RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Final Fantasy VIII OST
Reviewed by: Kie
Final Fantasy VIII, the second PlayStation Final Fantasy installment. Disliked? Perhaps, but the music is quite the opposite to the game if you see the game as bad and boring. Nobuo Uematsu experimented with orchestral instruments for the Final Fantasy VIII OST. Most songs, no matter whether they're sad songs, or fast battle songs, are done mostly with orchestrated material, and it really adds a great effect to the game in general.
The soundtrack couldn't start off better. Liberi Fatali is a great mix of Japanese vocals sung by Opera singers and orchestral music with a strong, steady drum beat. The singing goes well with the speed and strength of the song. The best part being around 2:15 where all beat stops and a few loud chords are played using a variety of instruments. It then ends quietly. The best part about it is how well it goes with the cutscene it was created for. Excellent work.
Don't be Afraid is the Final Fantasy VIII Battle Theme in general. It is quite well produced. Beginning with heavy drums, it soon gets into the violin sounding main theme, also accompanied by a keyboard. There aren't any best part to the song, it's a generally fast paced song, good enough for a battle.
If you're keen on heavy drum beats, then SeeD is for you. The entire song, aside from the slight tune, is based on the drums. There are slight soft synth parts in between each section of drum beats. The song sounds like a military march theme, which is what it is meant to be, so it works out fine. The tune that is there is quite good, as it reminds of the songs played in movies before a war begins or a whole lot of people die somehow. It also really sets the scene for the next song, which starts straight afterwards...
The Landing, the undisputed, unrivalled best song of Final Fantasy VIII, plays twice in the game, but the more recognized one of the two is the song playing in the Dollet Landing FMV. The song itself starts off with a few thuds, which act as the bass for the beginning of the song. The song then starts to gain synths as the tune begins. It then starts to build up before going into the main theme, which is a masterpiece of a theme. The mixtures of a trumpet, keyboard, bass guitar, even a flute there and the other orchestral equipment all combine for a great tune. Then there's around 2:36 where it goes into a loud synth pitch for a few seconds and adds that little extra to the theme before starting the main theme all over again. The good part is that it doesn't sound repetitive when it does this either.
Starting Up is a little mentionable. It plays while the Communication Tower is being set up. It has a cool theme and doesn't really use many of the orchestrated instruments as usual ones. It uses more of a triple beat, or rock beat if you will, when there is a beat that is. Although short, it is worth a listen.
Force Your way is the Final Fantasy VIII Boss Music. Instantly, it is at full pace using every instrument it's going to use in the song right at the start. The percussion sounds more like a maraca but oh well. The tune is based on the drum beat, as it keeps in time with it. The better part of the song being from 1 minute until the tune ends (until it restarts the song in other words). The synth is the best here, with an essence of guitar too. Well worthy of the boss theme.
If you're into the slow, sad type of music, then listen to Tell Me. It starts off really slow but has one hell of a tune. One of the best sad songs of the soundtrack. Using sort of bells as a background, and a nice, soft synth as the main part.
Now speaking of synth, for all you soft-hard synth fans, The Man With The Machine Gun is for you. It also has a strong percussion beat to it. The Laguna Battle Theme it be, and it sounds all futuristic indeed. Definitely not an orchestral piece there but a damn good song in general.
Onto Disc 2 now and we're at The Mission. This has an urgent feeling all the way through which works well as time is against you when this first plays. The song uses hard synth with keyboard as the small chords under the main tune. Very high notes being played until about 2:20 when it gets even better with a small keyboard solo and then back into the main part with extra bass used. One of the better songs on Disc 2.
A loud clash starts off Only a Plank Between One and Perdition, which also has an urgent feeling to it. I like the light guitar used in this, it really works with the constant percussion beats and the tune isn't too bad either. Quite fast paced and it uses the clash a bit too, along with some medium synths which don't come along often.
The Stage is Set is one of the best on the OST. It starts off with heavy violin which is used in most of the song. Heavy drum beats also accompany the percussion used and and slight possible synth used as a boost for the violin. Another urgency, fast paced, awesome themed song. Good stuff.
