ReMix: Lords of the Realm II 'The Siege of Kenilworth Castle'
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- Game: Lords of the Realm II (Sierra, 1996, WIN)
- ReMixer(s): Protricity
- Composer(s): Keith Zizza
- Song(s):
- Posted: 2004-12-05, evaluated by djpretzel
Ari returns to his orchestral game and is just as sharp as ever:
"Always loved this game. A real classic. The music always inspired me. I can never hope to match the majesty of the originals, so this is more or less a tribute to 3 songs from Lord of the Realms 2. Enjoy."
Very medieval, adventurous feel to it, with a truly excellent job done on percussion - the rolls, dynamics, accents, and instrumentation on the snare, bass, and triangle here all give the piece the requisite swaying, lyrical vibe. Strings, majestic fanfare trumpets, harmonic-fifth flute duets, and later a wider variety of winds all play an integral part, with the energy of the first piece changing into the more peaceful refrain at 4'07", with a very interesting key change at 4'49" - this is good, it works, but it isn't the type of move I would have expected from Ari given his previous stuff; this one bit specifically is a good indicator, at least in my book, of the ReMixer branching out a bit more. Which is impressive considering he's already pretty branched. Things get back into a more energetic mood, but with more urgency and a more unambiguously militant tone. Ari's not known to have the best of samples in the world, but with the possible exception of the brass, which is masked well enough most of the time for it to be a non-issue, everything sounds stellar. Even at over seven minutes, I think you'll find time flies, as things are kept interesting and fluid throughout. There's a definite Celtic presence in the first segment, and an overall brighter sheen and energy, that makes me favor it in particular, but the work put in on the other parts is also enjoyable and locks in naturally and intelligently - no "medleyitis" here, but rather a strong, coherent orchestral adaptation from a ReMixer who can clearly genre-jump from mix to mix without losing a bit of his edge.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Things glide along real slickly, though people might have reservations about the pacing. I liked the presentation, and see it as more of a series of movements in a full piece. With that in mind, it definately delivers a lot of punch with a little poignancy.
It does sound mechanical at times and would have benefited from a more humanised set of samples, but this mix reaches such a level of awesomeness that what it could of been no longer matters to me. I just thank the gods it's here at all. And Protricity, of course.
- Marmiduke on October 14, 2009
- Loning on July 9, 2009
- OA on June 1, 2009
Work that Orchestra, work it good; this remix is so darn well done in its faced paced, adventurous tone. Loads of nice low battle drums in there make me want to get on out there and take down some castles. If you love nods to the medieval, this mix is for you.
Score 10/10 "Wench Owning"
- FlamingTP on April 29, 2008
- your the man now dog on April 11, 2007
- Ajan on April 27, 2006
- Aamean on September 3, 2005
- SEODRohan on June 20, 2005
Protricity wrote: This is one of my favorite games from the PC days of yore.
I definitely agree. I believe this would qualify as the first PC game I ever owned. I actually brought it back out a while ago to try out the multiplayer with my brother, and it was still excellent fun.
So I must thank you sir for your wonderful take on the epic music from this game.
- Antelucan on April 25, 2005
Very dramatic the whole way through, the strings continue to show emotion through out the whole song
I felt that the drums were too repetitive for the first four minutes or so but you can't do much about that, everything on top of the percussion however was amazing
I liked the faster paced feel from around 5-6 minutes to the end but
A very impressive mix here Prot, too bad you're not around any more
He was quite helpful around the remixing forums
- jordex on April 8, 2005
The somewhat celtic intro sets a pace, movement. Basically views of realms in england; castles and whatnot. If you played the game you'd know exactly what I'm looking at. 12th century, villages, castles, serfs, all that. Then a focus on one in perticular, Kenilworth. Following that, alternating themes describing the castle and surroundings. Those defending the castle are proud and do not believe they can be ta'in, yet they are still uneasy. A tense build-up, then slowdown as an approaching army shows up and lays a siege. Things get quiet and eerie as both sides regard eachother and know whats coming. Suddenly, the battle is joined and the castle attacks in the final theme which is indeed the battle music from the game. Again, if you played the game you'd know exactly how intense these battles tended to become. I wanted the last theme to build and build, then come to an abrupt end. A castle in ruins; a defeat.
This is one of my favorite games from the PC days of yore. Sure theres exploits and whatnot, but overall it was a large challenge. Very fun, very involved.
- Protricity on January 1, 2005
I have never played this game, but even so, listening to this mix I can visualize (however wrongly) how it might go into the game.
It would indeed be a title theme, probably the background to the intro to the game.
It would start off with the hero setting out, riding across the fields, plains and hills through day and night, about 0:40, it cuts into a panoramic cut of the princess the hero is going out to rescue, and the scene sweeps past her prison and into the sky, the camera catching a breath-taking view of the countryside, and quickly falling to the hero at about 1:10, who has just arrived at the castle or fortress and is about to face the challenge of some guards at the main gate.
The piece continues on as the hero does through the twists and traps of the castle, until about 4:05 when it softens slightly, as the hero meets up with the princess and they have to make their escape.
Shortly after, about 4:45 or so, they meet up with the ruler of the palace and at about 5:20, the battle ensues into a climactic melee before the gates.
About 7:00 the scene fades out, and the title reappears, having given the watcher just enough to really wet their appetite.
Now, I realize this is probably very wrong, however, this is simply how I, somebody who has not heard this piece before, nor has played the game, can envision this wonderful piece going. It really does make me want to look for the game and try it out.
Protricity, good job on this one!
- Iron Cross on January 1, 2005
- Durinthal on December 27, 2004
- AngrySquirrel on December 24, 2004
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