Jump to content

OCRA-0014 - Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption


Recommended Posts

So I just discovered this site from a link from TV Tropes. FFIV may not be my favorite FF game ever (It belongs to one whose roman numeral also begins with an I with only one numeral following it) but it is my favorite soundrack of Final Fantasy, even when it comes to arrangements and remixes both professional and... I hesitate at using the term "Amerture" about works such as this, but I hope my intent comes across properly.

I checked it out. I don't love every song on the soundtrack, but I'm not going to harp on that. I'm going to talk about the songs I like to inflate egos.

The Flying Machine: At first, I was stupid and barely listened past the beginning going "Ohmygodthisisn'tthemaintheme!" The Main theme is one of my favorite songs from this game. It was the first song from this game I heard, as well (specifically the Celtic Moon version). It's probably very high on my list of favorite songs ever! Of course, then I decided to sit and listen to it, figuring it was a very lovely "Into the Darkness" arrangement if nothing else. It doesn't remind me of FFIV, to be honest. It's well done, with the melody very present. I love the almost mechanical feel to it, especially when the "Into the Darkness" theme is played, with each part leading to another. I'm a huge fan of webcomics, so I hope it doesn't hurt the arranger's feeling that this song makes me think of the "Incredible Falling Machine" part of Girl Genius, which unfortunately beat out the lovely map of FFIV as my image of choice only by virtue of the name bringing that image up. Were it names something else, I probably could bring up images of the world of FFIV.

Golbez n' Goblins: I love this one. It is awesome. I think Golbez deserves a break from being all mopey, he should be glad he got a remix that would have been awesome for something like a unique boss battle theme.

Metal Mage: Can I say that it actually kind of makes me laugh. The kid acts just like how Palom would if Metal existed there. It's an awesome song in it's own right, but the demands from the kid just make it stand out the most with memory and a bit of a laugh thrown in.

Fallen Dragoon: The last one I can say I really loved. I'm a bit of a Kain fangirl, since from my first Final Fantasy game, I thought dragoons were awesome, so Kain is the definition of awesome. I especially love him in the DS version, well, when I had it in Japanese, with his voice and how his name was Ka-I-n, so I always felt he was cheated on "Suspicion". Fallen Dragoon really captures how he's like before, during, in-between, during again, and after his brainwashing.

Some songs I found enjoyable, but not "OMG AWESOME" were: Edward's Dream quartet (I also actually kinda like Gil, and pulling it into different styles surprised me in a good way), Almost Fell for the Trojan (Mostly based on the name of the song, but pretty nice listening to the same), and Calcobrena after a night of Dinner and Dancing (I would have liked more of the original theme in it, but still lends an interesting take to this lovely off-kilter waltz)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Metal Mage: Can I say that it actually kind of makes me laugh. The kid acts just like how Palom would if Metal existed there. It's an awesome song in it's own right, but the demands from the kid just make it stand out the most with memory and a bit of a laugh thrown in.

And you, my good person, recognized the point of the song. Props to you, and thanks for the ego inflation.

Now excuse me while I apply pointy objects to make sure it doesn't inflate too much. :tomatoface:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

*pulls plug on Cyril's ego*

Not until after we finish Kirby-ska, dude! Oh, and Magma Heart too. After that, attach whatever helium containers to your ego you want, for now I want you on planet Earth, haha!

Oh, and thanks for those other kind words RitiTroll. I've learned a lot of what to do and what not to do from that song. :nicework:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hello!

I cannot install flash on my computer, and so there is no video on the main page. I have modified a little this page on my server to use the HTML5 video tag, so all the users of Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 3+ or Safari 3.1+ can view it without installing a plugin on their computer. The flash-based viewer is shown for users of others browsers.

You can view it here: http://www.linkmauve.fr/ff4.ocremix.org/

The video is transcoded from youtube, but if I could transcode the original video it’ll look a lot better! Also the first shown image can be changed, it’s just a JPEG.

Can you replace the main page by this one? Thanks in advance! And ask if you have any question about the video tag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I downloaded this album right when it was released, and to be quite honest with you did not care too much for it. Sure, there were some great tracks, and the quality is great as always, but I wasn't familiar with the source material, having never played FFIV, and so the songs were just that - songs that were okay, but I didn't feel like the album made that much of an impact on me.

HOWEVER...

I just recently finished playing through FFIV (on the GBA port). I finished the game, and suddenly remembered that this album existed, so I gave it another listen.

IT'S SO MUCH BETTER.

Seriously, not only do I know the source material now, but I know the story, which really ties the whole album together. I realize that the focus of the album was to tell the story with the music, and really, you did - I can see that now that I know what the story is. This album is crafted incredibly well - props to the project directors for envisioning it and to the artists for following that vision.

Also, my two favorites are Fighting for Tomorrow and In the Land of Dwarves. Fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
I downloaded this album right when it was released, and to be quite honest with you did not care too much for it. Sure, there were some great tracks, and the quality is great as always, but I wasn't familiar with the source material, having never played FFIV, and so the songs were just that - songs that were okay, but I didn't feel like the album made that much of an impact on me.