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec plays at Edea's Parade and high a high synth paired with low drum beats. Not bad, and the vocals are moderate too. It has essence of the song to come also. This is a slightly less cool version of Premonition...
This starts off loud, which is quite a terrible first part, but as soon as the drums come in, Premonition becomes all awesome, as some of the best Final Fantasy songs have very bad starts. The flute is the main instrument here for the battle against Edea, and among the cool keyboard and organ playing, it also has a tune that sounds like a part in The Landing, making it a little better. It's another fast paced song, sounding a little orchestral too.
My personal favourite Final Fantasy VIII song is Movin'. This plays through the entire Missiles attacking Garden cutscenes and when you're in Balamb Garden Basement level finding out what's down there. The main theme of this is done like an army theme, with the tap drums and synth. The song also includes Retaliation, which is a minor part in the song. Around the 2 minute mark, it gets into the main theme again with clink noises in the background which are used in a lot of the better Final Fantasy songs. Around 3:14, it comes to a soft synth solo which involves the climax I suppose, of the song. Excellent work all round there.
The Oath is an excellent calm song for Final Fantasy VIII. Done almost completely with orchestral equipment, the song has quite a good tune. At about 0:48, the instrument changes for the next part of the song and it's a low soft synth with the first part of the song in the background. Worth a listen.
The Esthar theme Silence and Motion isn't the kind of song you'd expect on a Nobuo Uematsu OST. It starts off with little beepy sound effects which last throughout the song before getting into an orchestral piece with soft synths and the orchestral gear. The beeps always seem to be in key with the music which makes this quite well made up in the little details. Altogether, not a bad song.
Ride On is the theme to when you're flying in the Ragnarok. It is one of the only Final Fantasy VIII songs to have good bass, as the bass has a sort of tune to it, going along with this happy, upbeat tune with high chorded synth and keyboard notes. The tune however, can get repetitive.
Compression of Time starts off with a few beeps and then progresses into the vocal sounding theme. The tune is impressive, although slow, but each note really works well and the constant beeping actually helps make it sound better believe it or not. Then a small theme begins under the main theme played by a harp. Eventually, it becomes the harp on it's on and sounds pretty cool. Gives a great setting for the area you're in.
One of the best tracks also is The Castle, which starts off with a seemingly difficult to play keyboard solo. It then gets into the church piano for the main part with orchestral instruments backing it up. At about 1:20, the song speeds up for a short time before cutting the church piano and putting in synths. Then it basically just alternates each part of the song between instruments making it all mix together well.
The Legendary Beast starts off pretty bad, until the drums come in solo and then the flute begins to play. Then it's all uphill as the bass increase and the drums help keep the tune interesting. The hard synth then comes in for a cool solo before cutting short. That would be the only thing wrong with the song, that the hard synth doesn't keep in tune too long.
Maybe I'm a Lion is one of the few Final Fantasy VIII songs that has a guitar in it. Most of the song includes high soft synths and a constant moderately good drum beat. The theme uses probably every instrument that the entire OST uses, but it could sound much better if the tune was better.
The Ending Theme starts off with a catchy bass which soon drowns out, but not to worry, because the theme itself is made of a mix of soft synth and violin. It then plays a bit of The Landing from 0:45 - 1:25 which sounds awesome. It then begins to get softer before entering a nice orchestral piece. It then does a great soft synth solo from about 2:28 which adds a lot of feeling to the little end part after the credits. An excellent piece.
Now although not on the OST, the version of Eyes on Me that plays in the long ending cutscene is different from the regular one. It's more orchestral. The singing is a little softer and it makes it sound much better. It also makes the ending cutscene that much better. After Eyes on Me, it also plays the original Final Fantasy theme with a little orchestral added to it. I think it should have been added to the OST because it is definitely worth getting.
