This week was dedicated to Hitoshi Sakimoto and his team at Basiscape. The games we covered from his amazing repertoire were Odin Sphere, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Advance, Valkyria Chronicles, and Final Fantasy Tactics A2.

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Odin Sphere – Battle on the Snowy Mountain

Composed by Masaharu Iwara (Basiscape)

 

One thing Sakimoto and his team is known for is sweeping orchestral compositions, great melodies, and a rather classically-tuned ear for music. Some say his music is over-orchestrated. I say, it makes his music just as identifiable as Mitsuda, Shimomura, Wise, and Huelsbeck. So we’re starting off this week with Battle on the Snowy Mountain from Odin Sphere, which is composed by Masaharu Iwata of Basiscape. Once your hear this song play out upon entering a map, you know it’s time to throw down. Who was your favorite character to play as in Odin Sphere?

Final Fantasy XII – Boss Battle

Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto

 

Only playing a sliver of Final Fantasy XII (since I have this sort of goal to play all the Final Fantasy games in order), I’m mostly familiar with this song through Final Fantasy Tactics A2. But when this song kicked in, I knew this was going to be one of those big ass, story changing battles in A2. I mean, the way it starts up, it like seeing your enemy for the first time, or seeing a character’s true intentions, and going “oh shit.” This is one of those songs from Basiscape that is hard to pin down a melody, but is better to listen to when taking in the multiple layers of instruments playing out their parts. Since I’m seeing this from a FFTA2 perspective, what was your favorite Job in the game?

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance – Undefeated Heart

Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto

 

I was kinda saddened by the fact that this song didn’t make it into the sequel. At first this song was okay. But during one mission where it took play at night, I couldn’t help but feel like I was having a big-damn hero moment. My guys were in trouble on the ground level, but I had a couple of archers from a higher elevation coming in with the heavy damage and saving my other guys’ hides. Such is the feeling when you do battles in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. What you’re hearing right now is the arranged version of Undefeated Heart, a more lifelike version than the heavily synthesized GBA version. So, what law did you hate in this game?

Valkyria Chronicles – Desperate Fight

Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto

 

Sakimoto just knows how to make songs that help you think in strategy games while feeling like a epic undertaking. Unlike previous many strategy before it, Valkyria Chronicles combined Strategy with Action Gameplay. As such, you were able to take your time lining up the perfect headshot. This was also a great showcase of cel-shaded graphics for the current generation. So, what miraculous moment did you experience while playing Valkyria Chronicles?

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 – Beyond the Wasteland

Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto

Not many may realize it, but this is a slower version of Undefeated Heart. When I heard this song play out in A2, the memories of the previous game sarted rushing back to me. The good thing too is that because of the increased audio capabilites of the DS, the in-game music sounds pretty much like the arranged music in the previous GBA installment. This song has a great buildup to the chorus. A great song less about the epic battle, but more about the arduous trial you’re about to endure.