I Jabber About Music and Stuff

First off, before I say anything else, I thought I'd post up a pic the awesome doomande commissioned a while back that I still gush over.

I mean look at her! That's just fine work there. Done by the talented ArtieStroke. The character is Crossfire, a mercenary mare from my Wild Arms/FoE crossover story. She's based heavily on Janus Cascade, a boss character from Wild Arms 3, a fellow who really needed more screen time in that game, as he oozed personality and potential, with a real solid rivalry building between him and main protagonist Virgina. Why they decided to off him in favor of the far more bland Prophets I can never guess, but hey, at least Zeikfried (Wild Arms 1 villain) got a cameo out of it, they they called him Siegfried in 3.

In case you couldn't tell I love the Wild Arms games. Which leads me to the thing I felt like jabbering about here for a bit. I love music themes from video games and anime. Mostly because I don't have to concern myself with the meaning of lyrics and can get into the mood of the music. That's the point of soundtracks, to set tone and mood, and few things can affect my emotional state more than the video game music I grew up with. Many games become memorable to me because of their incredible soundtracks. Wild Arms caught my attention when I first played it because of its incredible music, and influences a lot of how I want to write Trigger to Tomorrow.

So I thought I'd throw together a list of some of my favorite Wild Arms tunes. Not a top ten list, just a list of the ones that I remember most and what I loved about them. Plus I'll be mentioning how they might relate to Trigger to Tomorrow, which could infer a few spoilers if you think about the theme and how it might be used in the story, so fair warning there.

Into the Wilderness

This is the intro theme to Wild Arms 1, and the first piece of music I ever heard from this fantastic JRPG... and good dear sweet Celestia's PLOT did this tune stab right into my heart with the sure knowledge that I was about to be in for a heck of a journey. It just screams of an epic journey across vast distances, with a beautiful blend of sounds, especially that whistling that became iconic of my mind with Wild Arms. I'd wanted to make this the first chapter title for Trigger, but it fit the second chapter far better as the beginning of a journey rather than the triggering event of the journey.

Crossfire Sequence

Say hello to Crossfire's namesake! This is one of two boss tunes for Janus Cascade, though it also gets used for a few other bosses in WA3. I named Crossfire after this song, and consider it her official battle them for Trigger. Its got a perfect pace, setting a very tense feel while maintaining a lot of energy. It feels like what would fit a gripping gun fight with daring dives for cover and wild flurries of bullets being exchanged in tight quarters. In short, perfect for Janus, and hence, perfect for Crossfire.

WA 1 Town Theme

Really wish some themes had names better suited for chapter titles, because this to me is the quintessential town them, only matched by the next one I'll introduce you to. It's got such a lively feel, with I don't know what kind of wind instrument making that main tune but I love it. It creates a feeling of a peaceful, bustling day in a small frontier town or village. In Trigger I view it as sort of the semi-theme to Longwalk's tribal home, Shady Stream.

WA 2 Western Village

Now this is a town theme more suited to a Wasteland settlement. Like the title says, its all about that western feel. Its a little on the short side, but in games the loop leaves it feeling just fine and I really got into the sound of this one. Would leave WA 2 on without even playing it while standing in a town, just so this theme would play while I read a book. This is probably getting used in Trigger for when the party gets to the outskirts of Skull City.

That is Where the Spirit Becomes Certain

Bar none my favorite battle theme from WA 4. This one has such a heroic feel to it, especially when it breaks into that whistling. Whistling really does it for me apparently. This theme is for one of the antagonists, a member of the elite special forces unit Brionac, Kresnik the Pale Rider. But why such a heroic theme for a boss? Perhaps because Kresnik is not such a bad guy? Antagonist doesn't always equate to villain, and in Kresnik's case he's got a strong reason to fight against the party. I very much want to use this theme in Trigger for a special moment for Longwalk, but it's got competition.

Shining Spear Pierces the Darkness

My second favorite battle theme from WA 4 (I got a thing for battle themes) and what I consider Longwalk's almost official battle theme. He's not quite at the heroic stage of development where this theme suits him, but for anyone whose been reading Trigger you can at least guess why the name of this track fits Longwalk. In WA 4 this is more the generic boss theme for the Brionac forces that don't have themes of their own (Like Kresnik or Lambda). Its got a nice beat to it, though I find its beginning a little awkward.

Knight's Quarters

Alright, enough hero themes. Here we've got a theme for Wild Arms 1 set of villainous alien invaders, the Metal Demons. Specifically four Metal Demons known as the Quarter Knights, led by the charismatic Zeikfried. I like this tune particularly because of it's the kind of theme that accompanies a monologue perfectly. I know, villain monologues are old hat and cliche, but dammit there's nothing quite like the sequence where the bad guy lays out his schemes in grandiose and epic styling, all with background music like this to accompany it. This won't be heard in Trigger for some time, but it fits a particular scene I have in mind that I hope this tune will fit to a tee.

At the Frozen Depths of the Heart

This ones from Wild Arms 5, and is a character theme and boss theme rolled up into one for the Ice Queen Avril. The first half has a wondrous and exotic feel to it which really invokes in me this sense of exploring strange or alien surroundings. It leads perfectly into the second half, the battle portion, which is an extremely intense tune that carries a heavy weight of desperation to it. As it happens I see this as a semi-official theme to my character Arcaidia in Trigger, though for very different reasons than it was used in WA 5 for Avril.

Persephone's Battle Theme

I have no words to describe how much I love this battle theme from WA 5. Its use of techno mixed with violin with a frantic and deadly feeling pacing just pumps me up in all the right ways.

Companions

One of my favs from the remake of WA 1, Wild Arms Alter Code: F. Companions is a track that bursts with energy and is often used in the game for when the heroes are doing what they do best and saving the day. Its a good, uncomplicated tune whose only flaw that it lacks whistling, but hey, can't have everything right? Expect to hear this in Trigger if/when Longwalk needs his flank saving by some well timed heroics from his friends.

Flying into the Midst of the Storm

Often one of the first tracks I think of when thinking of WA 3, this song is set to a particular beginning sequence that introduces all the main characters. This is a good example of a theme that tells a story in and off itself, going from a beginning that evokes a feeling of something epic about to break out, then flows into a feeling of tension and movement, like the heroes are working their way to some location while dealing with obstacles in their path. It uses a lot of different tunes to flow from one instance to the next, and of course the epic whistling I love so dearly. This is definitely going to be a chapter title in Trigger at some point.

Battle Demon/War Demon

There are many more tracks I could put here, but I'm leaving this blog off with both the original and the Alter Code: F remake of what is, by far, my favorite battle theme out of ALL the Wild Arms games: Battle Demon, and War Demon! These are the themes of the Metal Demon, Boomerang, an honorable warrior seeking to battle the strongest prey he can find. The original, Battle Demon, was only used during Boomerang's secret boss fight, which you can only get if you go to the Arena in WA 1 and win all the battles there, then after a certain point of the story return to the Arena where you'll get the surprise of being able to face Boomerang one last time. Both themes are just flat out awesome, brimming with power and creating the sensation of fighting an exceedingly deadly foe. You will be hearing these themes in Trigger to Tomorrow, though who they'll be attached to may surprise you...

Comments

[gapaot]

I didn't even knew that manga existed untill now.