So altogether, it's brilliant. In my opinion, nothing's perfect. But this is the closest to perfect an OST can get. Whether the game itself is liked or not, you just got to love the music. Great job Nobuo Uematsu.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Final Fantasy VIII OST Published by: DigiCube Release Date: March 01st 1999 Composed by: Nobuo Uematsu Arranged by: Nobuo Uematsu, Shiro Hamaguchi 4 Discs, 74 Tracks Catalog: SSCX-10028 |
99 |
Reviewed by: Kie
Final Fantasy VIII, the second PlayStation Final Fantasy installment. Disliked? Perhaps, but the music is quite the opposite to the game if you see the game as bad and boring. Nobuo Uematsu experimented with orchestral instruments for the Final Fantasy VIII OST. Most songs, no matter whether they're sad songs, or fast battle songs, are done mostly with orchestrated material, and it really adds a great effect to the game in general.
The soundtrack couldn't start off better. Liberi Fatali is a great mix of Japanese vocals sung by Opera singers and orchestral music with a strong, steady drum beat. The singing goes well with the speed and strength of the song. The best part being around 2:15 where all beat stops and a few loud chords are played using a variety of instruments. It then ends quietly. The best part about it is how well it goes with the cutscene it was created for. Excellent work.
Don't be Afraid is the Final Fantasy VIII Battle Theme in general. It is quite well produced. Beginning with heavy drums, it soon gets into the violin sounding main theme, also accompanied by a keyboard. There aren't any best part to the song, it's a generally fast paced song, good enough for a battle.
If you're keen on heavy drum beats, then SeeD is for you. The entire song, aside from the slight tune, is based on the drums. There are slight soft synth parts in between each section of drum beats. The song sounds like a military march theme, which is what it is meant to be, so it works out fine. The tune that is there is quite good, as it reminds of the songs played in movies before a war begins or a whole lot of people die somehow. It also really sets the scene for the next song, which starts straight afterwards...
The Landing, the undisputed, unrivalled best song of Final Fantasy VIII, plays twice in the game, but the more recognized one of the two is the song playing in the Dollet Landing FMV. The song itself starts off with a few thuds, which act as the bass for the beginning of the song. The song then starts to gain synths as the tune begins. It then starts to build up before going into the main theme, which is a masterpiece of a theme. The mixtures of a trumpet, keyboard, bass guitar, even a flute there and the other orchestral equipment all combine for a great tune. Then there's around 2:36 where it goes into a loud synth pitch for a few seconds and adds that little extra to the theme before starting the main theme all over again. The good part is that it doesn't sound repetitive when it does this either.
Starting Up is a little mentionable. It plays while the Communication Tower is being set up. It has a cool theme and doesn't really use many of the orchestrated instruments as usual ones. It uses more of a triple beat, or rock beat if you will, when there is a beat that is. Although short, it is worth a listen.
Force Your way is the Final Fantasy VIII Boss Music. Instantly, it is at full pace using every instrument it's going to use in the song right at the start. The percussion sounds more like a maraca but oh well. The tune is based on the drum beat, as it keeps in time with it. The better part of the song being from 1 minute until the tune ends (until it restarts the song in other words). The synth is the best here, with an essence of guitar too. Well worthy of the boss theme.
If you're into the slow, sad type of music, then listen to Tell Me. It starts off really slow but has one hell of a tune. One of the best sad songs of the soundtrack. Using sort of bells as a background, and a nice, soft synth as the main part.
Now speaking of synth, for all you soft-hard synth fans, The Man With The Machine Gun is for you. It also has a strong percussion beat to it. The Laguna Battle Theme it be, and it sounds all futuristic indeed. Definitely not an orchestral piece there but a damn good song in general.
Onto Disc 2 now and we're at The Mission. This has an urgent feeling all the way through which works well as time is against you when this first plays. The song uses hard synth with keyboard as the small chords under the main tune. Very high notes being played until about 2:20 when it gets even better with a small keyboard solo and then back into the main part with extra bass used. One of the better songs on Disc 2.
A loud clash starts off Only a Plank Between One and Perdition, which also has an urgent feeling to it. I like the light guitar used in this, it really works with the constant percussion beats and the tune isn't too bad either. Quite fast paced and it uses the clash a bit too, along with some medium synths which don't come along often.
The Stage is Set is one of the best on the OST. It starts off with heavy violin which is used in most of the song. Heavy drum beats also accompany the percussion used and and slight possible synth used as a boost for the violin. Another urgency, fast paced, awesome themed song. Good stuff.
