 | Album Title: Ys IV Perfect Collection Vol. 2 |
| Record Label: King Records | |
| Catalog No.: KICA-1140 | |
| Release Date: April 21, 1994 | |
| Purchase: Buy Used Copy |
Overview
This is the second volume of the Ys IV Perfect Collection series and Ryo Yonemitsu is at the helm once again. Unfortunately, it is also hard to review these tracks as arrangements, since Ys IV has a bit of a messy history. Nihon Falcom is a company that develops games for the PC, and after the success of the previous titles one would assume that Ys IV would be around the corner. Of course it did arrive, but not for the PC-88. Hudson Soft and Tonkinhouse, which had licensed the series for console ports on the TurboGrafx-16 and Super Nintendo systems respectively, scooped up the games first.
The problem lay in the fact that each company also decided to put their own stamp on the game storyline and music. Ryo Yonemitsu, who had worked on the arrangements for the TG-16 ports in the past, was once again asked to do the arrangements, while a different team handled the SNES version. There is some overlap — in fact, most of the tracks here overlap — but they are used in different spots, and some tracks remain unused. Does this sound fun? I didn’t think so.
The closest thing you might find to an original soundtrack for comparison is the album entitled Ys IV J.D.K. Special – The Dawn of Ys, which contains Sharp X68000 versions of the tracks — or at least those that appear on the SNES version of the game. Unfortunately, the tracks that were exclusive to the TG-16 version of the game aren’t on that album. This is because Hudson strayed from Falcom’s original story, adding numerous elements and changing the order of events. The irony of this Perfect Collection is that it really only serves those who consider Dawn of Ys to be the definitive version of the game, since it follows the naming scheme and track order of the TG-16 version.
Now some of you have read this far and have been waiting for me, the reviewer, to start talking about the actual music. And you’re in luck; I’m going to talk about it now. The first thing I will ask is: do you enjoy power rock? The reason I ask that question is because the answer determines whether you’ll like this album or whether you’ll think it’s trash.
Body
Musically, the Ys series does have slower and quieter pieces of music — and Ys IV is no exception — yet Ys is also about high-energy tracks which accompany the on-screen action. And right from track one, we start off with a bang. “Lava Field ~ A Kiss from Eldeel” is classic Falcom rock, with heavy bass guitar keeping time with the percussion and a heavily distorted lead guitar. Are you ready to rock? I hope so. For music lovers who like well-developed harmonies and counterpoint, this album isn’t for you, so it’s best to move on.
The second track is a small dramatic cue, but track three continues the hard rock vibe of this soundtrack with a boss theme. The theme “The Ordeal Becomes Great” is either the theme for the final boss, if you own “Mask of the Sun,” the SNES version, or just another one of the regular boss themes if you own “Dawn of Ys.” I’m not a fan of the way that the track opens, as the rhythmic pattern isn’t something I like. But once the theme rolls in, you’ll probably agree with me that it’s a solid piece with a very catchy melody line that will hold your interest. Yonemitsu does draw things out a bit more with the B section of the track, which starts at 1:31. In the original version the track immediately jumps into the second section, but Yonemitsu builds things up a bit and actually improves upon the original. I should note “Walking the Path of Legend,” which was chosen by Taito to be the second boss theme for more powerful bosses. This actually works quite well as a boss theme, although it was used merely as yet another map exploration theme on the TG-16 version of the game.
Even the first of two town themes on this album, “Leeza,” is far removed from other games of similar types. The theme isn’t a stirring, peaceful, or relaxing melody; it’s much more energetic than that. Some find this off-putting, but it does make things feel much more bustling. This, along with the second track that starts with the same name, is the only refuge from the relentless rock. Thankfully, the second town theme, entitled “Tension,” is a bit more relaxed in its pacing. Unfortunately, the melody isn’t well-defined with this track, as it is more atmospheric than melodic. It might appeal to some, but I often skip the track because it feels under-baked thematically.
If you scroll to the bottom of the album listings on the album itself, you might also notice that there are several strangely capitalized tracks (you won’t see them on this site as it seems to have a no-shouting policy for tracks!). These tracks are stolen straight from Music from Ys, but thankfully the tracks are given fresh arrangements. “Feena” is noticeably different from its original counterpart, with a bolder arrangement at least in the second part. The first part sounds like it was stripped straight off the original. What on earth happened to “Tower of the Shadow of Death,” though? Here, I’m almost certain that Yonemitsu went a bit insane. I think it’s the out-of-place trumpets, using classic big-band cues, along with the odd instrumentation. It’s probably the most unique interpretation of that track, but still not what you would expect, seeing the Koshiro classic popping up on the list. And just for good measure, he adds a bit of funk to the track in the second half. Something is rotten in the state of this Ys album.
Summary
You might have noticed that I haven’t talked about many of the tracks. And the primary reason is that I’d be repeating myself. Thematically, this album is primarily power rock, and while it’s good rock, it’s also repetitive. This does drag down the album if you were hoping for some sort of variety, which never comes along. So in truth, if you answer the question “Do I love power rock?” with a no, you will probably give this album a 1/10 for effort and pass on it. If you do love rock as I do, the album will probably be given a 9/10 and you’ll worship it every time you get a chance to. So really it all boils down to one simple question. For me, though…