HOWEVER...

I just recently finished playing through FFIV (on the GBA port). I finished the game, and suddenly remembered that this album existed, so I gave it another listen.

IT'S SO MUCH BETTER.

Seriously, not only do I know the source material now, but I know the story, which really ties the whole album together. I realize that the focus of the album was to tell the story with the music, and really, you did - I can see that now that I know what the story is. This album is crafted incredibly well - props to the project directors for envisioning it and to the artists for following that vision.

Also, my two favorites are Fighting for Tomorrow and In the Land of Dwarves. Fantastic.

that's the best comment i've heard on this thread - thank you :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I decided, after years of listening and lurking, to take the plunge and post a comment/review.

This is probably my favourite album of the lot, which I find surprising given that FFIV is not my favourite source music (VII being my favourite). It's the album as a whole that really does it. While I certainly have my favourite pieces, and ones that I do not listen to as often, as a whole I think that it is an incredibly powerful piece.

One of my favourite things about this album is how I continue to find hidden gems in some of the songs that draw me in for multiple listens.

One of those songs is RDX Necklace. The very first time through I didn't give it much thought, but returning to it, I realize more and more just how much is going on and how intense it really is. If you ever get the chance to be in a big space with a decent sound system (like a theatre of the like), and you can play this song, it's truly amazing. Everything about it just fills the space: the impact of the explosion, the power of the melody, the crashing of the debris.

There's so much I could say about the different tracks. I love The Might of Baron and the imagery it instantly creates. Songs like Metal Mage or Fighting For Tomorrow bring the characters and places to life. I can see Palom and feel Fabul.

Rhymes With Elixir caught me completely off guard when I first heard it, but it instantly became a favourite. It took me a day before I got to Disc 3 because I kept going back to listen to it over and over. I thought it was delightful, hilarious, and clever. Also, any song that can work sublimate into the lyrics is gold in my books.

The two parts of the Finale are another set of tracks that sat on repeat for a while. They're so wildly different in feel, but fit together so well. I listened to them often for inspiration or energy while writing. I love them to bits.

When I first played FFIV I was about 8 or so. What I love about this album is that is can help transport me to that time when imagination and fantasy were so much more vivid and exciting. I can drift into imagination and find inspiration in the music.

Thank you so much for the amazing work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

Loved this album when it came out. Burned all 3 discs and listened while driving for work all day long. I got hooked.

A Night of Dinner and Dancing is my favorite. Reminds me of some Darkside of the Moon.

Might of Baron kicks major ass.

The reason I am posting this is because for the last 5 months I have been working on my own little project. I turned Final Fantasy IV in to a shmup. This album was the inspiration driving that project and serves as the soundtrack.

Here are some youtube links to see it in action. The full game is uploaded to that channel also.

This is the battle with OctoMammoth.

Here is the song Genesis of Destruction. A Shmup Rock Opera.

Here are some screenshots:

Title_Screen_for_web.gif

Untitled-14.gif

I really just wanted the talented people who made this album to see what it is like to have their music put in to a game and see it in action. I gave full credit to OCRemix and all of it's groups.

This was all done out of love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks!

I was going to try to compile a MAC version for you but I can't. I looked and gamemaker for mac only goes to version 7. This was made with version 8 and it states right on the download page they won't jive.

Sorry.

Track 15, Disc 1: Fighting for Tomorrow.

This was the one I selected for the last stage as it sounds very urgent and the chorus goes with the pacing of the level vey well. I cut this song and used the second half for the last boss battle as it hits nice and heavy.

What you guys did was awesome. Square should get this album on the PSP remake.

Thanks again for checking it out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

How did I not know about this album for so long? I need to be visiting this site more often..

FFII/IV is and will always be in my top 5 favorite games of all time. Let alone a video game, it was the first plot that ever really gripped me and wouldn't let go. And as a kid who'd read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi but never dealt with death, those moments in the game stung pretty bad. Like, when Palom and Porom sacrificed themselves for the team and Tellah couldn't undo their spell and that damn piano started to play... I dunno, I think the window was open and blew some dust in my eye or something. It went the other way too, like when it seemed that they were totally boned when the Giant awoke.. then that one explosion came out of nowhere, followed by the Red Wings theme, and everyone you'd met in the game had teamed up to help in the fight.. that was one of the most touching and perfect moments in video game history as far as I'm concerned.

I dunno if this is just being filtered through the lens of myself as a kid, but nostalgia is a powerful thing, that's for damn sure.

So this collaboration is a pretty awesome project and I've been listening to it a lot lately. I like how it isn't just one style, and explores the different ways that people interpret the original music. The game only had so many songs and a lot of them were repeated throughout the plot, so its also cool to see how people saw the tone of something in relation to the scene it was used in.

