger sense of development through a more dramatic B section. And “Last Battle”, which closes the soundtrack with a flourish, benefits from source material already hinting at Uematsu’s prog-rock instincts. The arrangers quite audibly relish the chance to tackle such a multifaceted original, throwing everything they have at it to create a breathlessly entertaining, joyfully bombastic metal-orchestral mix.

Lastly, there are still a few surprises to be found in this soundtrack despite the arrangements’ generally straightforward nature. On the NES, “Gurgu Volcano” already featured one of the score’s most inventive, sinuous melodies. Here, that complexity becomes a springboard for some genuine experimentation, as the melody is pushed into the background while playful wooden percussion comes to the fore. A new woodwind passage then carries the cue towards an unexpectedly optimistic conclusion. “Menu Screen” grows from a brief tune in triple metre into a fully fledged composition, again led by bucolic woodwinds. “Corneria Castle” would have been a success regardless, given the original’s moving, compact melody. Yet the added Baroque-inflected string counterpoint and the new passage preparing the climax turn it into a spectacular reinvention. Barring some minor miracle, this is the definitive version of one of game music’s most influential scores.