ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Flow of Time" 3:27

Newcomer Richard Daskas sends us an orchestral Chrono Trigger march that also incorporates piano & guitar, arranging the main CT theme but also incorporating several other themes including "Frog's Theme," "Schala's Theme," "Secret of the Forest," "Courage and Pride," "Brink of Time," and "Battle with Magus." That's a lot to take on in 3'26", but the approach avoids medleyitis by sticking with a brisk uptempo vibe & segueing into calmer waters when needed. Liontamer went to the trouble of laying out the sources in his vote, so let's cover that up front:

• "Chrono Trigger" - main source
• "Guardia Castle - Pride & Glory" ("Courage and Pride") - :56
• "At the End of Time" ("Brink of Time") - 1:11
• "Frog's Theme" - 1:19
• "Magus Confronted" ("Battle with Magus") - 1:26
• "Schala's Theme" - 1:34
• "Secret of the Forest" - 2:11

"Though there weren't any big structural changes to the melodies of anything here, I felt there was plenty of personalization in this arrangement in the different instrumentation, occasional tempo changes, new supporting writing, and creative integration or pairing of other theme cameos. Instead of an A+B+C+D format, there were some references to other themes, but done in a way to combine most of them with the Chrono Trigger theme's backing pattern (e.g. 1:27-1:56), not just stopping and starting different themes with no flow. I had no problem with that arrangement structure."

It's a relatively unique approach and it works well given the overall style and the more compact duration; I also liked the less traditional instrumentation used for the intro and later with the piano/guitar additions to the orchestral setting. Chimpazilla summed it up nicely:

"I actually like this arrangement and I find it cohesive as a whole. I totally see what Deia is saying about it being medley-ish or like a rondo, but it seems ok to me. I like the production, with the exception that the snare is panned too far to the left and the brass too far to the right. The samples are used quite well, strings and piano sound particularly good to me. The source writing is very conservative but I like how the themes interweave, I love the instrument choices, and the track has good flow and dynamics."

Those last three things are key & are what make everything work; good debut from Mr. Daskas that does a great job sailing through highlights of one of the best VGM scores ever without feeling cursory or superficial - more like a brisk flyby, checking out the points of interest & weaving them into a unified aerial tour!