ReMix: The Ninja Warriors 'Crispy Crimson'
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- Game: The Ninja Warriors (Taito, 1994, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): Stemage
- Composer(s): Hiroyuki Iwatsuki, N. Tate
- Song(s): 'Opening', 'Title'
- Posted: 2011-03-21, evaluated by djpretzel
Stemage. Ninja Warriors. Go.
That's my three sentence writeup for you, but to help pad things out a bit Grant thoughtfully provided some exposition, including his thoughts on gongs:
"This track is my contribution to the Hiroyuki Iwatsuki (IWADON) tribute compilation put out by GameMusic4All on www.iwadon.com. I've always had a soft spot for both the SNES Ninja Warriors (Ninja Warriors Again in Japan), and the original Ninja Warriors arcade game. The whole 3 screen set-up cost me a lot of money. The SNES game was very different, but still a classic.
The original plan was to do only the creepy intro music, but I had so many ideas for a 90210 guitar solo drowned in chorus for the title screen segment. I had to find a segue somewhere. It was fun ending the track on such a positive note.
The arrangement is pretty straight forward. The only huge change is a monstrous modulation with a change in feel at 1:35. It contains the exact same lead melodies from the intro - just transposed with the addition of chords I felt fit the part. Those dueling leads were so amazing, I wanted to flesh out the backup a bit more. Another big change is taking what was simply a triplet delay in the original tune, and stretching it out into a more proggy segue at 2:31. This is actually the first game cover I've done completely on my own that isn’t a Metroid track. It's about time! I'm so happy I could make a contribution to the IWADON project.
OH YEAH, AND THERE'S A GONG! I've always wanted to use a gong. I have now used a gong."
In the words of T.Rex: get it on. If you haven't checked out IWADON, you should, as there's more where this came from, including great mixes from ilp0 & Mattias that we've already posted. It's amazingly awesome that Grant not only went outside Metroid, but lent his formidable shredding talents to the SNES incarnation of Ninja Warriors with a smart arrangement that changes enough up but keeps the intensity of the source intact. Also more generalized kudos to GM4A & Anthony for concieving of a deserving tribute album and putting together a diverse lineup capable of doing the concept justice!
Discussion: Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the For this piece, I like how the rhythm guitars are utilized in addition to the lead. This is a rock solid heavy metal arrangement, which is to be expected from Grant.
- Bahamut on July 16, 2012
Seriously, I have it set as such and I love to listen to it when it wakes me. Such energy, and that SOLO. MMMM that's one awesome solo. :3
- Mirby on December 23, 2011
- Crulex on December 17, 2011
Even with something as obscure as The Ninja Warriors, he manages to find ways to expand on the source and provide more of a groove-driven bolt towards a more onimous source material. And in a very similar fashion to the Metroid Metal material, there's so much in regards to the rhythm work that manages to keep the track fresh and engaging throughout. The transition to the title theme at the 3 minute mark was also very smooth going, and even with such a short source so much was done to give it a lot of substance and melody that really works well with the style.
Writing-wise, there's no way that I can fault Stemage's showmanship with all the little details in place and expansions taken to the source material. The production definitely worked with his playing style too, maybe slightly tinny for peoples' tastes but it all comes down to the listening setup.
All in all, a very enjoyable track from Stemage. Now, please do what your namesake implies and see if you can get a Metroid track posted here too :razz:
- Rexy on December 1, 2011
It does pick up some energy around 1:40, but it's still not what I expected. 3:20 onwards is more in line with what I wanted out of this.
Good song, just not my cup of coffee.
- Martin Penwald on May 23, 2011
EDIT: 2 weeks later and I still love it when this mix comes up in the playlist. Just experiencing this piece makes me think I won't be happy if I don't learn to play the guitar someday.
- DeepChild on March 30, 2011
Especially liked the legato before the melody comes in. Beautiful. Your guitar is getting some sweet TLC here, and her moan is music to my ears.
- Dafydd on March 22, 2011
Which is par for the course for Mr. Henry I daresay.
You might want to consider working this into a "Metroid Metal" set sometime. I'm just saying. ;)
- Djinn on March 22, 2011