Its been awhile since I last played this game and in fact only recently started a new game of FFIII/VI but I might put that on hold to run through this one again. Or at least finish the third playthrough on the DS. (I got frustrated trying to beat Proto-Babil at as low a level as possible). But either way, I would totally agree with the sentiment that its a completely different experience listening to these songs having played the game.

The opening track, "Full of Courage" is just wow. Seriously, wow. I'm not sure I would have necessarily mixed in the overworld theme just as it was getting to the "battle" portion of the Red Wings theme, but from a director's standpoint relating to the movie playing in my head, I can understand wanting to take an aerial view of the landscape before getting into the action. Try to set the tone that the world is a wonderful place and in need of protection from this elite, honorable, and victorious fleet.

And of course the next scene is in Castle Baron and the rock-opera stylings of "The Might of Baron" simply kicks ass in every important way. I might have mixed the guitar a little bit louder here and there, but whatever - I don't care, stellar track.

The album continues with a lot of unexpected turns - as I said above, I like that the album wasn't just one style, even if I may enjoy certain stylings more than others. Its been a good workout for my car's speakers too (got a new car recently). Songs like "Overture ~ Tellah's Prophecy" and "Read the Sine" actually make my pants vibrate against my shins in a most peculiar way while driving, so they have a unique tactile element to them. The intro to "Ana(pro)logue" for some reason made me think of The Neverending Story. When the horn started playing, I pictured Ben flying on Falcor..

"Rhymes With Elixir". Falcon needs a drill but worry not coz Cid'll fix her? When this one started, I raised an eyebrow. Soon started to laugh. I'm also a fan of older Bloodhound Gang, so there's that. And yes, I love the fact that they worked "sublimate" into a rap. I'd call this one a hidden gem. Had to look up the lyrics, couldn't figure out what the chorus was saying. "More bling than olive-berry skies?"

Loved the mens' chorus for Fabul! Really helped highlight the "iron will" vibe of Fabul, that you do not mess with them. While Baron is mighty, fighting is these mens' lives. I just wonder if their training involves lifting a large hot kettle with their forearms..

At first I didn't like the kid in "Metal Mages", but its growing on me. I can totally see Porom at a club/bar where the band is playing and totally getting down, limbs flailing, losing control, flinging fireballs randomly, the final "That was Awesome!" with him standing in the middle of a smoldering heap of debris, smoke clearing to show blue skies, everyone else crouched down, arms over their heads.

"OMFG" did a great job emphasizing the tension of the situation.

And my gawd, Rock Opera featuring Slipknot as Zeromus for the final battle? Total nerdgasm. The Epilogue music stayed pretty true to how I remember it, and left me smiling remembering the victory of finally winning mixed with the sadness that it was over.

I think the only actual complaint I have with the whole set - and I debated on even saying anything negative, but its mixed with positives - was "Of Fiend and Man". Ironically, the reason this song bugs me so much is because of how much I actually like it! If I thought it sucked, I wouldn't care.

It just seems like it wasn't finished. Not that its lacking in quality, but that quite literally, when the final mix was being laid out, someone accidentally left the tracks with the actual battle theme on "mute". There's this amazing rock opera framework, solid percussion, good orchestration, the strings and horns doing the "response" portion of the first part of the main melody to good effect, a little bit of very subtle guitar you can hear in the background, I'm getting all amped up ready for whatever crazy melody arrangement they're going to do, will it be electric guitar? Strings? Horns? Synth of some kind? Driving too fast and awaiting the start of the Battle, the beat drops and it goes into a different song. Is this still Battle 1? They just shifting gears? "Fiend" is in the title, is this from the Four Fiends? Then the song ends, and I frown. (edit - Listening to the album through my crappy desktop speakers at work and wow is the relative volume higher on the guitars. Not sure if the acoustics in my car happen to cancel out the frequency these guitars are on or what. They're still sort of in the background instead of taking lead, but at least I can hear them pretty clearly here)

But, JMHO. If they decided to re-release the track with nothing changed other than some additions of lead melody, I would probably look like Randy when he finally got some internet in the refugee camp.

Anyway, I can't express how happy I am that I found this compilation and would like to offer heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to it! (Its actually a major reason I donated to OCRemix last week.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I know this came out forever ago, but I'd just like to give my thoughts on it.

I love this album.

I really like almost every track, which is pretty rare for a 50+ track album covering a bunch of genres that I don't normally listen to.

The first few tracks make a fantastic album opener, and it manages to stay consistently good throughout. I love that there are so many different styles on this album, and yet all the tracks feel very similar!

Seeing as I'm not as familiar with FFIV's music as I am some of the other games in the series, I was kind of surprised that I liked it as much as I did, but man it really works!

That's one of the things that I like about OCRemix as a whole; most of my favorite remixes are from games that I haven't even played.

Anyway, I think everyone did an amazing job on this album, and I'd like to thank everyone who worked on it (even if it is a couple of years late) :P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...