 | Album Title: Suikoden Tierkreis Extra Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Konami Style | |
| Catalog No.: LC-1758/60 | |
| Release Date: March 27, 2009 | |
| Purchase: Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
At the end of January 2009, Norikazu Miura stated in his official blog that there would be a Suikoden Tierkreis Extra Soundtrack, which would contain an arranged disc as well as two discs with music not included in the previous set. One month after the stand-alone release of the original soundtrack, the set finally appeared on the eastern shores. However, it was only limited to the online shop Konamistyle.
Body
The arranged disc starts off with a vocal arrangement of the game’s main theme “Tierkreis ~Door of Hope~”. While the members of Elements Garden are responsible for the musical arrangement like all tracks on this disc, the vocals are lent by yoshiko. Fans may remember her from Rhapsodia, where she performed “Another World (Rhapsodia Melody)”. After a calm opening, the music direction shifts toward electronic sounds with the use of acoustic elements such as guitar and violin. It’s similar to their work on the Wild Arms series. The next track “Frontier Hamlet” uses a folksy acoustic arrangement with violin, guitar, and percussion of the lively Citro Village theme. It’s very close to the original, but sounds much better because of the increased sound quality and use of live instruments. The same goes for “Wandering Caravan”, which, however, can get a little repetitive after a while.
“Intentions of the Imperial Family”, with its Arabian-inspired atmosphere, fits well to portray the happenings in the Imperial Capital El-Quaral, and again the arranged version is much superior compared to the in-game track. The two following tracks return the Celtic style to the music in a similar fashion to the acclaimed arranged album series “Celtic Collections”. While “Warrior on the Great Plains” features a tribal arrangement of the catchy melody with lots of percussion, its successive track “Shining Castle of Dying Wishes” is one of my favorite arrangements here. While actually being a compilation of the two stronghold themes, it starts off in a low-key version with woodwinds, acoustic guitar, and violin. Towards the middle, the atmosphere then changes into a more upbeat and lively style, when the actual “Shining Castle of Dying Wishes” motif appears.
One of the lesser known titles from the original soundtrack features a surprisingly good arrangement here, namely “Giant of a Proud Mountain”. While it starts identically to the original piece, the atmosphere soon changes with an interesting use of percussion, moving to a slow passage with dissonant strings that lead into the second phrase of the theme “Theme of Fierce Fighting with the Giants”. While staying true to the original, it increases a bit of power with the use of a live trumpet. It’s definitely one of the more interesting and unique arrangements. A fan of the original, I think “The People of the Sea” really shines here with its playful musical texture. The jazzy arrangement brings this piece up to 100% and the use of real instruments is once again delicious to listen to. The same goes for the following track “Woodland Nation” with its peaceful and natural-sounding soundscape. I absolutely love the pan flute here.
The last three tracks occur as bonus arrangements, and Norikazu Miura himself took the time to arrange these. “Sally Beacon -Solid Brass Mix-” returns to the formation theme with the help of some strong brass notes and additional percussion. The result is much more powerful and engaging than the original and, if Suikoden Tierkreis featured a war system, it would be the best warfare theme in the series thus far. But as it doesn’t, the track nevertheless remains one of the most memorable from the game and soundtrack. On “Clash with the Librian -Next Impact Mix-“, Miura takes the Librian battle theme and directs it into a new dimension of atmosphere with excellent sound quality. The overall piece stays true to the original, but with enhanced instruments like harpsichord or percussion, it sounds much more powerful. The last track “A Single World!” is a fun slapstick march with some chorus singing within. It reminds me a bit of the “DoReMi Elves” theme from the series. A fun way to finish the first disc, but nothing overwhelming at all.
The first of two discs with additional music features mostly event themes. Many of them are pretty straightforward filler tracks which appear in traditional RPGs and nothing spectacular at all. Still, they’re effective inside the game. Notable exceptions are “Friend of the Great Plains” with its catchy melody and upbeat arrangement, “Sisuca’s Room” as a beautiful piano solo version of the main theme, and the classic “Name Entry” motif with addition of the main theme. The Librian-related themes are also well done, from the major theme “Librian” to the battle theme “Clash with the Librian”. The use of Baroque elements in the form of a harpsichord is fascinating, especially in the battle theme, which used to be one of the most effective tracks from the game. Definitely a favorite of mine. The dungeon themes “A Path to Stray”, with its fast-paced piano chords and percussion, and “Coast Cave”, with its eerie synth vibes, are interesting compositions on the experimental side. Neither of them features memorable melodies, but the effect of creating a fitting atmosphere is, once again, fascinating.
Moving to the last disc, it opens with the climactic “Ladzaa Fortress”. It features interesting use of chimes and percussion as well as melodic passages; perfect for an invasion event. “What Ties Stars Together” is a beautiful Celtic rendition of the “Visitor from Another World” motif from the second disc. It helps to portray the fate of the Stars of Destiny and their mission. “What is Called Hell” is another of those experimental tracks from the soundtrack. It features some mourning female chants, disturbing strings, and synth effects. The Rhapsodia style definitely returns with this track. “Dancers of the North” features an Eastern-styled soundscape with Japanese instrumentation and whimsical arrangement — another great example of the diversity of Suikoden Tierkreis‘ soundtrack. While “A Single World” is a fun track fitting for the slapstick scenes where it’s used, “The Night Before the Decisive Battle” is, after “The One Who Watches Over the Stars”, the second big disappointment for fans of the series; it isn’t the traditional “Moonlit Night Theme”, instead it’s another of the hundred versions of the game’s main theme, this time in a slow ballad version. The two featured last battle themes are more or less a little disappointment in terms of atmosphere and originality; I prefer others from the first set.
Summary
Overall, I truly must say that I’m a little disappointed with this collection. After the hype of the announcement of the arranged disc with the help of Elements Garden, I expected a lot. What I heard was nothing more than one-to-one copies from the original with enhanced sound quality and here and there a few live instruments. True, they’re much superior to their counterparts, but a little more originality and style wouldn’t be that bad to hear here. At least some pieces like “Frontier Hamlet”, “Warrior of the Great Plains”, “Shining Castle of Dying Wishes”, and “The People of the Sea” absolutely shine here with fantastic and colorful arrangements, which some tracks truly deserved. Norikazu Miura’s two battle theme interpretations are also listenable and help to bring power and adrenaline into their soundscapes.
For the remaining two discs, I can only say that they make the soundtrack complete in a more or less satisfying way. To be honest, not all tracks are listenable, as there are many filler tracks and undeveloped pieces, but a few diamonds glimmer within. If you’re a fan of this game or the series, you should immediately grab this soundtrack set, because it isn’t that easy to get.
