 | Album Title: Another Eden Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Sleigh Bells / Procyon Studio | |
| Catalog No.: SBPS-0022~3 | |
| Release Date: September 27, 2017 | |
| Purchase: Buy at Amazon |
Overview
Another Eden is a free-to-play mobile RPG with a time-travel setting done in the traditional JRPG style and is written by Masato Kato, best known for writing the Chrono series for Square. Featuring a main theme by Yasunori Mitsuda and composed primarily by Procyon Studio staff Shunsuke Tsuchiya (Luminous Arc, Stella Glow) and Mariam Abounnasr—her first major composition debut for a video game, to my knowledge—how does the overall soundtrack turn out?
Body
The album opens with the main theme, “Another Eden,” composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Mitsuda’s Celtic/world-influenced music is on display, featuring a beautiful blend of strings and woodwinds with slight musical callbacks to both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. The melody itself has an excellent progression with an exquisite violin lead in the bridge, closing with the addition of electric guitar. The end result is a solid theme that helps to set the tone for the rest of the album. Mitsuda’s other contributions are few on the soundtrack and range from a poignant reflective piano piece, “The Unforgettable Light,” co-composed by Mariam Abounnasr, to an engaging and adventurous rendition of the main theme, “To the Sky of Time,” full of airy woodwinds and an orchestral focus, giving off a sense of flight. In addition, there is a music-box theme, “One Light Source,” that also utilizes the main theme, and the “Epilogue,” which gives off a celebratory vibe with its brass and woodwind focus and light marching percussion. Another tone-setting piece is Shunsuke Tsuchiya’s “Title,” a softer tune focusing on harps and strings, giving a very mysterious air throughout its beautiful melody.
Once past the first two themes, it is very clear that the composers kept Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross as influences on some aspects of the soundtrack. “One Morning” brings to mind “Peaceful Days” from Chrono Trigger with its intro and progression, while still retaining its own identity with its beautiful woodwind-, strings-, and harp-driven melodies. One of the best town themes on the soundtrack, “Baruoki,” composed by Mariam Abounnasr, is a stunning tune with clear Irish jig influences, an excellent violin-driven melody with a jovial and bright sound that screams Chrono Cross. Also bearing a Chrono Cross-influenced sound is “Earth and the Wind,” with its bagpipes, ethereal synths, bass guitar, percussion, and acoustic guitar creating a beautiful and warm atmosphere with a wonderfully nostalgic air of Mitsuda’s past soundtracks.
Of course, despite the clear influences from Mitsuda’s past works, there are plenty of examples where this is not the case, but the biggest shift is definitely in the battle themes. Primarily composed by Shunsuke Tsuchiya, they offer a distinct contrast to the softer sounds found on the album, while still retaining some of the instrumentation present throughout. “Chaotic Recognizer” is a violin-forward battle tune with an exhilarating sound—an excellent melody that fans of classic Falcom/Tales soundtracks will find pleasing. This style is largely present in many of the battle themes, although each offers its own differences. “Ambivalent Mirage” is more synth-rock-driven, although it does feature a strikingly beautiful violin line that helps to counter and complement the pure energy exuded from the synthesizer aspects of the piece. “Perpetual Stranger” shines with its woodwind- and strings-driven melody against drum-pad and light rock elements while sounding like a mix between Falcom- and Gust-based soundtracks with a tinge of modern Etrian Odyssey in the strings. This trend continues with “Dream Weaver” and “Brilliant Streamer,” both offering violin-focused rock battle themes with great melodies.
“Decent Destructors,” while offering all of the aforementioned elements, is certainly more rock-focused with its electric guitar line that dominates the first half of the piece, only adding violin toward the end of the loop to help flesh out its excellent melody. One of the softer sounds comes from Mariam Abounnasr’s “Paradoxical Dreamers.” This isn’t to say that a similar violin-rock emphasis isn’t present, but the subdued nature of the rock elements, compared to Tsuchiya’s contributions, helps contrast with the edgier sounds of the battle scenes. The violin-focused melody is beautiful and still manages to provide a motivating factor to the piece. “Geo Anguirus” certainly sounds like a battle theme with its dramatic strings and choir-focused progression. There is a lot of tension within the piece and aspects that give off a regal and haunting sound, while “Those Who Inherit the Stars” also has a battle-esque sound, incorporating a piano/percussion-focused tune with exotic instrumentation into the melody, giving it a worldly and tense soundscape. Back to rock is “To Release the Paradise,” with its electric guitar and piano combination that provides an otherworldly sound with a progression backed by a fantastic melody toward the end of the piece that gives off an edgier sound. Lastly, “True Eden” incorporates light electronic elements, Vocaloid, and marching percussion to create a heroic sound with a beautiful melody and ethereal atmosphere.
