Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster Soundtrack

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

True, Square’s Final Fantasy had already been a landmark in RPG history, refining concepts introduced not long before by Dragon Quest. Sequels Final Fantasy II and III were among the best-selling RPGs of their generation, offering gameplay innovation in the case of FF II and what may be the 8-bit era’s most polished and expansive role-playing game in FF III. However, it was really with Final Fantasy IV that the franchise joined the ranks of gaming’s most hallowed and revered titles. Final Fantasy IV was enormously influential on the development of the RPG genre, particularly through its emphasis on dramatic storytelling and more fully developed characters. Its legacy as a trailblazer seems secure: there is a good reason it keeps appearing on “best games of all time” lists on both sides of the Pacific, clearly cherished by generations of players.

Reading retrospective reviews of the game, it is clear that a large part of its nostalgic pull lies in Nobuo Uematsu’s soundtrack. As one of game music’s great melodists, Uematsu naturally found the SNES and its expanded sonic capabilities a gift. The new hardware allowed for far more expressiveness, colour and timbral richness. Like the game itself, the Final Fantasy IV soundtrack remains immensely popular. This was the first Final Fantasy title to receive a dedicated arrange album, 1991’s Celtic Moon, and several Final Fantasy IV pieces have since appeared on the Distant Worlds albums.

To a degree, then, it is no surprise that the Pixel Remaster soundtrack does not rock the boat and stays closer to the original than the NES Final Fantasy remasters did. In their pursuit of a lush orchestral sound, those earlier remakes had to work harder, fleshing out the arrangements and adding counterpoint. Because the Final Fantasy IV SNES cues already possess a much fuller texture than the NES tracks, the arrangers can often get away with making relatively few additions to Uematsu’s originals. The same applies to the comparatively shorter running times of the cues on this Pixel Remaster soundtrack. To compensate for the brevity of the NES pieces, the arrangers often added extra repetitions clothed in fresh orchestration. Working now with longer SNES material, they clearly felt that kind of usually welcome padding was no longer necessary.

Such reverence for the source works well enough as long as the underlying compositions are substantial. And of course, that applies to much of the Final Fantasy IV soundtrack. The battle cues in particular benefit from the Pixel Remaster’s punchier sound, which throws greater emphasis on the revving rock energy driving their heroic trumpet lines. “The Dreadful Battle” is the standout here, one of the franchise’s most turbulent and best-developed combat tracks. “Mystic Mysidia”’s playfully industrial edge is also better served in the new arrangement, thanks to denser, more colourful percussion and the decision to hand the melody to a wiry solo violin. And “Epilogue (Part 2)” does a superb job of taking the Final Fantasy theme through a series of increasingly expansive variations that never become repetitive – a magnificent demonstration of the durability of Uematsu’s melody.

None of this is to suggest that the arrangers of the Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster slavishly cling to the source. At times, they create subtle yet tangible shifts in mood simply through their choice of lead instrument. On “Rydia”, another classic Final Fantasy IV cue, the melody is now given to a reedy flute with a thinner, more weathered tone than the warm orchestral flute of the original. It is an intriguing decision that noticeably alters the piece, though whether it is preferable to the SNES version will come down to personal taste. The most inventive reworking here is surely “Troian Beauty”, and it is hard not to wish the arrangers displayed that level of imagination more often. What was once an oboe-led idyllic waltz first becomes a country-tinged piece, complete with fiddle and acoustic guitar, before transforming again into a lavish pop ballad full of delectably swooning strings.

However, there are also many occasions when staying so close to the source does the Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster few favours. Truth be told, while Uematsu’s score undeniably has its share of standouts, it is not an unqualified masterpiece. “Ring of Bomb”, “Cry in Sorrow (Part 2)”, “Melody of Lute”, “Suspicion”, “Golbez, Clad in Dark”, “Somewhere in the World” and “The Lunarians” all struggle to overcome a general impression of dreary repetition and thin material. Other cues such as “Hey Cid!”, “Tower of Zot” and “The Tower of Babel” are perfectly competent, establishing their respectively jolly or enterprising moods effectively enough, but in ultimately perfunctory fashion. And because the arrangements on this Pixel Remaster rarely introduce substantial new material, their reheated versions of cues that were already underwhelming on the SNES are bound to fall flat here as well.

Thankfully, such weaker pieces do not dominate the soundtrack, but they do ensure that this Pixel Remaster registers as a lesser achievement than the Final Fantasy III remake. To the arrangers’ credit, they do take a few stabs at writing new material or rescuing middling cues. “Theme of Love” is one of the few arrangements that genuinely elaborates on its gorgeous source, elegantly passing one of Uematsu’s most heart-rending melodies from instrument to instrument while adding fresh counterpoint in solo cello and dainty woodwinds. On the SNES, “Mt. Ordeals”, “Long Way to Go” and “Final Battle” suffered from stiff, repetitive rhythms. The Pixel Remaster mercifully addresses those problems, either by creating a more flexible and varied rhythmic accompaniment, as in “Mt. Ordeals” and “Long Way to Go”, or by throwing everything at the cue to heighten its drama – sample the newly added choir in “Final Battle”.

Again, not all of these changes come off equally well. Key arrangements such as “Prologue” and “Main Theme” are less successful than their SNES originals. In its Pixel Remaster form, “Prologue”’s unrelentingly bombastic restatements of the Final Fantasy theme eventually become overbearing. On the SNES, “Main Theme” presented a complex blend of emotions – adventurous and romantic, yet also wistful – with its calm, floating character interacting intriguingly with the underlying rock drums. In the Pixel Remaster, that same drum part feels intrusive, upsetting the delicate balance that made the original so compelling. All things considered, though, this version of the Final Fantasy IV soundtrack is still the finest incarnation of Uematsu’s SNES debut. Greater things were still to come, but there is already much here to savour.