These additions range from extraneous at best to obtrusive at worst. In what seems an attempt to add a contemporary sound to the score, Hamauzu implements airy female vocals with some electronic tweaks in quite a few tracks. Even among Hamauzu's generally strong suite of orchestral tracks, a few suffer from similar repetitiveness, reinforcing the notion that four hours of music for a single project is probably too much to ask of most composers, even talented ones. It requires an act of will to get past the first few seconds of "Test of the L'Cie", "Will to Fight", and "Cocoon de Chocobo" simply because the opening loops are so grating. The same could be said of some of the electronic tracks. Only in a few other tracks does an electric guitar surface and then only as backing instrumentation, but in each case it becomes repetitive and grating within the first few bars. Probably the rock and electronica-oriented pieces leave the worst taste, particularly "Snow's Theme", where the generic electric guitars and pompous lead melody sound more like the entry music for a second-tier amateur wrestler than the theme of an RPG protagonist. Once you factor out the dozen or so standout orchestral and jazz pieces, however, the majority of the soundtrack ranges from forgettable to puzzling to downright annoying.
"Pulse de Chocobo" adds an electrified, high-speed jazz intro to the staple series theme, even if the arrangement of the theme itself is a bit predictable. Both "Sazh's Theme" and "Can't Catch a Break" sound like jazz jam sessions, more notable for the talented interplay between guitar, bass, piano, percussion and horns than any particular themes within. Though comprising only a few tracks, Hamauzu's jazzy tracks are also highlights. Then there's the grand finale "Nascent Requiem", an impressive final battle theme given even greater substance by another fantastically orchestrated, dramatic interlude - a grand finale again much more nuanced and along classical lines than the battle themes of Hamauzu's series colleagues. In the atmospheric "Lake Bresha" it accompanies rising and falling strings and a motif reminiscent of Soul Blade's "Asian Dawn", in "March of the Dreadnoughts" and "Fang's Theme" it adds spirited accents to boisterous orchestrations, and in "Nautilus" it forms part of a lovely, introspective interlude. The piano is a common element in almost all of the standout orchestral arrangements. Not as adrenaline-pumping as the best battle themes from Uematsu and Sakimoto but more nuanced, its smart arrangement moves from subtle orchestrations and enrapturing piano cascades to a driving climax. When Hamauzu strays from the orchestra, however, the soundtrack suffers, which unfortunately is fairly often.Īmong several impressive orchestral pieces the battle theme "Saber's Edge" makes the strongest early impression.
Certainly it shows in FFXIII, where his orchestral pieces from a technical standpoint easily surpass those of previous Final Fantasy original soundtracks. Reviews Repetitive and lacking emotional impact, despite some impressive orchestrations.įinal Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack composer Masashi Hamauzu, whose previous efforts for the series include co-composing Final Fantasy X and fully scoring Dirge of Cerberus, has a reputation for being skilled at composing and arranging for orchestra.
A limited edition set (SQEX-10178-82) with larger, more elaborate packaging and a bonus drama CD was also released. Regular edition set which comes in a standard multi-disc jewel case.