There are also plenty of other town themes aside from the aforementioned “Baruoki.” “Ratle” features a rustic sound with acoustic guitar and woodwinds, giving off a very Chrono Cross-inspired sound with a bit of Celtic flair, while “Acteul” features a romantic sound with its plucked strings, acoustic guitar, and sweeping strings, helping to give a warm tone to the overall piece. “Palsifal Palace” features a Middle Eastern influence with its exotic tones and gives off a mystic sound with its melody, while “Elzion” features sweeping orchestral strings and dramatic buildups to create a magical sound; its blend of piano helps give it a revered tone. Similarly, “The Royal City of Unigan” features a beautiful string melody combined with an uplifting martial sound to create a very regal atmosphere. Lastly, both “Laula Dome” and “The Floating City” employ generous use of the piano to create a romantic sound for the former and a warm sound for the latter, especially with the latter’s acoustic-guitar addition.
There are also a variety of event-based themes with different styles. “The Order of Claw and Fang” is a militaristic, ominous tune that suffers from a somewhat cliched “villainous” sound, but it does feature a nice brass-led melody. “Run!” is a frenetic tune with a nice musical progression but falls a bit flat overall; as with the previous tune, it does feature a nice brass melody. “Storm into the Swirl” definitely shows footprints of Abounnasr’s work on Valkyria: Azure Revolution, with a melody similar to “Vanargand” that is uplifting and bright. “Untuned Dancers” is a bit of a departure from much of the album with its bubbly, synth-driven melody, but its layers of synth help craft a beautiful soundscape.
“Curtain of Darkness” features harp, piano, and monk-like chanting that creates a very exotic and mysterious atmosphere, while “Cycle of Prays” also has a bit of exoticism similar to the style found in “Palsifal Palace.” Another beautiful tune is “Fleeting Wish” with its poignant, strings- and harp-driven arrangement that portrays the “Title” theme in a fuller sound. Lastly, “Toki-no-Wasuremono-Tei” is a beautiful acoustic-guitar piece with a relaxing and calming air and an excellent melody.
Of course, what RPG is complete without area themes? “Seashell at the Lost Sea” blends light electronica, beautiful Celtic sounds, and a touch of a Japanese soundscape to create a magical and mystical soundscape with a wonderful melody that really manages to shine on the album. “Babel” is a moody orchestral tune with an ominous and tense sound, moments of “revelation,” and relies more on atmosphere to establish its sound as opposed to the melody. “Xeno-Domain” is an interesting tune with its futuristic, bassy, and drum-pad-infused rhythms. It’s a creepy, peculiar, and strange tune, but extremely pleasing atmospherically.
“Corridor of Time Layer” is a wonderful tune with an air of heroism in its progression and melody and choral-tinged accompaniment. “The Dimension Ship” is more tense with its percussion-focused approach while also providing a dramatic orchestral backdrop. On the flip side is “Stone Slumbers” with its rustic woodwind and acoustic-guitar sounds that help boost a wonderful melody. “The Castle of Magical Beasts” is a vocal/choral-driven tune with organ that provides a reverent tone and plenty of atmosphere. Lastly, “Chronos’ Umbra” boasts a fantastic melody, haunting piano and synths, an ethereal choir, and heroic orchestral tones that really manage to stand out.
Summary
For a mobile soundtrack, the Another Eden Original Soundtrack will certainly scratch an itch for nostalgia. Given it is a game about time and space, there are plenty of tunes that harken back to Kato’s other games revolving around those concepts (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross), yet both Shunsuke Tsuchiya and Mariam Abounnasr are able to infuse their own styles into the pieces. The battle themes, which have a very Falcom-inspired sound on the whole, provide exhilarating experiences while the town and area themes offer a range of styles that capture the quintessential sounds of a traditional RPG. There is a lot to enjoy on the album, but at times it can drift a bit toward a more generic or cliched sound. It’s currently available in the West in digital format at Amazon and iTunes.
