ReMix: Super Mario World 'Ghosts of the Marble Hall'

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Now see here, this is pretty neat - Psychophryte has taken the original theme from Super Mario World and made it even spookier, also giving it an epic, orchestral, cinematic flair using very high-quality samples to great success. The original theme here was basic, and although Zac doesn't vary it that wildly, the tone, tempo, and esp. scope are altered such that it feels much broader, more like a portion of a good film score where a giant fleet of warships are setting off to battle or something similarly sweeping and of considerable scale. This is one of those mixes where - regardless of whether or not this is actually the case - it seems the ReMixer had a clear idea in his mind ahead of time what he was shooting for, a vision if you will, and unequivocally realized that idea. French horn fans will be particularly pleased as the crux of the work, the main melody, is horn-o-rama, with ebb-and-flow string runs, titanic timpani, suspenseful strings, and a satisfyingly dynamic and spread mix supporting it. There's sort of an addendum/reprise for the last forty seconds or so, which is somber and much slower, complementing the more traveling, directed feel of the main piece. Compelling, original work from Psychophryte, with a clear, interesting vision on rearranging the original and the sounds & skills to back it up. Recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Some pretty epic stuff, but it has a lot of room to breathe. I really liked the false ending, and the intense string arpeggios before that. The samples aren't stellar, but they are very well used, and the piece as a whole is balanced, and has a good deal of energy and suspense. The kettle drums specifically were very well used to create tension and atmosphere.
Pretty damn fine work.

- OA on May 4, 2010
Anyone paying attention knows how much I enjoy these dark ReMixes, and it's hard to get even darker than combining the haunted house (I was afraid of these levels when I was five because of that music :-P) and the Castles from SMW. This is brilliant and screams evil fortress or lair. The fading ending works well.

- Crulex on February 11, 2010
The SMW ghost house theme is one of my favourite Mario tunes ever, because it has that classic Kondo hook, but it also injected that really dark ominous sound that was an extreme contrast to anything heard in the series previous. The strength of the tune is proven on OCR from the amount of really quality mixes made out of, this one included.
I really like that this one shies away from the wall-of-sound approach others take with the source material. Instead of blasting each section of the melody, this one leave a lot of open space, exposing the skeleton of the piece. I really love the strings that come in at 1:25 and continue on for most of the track; they really keep the mix moving while sounding great at the same time. And while there's nothing very new brought to the original, it is still a very successful exaggeration on the mood created by the game level and its soundtrack. If there is one mix that represents the source material most faithfully, it is this one.

- Marmiduke on January 26, 2009
I've always really enjoyed this mix with the wonderfully creepy feel it has. It stands out as one of my favorite SMB mixes on this site. I do wish that it was expanded, both in length and instrumentation, but even as it is I think it is a solid piece of work that I can listen to and enjoy. Even after the time since release the samples are still pretty good, it's defiantely withstood the test of time. Nice work.

- DragonAvenger on August 22, 2008
This is kick-ass.

- Dafydd on March 15, 2007
Damn man I don't know how you managed to compile this masterpiece. Did you use FL?

- HoboKa on February 16, 2007
It sneaks up on you and then fades away and then comes to kick your ass again. It's pretty much amazing. I kind of like the ending, actually.

- Fratto on February 15, 2007
I am a french horn player, so I am automatically a fan of this grand work, not simply because the centerfold of the piece is the horn part, but also because this piece brought out what I had envisioned the piece should have been. I always believed that a great theme like this had such potential but Psychrophyte brought out every element in the theme. The only major downside to all this is the fact that it's WAY too short to trully live up to expectations. Regardless, it's still masterfully done and major props to the ReMixer.
9.5/10 - Still in my Top Five! :D

- Tsunami18 on April 17, 2006
I love love love the castle theme. I like this remix a lot, but I wish it were much longer, like at least 8 minutes long, but even then the ending must not be handled the same way it was handled in this one, perhaps a better ending would have been to let the castle theme slowly die out.

- Dionyseus on October 25, 2005
I love this remix! It's eerily calming, yet keeps you a little nervous. I remember being afraid to go into the castles on the original Mario games. ^^'

- Inu-chan on August 9, 2005
My first system was the SNES, and my first game? you guessed it. Now, I loved these levels. I would sit for hours laughing at the ghosts (yeah, ADHD at it's best). Anyways, I loved this theme, and this reendition was amazing!

- KarethGamer on August 4, 2004
Wow, it captures a sort of creepy mood (or creeping?) and truly a memorable mix because I also remembered that song from my childhood days (not that I'm that old).

- Brim on August 4, 2004
[b]A
W
E
S
O
M
E!!![/b]

- Bren on April 3, 2004
I put this song on a CD with other OC faves, and let people listen to it. Someone actually told me that her nightmares have this music playing in the background. If that's not telling of the direction, the emotional leading, I don't know what is.

- Uberwulf X on March 27, 2004
This song made me scared... I don't mean it like "Oh yeah it was creepy." or, "Yeah it sounded scary-esque"....
No, this song actually made me too scared to walk around my room when it was dark after hearing it. This is the first song that I wouldn't listen to after a certain time for I knew it would leave me with insomnia. Though by now, after hearing it several times, it's much less scary and much more awesome.
The note hitting near the end about 2:58 has the [i][b]perfect[/b][/i]foreboding sound to it (I know there is a musical term for it, but at this point in time I know not what it is known as).
Truly great material. Would make excellent cinematic music.

- The Xyco on March 7, 2004