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec plays at Edea's Parade and high a high synth paired with low drum beats. Not bad, and the vocals are moderate too. It has essence of the song to come also. This is a slightly less cool version of Premonition...
This starts off loud, which is quite a terrible first part, but as soon as the drums come in, Premonition becomes all awesome, as some of the best Final Fantasy songs have very bad starts. The flute is the main instrument here for the battle against Edea, and among the cool keyboard and organ playing, it also has a tune that sounds like a part in The Landing, making it a little better. It's another fast paced song, sounding a little orchestral too.
My personal favourite Final Fantasy VIII song is Movin'. This plays through the entire Missiles attacking Garden cutscenes and when you're in Balamb Garden Basement level finding out what's down there. The main theme of this is done like an army theme, with the tap drums and synth. The song also includes Retaliation, which is a minor part in the song. Around the 2 minute mark, it gets into the main theme again with clink noises in the background which are used in a lot of the better Final Fantasy songs. Around 3:14, it comes to a soft synth solo which involves the climax I suppose, of the song. Excellent work all round there.
The Oath is an excellent calm song for Final Fantasy VIII. Done almost completely with orchestral equipment, the song has quite a good tune. At about 0:48, the instrument changes for the next part of the song and it's a low soft synth with the first part of the song in the background. Worth a listen.
The Esthar theme Silence and Motion isn't the kind of song you'd expect on a Nobuo Uematsu OST. It starts off with little beepy sound effects which last throughout the song before getting into an orchestral piece with soft synths and the orchestral gear. The beeps always seem to be in key with the music which makes this quite well made up in the little details. Altogether, not a bad song.
Ride On is the theme to when you're flying in the Ragnarok. It is one of the only Final Fantasy VIII songs to have good bass, as the bass has a sort of tune to it, going along with this happy, upbeat tune with high chorded synth and keyboard notes. The tune however, can get repetitive.
Compression of Time starts off with a few beeps and then progresses into the vocal sounding theme. The tune is impressive, although slow, but each note really works well and the constant beeping actually helps make it sound better believe it or not. Then a small theme begins under the main theme played by a harp. Eventually, it becomes the harp on it's on and sounds pretty cool. Gives a great setting for the area you're in.
One of the best tracks also is The Castle, which starts off with a seemingly difficult to play keyboard solo. It then gets into the church piano for the main part with orchestral instruments backing it up. At about 1:20, the song speeds up for a short time before cutting the church piano and putting in synths. Then it basically just alternates each part of the song between instruments making it all mix together well.
The Legendary Beast starts off pretty bad, until the drums come in solo and then the flute begins to play. Then it's all uphill as the bass increase and the drums help keep the tune interesting. The hard synth then comes in for a cool solo before cutting short. That would be the only thing wrong with the song, that the hard synth doesn't keep in tune too long.
Maybe I'm a Lion is one of the few Final Fantasy VIII songs that has a guitar in it. Most of the song includes high soft synths and a constant moderately good drum beat. The theme uses probably every instrument that the entire OST uses, but it could sound much better if the tune was better.
The Ending Theme starts off with a catchy bass which soon drowns out, but not to worry, because the theme itself is made of a mix of soft synth and violin. It then plays a bit of The Landing from 0:45 - 1:25 which sounds awesome. It then begins to get softer before entering a nice orchestral piece. It then does a great soft synth solo from about 2:28 which adds a lot of feeling to the little end part after the credits. An excellent piece.
Now although not on the OST, the version of Eyes on Me that plays in the long ending cutscene is different from the regular one. It's more orchestral. The singing is a little softer and it makes it sound much better. It also makes the ending cutscene that much better. After Eyes on Me, it also plays the original Final Fantasy theme with a little orchestral added to it. I think it should have been added to the OST because it is definitely worth getting.
So altogether, it's brilliant. In my opinion, nothing's perfect. But this is the closest to perfect an OST can get. Whether the game itself is liked or not, you just got to love the music. Great job Nobuo Uematsu.
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